The Short Story of Captain Charles Wesley Chapman

I often research people in my own genealogy with much interest.  I also often research their family members that aren't in my direct line, since they also lead sometimes to wonderful pieces of information about my own lines.

But I also research people who aren't in my line at all.  Sometimes, I do that kind of research for others as a pay it forward or on a freelance basis.  Sometimes, I do it because the person may have had an impression on those in my lines.

This is the story of one such person.  This is the story of Captain Charles Wesley Chapman.

I have no relationship to the man.  I never had.  But his story fascinates me because, well, he is the namesake of one of my ancestors.  He rubbed shoulders with another.  And he died leaving no heirs and no one to tell his story.  So I have taken it upon myself to try to learn, at the very least, a little about the man.  

Photo of Charles W. Chapman, taken from the book Under the Red Patch (between pages 152-153)
Source: Internet Archive

Charles Wesley Chapman was born around the year 1838 in Pennsylvania to William Chapman, a immigrant from Ireland, and Maria Dunlop of Chester County, Pennsylvania.  He had at least three older brothers, James, William, and Joseph, and possibly one sister named Ann.  

Not much is known about his early life, at least not that I could uncover doing my typical research.  But what is known is that he lived in the Third Ward of Pittsburgh when the 1850 census was enumerated.  Also in the household were his parents William and Maria, and . William worked at a glass house.  Also enumerated were 23-year-old James, 22-year-old William, and 18-year-old Joseph (which were likely Charles' elder brothers, and a 25-year-old woman named Nancy Armstrong.  It's the only census I found where Charles was listed with his parents, as he was not in residence in 1860 with them.  There are a few candidates for Charles in the 1860 Federal Census Enumeration, but I did not have as much time to devote to research as I would have liked, so I did not take the time to chase them all down to figure out which one was the correct Charles.  

In 1861, Charles was living in Lawrenceville, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, boarding at a residence on Chestnut Street near North.  He was listed in the local directory as working in the oil business, but that career was short lived due to the outbreak of the Civil War.

Chapman started his military service actually with the Pittsburgh City Guards, which became the 12th regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers.  He was the third sergeant of the City Guards under Alexander Hays.  When the City Guards were then re-organized into companies on the Twelfth Pennsylvania Volunteers, Charles became the 2nd Sergeant of Company K.  This regiment mustered in 25 April 1861.

Because at the time, the Union had thought the war would be over soon, the men were only enlisted to three month terms.  The Pennsylvania Twelfth Regiment was tasked with the protection of the rebuilt Northern Central railroad running from Harrisburg to Baltimore, with Charles' company stationed at the headquarters in Cockeysville.  While most of the regiment were not able to drill, being scattered along the line, company K was able to be drilled regularly and soon became veteran soldiers.  They were mustered out of service after three months at Harrisburg on 5 August 1861.  Most of the men then re-enlisted for three years, including Charles.  

On 23 September 1861, he was appointed the captain of Company K of the newly formed Sixty-Third Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, known as the "Hays' Guards." *I wrote a history on the company years ago available in my HubPages articles.*

On 5 March 1862, a reconnoitering party of one hundred men, led by Lt-Col Morgan, was being guided by a man by the name of Williams towards the direction of the Occoquan River near Pohick Church in Virginia.  A detachment of Texan Rangers passed by in the night, which the party thought was another scouting party.  When the party realized their mistake, they gave chase, but the Texans had already hid themselves in the bushes and ambushed the party as they came.  Captain Chapman, Quartermaster James M. Lysle and Private Moore were in the front of the party and were killed instantly.  Another private was shot in the arm (which later had to be amputated).  The rest of the party was able to rout the Texans and gave chase, but the Texans evaded capture.

According to the eyewitness account of John Rudolph Marti, a sergeant in Company A, Chapman was struck by a ball under his left eye.  The bullet went through his head and came out by the collar of his coat, killing him instantly.  Lysle was shot through the arm in such as way that the bullet went through his chest and he lived about ten minutes.  Moore was shot in the chest and survived almost half an hour.  

Sgt. Marti also wrote that Chapman was one of the best officers in the entire regiment and that his company in particular really loved him.  Joe Hoopes, a private in Company C, also echoed that sentiment when he wrote to his family that some of the best men in their regiment were lost that night.

