London Woodard

The last will and testament of James Bullock Woodard (1863).

I James B. Woodard of the County of Wilson, State of North Carolina, being of sound mind but advanced in years, & aware of the uncertainty of life, do make, constitute & declare this to be my last will & testament in manner & form as follows.

First, it is my desire that my burial expenses & just debts be paid by my executor, hereinafter named, out of any money on hand at my death, the sale of my perishable estate & the proceeds of my notes, bonds & accounts.

Second, I give & devise to my Eldest daughter Elizabeth Ann Stancil wife of Thomas Stancil the land on which she now lives, known as the Atkinson land containing about two hundred & twenty acres more or less and adjoining the lands of Larry Lassiter, Hilliard Thomas & others, to have and to hold to the said Elizabeth Ann Stancil her heirs & assigns. I also give and bequeath to my said daughter Elizabeth Ann Stancil, the following Slaves, negro man Elvin, woman Feriba & girl Dellah and their increase from this time, & also I give to my said daughter Elizabeth Ann one bed bedstead & bed furniture, which bed bedstead & bed furniture is at this time in said Elizabeth Ann’s possession, the said slaves above named, bed, bedstead & bed furniture, to have & to hold to the said Elizabeth Ann Stancil her heirs and assigns.

Third. I give & devise to my son Gray W. Woodard the upper lot or portion of my land, being in the Northeast corner, bounded as follows beginning at a pine at a corner of the Martha Parker line in the plot of the division of Johnathan Tartts decd land, recorded in Edgecombe County, thence down the old Thomas line to a black gum in a marsh, thence up the various courses of the said marsh to a ditch, thence in a direct line the course of the ditch to a Stake in the upper line of Catherine Smiths lot or portion in the aforesaid division, thence up the said line to D a corner in said division a post oak & pine, thence up the line of said plot to the beginning, to have and to hold to the said Gray W. Woodard his heirs & assigns. I also give & bequeath to my son Gray W. Woodard negro man Amos to have & to hold to the said Gray W. Woodard his heirs & assigns, and I also give & bequeath to my son Gray W. Woodard one bed, bedstead & bed furniture, one horn bridle & saddle, which bed, bed stead & bed furniture, horn, bridle & saddle the said Gray W. Woodard has in his possession.

Fourth. I give & devise to my son John B. Woodard the middle part of my land, included in the following boundaries, beginning at corner D, a post oak & pine thence in a southerly direction with the line of the aforesaid plot to E a corner pine, thence with the lower line of the Catherine Smith lot to the branch, the dividing line between Robt Bynum & myself, thence up the various courses of the dividing line to the corner A a sweet gum, thence with the line of the plat to L thence with the old Thomas line to the black gum in the Marsh, the aforesaid corner in Gray W. Woodard’s above-devised tract, thence with the above line of Gray W. along the marsh & ditch & on to upper line of Catherine Smiths lot, a stake, thence with said upper line to the beginning, to have & to hold to my son John B. Woodard his heirs & assigns.

I also give & bequeath to my son John B. Woodard negro man London to have & to hold to the said John B. Woodard his heirs & assigns & I also give to my son John B. Woodard one bed bedstead & furniture his choice, one horn bridle & saddle.

Fifth. I give & devise to my son George W. Woodard the balance of my home tract of land on which my dwelling and improvements are bounded as follows beginning at E a pine, a corner in the aforesaid plat, in the lower line of Catharine Smiths lot, thence with the said lower line to the branch, the dividing line between Robt Bynum & myself, thence with the branch to the lower line of said plat Bynum’s Corner, thence to H, a lightwood post a corner, thence with the line of said plat to the beginning to have and to hold to the said George W. Woodard his heirs & assigns. I also give & bequeath to my son George W. Woodard the following slaves, Howell & Jessee to have & to hold to the said George W. Woodard his heirs & assigns and I also give to my son George W. Woodard one bed bedstead & furniture, second choice, one horn bridle & saddle.

Sixth. I give & bequeath to my daughter Margaret P. Batts wife of W.W. Batts the following slaves Sarah, Florence, Phebe, Mary & young Sarah and their increase from the present time, to have & to hold to said Margarett P. Batts her heirs & assigns. I also give to my daughter Margarett P. Batts one bed, bedstead & furniture which she has in her possession.

Seventh. I give & bequeath to my daughter Mary J. Edwards wife of W. H. Edwards the following slaves, Harriett, Debba, Ben, Ned, Rose & Fanny and their increase from this time, to have & to hold to said Mary J. Edwards her heirs & assigns. I also give to my daughter Mary J. Edwards one bed bedstead & furniture which she has in her possession.

