Norwood, James Richard

[James] Richard NORWOOD (1782 - 1815) and Mary SMITH (1784 - aft. 1819)

my 5g-grandparents

Richard NORWOOD was born about 1782 in VA, and died in 1815, in Madison County, AL, age about 33. He married Mary SMITH, born about 1784 in VA. They were probably married by 1809, as their 4 known children were born from 1809 to 1815. They lived in SC when their 1st child was born, about 1809.

Many researchers call him James Richard NORWOOD. However, all the records I have seen that appear to be for this individual are for Richard NORWOOD. The 1810 US Census has a James NORWOOD in Pendleton, SC, but he was living alone.

He was a son of Theophilus NORWOOD and Elenor MIDDLETON. About 1810 Richard and Mary, with their first two children, moved to Green County, TN. Richard was a Corporal in the War of 1812, but became ill during the war. After the war he took his family to Madison County, AL, but he was still sick, and died in 1815.

Mary (SMITH) NORWOOD and her children moved from Madison to Tuscaloosa County, AL, and there she remarried about 1819 to Edwin BURGESS.

Richard and Mary had 4 known children. The eldest was Theophilus NORWOOD, my 4g-grandfather. Next in age was Richard Smith NORWOOD, who also removed to Madison, AL, but later went to Salt Lake City, UT, where he was one of the early members of the Mormon church. There is good documentation about him, which is a major source of information about his extended family.

Richard served as a Corporal in the War of 1812, under Col. HIGGINS. This unit had many men from Madison County, AL as well as some TN counties, but men from Greene County, TN usually went to other regiments. This makes it seem likely that Richard and family moved to Madison, AL before he joined the Army.

The 1815 tax list has Richard NORWOOD in Madison County, AL, and the 1816 tax list further specifies that he was in Mississippi Township, Madison County, AL. However, his son Richard Smith NORWOOD said that his father died in 1815.

The 1825 will of Francis D. SMITH, of Tuscaloosa County, AL names his nephew, Theophilus NORWOOD, son of Richard NORWOOD, deceased. Francis must have been a brother of Mary SMITH, wife of Richard NORWOOD. See the Theophilus NORWOOD page.

I have not found any record of Mary or Edwin BURGESS after 1819.

Descendants of Richard NORWOOD and Mary SMITH

Richard NORWOOD died at about 33, and had only 4 known children. His wife, Mary SMITH, remarried, and may have had more children, but nothing seems to be known about this.

Summary

The eldest son, Theophilus NORWOOD, was born about 1809, when they lived in SC. He was an infant when the family moved to Greene County, TN, and still a small child when they went to Madison County, AL. must have gone to live with relatives after his mother remarried. He lived in Tuscaloosa County, AL where he married twice and where his first 7 children were born. The family moved to Bellefontaine, Choctaw County, MS between 1844 and 1847, where 3 more children were born. Theophilus was still living in 1870 in Bellefontaine.

The second son, Richard Smith NORWOOD, was born in 1811 in Greene County, TN, and was a toddler when his family moved to Madison County, AL. He raised a family in Tuscaloosa, AL. In 1845 he converted to the Mormon faith, and when his wife refused to convert, he left her and 6 children, and went to UT. There he had 2 wives and many more children.

The third son, John Middleton NORWOOD, was born about 1813 in Greene County, TN. He must have been an infant when his family moved to Madison County, AL. He and his brother Richard were taken in by a farmer, John BESS, in Jefferson County, AL, after his mother remarried in 1819. By 1840 he had a family in Choctaw County, MS. He was back in AL around 1850, but eventually settled near Pigeon Roost, Choctaw, MS.

The youngest child was Eleanor NORWOOD, born in Marion County, AL about 1815, the same year her father died. She was in Tuscaloosa County, AL by 1830, where she married and had 7 children. By 1860 they had moved 80 miles south, to Prattville, Autauga County, AL.