Alexander Hays, the commander of the Sixty-Third Regiment, wrote a letter to his wife dated 10 March 1862.  He had this to say:

 "You have heard of a tiger robbed of its whelps, and you can imagine what species of tiger I represent. I have not scolded anyone -- the fault is to egregious to be within my jurisdiction, and I am patiently awaiting the action of higher authority....... The bodies were forwarded on the 7th to Pittsburgh. Before leaving, all were borne to the church tent, and I never knew the Doctor (Marks) more eloquent." ~  Transcription in Gilbert Adams Hays' book Under the Red Patch: Story of the Sixty Third Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1864, pages 417-418

After the memorial service from the regiment, Charles' body was sent via train to Pittsburgh and arrived the next day, which was a Sunday. After an afternoon service at the Chapman residence in Lawrenceville,  Charles was buried in Allegheny Cemetery in section 25, lot 74, grave 1.

He had never married nor had any issue.  He died at 24 years of age.

His elderly parents, who had been subsisting on what Charles could send them from his Army pay, were bereaved.  William Chapman, Charles' father, was an invalid and had been for ten years, unable to make a living.  

Maria Dunlop Chapman, at the age of 65, applied for a mother's pension on 8 June 1865 from the couple's home in Lawrenceville, Pennsylvania.  Some of my readers may wonder why it took her over three years to file for the pension.  First off, the act allowing her to even apply for the pension in the first place was not passed by Congress until 14 July 1862.  One provision in that act allowed for dependent mothers to be entitled to receive the full pension of a son killed in the line of duty or died from the result of wound received or disease contracted while in service as a result of the line of duty provided that the soldier did not have a wife or children.

However, fees had to be paid while applying for pensions, most often by pension attorneys who often charged $10 for each application.  It also cost $5 to file the application with the government, $1.50 per affidavit, and $1.50 for surgeon's exams (which William had to be subjected to because he had to prove he was totally disabled).  If Maria and William Chapman were dependent on Charles while he was in the Army, they likely had to wait until either they could scrape the money together to pay the fees or have someone pay it for them. 

On 12 July 1865, she was approved to receive $20 per month.  I imagine the pension the couple received helped their situation immensely.   William Chapman died 12 December 1867 and was buried in Allegheny Cemetery.  Maria survived both her youngest son and her husband, passing away from chronic bronchitis on Forty-Second Street in the 17th Ward of Pittsburgh on 11 December 1870.  She was buried with her husband in Allegheny Cemetery.

But the legacy of the young captain of company K of the 63rd Pennsylvania Volunteers lived on.  I'm not sure how many young men were named after the beloved captain, but I am quite sure that one of Chapman's fellow soldiers DID name his son for his fallen comrade.

One of the sergeants in company K was a man by the name of John Devender Wood.  On 24 May 1875, John's youngest son was born in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania.  John decided to name the newborn Charles Wesley Chapman Wood, after his fallen friend.  That young newborn was my father's grandfather, named for a soldier who paid the ultimate price in the American Civil War.

Sources used:

Additional Evidence in the Mother's Army Pension for Maria Chapman, filed 8 June 1865 ; Photocopy provided by NARA in the pension file for Charles W. Chapman, pension application number 81254, certificate number 51280; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); Records Relating to Pension and Bounty-Land Claims 1773-1942, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, RG 15; 2,807 rolls, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Ancestry.com, "1850 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 May 2022), Entry for Charles W. Chapman in household of William Chapman, Year: 1850, Census Place: Pittsburgh Ward 3 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: 745, and Page: 141a; citing Seventh Census of the United States, 1850; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, 1009 rolls); Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Bates, Samuel P. History of the Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865: prepared in compliance with acts of the legislature, 5 Volumes (Harrisburg: B. Singerly, State Printer, 1869), volumes 1 and 2 referenced.

Civil War Pittsburgh, "Night of March 5, 1862,"Facebook, 6 March 2022 (https://www.facebook.com/civilwarpittsburgh/ : accessed 27 May 2022).

"Died - Maria Chapman," death notice, The Pittsburgh Daily Commercial (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 13 December 1870, page 1; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 29 May 2022).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1861-1862 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1861), 51, "Chapman Charles W., oil business, bds Chestnut, n North, L(awrenceville)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (http://historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 27 May 2022).

Find A Grave, database with images (www.findagrave.com : accessed 27 May 2022), memorial page for Charles Wesley Chapman, Find A Grave Memorial # 122224413, citing Allegheny Cemetery (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), memorial created by KBStewart, photograph by DGG.

