Captain Nathan Woodward

During the late 1830’s and early 1840’s six Woodward brothers and sisters brought their families from Wiltshire County, England to the area of St. Williams, Norfolk County. Nathan Woodward pictured at the left was born in Clyffe Pypard, Wiltshire on February 15, 1824 and came with his parents William Paul Woodward and Sarah Hitchcock to St. Williams at the age of seventeen in 1841.

On August 16, 1852, he married Hannah, a daughter of Thomas Cope and Catherine Manuel. She grew up on the Cope family farm on Long Point Bay south of St. Williams. Her grandfather William Cope put down roots there in 1793, among the earliest settlers in Norfolk. Hannah died just four years after her marriage leaving an only child named Daniel.

Nathan started his working career as a cabinetmaker and shipwright in Port Rowan. In 1863, he built and launched the ship Garibaldi and captained it, shipping lumber, grain and flour from Port Rowan to Buffalo, Chicago and other ports on the Great Lakes. A model of Garibaldi is on display at the Eva Brook Donly Museum at Simcoe.

In 1873, Nathan and his son Daniel moved to British Columbia and founded Woodward’s Landing in Nanaimo continuing their shipbuilding and shipping interests on the Pacific Ocean. Nathan died at Lulu Island, British Columbia on November 10, 1896.

Regarding the gun, on the above picture is written “Presented to Nathan Woodward by HRH the prince of Wales since King Edward when he was on a hunting trip in Ontario 100 years ago. Prince of Wales since King Edward 1835.” This would have been King Edward VII, possibly while on his tour of North America in the summer 1860. The 1835 date is an apparent error. Edward was born in 1841.