Eight, It is my will and desire that should I before my death, purchase the inheritance or fee simple in the portion of my land given to John B. Woodard & known as Catharine Smiths lot, in which I now have but an estate for life, that the same shall insure to his benefit & go to the said John B. Woodard & his heirs.

Ninth, It is my will and desire that all of my farming tools, including my blacksmiths tools, carpenters tools & coopers tolls shall be divided equally between my three sons George W. Woodard, John B. Woodard & Gray W. Woodard, by three disinterested neighbors selected by my executor.

Tenth. I give to my son George W. Woodard my patent cider mill, cider press and all the necessary fixings pertaining to the cider press & mill including the barrells.

Eleventh. I give to my three daughters Mary J. Edwards, Margarett P. Batts & Elizabeth Ann Stancil all of my stock of horses, hogs, cattle, sheep & poultry, not otherwise disposed of in this my will to be equally divided as near as possible by three disinterested freeholders, said freeholders to be appointed by my Executor.

Twelfth. I give to my friend Jesse Baker pastor of the White Oak Baptist Church [in Saratoga] one hundred dollars to be paid to him out of any monies belonging to my estate in the hand of my executor.

Thirteenth. It is my will and desire, that all the residue of my estate, after taking out the gifts & devises, shall be sold at public auction by my executor and if there should be any surplus after the payment of my debts, legacies & expinces, that such surplus shall be equally divided between my three daughters, Elizabeth Ann Stancil, Margarett P. Batts & Mary Jane Edwards, Share & Share alike.

I do hereby appoint my friend Robt Bynum my executor, to execute this my last will & testament according to its true meaning & intent. Should Robt Bynum fail from any cause at present unknown, from acting as my executor, it is my desire that my nephew William Woodard should act in his stead Carrying out the true intent & meaning of this my last will & testament.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand & seal this the 22 day of June A. D. 1863. /s/ Jas. B. Woodard {seal}

In the presence of the following witnesses who sign at my request & in my presence /s/ William Thomas, Robt. Bynum

——

James B. Woodard’s will — drafted six months after the Emancipation Proclamation — included bequests of 18 enslaved people, at least seven of whom — Howell, Elvin, Feriba, Sarah, Amos, Harriett, and London — were the children of London Woodard (1797-1870) and his first wife, Venus (??-circa 1845). In 1854, J.B. Woodard sold London to London’s second wife, a free woman of color named Penelope “Penny” Lassiter. London received his license to preach shortly after the Civil War ended and founded a church in Wilson that still bears his name.

  • Howell Woodard was born about 1818.  In the 1870 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: Howell Woodard, 52, Rodah, 40, and children (and possibly grandchildren) London, 23, Harriet, 20, Venus, 19, Ferebee and Virginia, 17, Mary, 14, Sarah and Penelope, 12, Rodah, 10, Puss, 6, John, 8, Kenny, 5, Fanny, 1, and Martha, 1 month. Rhoda and their children appear to have been enslaved elsewhere. Howell Woodard died before 19 March 1874, when his wife was remarried to Abram Farmer.
  • Elvin Woodard was born about 1822. On 4 April 1866, he and Deby Barnes registered their cohabitation with a Wilson County justice of the peace. In the 1870 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: Elvin Woodard, 47, Deber, 48, and children William, 23, Sylvia, 18, and Amanda, 16. Debbie Barnes Woodard had been enslaved elsewhere.
  • Ferebe Woodard was born about 1828. In the 1870 census of Gardners township, Wilson County: Benj’n Artis, 46, farm laborer; wife Phebee, 42; and children Mary, 2, Julia, 6, Sarah, 17, Debby, 18, and Benjamin, 20.
  • Sarah Woodard was born about 1838. In 1866, she and Warren Rountree [brother of Hilliard Ellis, below] registered their 16-year cohabitation with a Wilson County justice of the peace. In the 1870 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: farm laborer Warren Rountree, 40; wife Sarah 32; and Florence, 18, Rhebecca, 17, Mary, 11, Howell, 7, Sallie, 5, Lou, 2, and Warren Jr., 20.
  • Amos Woodard was born about 1840. In the 1870 census of Taylor township, Wilson County: Amos Woodard, 30, farm laborer. He married Carrie Ellis, daughter of Hill and Ferbee Ellis, on 27 March 1871 at Hill Ellis’ home.
  • Harriet Woodard was born about 1842. In 1866, Harriet Woodard and Alfred Woodard registered their ten-year cohabitation with a Wilson County justice of the peace. In the 1870 census of Wilson township, Wilson County: farm laborer Alfred Woodard, 40; wife Harriet, 28; and children Ned, 14, Rosa, 15, Zilly, 4, London, 3, and Minny, 2 months. Harriet died before 13 February 1873, when her husband Alfred married her widowed sister Sarah Woodard Rountree.
  • London Woodard Jr. was born about 1844.