Gorman, Kathleen L."Civil War Pensions: History of the Union Federal and Confederate State pension systems," Virginia Center for Civil War Studies at Virginia Tech, Essential Civil War Curriculum, 2021 (https://www.essentialcivilwarcurriculum.com/civil-war-pensions.html : accessed 4 March 2021).

Hays, Gilbert Adams. Under the Red Patch: Story of the Sixty Third Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1864 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Sixty-Third Pennsylvania Volunteers Regimental Association, 1908).

Historical Data Systems, comp., "U.S., Civil War Soldier Records and Profiles, 1861-1865," database online, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 May 2022), Entry for Charles Wesley Chapman, co K, 63rd Pennsylvania; Historical Data Systems, Inc.; Duxbury, MA 02331; American Civil War Research Database; citing data compiled by Historical Data Systems of Kingston, MA.

"How Capt. Chapman and Lieut. Lysle Were Killed," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 10 March 1862, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 29 June 2017).

"The Klled at Pohick," The Baltimore Sun (Baltimore, Maryland), 8 March 1862, page 4; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2022).

"Letter from John Rudolph Marti, Sergeant, Co. A, Camp Johnson, Near Alexandria, March 10, 1862," Pittsburgh Daily Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 17 March 1862, page 2; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 March 2022).

Mother's Army Pension Application for Maria Chapman, mother of Capt. Charles W. Chapman, filed 8 June 1865; Photocopy provided by NARA in the pension file for Charles W. Chapman, pension application number 81254, certificate number 51280; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); Records Relating to Pension and Bounty-Land Claims 1773-1942, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, RG 15; 2,807 rolls, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 May 2022), Entry for William A Chapman, died 28 Dec 1907, cn 122336; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. Parents names and places of birth referenced.

"Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Allegheny Cemetery Records, 1845 - 1960," database online, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 27 May 2022), Entry for Charles W Chapman, buried 10 Mar 1862; citing Allegheny Cemetery, Pittsburgh.

"Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, Allegheny Cemetery Records, 1845 - 1960," database online, FamilySearch, Entry for Wm Chapman, buried 19 Dec 1867.

"Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh City Deaths, 1870-1905," database with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 27 May 2022), Entry for Maria Chapman, 11 Dec 1870, FHL microfilm 505,816.; citing Allegheny County Courthouse, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

"Pennsylvania, Veterans Burial Cards, 1777-2012," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 27 May 2022), Entry for Chas. W. Chapman, died 1862, Pennsylvania State Archives; Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Civil War Veterans` Card File, 1861-1866; Series Number: 19.12; citing Pennsylvania Veterans Burial Cards, 1777–2012. Digital Images, 3–5. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Bureau of Archives and History. Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.

"Remains Arrived," The Pittsburgh Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 10 March 1862, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 29 May 2022).

"Remains Coming," The Pittsburgh Gazette (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 8 March 1862, page 3; online images, Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com : accessed 27 May 2022).

Rothbard, Murray N. "Beginning the Welfare State: Civil War Veteran's Pensions," The Quarterly Journal of Austrian Economics, 22:1 (Spring 2019): 68-81

U. S. Congress, The Statutes at Large, Treaties and Proclamations of the United States of America, vols. 1-18 (Little, Brown and Company: Boston, 1789–1875), 12: 566-569, 14 July 1862, "An Act to grant Pensions," 165

Chasing the Elusive: Henderson McDonald

 I apologize for the lack of blogging in recent times.  I recently finished a rather large genealogy research project for an acquaintance that ended up consuming all of my free time until just before Christmas, and then took a short research break, as my mind had "fried."

In this new year, I am back to doing my research. I am starting off 2021 with another chasing of the elusive. I also will be updating the last chasing the elusive blog post I wrote in the next few days, as I found more information on Elizabeth Hager VanLuvanee Hause.

One of my paternal third-great-grandfathers was a man by the name of Henderson McDonald.  There is very little on him in regards to a paper trail, thus he remains one of my more elusive ancestors (as does his wife).  

Let's start at the beginning:

Henderson McDonald was born sometime around the year 1815 in Pennsylvania, according to the census records.  However, he could have been born as early as 1811, as a Henderson McDonald was baptized at the Derry Presbyterian Church in Derry, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania on 6 September 1811, per page 142 of the first volume of Notes and Queries: Historical, Biographical and Genealogical, Relating Chiefly to Interior Pennsylvania edited by William Henry Egle.  However, further research will need to be done in order to determine whether or not this is the correct Henderson McDonald.  I have a couple of emailed queries out but am waiting for replies.  For now, this record is merely a note to research as more records come available online.

