Percy Wilson Woodruff

Brief Life History of Percy Wilson

When Percy Wilson Woodruff was born on 22 September 1890, in Gaston Township, Northampton, North Carolina, United States, his father, John Thomas Woodruff, was 42 and his mother, Susan Ann Camp, was 33. He married Ada Melissa Moore on 10 February 1917, in Wake, North Carolina, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 1 daughter. He died on 31 July 1976, in Raleigh, Wake, North Carolina, United States, at the age of 85, and was buried in Raleigh, Wake, North Carolina, United States.

Photos and Memories (1)

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Family Time Line

Percy Wilson Woodruff
1890–1976
Ada Melissa Moore
1897–1943
Marriage: 10 February 1917
Percy Wilson Woodruff
1917–1999
John Thomas Woodruff
1922–2009
David Stanley Woodruff
1928–2011
Ina Ruth Woodruff
1930–1994

Sources (32)

  • Percy W Woodruff, "United States Census, 1930"
  • Percy W Woodruff, "North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979 "
  • Percy Wilson Woodruff, "United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918"

World Events (8)

1896 · Plessy vs. Ferguson

A landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court upholding the constitutionality of racial segregation laws for public facilities if the segregated facilities were equal in quality. It's widely regarded as one of the worst decisions in U.S. Supreme Court history.

1897 · First Bill for Women Suffrage

In 1897, Senator J.L. Hyatt introduced the woman suffrage bill in North Carolina. The bill did not make it past the committee.

1913 · The Sixteenth Amendment

The Sixteenth Amendment allows Congress to collect an income tax without dividing it among the states based on population.

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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