The remaining ten were mostly London and Venus Woodard’s grandchildren. Take a look again at Woodard’s distributions. Sometimes he kept mothers and children together. Other times, children were paired with their aunts instead.

  • Dellah — circa 1867, Della Woodard, daughter of Ben Woodard [Artis] and Fereba Woodard, married Henry Woodard, son of Lewis Shallington and Pleasant Woodard, in Wilson County.
  • Jesse
  • Florence — probably the daughter of Sarah Woodard and her husband, Warren Rountree, who was enslaved elsewhere. See the 1870 census entry above.
  • Phebe — probably the daughter of Sarah Woodard and her husband, Warren Rountree. See the 1870 census entry above — she is perhaps “Rhebecca.”
  • Mary — probably the daughter of Sarah Woodard and her husband, Warren Rountree. See the 1870 census entry above.
  • young Sarah — possibly, the daughter of Sarah Woodard and her husband, Warren Rountree, who was enslaved elsewhere. However, she does not appear to be the “Sallie,” age 5, listed in  the 1870 census entry above. More likely, she was the daughter of Ferebee Woodard and her husband, Benjamin Artis, who was enslaved elsewhere. See the 1870 census entry above.
  • Debba — probably the daughter of Ferebee Woodard and her husband, Benjamin Artis, who was enslaved elsewhere. See the 1870 census entry above.
  • Ben — probably the son of Ferebee Woodard and her husband, Benjamin Artis. See the 1870 census entry above.
  • Ned — probably the son of Harriet Woodard and her husband Alfred Woodard, who was enslaved elsewhere. See the 1870 census entry above.
  • Rose — though London and Venus Woodard had a daughter Rose, based on the way she listed in the will, this Rose appears to have been a child in 1863. She was probably the daughter of Harriet Woodard and her husband Alfred Woodard. See the 1870 census entry above.
  • Fanny

The last will and testament of London Woodard.

Acclaimed Primitive Baptist preacher London Woodard made out his last will and testament on 14 November 1870.

After directing a “decent burial,” Woodard itemized the household goods and farm implements left to his “beloved wife,” Penelope Lassiter Woodard.

His three sons, William, Hardy, and Haywood Woodard, were to divide his land equally and receive one beehive and one axe each.

Daughter Treasy Woodard received the late nineteenth-century equivalent of a bedroom set.

The rest of his property was to be divided among his children Howell, Elvin, Rose, Pharibee, Sarah, Amos, Harriet, London, Treasy, and Penina Woodard.

 

They have stood for several generations.

The 1 September 1936 edition of Zion’s Landmark, a Primitive Baptist journal, printed a letter from Mrs. Charlie H. Wiggins of Elm City. “It is on my mind to write,” she began. “I don’t know why.” Wiggins meandered from thoughts of a recent service at White Oak Primitive Baptist to recollections of her great-grandfather James Bullock Woodard and his family to thoughts about London Woodard:

“We, the great granddaughters and sons, are thankful we descended from such a humble, honest God-fearing Primitive Baptist ancestor. Old Uncle London [W]oodard was a slave and belonged to great granddaddy Woodard. Old Uncle London became a Primitive Baptist preacher and was the founder of London’s Church, near Wilson. His wife, Aunt Penny, was a free negro. She bought her husband from great grand daddy.

“According to Elder [R.H.] Pittman’s, of Luray, Va. writings, in London Church was the first place he ever got in the stand and preached. I have a lot of curiosity about my ancestors. This is as far back as I can go on the Woodard generations. White Oak church and London’s have stood for several generations to come and pass on. I hope they will stand for the saints to go home and hear the Holy Child Jesus talked about.”

Clipping courtesy of J. Robert Boykin III.

Another history of London Woodard and his church.

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Rocky Mount Telegram, 29 January 1960.