Because of the lack of records to research at present time, it is unknown who his parentage was. 

At some point, he married Emeline Peterson, who was also born in Pennsylvania around the year 1821.  They probably married before September of 1839, as that was when their daughter Sarah was born.

The couple had three known children per census records, although the only census I have found that lists them all is the 1850 census.  The three known children are Sarah, who was born 1 September 1839, William, who was born around 1848, and Emma G, who was born in June of 1850.

Given the gaps in the years of the children, I am almost certain other children were born to the couple, but those children probably sadly died as infants or children before census enumerators could find them.

Here's where he becomes elusive, as he only listed in a handful of documents despite searching what is available online.

Henderson McDonald appears in two United States Federal census records.  In 1840, he is listed as the head of the household in Pittsburgh's South Ward, living with his wife, eldest daughter Sarah, and an unknown free white woman aged 20-29.  In this census, one person was enumerated as being employed in navigation of canals, lakes, and rivers. In 1850, he was listed as the head of the household, living in Allegheny City's Third Ward with his wife Emeline, children Sarah, Emma G and William, and a 35-year-old woman named Sarah Peterson, who was probably a sister or relative of Emmeline's.  In that census, he was enumerated as being employed as a clerk.

In February of 1844, his name appeared in a "List of Letters" that were waiting at the Pittsburgh Post Office.  The list ran for several consecutive weeks in the Pittsburgh Morning Post. 

He also appears only in one city directory for the greater Pittsburgh area.  That directory is Fahnestock's Pittsburgh directory for 1850, in which he is listed as Capt. Henderson McDonald, living on Federal Street in Allegheny.

1850 is the last known year for documents for him, as the trail runs cold after the directory listing and the 1850 census.  There are a few clues, however, in documents for his wife.

Emeline Peterson McDonald first shows up as a solo woman in the Directory for 1856-1857 of Pittsburgh and Allegheny Cities, when she appears as "Mrs. McDonald" working as a dressmaker on Craig Street near Ann Street.  She then appears in a handful of city directories living on Robinson Street and Fourth in Allegheny City's First Ward.  It is because of these listings that it is likely Henderson died between 1850 and 1856.

Emeline (whose name was spelled in a variety of ways including "Emily") also appears on the 1860 census with daughters Sarah and Emma, living in the First Ward of Allegheny city in the house of one Ann Aiken, where she was employed as a seamstress.

In November of 1861, Emeline's daughter Sarah married James Fielding in her home, according to a write-up in the Pittsburgh Presbyterian Banner. Conflicting information however gives the location of this home in both Sharpsburg (per a questionnaire James Fielding filled out later for his pension application) and Allegheny City (per the newspaper write-up itself done in March of 1862).  The minister who married the couple was one John Williams.  Aside from being a Presbyterian minister, little is known about him.

Emeline McDonald's last entry is in the Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1866/1867, where she appears living on 32 Fourth Street in Allegheny City.  After that directory, her trail also runs cold.

Searches to probate records from Allegheny County for both Henderson and Emeline yielded no hits, as did property records in the forms of deeds available as digitized images on FamilySearch and elsewhere.  Searches of the many newspapers digitized on newspapers.com, NewspaperArchive, and GenealogyBank have not yielded any death notices or notes of any kind on the couple.  The negative searches lead me to assume that the couple owned no property, and therefore had little to take through probate.  They also may have had a death notice in a newspaper that has not yet been digitized or lost to time (or even did not get noted at all).  Aside from daughter Sarah, who was my ancestress, little is known on the couple's children as well.  The trails for Emma and William also run cold.  

Perhaps one day there will be a brick removed in this giant brick wall that is my McDonald family and I will be able to continue the hunt backwards through the generations.  However, until then, I remain, chasing the elusive.

Update here (22 May 2021): I have picked up Emeline's trail and wrote a post about her second husband, Elmon Edward McLaughlin.

Sources

Ancestry.com, "1840 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 31 July 2016), Year: 1840, Census Place: Pittsburgh South Ward Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: 441, Page: 373, Image: 764, and Family History Library Film: 0020536 (Entry for Henderson McDonald).

Ancestry.com, "1850 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 31 July 2016), Year: 1850, Census Place: Allegheny Ward 3 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M432_744, Page: 152B, and Image: 310 (Entry for Henderson McDonald and family).

