Wm. Blackwood Descendants

William Blackwood and Descendants

The Facts

William Blackwood made final payment of 5 shillings toward the purchase of 230 acres of land from David Russell on 27 April 1790. The property was located within Gooney Manor in Shenandoah County, Virginia. Deed recorded, 26 August 1790. Shenandoah County Deed Book G, p. 246.

William Blackwood gave this land to his sons, John and James on the 6th of September in 1790. Deed recorded, October 1793. Shenandoah County Deed Book H, p. 79.

A marriage bond was issued on 26 August 1790 for John Thomas and Martha Blackwood. A letter of consent, dated 26 August 1790, for Martha is attached to the bond. It is signed by "Will Blackwood", her father. The marriage bond and letter are filed with the "loose papers" of Shenandoah County, Virginia in the custody of the Archives Division of the Virginia State Library in Richmond, Virginia.

William, John, James, and Thomas Blackwood are listed in the land tax and personal property tax records of Shenandoah County, Virginia. The first mention of William is in 1788 in the land tax records and in the personal property tax records. William is not mentioned by name in the personal property tax records after 1802, although he may be listed with one of his sons after that date. At least one of his three sons in each tax recordation after that time has an extra white male, over 16 years of age, listed in the tax records up until 1807. James' son, James would have been eligible to be counted in this category in 1805. Thomas's son, Levi, was probably counted in this category beginning in 1808, while John's eldest son, Thomas Wayman was not eligible until 1815.

William testified on behalf of Elizabeth Blackwood in the court proceedings, "Elizabeth Blackwood vs. Ralph Shaw" in September 1806. James Blackwood testified against her. William is also mentioned as being "present in court" during the proceedings of "Blackwood vs. Thomas" also in September 1806. This is the last mention of William in the records of Shenandoah County.

Conclusion

William Blackwood is the father of Martha, James, and John and is probably to be the father of Thomas. He was still alive in September of 1806

Problems

What are William Blackwood's origins. Is Thomas his son?

I will present other clues below that may help others to answer these and other questions. I have studied numerous U.S. Census records and scoured court records from Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia, Maryland, and Ohio. I have visited courthouses, libraries, and family members in all five states tracing and tracking descendants of William. Two other family historians preceded me and they too, were unable to solve the first question. I hope that someday I or some family member will find a missing descendant who can provide the necesary information so that the question can be answered. I have done my best to contact as many descendants as possible, but I am sure that I have missed some. Research of the Augusta County, Virginia family has been done. There does not appear to be any connection between the two families. Extensive research has been done on the line of Blackwoods to the south, the North Carolina group. There is some evidence that the North Carolina group may have stopped in Virginia, but there is nothing linking the two families together. A study of the given names amongst the Augusta County and the North Carolina groups suggests that these two families may be closely related. Although I do not have an answer to either question at this time, I will continue to search for as long as my health permits. To preserve what is known about William and his many descendants I had to temporarily stop the search for William. As I write, a book of these descendants is being prepared, based upon my notes and the notes of others. All will be given credit whenever possible. [Note: this was written in 1990 and THE book is not complete.]

Other Clues

Nothing is known about William prior to his arrival in Shenandoah County, Virginia in 1788. His name does not appear in the personal property tax lists nor in the land tax lists of Shenandoah County prior to that time. It is assumed that he was born between 1720 and 1735 based on the ages of his known children

Thomas Blackwood died in 1842.

No further information has been found on Martha Blackwood Thomas. She is thought to have died before 1810. There is a marriage bond for John Thomas and Elizabeth Mott, dated 9 April 1810 in Shenandoah County, Virginia. [I was working on this problem in 1992 when I stopped researching Blackwoods due to health problems. This John Thomas may not be the one who married Martha Blackwood; there were other Thomas families in Shenandoah County at that time. I am fairly certain that John Thomas and Martha Blackwood migrated to central Tennessee, along with other families from the Gooney Manor neighborhood].

