#52Ancestors – No. 3 – Benjamin C Woodburn

For this week’s installment of the 52 Ancestors Challenge to write about one ancestor a week, I chose to stay in the Woodburn family.  This post is about Benjamin C Woodburn, the father of last weeks number 2 post, Josephine Woodburn.  Benjamin is the father who signed off on the marriage bond that allowed 12 year old Josephine to marry.

I am trying to grasp why a father would allow his very young daughter to marry.  The average age of women marrying in the 1880’s was in the early to mid 20’s.  It might be that Benjamin didn’t have the cash flow to take care of his family.  Having one less mouth to feed may have kept them out of the poor house. I think this line of Woodburn’s are the poor relations in the family.

Benjamin C. Woodburn (Ben), born in Christian County, Kentucky is the son of Alexander Woodburn and Charlotte Lacy.  Alexander Woodburn is a prosperous farmer in the area. In November 1862, Ben enlists in the Civil War for the next three years. He participates in many skirmishes and battles as a Private in the Third Kentucky Calvary Company “A”.  I don’t have all his muster cards some indicate his pay or when his unit was detached (not assigned to regiment).  I do have one indicating that he was sick for two months in Nashville, TN right after he enlisted in November 1862. According to wikipedia, 168 enlisted men of this company died of disease.  Ben was darn lucky to survive.

Through Google, I discovered a group of Civil War Cartes de visite (photographs) of the officers of the 3rd Kentucky Cavalry.  They were donated to Baylor University-Texas.  For more information check out the flickr link at: http://www.flickr.com/photos/52505743@N05/sets/721576272092093/65

Civil War soldiers were allowed furlough from the war and could come home.  I am hoping that is the case as you will see later.  Ben returns from the war between 1865-1866.  He gets married on April 28, 1867 to Theodocia Rachael Sims. Maybe this is the event were he is cast out of his family.  But, then again, this is Kentucky.  Theodocia is Ben’s first cousin.  She is the daughter of Catherine Woodburn and William A. Sims or Simms.  Catherine is the brother of Alexander Woodburn, Ben’s father.  Maybe the family is not into kissing first cousins.

Ben and Theodocia are living in Decker Station, Indiana per the 1870 Census.  They are listed with their three children.  There is a transcription error on their last name, Woodham, instead of Woodburn.  Their first child is Charles Woodburn, age 6.  That means he was born before Ben and Theodocia got married.  So maybe Ben came home on furlough and met his cousin in the hay barn.  Or, Theodocia was married or co-inhabiting with some one else. I did look for other marriage certificates for Theodocia and didn’t find any.  Their daughter Fannie is born in 1867 and presumed dead by 1880.  I find no record of her after the 1870 census.  Then I considered maybe she got married off at 12 or 13 like her sister.  Charles names his first daughter Fannie, and I have a feeling that his sister did pass away. Next is James William, all listed as being born in KY.

The next two girls, Josephine (my great-grandmother, 1872) and her sister Addie Decker Woodburn (1875) are born in Decker Station.  I couldn’t figure out why Addie’s middle name was Decker.  There are no Decker’s in my family tree.  I happen to come across an article about the building of the railroad station in Decker.  I guess the family wanted a remembrance of where she was born.  Ben is listed as a day laborer in the 1870 Census.  I could not locate other Woodburn family members in the area.  I am curious as to why they moved there.  Was it to find work or get away from the fracas of marrying his cousin?

The family moves to Boggess, Muhlenberg Co, Kentucky by 1880.  Ben works in a stable, 15 year old Charlie is working the mines. Ben files for an invalid pension in September 1882 for his service in the Civil War.  Could this be also be a reason that he may not have been able to support his family?  I could pay Fold3 to look at more Civil War records on Ben, but I am not in a paying mood.  Theodocia files a claim for a widow’s pension in March 1892.  I have not yet found a death or burial record for Benjamin C Woodburn.  I find it frustrating that I can find records on a dozen or more Woodburns’ but none belonging to my direct ancestor.

I don’t know why Ben and Theodocia let Josephine get married at 12 years old.  I found a record of her sister, Addie getting married at 24 after Ben has passed away. Charlie gets married in 1885 to Claudia Fortney, who is a cousin to John T. Pittman, Josephine’s husband.  Maybe with fewer mouths to feed, the family holds on.

Next week, I will write about Theodocia Sims.  How a clue in the Civil War pension record confirms a remarriage.

 

 

 

 

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