Ancestry.com, "1860 United States Federal Census," database online, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 31 July 2016), Year: 1860, Census Place: Allegheny Ward 1 Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Roll: M653_1067, Page: 635, Image: 102, and Family History Library Film: 805067 (as Emaline McDonald and daughters).

Directory of Pittsburgh & vicinity for, 1858/1859 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: George H. Thurston, 1858), 165, "McDonald Emeline, widow of Henderson, h Robinson bl Darragh, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 31 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh & vicinity for, 1859/1860 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: George H. Thurston, 1859), 186, "McDonald Emeline, widow of Henderson, h Robinson n Canal, A(llegheny)"; digital image, Univeristy of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 11 January 2021).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1861-1862 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1861), 218, "McDondald Emily, widow Henderson, dressmaker, Robinson n Darragh, A(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (http://historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 31 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1863-1864 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G. H. Thurston, 1863), 236, "McDonald Emeline, wid Henderson, 46 Fourth"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 31 July 2016).

Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1866/1867 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: G.H. Thurston, 1866), 273, "McDonald Emma, wid Henderson, 32 Fourth"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 31 July 2016).

Fahnestock's Pittsburgh directory for 1850: containing the names of the inhabitants of Pittsburgh, Allegheny, & vicinity : their occupation, places of business and dwelling houses : also, a list of the public offices, banks, &c, 1850 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Geo. Parkin & Co, 1850), 61, "McDonald Henderson Capt. Federal, Al(llegheny)"; digital image, University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library, Historic Pittsburgh (www.historicpittsburgh.org : accessed 31 July 2016).

"List of Letters," Pittsburgh Morning Post (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 22 February 1844, page 4; Henderson McDonald had a letter; online images, NewspaperArchive (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 12 January 2021).

"Married," Pittsburgh Presbyterian Banner (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania), 22 March 1862, page 3; online images, NewspaperArchive (www.newspaperarchive.com : accessed 12 January 2021).

"Pennsylvania, Death Certificates, 1906-1963," database with images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : accessed 30 July 2016), Entry for Sarah V. Fielding; died 4 October 1907; Certificate number: 95518; citing Pennsylvania (State). Death certificates, 1906–1963. Series 11.90 (1,905 cartons). Records of the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Record Group 11. Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania; Parents listed as Henderson McDonald and Emeline Petterson.

Voucher circular questions for James Fielding, certificate number 11390, dated 5 July 1898; Scanned copy provided in the pension file for James Fielding sent to Kelley Wood-Davis 29 Jan 2020 by Deidre Erin Denton, genealogist; citing Pension application files based upon service in the Civil War and Spanish-American War ("Civil War and Later"); Records Relating to Pension and Bounty-Land Claims 1773-1942, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, RG 15; 2,807 rolls, National Archives, Washington, D.C.

The Story of Captain Jonathan Wood, Master of Ships

My earliest known Wood ancestor was a ship captain by the name of Jonathan Wood.  He was the father of my illustrious ancestor, Abinah Belford Wood.  Most biographies of his descendants that mention Jonathan do mention that he was a captain of sea-faring vessels, although some get more creative in telling Jonathan's story than history can actually prove.

Jonathan Wood's birth date is unknown, but given that he was a sea captain by 1756, it is estimated he was born in the 1720s or 1730s, which also makes him an older man in his forties or fifties when his children were born. There are no definite clues to his parentage, because there were several Wood families in the Colonies at the time of Jonathan's presumed birth.  Thus it is difficult to pinpoint who his parents were, though several possibilities.

Jonathan could possibly be the son of a Benjamin Wood, born about 1685 and died 1738 and an Elizabeth Cole who are mentioned in book "John Wood of Rhode Island and his Descendants on the Mainland" by Bertha Cook (published 1966).  This Benjamin Wood supposedly bought the original Wood family homestead in New Jersey, which was named Hopewell.  Another possibility in Jonathan's parentage was Samuel Wood, who lived and died in Salem, New Jersey in 1775.  This Samuel and his wife Elizabeth did have a son Jonathan, but it is very likely that his son Jonathan was the Revolutionary War captain who died at Valley Forge in 1777, making him not a part of this particular line of Woods from New Jersey.

As of this writing, not definite proof is given.  What is known is he was a captain, or master, of ships.

