Woodards

by

Fred McCaleb

Thanks for your letter concerning the Fayette, County
Woodards. I will try to tell you some of the things I know about
them. My grandma McCaleb, Wife of James Franklin McCaleb, was
Rejina Catherine Hollingsworth. She was daughter of John R. and
Bettie Jane McCaleb and and sister of Martha Jane Hollingsworth
that Married Melton Woodard, son of Steve Woodard. So from the
McCaleb side I would be kin to the descendants of Melton and
Martha Jane Hollingsworth Woodard.

My Mothers' parents were Samuel Winn Hallmark and Mary Roxie
Eason. Mary Roxies' parents were Moses Eason and Elizabeth
Woodard. According to my mother Elizabeth was a cousin of Steve
Woodard of Fayette, County. So from my mothers' side I would be
some kin to all of the descendants of Steve and Elizabeth
DePoister Woodard. My dad liked his Woodard cousins. My mothers' best
friend at the New River Baptist Church school house was my dads'
cousin Alma Woodard. My mother may have met dad thru the common
Woodard ties. There might never have been a Fred McCaleb without the
common Woodard friendship. My Uncle Arthur Hallmark wanted to
marry Elsie Woodard(youngest dau of Melton) but Elsie told me she
thought of him only as a brother and later married Arthur Sims. Elsie Woodard
played the church organ, foot pumped kind, at
New River Baptist Church for many years during my youth. She is
among my earliest recollections. I was still in my mothers'arms
and the music made a lasting impression, laying my head in my
mothers lap and going to sleep in church by Elsies'music. I still
just love organ music. Steve Woodard was a dreaded Home Guard during
the Civil War.
The Hallmark ancesters joined the Union Army except for my g
grandpa William Hopwood Hallmark. He didn’t bother with either
side. Layed out during war. Steve helped roundup layouts to
punish and make join the Rebels. Best I can figure out Steve
lived in Jefferson County, Al. for a few years immediately after
the Civil War, perhaps being afraid to come back to Fayette, Co.
Steve had a big plot of land in what is now Birmingham, Al. and
when he left for Fayette. Co. swapped it for a shotgun and a yoke
of oxen. I guess he thought he would need gun back in Fayette.
None of my old Hallmark ancesters would talk of the war, or much
about their ancestry. I have photocopy the New River Baptist Church
clerk records from 1881 till
1940's. I believe Steve Woodard was one of the first church
clerks. Melton Woodard was clerk later on. Daddy's cousin Elsie
woodard had the book last and I persuaded her to let me copy it
about 1984. There is a lot about the Woodards, Killingsworths,
Hallmarks, and many others in the community way back yonder. Elsie
died about 6 years ago and Alma died about 2 years ago.
Alma was near 100 years old. I did a camcorder tape on Alma
Woodard before she got unable to talk since she was my moma's
best friend in youth, and she told me that she and moma (Eza
Hallmark) were the 2 smartest in school and the teacher tried to
get them to become teachers. They both married farmers. Alma was
the one that told me about Steve swapping part of Birmingham for
the gun and a yoke of oxen. Her grandpa Steve's picture was
hanging on the wall, Melt and Nancy Jane were hanging there too
and I recorded it all for posterity while she talked about how
things were back in her young days.
Apparently Elizabeth Woodard Eason's cousin Steve made a
believer out of my g grandpa Moses Eason. He signed up with the
Confederates and was mustered in at Tuscaloosa, Al. He owned no
slaves and had about the poorest hill farm in NE Fayette County.
His outfit had up to 1700 soldiers off and on during the war and
he was one of 170 that got back. He was with Lee's finest
starved troops when they surrendered at Appamatox. There was a
slim chance here that there would ever be a Fred McCaleb. Moses
Eason kids were all girls and my grandpa Hallmark came to live
with him as a farmhand and Moses lost one of his girls in the
deal. It seemed ironic that Moses should be hiring a layout's son
to help till his soil. Hopwood Hallmark, the layout was dead by
then. The Killingsworth family has a reunion at New River Baptist
Church each last Sunday in June, so your correspondent might wish
to attend that. I have the Killingsworth family book the
Killingsworths put out. An Ecter Killingsworth married my mothers
sister Ethel Hallmark. Arla Hollingsworth, Rt. 1, Eldridge, Al.
has been being the main one in charge. She is in her 90's and can
tell address of her sister Gladys who made up the book. Gladys
and Arla were Killingsworths. I have gone to that reunion several
times to see my killingsworth cousins. I have copied some material on the Melton
Woodard and Martha
Jane Hollingsworth family, mainly from Matha's Hollingsworth
side. Don't know if Thelma Shields is interested in that or not.
I think I have all of Steve's family somewhere. Franklin Woodard
searched Steve's family several years ago, and a lot of his is
Hollingsworth. I have the McCalebs to NC in 1770's, the
Hollingsworths to Ireland & England 1600's and Andrew McCaleb's
wife Leah Mccollum side to Scotland. This probably isn’t of
interest. I am getting too old to do much new searching, but share
what I can find of what I have in my disorganized papers. The
Killingsworth reunion would be a good place to get started.
Best regards from Fred McCaleb