James Blackwood moved to Rutherford County, Tennessee after May 1816. He is last listed in the personal property tax records of Shenandoah County, Virginia in that same year. He is listed in the Federal Census of Rutherford County for the years 1820 through 1850. The 1850 census states his age as 83 years old and his birthplace as Virginia. He is buried in the Bradley Creek Baptist Church. His grave marker states that he was a member of the Baptist Church and that he died in September 1850. It reveals no further information.

John Blackwood was ill in November 1812 when he prepared his last will and testament. He died between May and October 1813. He left 4 sons who survived to adulthood and a widow who remarried in 1815. Two of his sons, Stephen Adison and John Calvin Blackwood, were enumerated in the 1880 Federal Census. Their father's birthplace is listed as Virginia.

Assumption

John and James Blackwood were born in Virginia, placing William Blackwood in Virginia during the 1760's.

Religious Affiliation

James Blackwood was a Baptist. William Albert Blackwood, son of John Blackwood was also a member of the Baptist Church. He is buried in the cemetery of the Mud River Baptist Church in Cabell County, West Virginia. Thomas Obediah Blackwood, son of Thomas was married in the Evangelical Reformed Church (United Church of Christ) in Frederick County, Maryland. Richard Blackwood, another son of Thomas was a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Maryland Connection

Mrs. Rebecca Good, a genealogist specializing in Shenandoah County, Virginia research has stated that many of the families who moved into Shenandoah County after the Revolutionary War came from Frederick County, Maryland. Thomas Blackwood, the presumed elder son of William, married Mary Selby, whose father resided in Frederick County up until his death. No marriage record has been found for Thomas and Mary in Frederick or Montgomery Counties, Maryland nor in Shenandoah County, Virginia. Their son, Thomas Obediah married Susan A. Martin in Frederick County in March 1831. The Blackwood name has been searched in Maryland records. A baptismal record has been found in the records of Piscataway Parish Church (Prince George's County) for an Elizabeth Blackwood, daughter of William and Eleanor Blackwood. It is dated March 1765. A William Blackwood appears on the 1777 Montgomery County Tax list with 2 tithables, males over the age of 16. An oath of fidelity is on record for a William Blackwood in 1778 in Montgomery County, Maryland (formed from Frederick County in 1776). Nothing conclusive has been found to date.

Family Traditions

Descendants of Stephen Adison Blackwood, youngest son of John Blackwood, are said to have spoken with a Scottish brogue. These were people born in the 1880's, almost a hundred years after William Blackwood's name first appears in the records of Shenandoah County.

A descendant of Thomas Wayman Blackwood, eldest son of John Blackwood provided the following tradition. Four brothers came to this country, one was named Peter Blackwood. The brothers lived in a log cabin. A fire destroyed the cabin and all of the papers and personal belongings of the four brothers.

Four brothers came to this country from Scotland or Ireland. One went south, the others, west.

Here's another tradition handed down through the Stephen Adison Blackwood family. Several brothers and a half-brother came to this country and were descended from Scottish nobility. The half-brother returned to Scotland to claim an inheritance for himself and his brothers. He is said to have absconded with the inheritance, returning to this country and moving west to Chicago, Illinois.

The Blackwood family is descended from an "Earl" in Scotland.

A Thomas Blackwood descendant passed shared this tradition. Prior to settling in Shenandoah County the Blackwood family lived in Alexandria, Virginia. They were a family whose wealth was derived from the charcoal industry.

James Blackwood descendants contributed the following tradition. Thomas, James, and John Blackwood departed England for Holland. They left shortly after arriving in Holland, then came to the American colonies, settling in southeastern Virginia where they served under General George Washington during the American Revolution.

Last revised: 7 February 1999.
Last reviewed: 7 February 1999.
Copyright (c) 1998, 1999 by Karon M. Bosze. All rights reserved.
Data on these pages may be used for non-commercial use, but shall not be reproduced in any format for profit.

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