1 Mary SMITH b: 1784 in VA d: aft. 1819, age 35+

+ [James] Richard NORWOOD b: 1782 in VA, d: 1815 in Madison, AL, age 33

......2 Theophilus NORWOOD b: 1809 in SC, d: aft. Aug 1870, age 61+

...... + Sally Caroline BROWN b: 1810 in TN, m: 10 Sep 1828 in Tuscaloosa, AL, d: 1832 in MS, age 22

...... + Sarah PITMAN b: Jan 1813 in TN, m: 1 Mar 1832 in Tuscaloosa, AL, d: Sep 1860 in Bellefontaine, Choctaw, MS, age 47

......2 Richard Smith NORWOOD b: 7 Jun 1811 in Greene, TN, d: 18 Jan 1898 in Orderville, Kane, UT, age 86

...... + Martha RUSSELL b: 28 Apr 1814 in GA, m: 27 Jun 1834 in Tuscaloosa, AL, d: 24 Mar 1871 in Columbus, Lowndes, MS, age 56

...... + Elizabeth STEVENSON b: 11 Feb 1823 in Gibraltar, d: 3 Oct 1878 in Porterville, Morgan, UT, age 55

...... + Caroline Chloe NORTON b: 6 Sep 1836 in Shelby, TN, m: 3 Jan 1858 in UT, d: 15 Mar 1901 in Porterville, Morgan, UT, age 64

......2 John Middleton NORWOOD b: 1813 in Greene, TN, d: Aft. 1880, age 67+

...... + Frances B b: 1815 in AL, d: Aft. 1880, age 65+

......2 Ellender "Ellen" NORWOOD b: 1815 in Marion, AL, d: bet. 1870-1870

...... + Josiah V. GREEN m: 15 Jul 1830 in Tuscaloosa, AL

...... + George W. DUCKWORTH b: 1814 in SC, m: 4 Dec 1834 in Tuscaloosa, AL, d: aft. 1879

+ Edwin BURGESS b: Abt. 1780 (just a guess), m: 1819

Theophilus NORWOOD was born about 1809 in SC, and was still living in Choctaw County, MS when the census was taken on 26 Aug 1870. He seems to have married 3 times, but it is unclear, since there were several Theophilus NORWOODs. He was my 4g-grandfather.

See the Theophilus NORWOOD page.

Richard Smith NORWOOD was born 7 Jun 1811 in Greeneville, Greene County, TN, and died 18 Jan 1898 in Orderville, Kane, UT. He had 3 wives and several children.

About 1814, when Richard was a small child, his family moved to Madison County, AL. His father had become ill during the War of 1812, and he died in 1815. Richard's mother and her 4 children moved to Tuscaloosa County, AL in 1817, and she married Edwin BURGESS in 1819. Shortly after this marriage, Richard and his brother John, age 9 and 7, were "bound out" to a farmer named John BESS, of Jefferson County, and they were treated like members of the family. [Jefferson County, AL was formed on 13 Dec 1819.]

Richard married (1) on 27 Jun 1834 in Tuscaloosa County, AL, to Martha RUSSELL, daughter of Caleb and Nancy RUSSELL. Martha was born 28 Apr 1814 in GA. So they were 23 and 20 when they married. They had 6 children in 11 years, according to his autobiography. Martha died on 24 Mar 1871 in Columbus, Lowndes, MS.

I have not found the names of Richard and Martha's 6 children,, except William, but it seems that they had 3 daughters by 1840, in Talladega County, AL.

Richard was converted to the LDS (Mormon) religion by a missionary, A. O. SMOOT. He was baptized in the church on 8 Apr 1844. His wife could not accept the new religion, and Richard left her and the children. With no money, and suffering from illness, he traveled on foot to Memphis, TN, staying with friends and relatives, many of whom tried to reason with him. He made his way 400 miles up river, to Nauvoo, MS, where he arrived on 12 Mar 1846. In a perilous and adventurous journey, went with other Mormons to Salt Lake City, UT arriving on 6 Oct 1847.

Richard married (2) on 23 Oct 1848 in Salt Lake City, to a young widow, Elizabeth (STEVENSON) BAILEY, born 11 Feb 1823 in the British Garrison, Gibraltar, Cadiz, Spain, and died 3 Oct 1878 in Porterville, Morgan, UT. He was 37 and she was 25 when the married. Elizabeth had 2 children from her previous marriage to Job BAILEY.

