Martha Jane Penrod

Brief Life History of Martha Jane

When Martha Jane Penrod was born on 20 March 1836, in Illinois, United States, her father, David H Penrod, was 51 and her mother, Hannah Lamar, was 47. She married John Gideon Wood on 25 September 1851, in Fort Madison, Lee, Iowa, United States. They were the parents of at least 1 son and 3 daughters. She lived in Jefferson Township, Lee, Iowa, United States in 1880 and Lee, Iowa, United States in 1905. She died on 23 June 1907, in Fort Madison, Lee, Iowa, United States, at the age of 71.

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Family Time Line

John Gideon Wood
1830–1862
Martha Jane Penrod
1836–1907
Marriage: 25 September 1851
Lydia Ann Wood
1853–1941
Mary Lorna Woods
1856–1942
John Edgar Wood
1858–1943
Sarah Ellen Wood
1862–1913

Sources (13)

  • Jane Barclay in household of Geo Barclay, "United States Census, 1870"
  • Jane Penrod, "Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934"
  • Martha Jane Penrod, "Iowa, Death Records, 1904-1951"

World Events (8)

1839 · From Swamp to Beautiful Place

By 1829 Venus, Illinois had grown sufficiently and in 1832 was one of the contenders for the new county seat. However, the honor was awarded to a nearby city, Carthage. In 1834 the name Venus was changed to Commerce because the settlers felt that the new name better suited their plans. But during late 1839, arriving members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints bought the small town of Commerce and in April 1840 it was renamed Nauvoo by Joseph Smith Jr., who led the Latter-Day Saints to Nauvoo to escape persecution in Missouri. The name Nauvoo is derived from the traditional Hebrew language. It is notable that by 1844 Nauvoo's population had swollen to around 12,000 residents, rivaling the size of Chicago at the time. After the Latter-Day Saints left the population settled down toward 2,000 people.

1846

U.S. acquires vast tracts of Mexican territory in wake of Mexican War including California and New Mexico.

1856 · The Largest Map Company in the World

William Rand opened a small printing shop in Chicago. Doing most of the work himself for the first two years he decided to hire some help. Rand Hired Andrew McNally, an Irish Immigrant, to work in his shop. After doing business with the Chicago Tribune, Rand and McNally were hired to run the Tribune's entire printing operation. Years later, Rand and McNally established Rand McNally & Co after purchasing the Tribune's printing business. They focused mainly on printing tickets, complete railroad guides and timetables for the booming railroad industry around the city. What made the company successful was the detailed maps of roadways, along with directions to certain places. Rand McNally was the first major map publisher to embrace a system of numbered highways and erected many of the roadside highway signs that have been adopted by state and federal highway authorities. The company is still making and updating the world maps that are looked at every day.

Name Meaning

Americanized form of German Benrath or perhaps of its variant Benroth .

History: John Penrod, Sr, presumably born in 1726 in MA, was a pioneer settler in a German community in PA. It is believed that he was the son of Johannes Wilhelm Benrath (or perhaps Benroth), an immigrant from Germany, recorded in MA as Johannes Benracth. Father's name also appears as Johannes Wilhelm Poenradt, but the surname Poenradt does not exist in Germany.

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

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