Samuel Woodruff

Brief Life History of Samuel

When Samuel Woodruff was born in 1785, in Spartanburg, South Carolina, United States, his father, Thomas Woodruff, was 39 and his mother, Eunice Woodrove, was 30. He married Hannah Lavalle about 1815, in Bibb, Alabama, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 3 daughters. He died on 10 November 1837, in Bibb, Alabama, United States, at the age of 52, and was buried in Centreville, Bibb, Alabama, United States.

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Family Time Line

Samuel Woodruff
1785–1837
Hannah Lavalle
1790–1847
Marriage: about 1815
Ann Woodruff
1815–
Amanda Louisa Woodruff
1817–1883
Cicero Demosthenes R. Woodruff
1827–1860
Minerva Narcissa Anne Frances Woodruff
1832–1903
Samuel Woodruff
1832–
Columbus Q C Woodruff
1835–1870

Sources (4)

  • Samuel Woodruff, "Find A Grave Index"
  • Samuel Woodruff in entry for Absolam C. Harrison and Louisa Woodruff, "Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950"
  • Samuel Woodruff in entry for Absolom C. Harrison and Louisa Woodruff, "Alabama County Marriages, 1809-1950"

World Events (8)

1786 · Shays' Rebellion

Caused by war veteran Daniel Shays, Shays' Rebellion was to protest economic and civil rights injustices that he and other farmers were seeing after the Revolutionary War. Because of the Rebellion it opened the eyes of the governing officials that the Articles of Confederation needed a reform. The Rebellion served as a guardrail when helping reform the United States Constitution.

1788 · South Carolina becomes the 8th state in the Union

On May 23, 1788, South Carolina ratifies the Constitution of the United States making it the 8th State of the Union.

1800 · Movement to Washington D.C.

While the growth of the new nation was exponential, the United States didn’t have permanent location to house the Government. The First capital was temporary in New York City but by the second term of George Washington the Capital moved to Philadelphia for the following 10 years. Ultimately during the Presidency of John Adams, the Capital found a permanent home in the District of Columbia.

Name Meaning

English: from Middle English woderove ‘woodruff, sweet woodruff’ (Old English wudurofe), a sweet-scented plant. The leaves of the plant have a sweet smell and the surname may also have been a nickname for one who used it as a perfume, or perhaps an ironical nickname for a malodorous person. Alternatively, perhaps a topographic name for someone who lived at or near a place where woodruff grew. There may have been some confusion with Woodrow .

History: Two English families brought the name Woodruff to the American colonies: those of Matthew Woodruff and of John and Ann Woodruffe. The latter migrated to Lynn, MA, from Kent, and moved to Southampton, Long Island, NY, before 1640. John and Ann's many descendants were established in NJ, NC, and SC by 1790. The city of Woodruff, SC, is named for this family. The name is variously spelled Woodrove, Woodroffe, Woodruffe, Woodrough, and Woodruff in colonial records.

Dictionary of American Family Names © Patrick Hanks 2003, 2006.

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