Ship Master
Jonathan seemed to have sailed many ships in and out of the Port of Philadelphia and is listed as Jonathan Wood or J. Wood in several editions of the newspapers The Pennsylvania Gazette and Pennsylvania Journal.   While one cannot be absolutely certain all of the listings for Captain J. Wood are indeed Jonathan, the timeline seems to suggest they all were voyages he accomplished.  Were it not for the fact that Jonathan were a ship's captain, he likely wouldn't be in the news at all, as Great Britain forbade newspapers in the colonies on practice that newspapers encouraged sedition.  However, shipping news, public notices and the like could be printed if the newspaper in question had a government’s imprimatur, or official license, to be in business.

Why get into seafaring in the first place?  It was difficult to move around the eastern seaboard pre-Revolution, since the roads were very terrible.  Ships were the best way to move people and goods about the colonies.  Since the colonies were still importing raw goods from the West Indies and shipping finished goods to Great Britain and beyond, the need for ships and extraordinary captains to command these vessels was crucial.

Why Philadelphia?  Because by 1750, it had surpassed Boston as the major colonial shipping port, and would not be surpassed by NYC until the 1820s. There were numerous advantages to why it surpassed Boston; cheap labor, trees, forges and skilled shipbuilders were just a few of the reasons.  It was also on the Delaware River, as was Cumberland County, New Jersey, so a commute on a ship by river wouldn't be too far-fetched an idea for that time.

The life of a seaman in the time was difficult.  As Sam Willis writes in his article "American Independence and the Naval Factor" from Naval History Magazine, "Operating vessels in currents near shore was the ultimate test of seamanship. The slightest misjudgment could endanger the lives of all on board."

An article that offers some insight into how seafaring men were paid is Richard J. Blakeman's article "Pieces of Eight, Pieces of Eight: Seamen's Earnings and the Venture Economy of Early Modern Seafaring."  However, while the article did include some data for masters (or captains), much of it was devoted to the other officers (or specialists) on the ship as well as the more common and unskilled mariners. The statistical data and information was from the latter part of the 17th century, but is still useful in extrapolating how seafarers were paid in the 18th century as well.  Blakeman does point out that more experienced seafarers ended up making higher wages, and of course masters were in a different class economically than the rest of the crew, especially since they often held the highest responsibility aboard a vessel.  He also points out the various ways that men were paid.... sometimes there was a monthly wage, but often sailors were paid by the voyage, and unemployment between voyages was common.  Personal trading in ports often resulted in goods that could be brought home and could be then sold for substantial amounts of monies, especially by the elite officers of a ship.  This trading made up a good amount of a seaman’s annual income.

Another good read on colonial ships is Kellie Michelle Vanhorn's thesis, "Eighteenth-Century Colonial American Merchant Ship Construction."  In her thesis, Vanhorn discusses more the operation of shipbuilding and the differing types of ships used, but it helps to flesh out the story of Captain Jonathan Wood a bit more.

The question remains whether or not he actually owned any of the ships he captained.  Evidence seems to suggest that he was more a rented captain than an owner of a vessel, given that the sloops and brigs he sailed are also listed in the shipping news from Philadelphia as being captained at times by other men.  Often merchants in the area would actually own the ships and then the crew was hired to sail them.  He appears to have been a popular sea captain, given the number of journeys he made

Here are some of the journeys that he made from the port of Philadelphia:

On 27 May 1756 he was cleared to take Sloop Merry-Ann to North Carolina.

On 22 September 1757 he was cleared to sail the Sloop Betsy to Saint Kitts.  This journey was met with adventure, as Saint Kitts (formally Saint Christopher Island) was colonized by both the French and the British, and the two colonial powers continued to fight over the island until it was ultimately ceded to the British with the Treaty of Versailles in 1783.  From tales written in The Pennsylvania Gazette from the time period, often French would take British ships and vice versa.  It seemed to be the ultimate cat and mouse game. On 22 Oct 1757, Jonathan and his sloop and crew were taken captive by the French.  On 25 Oct 1757, the British freed him and his crew.

On 7 May 1761 he was cleared to sail the Sloop Rachel to Newfoundland and returned to Philadelphia on 6 August 1761.

On 29 April 1762 he arrived from Lisbon aboard the Brig Rebecca and Susannah.

