John Woodman (1630 - 1706)

Born 1630 in Corsham, Wiltshire, England

Ancestors

Husband of Mary (Field) Woodman — married 15 Jul 1656 in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts

Husband of Sarah (Burnham) Woodman — married 17 Oct 1700 in Dover, New Hampshire

Descendants

Died 17 Sep 1706 at about age 76 in Dover MM, Strafford, New Hampshire

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Biography

John Woodman, born c 1630 in England, son of Edward Woodman and Joanna (Unk) Woodman [1-1]; married 1st Mary Field, July 15, 1656, at Newbury, Massachusetts. ^[1] She was born in 1631, daughter of Darby and Agnes Field of Oyster River Point. They settled in that part of Dover known as Oyster River (now the town of Durham, New Hampshire). Mary died July 6, 1698 at Dover. He married 2nd Mrs. Sarah (Burnham) Huckins, Oct. 17, 1700, at Dover. She was the daughter of Robert & Frances Burnham and widow of Lieut. James Huckins.

He was buried at Durham, New Hampshire. Old Dover, New Hampshire included The death of John, first son of Capt. John Woodman was recorded in the "Journal of Rev. John Pike" as below. June 10, 1705 - Deceased ye Reverend Michael Wigglesworth of Malden on ye Sabbath day. the same day died John Woodman, June of Oyster River. Joshua Coffin, in his original genealogy, "A list of some of the Descendants of Mr. Edward Woodman," stated John married a daughter of Francis Raynes. This was incorrect, and unfortunately, this error has been repeated many times since. It is easily proved the John Woodman who married Mary Raynes, was not the son of Capt. John Woodman of Oyster River: First- He made a deposition in April 1702 stating he had "come from Newfoundland 13 or 14 years ago and never was in this country before." Second he bought land in Portsmouth in 1699 and lived there until 1711 when he bought land in Kittery, Maine. By July 19, 1715 he was in York, Maine. Third n 1692 he was given a grant to operate a ferry from Withers Point (Kittery) to Straverry Banke. Fourth- He sold his house and ferry in 1724 to his son-in-law, John More.

Shortly after his marriage, John removed to Dover, where he was accepted as an inhabitant, June 17, 1657. Town records show he had a land grant of 100 acres, November 10, 1658, and another grant January 10, 1659 and a grant soon after, which reads in part: "Given & granted by ye selectmen & with ye approbation of ye major part of ye inhabitants of Oyster River as appears under the selectmen's hand ye 30th 7th month '60 unto John Woodman, his heirs & assigns, Twenty Acres of Land at ye west side of Wm Beard's Creek &---" It was on the above recorded 20 acres that Capt. Woodman built his garrison house. It was built on an elevated spot with a commanding view of the river and surrounding area, where it could be easily defended. The unsuccessful Indian attack of 1694 was proof of his wisdom. That year the settlement at Oyster river was attacked by Indians of the Penobscot and Norredgewog tribes, under the leadership of Villieu, a French missionary. The settlement had 12 garrisoned houses for the protection of the inhabitants. Of the 12, five were destroyed, seven successfully defended, including the Woodman Garrison. this house with bullets still in its logs, was accidentally burned in 1896. the hearthstone from this garrison is at the front of the Oysster River Middle School in Durham, with a plaque reading: "Hearthstone of Woodman Garrison,1659-1896." John Woodman took the "freeman's oath", May 22, 1666. He attained the rank of Captain of the militia at Oyster River and "remained in active service till he was three score and ten years of age, vigorous, and alert. Captain Woodman was one of the outstanding men of the province. He served as selectman of the town for several years; Justice of the court of Common Pleas, 1702-1706; Deputy for Dover to the Provincial Assembly in 1684, 1692, 1696, 1699 and 1703 until the time of his death. The settlement at Oyster River petitioned the General Court in Boston to be made a separate parish from Dover. they elected Capt. Woodman to present the petition at the court, May 17, 1669. In 1685 Capt. Woodman, John Woodman Jr., and Jonathan Woodman, signed the petition which Nathaniel Weare carried to England for "redress from the tyranny of Gov. Cranfield." The second wife of Capt. John Woodman was the widow of Lieut. James Huckins, slain at Oyster River in the massacre of 1694. During the attack she was carried into captivity by the Indians and not recovered until a year later at Fort Androscoggin.

The book "American Commonwealths" by Frank B. Sanborn states: "The struggle by New Hampshire to break away Massachusetts came to a conclusion when the commissioners of Exeter, Hampton, Dover, and Portsmouth prepared a simple constitution, the first by popular initiative ever submitted to the people for adoption. This was January 24, 1690. the convention held for this purpose was made up of the leading men in each town, 22 men total. The names of these 22 men are signed to the draft of this constitution, only one copy of which is known to exist. Captain John Woodman signed for the town of Dover. On July 26, 1700 Capt. John Woodman of Oyster River wrote to his daughter, Mary (Woodman) Small at "Monamey" (Monomoit-now Chatham, Mass): "Son Edward and daughter Mery Smalle A store of love to you by thes you may knowe that I received yours and that we ar not without feres of futher trobles by the Indons by reson therof I can not dvyss you to macke anny prparation Homward untill wee heve further proved thay r keeping of the peace----wee ar all in resonebel goo haith threw gods marsy----from your Loving father John Woodman"

^[2]

Will

His will was written Dec. 20,1705 and listed his three living children, no wife named. Probate Feb. 4, 1706/7.

Descendants of Edward and Mary Woodman Small Son of Francis and Elizabeth Small

Generation No. 1

1. EDWARD1 SMALL (FRANCISA, EDWARDB) was born 1652 in Falmouth, Cumberland Co., Maine, and died April 30, 1702 in Kittery, York Co., Maine. He married MARY WOODMAN August 1686 in Dover, Stafford Co., New Hampshire, daughter of JOHN WOODMAN and MARY FIELD. She was born 1660 in Dover, Stafford Co., New Hampshire, and died 1742 in Kittery, York Co., Maine.

Burial

Woodman Cemetery, Durham, Strafford, New Hampshire

Sources

1. ↑ Vital Records of Newbury to 1850. https://ma-vitalrecords.org/MA/Essex/Newbury/aMarriagesW.shtml
2. ↑ Joshua Coffin, in his original genealogy, "A list of some of the Descendants of Mr. Edward Woodman

• Stackpole, Everett. History of the Town of Durham, New Hampshire (n.p. 1913) Vol. 2, Page 392.
• Coffin, Joshua. A List of Some of The Descendants of Mr. Edward Woodman, Who Settled at Newbury, Mass., A.D. 1635 (Union Job Office, Newburyport, Mass., 1855) Page 6.
• http://www.mytrees.com/ancestry-family/de002022-1461.html
• Find A Grave: Memorial #133817108