They stayed in Salt Lake City for a year, in a house that Richard built. Their first child, Mary Malinda, was born there. They then moved to Provo, UT, but Elizabeth was unhappy, being away from her mother, so they moved back to Salt Lake City.

The 1850 US Census shows Richard and Elizabeth in Salt Lake, listed next to Elizabeth's mother. The census taker has left the surnames blank, except for heads of household. Other records indicate that the two children were BAILEYs. We have 3 generations of Elizabeths.

I have not found Martha (RUSSELL) NORWOOD and her 6 children in the 1850 US Census, or any other records before 1860.

In 1853 Brigham NORWOOD was born, the 2nd child of Richard and Elizabeth. He died at 9 months of age.

By 1858 they had moved out of the city, to the area of Big Cottonwood Creek, still in Salt Lake County. Here Richard met his 3rd wife, Caroline Chloe NORTON. She was born 6 Sep 1836 in Shelby County, TN, and died 15 Mar 1901 in Porterville, Morgan, UT. Richard was 46 and Caroline was 21 when they were sealed on 3 Jan 1858.

Caroline had previously been married in 1851 to George PICKUP, sealed in 1857 and cancelled on 29 Dec 1857. Cancellation of a seal was rare, and had to be done by the LDS President, Brigham YOUNG. Caroline and George had 3 children: Rebecca PICKUP died as an infant; Edward PICKUP; Sarah Jane PICKUP. I have not found Caroline or the PICKUPs in the 1860 US Census.

In 1860 Richard and his 2nd wife Elizabeth are found in Salt Lake County. They had 2 daughters, in addition to Elizabeth's 2 daughters from her previous marriage. This makes it appear that Bethnia and Elizabeth Jr have been adopted by Richard, since they have the NORWOOD name.

Meanwhile, Martha (RUSSELL) NORWOOD had moved to Columbus, in Lowndes County, MS. In 1860 she lived with one son, William. If this is the right Martha, we have the name of one of her children.

William is probably William George NORWOOD, born 3 Feb 1846, died 16 Feb 1905, according to his gravestone in Elmwood Cemetery, Birmingham, Jefferson, AL.

Shortly after the 1860 Census, Richard and his 2 wives and children moved to Morgan County, UT, and soon settled in East Porterville, on a farm in what is still called Norwood Hollow, or Norwood Canyon.

The 1870 US Census has Richard's 2nd and 3rd wives and their children in consecutive households. Richard owned a small farm, and supported a family of 15.

Family #222 has Richard with his 3rd wife, Caroline, and her children. The eldest sons, Edward and John W, were probably sons of Caroline's 1st husband, George PICKUP. Whether they were adopted by Richard, and took the name NORWOOD, or whether this was laziness on the part of the census taker, I can't say.

Richard's biography says that Caroline and George had 3 children: Rebecca PICKUP died as an infant; Edward PICKUP; Sarah Jane PICKUP. At least, I see Edward in the 1870 US Census.

Family #223 in Elizabeth and 4 of her children. Her children, Bethaney BAILEY and Elizabeth BAILEY, from her previous marriage, had left home. Her daughter Mary Malinda NORWOOD had also left home.

I have not found Martha (RUSSELL) NORWOOD or her children in the 1870 US Census. She died on 24 Mar 1871 in Columbus, Lowndes, MS. Her gravestone in Friendship Cemetery, Columbus has her birth and death dates, as stated above.

After Elizabeth died on 3 Oct 1878 in Porterville, Richard was left with only one wife, and many children.

By my count, Richard had 3 wives, with 6 children by the 1st wife (Martha, who stayed in MS), and 6 more by the 2nd wife (Eliza, who had 2 daughters from a previous marriage), and 8 more with his 3rd wife (Caroline, who had 2 or 3 children from a previous marriage). So Richard had 20 children, plus a few more adopted children.