On 13 May 1762 he was cleared to sail for Barbados aboard the Brig Rebecca, a ship owned by a Philadelphia merchant by the name of Richard Waln, who called Jonathan his "Respected Friend."  This journey was fraught with danger, as there actually was an embargo on Barbados as a result of Britain's involvement in the Seven Years War with France and the Anglo-Spanish War with Spain (which was a result of the Seven Years War).  Despite the embargo, Waln insisted Jonathan take the unarmed vessel to Barbados anyway with a load of flour, bread, and over 3000 white oak barrels, but also instructed Jonathan to stay in Barbados no more than twenty days.  Jonathan arrived sometime in late June, as by 16 July 1762 he insisted he had to return to Philadelphia, despite the lack of a convoy of ships returning to the colonies and a light load of freight.  A few days out on the return journey, the Rebecca was captured by an armed privateer polacca captained by Joseph Raymond, who was working for the French.  While Raymond took no gear or cargo, he did demand a ransom of 2000 dollars, and took first mate Jonathan Montgomery as hostage.  Jonathan Wood and the Rebecca returned to Philadelphia 19 August 1762, where he was promptly relieved of captaining the vessel by Waln.  (Montgomery remained a captive of the French at Bordeaux for over a year and returned to Philadelphia in November of 1763.)

On 16 December 1762 he was cleared to sail for Antigua aboard the Brig Kensington.  This trip for one reason or another took almost a full year, as he arrived back in Philadelphia on 15 September 1763.

On 6 October 1763 he again was cleared to sail to Barbados on the Brig Rebecca, but he didn't actually make the trip until 16 February 1764.  He returned to Philadelphia on 17 May 1764.

On 31 May 1764 he was listed as part of the outwards and on 7 June 1764, he was cleared to sail for Madeira on the Brig Rebecca.  It is not known when he returned from this trip.

On 28 March 1765, he arrived from Lisbon aboard the Brig Rebecca and Susannah, and on the 18th of April he announced intent to sail to Madeira aboard the same brig.  However, before that trip, he made a quick trip to Barbados upon the Brig Rebecca and Susannah, arriving in Philadelphia on 29 August.  On 12 September, he finally was cleared to sail to Madeira aboard the Brig Rebecca and Susannah.  It is not known when he returned.

On 26 Dec 1765 he announced intent to sail to South Carolina aboard the Sloop Little Betsy and on 8 May 1766 he announced intent to sail to Maryland aboard the Brig Rebecca and Susannah, but it is not known whether he actually made these two trips.

On 21 July 1768, Jonathan was cleared to sail to Monserrat aboard the Schooner Hannah.

On 29 July 1772, he was cleared to sail to New York aboard the Sloop Charlotte.

On 12 May 1773, he was cleared to sail to Tortola aboard the Brig Prince of Wales.

On 30 March 1774, he was cleared to sail to North Carolina aboard the Schooner Nancy.

By 1778, the industry of shipping in Philadelphia was effectively shut down due to the Revolution and also because of British occupation of Philadelphia.  After the Revolution, the West Indies were closed to American ships, and the trade fell on hard times as well.  Perhaps this is why Jonathan decided to change occupations when he did.

There was an article on 27 July 1785, page 3 of The Pennsylvania Gazette which has under the Cleared section, "Sloop Charming Nancy, J. Wood, Maryland," so perhaps Jonathan came back to sail one last time after moving to Hopewell.

Married Life
At some point, Jonathan had married, though no marriage bond or record has been located as of yet.  His wife was a woman by the name of Reumah, whose surname is still unknown, though some Ancestry trees erroneously have given her the surname of Wealth or Wealthy, due to the fact that one biography on her son Abinah stated that she came from a "wealthy family" and as a result, there may have been someone who read that as her having the surname of Wealth or Wealthy.

Reumah's date of birth, like Jonathan's, is unknown, as is her origin. Given that the couple's youngest known child, Mary, was born in 1784, Reumah was likely a good deal younger than Jonathan.  Because her will mentions "a legacy due me from New Orleans," speculation suggests that she came from New Orleans or had family there.  This likely became the basis of the suggestion in the aforementioned biography that she was born of a wealthy French family in Louisiana.  As of this writing however, no research has uncovered a link to New Orleans, but the possibility remains.

Even the spelling of Reumah's first name is speculation.  Her husband, Jonathan Wood spells her name as Reumah in the deed selling his property to Jacob Bryan as well as in his will, but it is also spelled Reuhama by Jonathan Elmer, who was in charge of the probate of the will.  Reumah's own will is recorded with a spelling of Reuhama.  Her name is spelled Rhuma on the quit claim she filed in conjunction to the deed transferring property from son Abinah to John Shepperd.  The deeds David Duffle signed in conjunction with selling the land Reumah had given him list her name as Reumah on one deed and Reuhama on the other.   Because many of her female descendants have the Reumah spelling and Jonathan spelled in as such in his will, it is the preferred spelling currently.  It would seem unlikely that son Abinah would name his daughter after his mother and spell it as Reumah if that was the incorrect way to spell it.  As both the deed and quit claim mentioned previously and her own will state she made her mark of an X while others made their own seal (signature), perhaps the Reuhama spelling of her name was incorrect because it was spelled by someone who did not know and signed by someone acting in her stead?