The take-away:

  • London’s Primitive Baptist is possibly the oldest African-American church in Wilson County.
  • London Woodard was born in 1808. In 1827, James Bullock Woodard purchased him for $500 from the estate of Julan Woodard.
  • In 1828, London Woodard was baptized at Toisnot Primitive Baptist.
  • In 1866, he sought permission to preach among his people.
  • In 1870, he was “dismissed” from Toisnot so that he could pastor the church he founded. He died lass than a month later.
  • London Church appears to have become disorganized after Woodard’s death, but in 1895, Toisnot P.B. dismissed several “colored brethren and sisters” who wanted to reestablish worship at London’s. The same year Union (now Upper Town Creek) P.B. released Haywood Pender, George Braswell, Dublin Barnes, and couple Charles and Rebeckah Barnes for the same purpose.
  • London Woodard married Pennie Lassiter, born free about 1810 and possessed of considerable property, including 29 acres purchased from James B. Woodard in 1859. [Penelope Lassiter was his second wife. His first, Venus, was enslaved.]
  • London and Pennie Woodard’s children were Priscilla (1846), Theresa (1848), Hardy (1850), Haywood (1852), William (1854), and Penina (1858). “Another child was probably named Elba, born in 1844; she was working for the John Batts family in 1860.” [London and Venus Woodard had nine children; Elba was not among either set.]
  • Many “old-time colored Christians” remained members of the churches they attended during slavery. Their children and grandchildren, however, gradually formed separate congregations.

——

  • Haywood Pender — in the 1900 census of Toisnot township, Wilson County: Haywood Pender, 50, farmer; wife Feraby, 45; children Mollie, 39, and Ann, 8; and grandchildren Gold, 5, Nancy, 3, and Willie, 16. Haywood Pender died 15 July 1942 in Elm City, Toisnot township. Per his death certificate, he was born 6 October 1852 in Wilson County to Abram Sharp and Sookie Pender; was a farmer; was a widower; and was buried in Piney Grove cemetery, Elm City.
  • Dublin Barnes — in the 1880 census of Toisnot township, Wilson County: farmer Doublin Barnes, 25; wife Eliza, 21; daughter Sattena, 2; and Jane Thomas, 12, farmhand.
  • Charles and Rebecca Barnes — in the 1900 census of Wilson, Wilson County: farmhand Charley Barnes, 50; wife Rebecca, 57; and children John, 26, William, 23, Annie, 17, Tom, 18, and Corah, 12.
  • George Braswell

London Woodard, Penny Lassiter Woodard and the London Church.

On 14 February 1970, the Wilson Daily Times published a full-page article detailing the life of London Woodard, founder of London’s Primitive Baptist Church.

London Woodard was born enslaved in 1792. He was recorded in the estates of Asa Woodard in 1816 and Julan Woodard in 1826 (in which he was recognized as a distiller of fine fruit brandies.) In 1827, James B. Woodard bought London at auction for $500. The same year, London married Venus, a woman enslaved by Woodard. In 1828, London was baptized and appears as a member in the minutes of Tosneot Baptist Church. Venus was baptized in 1838 and died in 1845.

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Transfer of title to “a negroe man by the name of Lonon” from Nathan Woodard to James B. Woodard, 1928.

J.B. Woodard’s second wife died in 1837, and he hired Penelope Lassiter, a free woman of color, as a housekeeper and surrogate mother to his children. Lassiter, born 1814, was the daughter of Hardy Lassiter, who owned a small farm south of Wilson. She met London, who was working as overseer, at Woodard’s. In 1852, Penny Lassiter bought 106 acres for $242 about five miles east of Wilson on the Tarboro Road.

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In 1854, Penny Lassiter purchased her husband London, then about 62 or 63, from J.B. Woodard for $150. In 1858 Lassiter bought another 53 acres near her first tract and purchased 21 acres in 1859. The same year, she sold a small parcel to Jordan Thomas, a free man of color [who was married to her step-daughter Rose Woodard.] In 1866, the years after he was emancipated, London Woodard bought, subject to mortgage, a 200-acre parcel of land.

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In 1866, London Woodard was granted authority to preach “only among his acquaintances,” i.e. African-Americans. A member of Tosneot Baptist donated an acre of land to build a black church, regarded as the first in Wilson County. London Woodard was licensed to preach in 1870.

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London Woodard preached his last sermon on 13 November 1870. The next day, he suffered a stroke and fell into an open fireplace. Despite severe burns, he was able to dictate a will before his death.

The history of London Church for the 25 years after Woodard’s death is murky. In 1895, white churches Tosneot and Upper Town Creek dismissed several African-American members in order that they might establish an independent congregation at London’s. [London Church reorganized under the umbrella of the Turner Swamp Primitive Baptist Association in 1897.]

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By the terms of his will, London Woodard provided for his wife Penelope; sons William, Hardy, Haywood, Howell, Elvin, Amos and London; and daughters Treasy, Rose, Pharibee, Sarah, Harriet and Penninah. (Deceased son John’s daughter was apparently inadvertently omitted.)  “A few facts” about Woodard’s children follows.

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Receipts for payments for taxes and accounts for Penny Lassiter and London Woodard.

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This building was moved around the corner to London Church Road. It has long been abandoned and collapsed in 2017 after suffering serious storm damage the year before.