1 Richard Smith NORWOOD b: 07 Jun 1811 in Greene, TN, d: 18 Jan 1898 in Orderville, Kane, UT

+ Martha RUSSELL b: 28 Apr 1814 in GA, m: 27 Jun 1834 in Tuscaloosa, AL, d: 24 Mar 1871 in Columbus, Lowndes, MS

......2 (names of 5 out of 6 children are unclear)

......2 William George NORWOOD b: 03 Feb 1846 in AL, d: 16 Feb 1905 in Birmingham, Jefferson, AL

...... + Martha Amanda PHILLIPS b: 1845 in MS, m: 1871, d: 1918 in Birmingham, Jefferson, AL

+ Elizabeth "Eliza" STEVENSON b: 11 Feb 1823 in Gibraltar, d: 03 Oct 1878 in Porterville, Morgan, UT

......2 Mary Malinda NORWOOD b: 01 Nov 1851 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, UT, d: 10 Sep 1929 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, UT

...... + Warriner A. PORTER b: 1848 in NE

......2 Brigham NORWOOD b: 1853 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, UT, d: 1854 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, UT

......2 Martha NORWOOD b: 27 Jul 1856 in Big Cottonwood, Salt Lake, UT

......2 Elizabeth "Eliza" NORWOOD b: 29 Nov 1860 in Morgan, Morgan, UT, d: 28 Nov 1923 in Huntington, Emery, UT

...... + Henry A. FOWLER

......2 Phoebe Ellen NORWOOD b: 01 Aug 1863 in Porterville, Morgan, UT, d: Jan 1922 in Rexburg, Madison, ID

...... + Jesse Eugene BILLINGSLEY

......2 James NORWOOD b: 1867 in Utah, USA

+ Caroline Chloe NORTON b: 06 Sep 1836 in Shelby, TN, m: 03 Jan 1858 in UT, d: 15 Mar 1901 in Porterville, Morgan, UT

......2 Adelia NORWOOD b: 1859 in UT

......2 Dorothy NORWOOD b: 13 May 1861 in UT, d: 13 Jun 1939 in Weber, UT

...... + James Christian MARKER b: 25 May 1842 in Denmark, d: 12 Feb 1922

......2 Sarah Jane NORWOOD b: 12 May 1863 in Porterville, Morgan, UT, d: 30 Jul 1936 in Midvale, Salt Lake, UT

...... + Lorenzo Heber DURRANT b: 02 Dec 1856 in Deanshanger, Northamptonshire, England, m: 13 Jun 1878 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, UT, d: 29 Jun 1951 in Porterville, Morgan, UT

......2 Caroline Matilda NORWOOD b: 23 Aug 1865 in Porterville, Morgan, UT, d: 08 Dec 1921 in Maeser, Uintah, UT

...... + Isaac Morley ALLEN b: 28 Mar 1849 in Bountiful, Davis, UT, d: 05 Mar 1944 in Saint George, Washington, UT

......2 Richard NORWOOD b: 17 Jan 1867 in UT, d: 03 Jun 1925 in Arco, Butte, ID

...... + Olive S. FACKRELL b: Mar 1874 in UT, m: 01 Dec 1893 in Washington, UT

......2 David NORWOOD b: 12 May 1870 in Porterville, Morgan, UT, d: Aft. 1900

......2 Smith Norton NORWOOD b: 21 Oct 1872 in Porterville, Morgan, UT, d: 12 Jan 1920 in Morgan, UT

...... + Harriet May ROBERTS b: 07 May 1883 in Panguitch, Garfield, UT, m: 03 Apr 1902 in Bingham, ID, d: 22 Jan 1914 in Chehalis, Lewis, WA

......2 Isaac Lorenzo NORWOOD b: 19 Sep 1878 in UT, d: 17 Dec 1965 in Los Angeles, CA

...... + Grace Alta PHILLIPS b: 1889 in UT, m: 01 Jan 1908 in Lincoln, ID, d: 03 Dec 1953

John Middleton NORWOOD was born about 1813 in Greene County, TN. He married on 30 Sep 1835 in Tuscaloosa County, AL to Frances B, born about 1815 in AL. So they were about 22 and 20 when they were married. They were both still living in 1880.