The couple had at least six children; Benjamin, Joseph, Anne, Hannah, Abinah and Mary, though it is not known where in the birth order all of them were.

Hopewell Township
By 1780, Jonathan had settled on some land in Hopewell Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey.  Again, speculation and knowledge of history suggest that he settled here around the time of the American Revolution, though he could have had the land before that.  Family stories state that son Abinah was born at Hopewell on 7 July 1777 and daughter Mary was born at Hopewell in October 1784.  Daughter Hannah was likely also born here, though her birth date is unknown (the 1830 census enumeration suggests she was born sometime 1771 and 1780).

It is known that he did indeed own land in Hopewell until 24 May 1802, when a deed from Cumberland County was filed selling a parcel of land to Jacob Bryan for $101.  This land was a portion of what Jonathan and Reumah owned and and was made of a stretch of land "beginning at a stone or stake set by the south side of the road that leads to the Baptist Meeting House towards Bridgetown and stands in the line of Joseph Brick's land a is a corner of Nathan Shepphard's land thence running by the same north forty seven degrees and a quarter west twenty perches to a post and a stone set for a corner on the south side of a swamp thence north forty one degrees and forty five minutes east eight perches to a post and stone thence south forty seven degrees east twenty perches by lands to a stone in the said Brick's line thence bounding there on south forty one degrees and three quarters west eight perches to the corner first named containing one acre of land."

The couple kept the remainder of their property.

Death
On 11 July 1802, Jonathan Wood filed a will with Cumberland County, New Jersey.  His will stated: "Item I give and bequeath to my wife Reumah all my personal estate except what is to hereafter given away to her heirs and assigns forever, also the use of the place we now live on, with privilege to get firewood on a lot of wood land near Robert Parmer to her as longs as she remains my widow and no longer. Item I give & bequeath to my son Biney Wood a lot of sedar swamp, my time pice and all my lands is here by given to him his heirs & assigns not not to posses the land as long as my wife remains my widow.  Item I give to my three daughters Ann Jones, Hannah Duffel and Mary Wood five shillings each to them & their heirs and I hereby nominate constitute and appoint my wife Rhuhama executor to this my last will and testament."

On 6 August 1802, an inventory was done on his personal estate by James Sheppard, putting the amount of personal effects after debts at $386.97.  This inventory was signed by his executrix and administrator, Reumah, and witnesses Enoch Sheppard and and Lewis Humphreys (who was son Abinah's father-in-law).  This appraisal suggests that Jonathan died sometime between 11 July and 6 August of that year, likely just a few days after he filed his will.

Reumah continued to live in Hopewell until at least 10 February 1810, when she signed a statement as the relict of Jonathan Wood late of Hopewell and was paid $100 by John Sheppherd to file a quit claim on the land Abinah owned as a result of Jonathan's will, releasing her claim to it as Jonathan's widow.  Abinah and his wife Susannah sold the land to Sheppherd for $360  (roughly equivalent to $5800 in 2018, according to one inflation calculator).  According to the deed, the land was "a tract of land & swamp in the township of Hopewell in the county of Cumberland aforesaid Beginning at a stone being a corner of land late William Mulford, Samuel Walter & Seeley Faithian [?] thence south eighty two degrees west ninety perches to a corner thence south fifteen degrees west forty perches to a small black oak marked for a corner thence south one degree west twenty four rods to a poplar for a corner thence south thirteen degrees east forty three rods to a small black oak for a corner thence north fifty nine degrees east twenty eight rods to a corner being a white oak thence north thirty five degrees east thirteen rods to a corner thence north thirty degrees east eighteen rods to a corner thence north fifty degrees east thirty four rods to a hickory marked for a corner thence north sixty one degrees east twenty eight rods to a corner near the road thence north two degrees west bounding on Samuel Watson forty four perches to the place of the beginning containing forty five acres of land and swamp be the same more of lots which the said Abina Wood became seized by virtue of the last will and testament of his father Jonathan Wood dated [marked blank] reference being there unto had will more fully & at large appear."

Reumah passed away around April of 1825, but her story will be told another day.

Sources Used and Referenced
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