Mary (Kindig) Woodruff (1870 - 1949)

Born 23 Oct 1870 in Athens, Calhoun, Michigan, United States

Wife of Ralph Nelson Woodruff — married 30 May 1889 in Calhoun, Michigan, United States

Descendants

Died 1949 at about age 78 in Lonoke, Arkansas, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Austin Woodruff [send private message]

Biography

I'm uncertain about several of these details. The marriage records between her and Ralph especially appear to be inaccurate: Ralph's mother's maiden name is given as "Ewers" or "Elvers" when other sources all point to "Boughton"; Mary's father's name is given as "Charles" when other sources point to "Cossam"; and her age is given as 21, when other records suggest she was only 19. If we accept that these details on the wedding records are simply wrong, I think it is possible to establish the facts as they are laid out here.

The fact that the 1930 census record^[1] with her son Max has her father born in Ohio and her mother in Pennsylvania helped convince me that she is the daughter^[2] of Cosam and Sarah who was 9 years old in 1880. Her tombstone^[3] says she was born in 1870, which would match someone who was 9 (with an October birthday) in mid-1880. The Fretz Genealogy book provides October 23 as her specific birthday.^[4]

No source provides any mention of a middle name or initial (except her tombstone^[3], which apparently just has a "K" for "Kindig").

I wasn't able to find her in the 1920 census. It's possible that she was living with a niece^[5] at the time of the 1940 census, but I haven't yet explored the family tree to know if she has a niece named Phina, and the fact that she was buried (and died?) in Lonoke, AR makes me uncertain as to where she lived after her husband's death. The "Woodruff Genealogy" book says that she was living in Lonoke as of 1945, but it also claims that all her children were born in Lonoke.

One online tree^[6] lists her date of death as July, 1947, but I wasn't able to find any corroborating evidence for a July death, and her tombstone says 1949.^[3]

Sources

Footnotes:

1. ↑ 1930 Census
2. ↑ 1880 Census
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2} FindAGrave
4. ↑ A Brief History of John and Christian Fretz and a Complete Genealogical Family Registrer
5. ↑ Phina Woodruff in the 1940 Census
6. ↑ FamilySearch Tree

See Also:

• Direct contact with great-grandson, who confirmed that his father's grandmother Mary died in Arkansas in the 1940s.

• "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MW9B-DLV : 14 August 2017), Mary Kindig in entry for Cossam H Kindig, 1880; citing enumeration district ED 40, sheet 32D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d), roll 0574; FHL microfilm 1,254,574.

• "Michigan Marriages, 1822-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCV3-7J7 : 10 February 2018), Ralph Woodruff and Mary Kendig, 30 May 1889; citing reference ; FHL microfilm 1,009,297. (questionable accuracy)

• "Michigan Marriages, 1868-1925", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQ7T-PX8 : 15 January 2019), Ralph Woodruff and Mary Kendig, 1889.

• "Michigan Marriages, 1822-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCDP-Z6D : 10 February 2018), Ralph Woodruff and Mary Kendig, 30 May 1889; citing reference p 39 cn 584; FHL microfilm 1,009,297. (questionable accuracy)

• "Michigan, County Marriages, 1820-1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCJ4-ZWD : 4 November 2017), Ralph Woodruff and Mary Kendig, 30 May 1889; citing reference ID x, various county clerks and libraries, Michigan; FHL microfilm 1,009,297. (questionable accuracy)

• "Michigan Births and Christenings, 1775-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FH9G-W5Q : 11 February 2018), Mary Woodruff in entry for Max Woodruff, 21 Jul 1891; citing Athens, Calhoun, Michigan, reference ; FHL microfilm 2,321,269.

• "Michigan Births, 1867-1902," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQD8-WPB : 10 March 2018), Mary Woodruff in entry for Max Woodruff, 21 Jul 1891; citing item 1 p 371 rn 65, Athens, Calhoun, Michigan, Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 2,321,269.

• "Michigan Births and Christenings, 1775-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FH9T-FLT : 11 February 2018), Mary Woodruff in entry for Meyrtie Woodruff, 04 Dec 1893; citing Athens, Calhoun, Michigan, reference ; FHL microfilm 2,322,381.

• "Michigan Births and Christenings, 1775-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F42T-JLY : 11 February 2018), Mary Woodruff in entry for Myrtie Woodruff, 04 Dec 1893; citing Athens, reference 263; FHL microfilm 1,008,278.

• "Michigan Births and Christenings, 1775-1995," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:F45V-HB1 : 11 February 2018), Mary Woodruff in entry for Myrtie Woodruff, 04 Dec 1893; citing Athens, Calhoun, Michigan, reference ; FHL microfilm 1,008,278.

• "Michigan Births, 1867-1902," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQFY-LX4 : 10 March 2018), Mary Woodruff in entry for Meyrtie Woodruff, 04 Dec 1893; citing item 1 p 387 rn 20, Athens, Calhoun, Michigan, Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 2,322,381.

• "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M91P-XPM : accessed 8 March 2019), Mary Woodruff in household of Ralph N Woodruff, Athens township Athens village, Calhoun, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 28, sheet 13A, family 338, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1972.); FHL microfilm 1,240,704.

• "Michigan Births, 1867-1902," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NQ6R-VC7 : 10 March 2018), Mary Woodruff in entry for Glen Woodruff, 08 Jun 1902; citing item 1 p 404 rn 616, Athens, Calhoun, Michigan, Department of Vital Records, Lansing; FHL microfilm 2,363,037.

• "United States Census, 1910," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M2HV-61Q : accessed 8 March 2019), Mary Woodruff in household of R M Woodruff, Marmaton, Allen, Kansas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 18, sheet 15A, family 178, NARA microfilm publication T624 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1982), roll 431; FHL microfilm 1,374,444.

• "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XQYM-MNJ : accessed 8 March 2019), Mary Woodruff, Union, Branch, Michigan, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 24, sheet 7A, line 12, family 218, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 977; FHL microfilm 2,340,712.

• "Indiana Marriages, 1780-1992," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XF7X-M65 : 10 February 2018), Mary Kendig in entry for Max Nelson Woodruff and Hazel Lenore Roberts, 28 Aug 1930; citing reference 302; FHL microfilm 1,872,326.

• "Indiana Marriages, 1811-2007," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3LK-MZ9 : 10 December 2017), Mary Kendig in entry for Max Nelson Woodruff and Hazel Lenore Roberts, 28 Aug 1930; citing Steuben, Indiana, United States, Marriage Registration, Indiana Commission on Public Records, Indianapolis; FHL microfilm 005329132.

• "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3S7-GS7 : 13 March 2018), Mary Kindig in entry for Glenn Casan Woodruff, 15 Sep 1949; citing certificate number 42539, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,223,523.

• Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 08 March 2019), memorial page for Mary K Woodruff (1870–1949), Find A Grave Memorial no. 14237240, citing Concord Cemetery, Lonoke, Lonoke County, Arkansas, USA ; Maintained by Hope Frazier (contributor 46593879). Link

• Abbott, Susan Emma Woodruff. Woodruff Genealogy, Descendants of Mathew Woodruff of Farmington, Connecticut (Milford, Conn., 1963) (page 342)

• A Brief History of John and Christian Fretz and a Complete Genealogical Family Registrer, Rev. A.J. Fretz and J. Freeman Hendricks, Mennonite Publishing co, Elkhart, Ind, Page 110 (accessed 2-May-2019)