There were other John M. NORWOODs in the area. The NORWOOD extended family liked to reuse names!

John and family are found in Choctaw County, MS in the 1840 US Census. They had a boy and a girl, both under 5. The boy must be Jasper, but the girl is unknown.

I have not found the family in the 1850 US Census, or in any census between 1840 and 1860.

In 1860 they were back in Choctaw, MS. However, judging by the birth dates and places, they were in AL in 1849-50. The eldest son, Jasper, was a farmhand, living with the Vardy CARDIN family, listed next after the John NORWOOD family.

The 1860 Slave Schedule also records on slave, a 24-year-old black male, owned by John M. NORWOOD. However, this was in Township 21, not 19.

John Middleton NORWOOD was a Private in the 43rd Infantry of the Army of Mississippi. He enlisted on 1 May 1862 in Company D, also called Capt. Thompson's Company, from Choctaw County. He was captured and taken prisoner on 3 July 1863, in the Siege of Vicksburg.

John's sons, Jasper J. NORWOOD and William Wesley NORWOOD, were also Privates in the Army of Mississippi, 15th Infantry, Company D. Jasper enlisted on 26 May 1861 at Corinth, Perry County, MS.

The older children of John and Frances were married by 1870, but they lived nearby, except possibly William.

Jasper J. NORWOOD married Nancy Melvina ANTHONY, born Jan 1845 in AL. Their 1st child was born about 1866, so they were probably married shortly after the war.

Four families in Choctaw County, listed consecutively in the 1870 US Census, appear to be related.

Their nearest post office in 1860 and 1870 was in Pigeon Roost, about a mile SW of the current village of Mathiston. Once the home of the Chief of the Choctaw Indians, it was an outpost on the Natchez Trace. Today nothing remains but a marker.

Family #79 is John and Frances, with their 2 youngest children. Also with the family is Robert W. LOWERY, probably a brother-in-law of Harriet.

Family #80 is headed by Nathaniel G. THREADGILL. His wife Mary A, age 25 is probably Mary A NORWOOD, who was 16 in the 1860 US Census, although her reported birthplace changed from MS to AL. The only evidence for this is the proximity of the families in the census, and the fact that Mary doesn't seem to appear elsewhere.

Family #81 is headed by Jasper J NORWOOD, with a wife and 2 small children. His wife, Nancy M, age 22 in 1870, is a good match for Nancy Melvina ANTHONY, who was 14 in the 1860 US Census, and living near the NORWOOD families. Both records say she was born in AL.

Family #82 is headed by William B. LOURY (later records spell it LOWERY). His wife Harriet E, age 22, born in MS, is a match for Harriet E. NORWOOD, who was 14 in 1860.

Thus all 6 children of John and Frances were living with or near them in 1870, except William.

1 John Middleton NORWOOD b: 1813 in Greene, TN, d: Aft. 1880

+ Frances B b: 1815 in AL, d: Aft. 1880

......2 Jasper Jenkins NORWOOD b: 1838 in MS

...... + Nancy Melvina ANTHONY b: Jan 1845 in AL

......2 William W. NORWOOD b: 1841 in MS

......2 Mary A. NORWOOD b: 1844 in MS

...... + Nathaniel G. THREADGILL b: 1837 in NC

......2 Harriet E. NORWOOD b: 1847 in MS

...... + William B. LOWERY b: 1845 in MS

......2 Louisa Josephine "Lou" NORWOOD b: 1849 in AL, d: 26 Mar 1915 in Copiah, MS

...... + Robert W. LOWERY b: 1851 in AL

......2 John Wesley "Johnnie" NORWOOD b: Oct 1852 in AL, d: Jan 1929 in Eoline, Bibb, AL

...... + Sarah E. J. BOYD b: Dec 1853 in AL, m: 29 May 1873 in Chilton, AL

Ellender "Ellen" NORWOOD was born about 1815 in AL. She married (1) on 15 Jul 1830 in Tuscaloosa, AL to Josiah V. GREEN, and (2) on 4 Dec 1834 in Tuscaloosa, AL, to George Washington DUCKSWORTH, born about 1814 in SC, son of George Washington DUCKSWORTH/DUCKWORTH and Carolyn ROGERS.

There was a Josiah GREEN who married Ruth W. DUCKSWORTH on 27 Jan 1825 in Tuscaloosa County. However, they lived well past 1830 and are both buried in Gordo, Pickens County, AL. He was born 16 Nov 1797 and died 12 Oct 1868. She was born 8 Mar 1809 and died 1 Jun 1896.

On 15 Mar 1839 Josiah GREEN, along with Benjamin COLLINS, purchased a 39.91-acre plot in Tuscaloosa County, Township 22 S, Range 9 W, Section 14, the SE 1/4 of the SE 1/4. This is about midway between Duncanville and the city of Tuscaloosa.

Two Josiah GREEN households appear in the 1840 US Census for Tuscaloosa County. One has a male in the 40 thru 49 age group, so that must be the one who married Ruth W. DUCKSWORTH. The other has one adult male 20 thru 29, and this is probably the one who married Eleanor NORWOOD.

I don't know what happened to the younger Josiah GREEN after 1840. At least it seems likely that he was divorced from Eleanor before she married George W. DUCKSWORTH. Unless there was a 3rd Josiah GREEN in Tuscaloosa County!

In 1850 the family had 7 children, in Tuscaloosa County. Elizabeth was born in MS, so they must have been in MS around 1838, but they came back to Tuscaloosa.

By 1860 the family had moved 80 miles south, to Prattville, Autauga County, AL. All 7 children were still at home, although the oldest ones were grown. George was a Mechanic, as were most of the adult males listed on this page.

Ellender must have died between 1870 and 1879, since George remarried on 16 Nov 1879, in Prattville.

1 Eleanor "Ellen" NORWOOD b: 1815 in AL, d: bet. 1870-1879

+ Josiah V. GREEN d: 1933

......2 Franklin P. GREEN

+ George W. DUCKSWORTH b: 1814 in SC, m: 04 Dec 1834 in Tuscaloosa, AL, d: aft. 1879

......2 Francis J. DUCKSWORTH b: 06 Oct 1836 in AL, d: 01 Jun 1907 in AL

...... + John R. JOHNSON b: Feb 1834 in AL, m: 1857, d: Sep 1909 in Bibb, AL

......2 Elizabeth W. DUCKSWORTH b: 1838 in MS

......2 Mary DUCKSWORTH b: 1840 in AL

...... + Benjamin F. SIMMONS m: 03 Apr 1859 in Autauga, AL

......2 Nancy A. DUCKSWORTH b: 1842 in AL

...... + John William KILLOUGH b: 27 Oct 1840 in Lowndes, AL, d: 30 Apr 1912 in Prattville, Autauga, AL

......2 Rosanah G. "Rosa" DUCKWORTH b: 1846 in AL

...... + Francis MCMANUS m: 12 Mar 1867 in Autauga, AL

......2 Joseph B. DUCKSWORTH b: 1847 in AL

...... + Elizabeth "Betty" URSERY b: Dec 1859 in MS, m: 1876

......2 John M. DUCKSWORTH b: Feb 1850 in AL

Sources

[AT] War of 1812, on Alabama Trails

[BLM] General Land Office Records at the Bureau of Land Management

[CCC] Choctaw County chronicles : a history of Choctaw County, Mississippi, 1830-1973 by J. P. Coleman

[DRMC] David Rumsey Map Collection has higher resolution images of maps that appear elsewhere

[GDC] Martha Russell Norwood thread on Genealogy.com

[MM] Maps of Mississippi

[NFT] Norwood group on FTDNA

[NWT] Theophilus Norwood (1755 - 1787) on WikiTree

[NW] Norwood Family, on the Warren Family History site

[RHT] Regimental Histories of Tennessee Units During the War of 1812

[RSN] Richard Smith Norwood and his Three Wives

[SCNT] The South Carolina Norwood Tradition Vol 7

[TCG] Tuscaloosa County, AL on ALGenWeb

Last updated on 10 Mar 2021 by William Haloupek. Contact haloupek at gmail dot com.