WOOTEN-L Archives

From: Martha Wooten Solomon <>
Subject: Hardy Wooten #1
Date: Mon, 07 Aug 2000 09:06:38 -0500

Earlier, I was requested by a member of our group to post info she had
sent me on Hardy Wooten. I posted this and it was only received by
those, who receive the list not digest format. It was not included in
the digest format due to the length of the document. I am re-posting
this in three parts so those receiving only the digest format will
receive a copy.

Thanks,
Martha Wooten Solomon
----------------------------------------
Source: Kathy Wilson



[PAGE 8}

HARDY VICKERS WOOTEN: HIS DIARY AND HIS ANCESTRY


Our long-time Associate Judge Sam Taylor of Montgomery Alabama has
discovered in the Alabama Archives the diary of Hardy Vickers Wooten.
In this diary, Hardy supplies an unusual wealth of genealogical
information concerning his parents and other relatives, as well as many
anecdotes giving a colorful picture of a boy’s life in rural Georgia
around 1820.

Judge Taylor has sent us substantial excerpts from the Diary, both in
Hardy’s original handwriting and in typed transcription, and the Alabama
Department of Archives and History has kindly granted us permission to
reproduce these excerpts in our Quarterly. Readers wishing to examine
the complete Diary may do so at the Department’s Reference Division, 624
Washington Avenue, Montgomery Alabama.

We begin with a transcription of the first four pages of the first four
pages of the Diary, and also reproduce the original first page, showing
Hardy’s excellent handwriting and his obvious intention to give an
orderly account of his life. In fact, these early pages read more like
an autobiography than a mere diary.

Life of H. V. Wooten
Part 1st
Chapter 1st

I was born on the 15th of December A. D. 1813, in the County of Burke,
and State of Georgia. My father’s name was Eli Wooten, who when a young
man emigrated to Georgia from North Carolina, induced I suppose by the
greater promise of the former place, to one like him, who was destined
to procure a living by the work of his hands. Concerning my father’s
family in N. C. I know but little, having seen but few of them, yet
judging, from what I do know, I suppose they were generally poor,
honest, & respectable people. Two of his brothers came to Georgia with
him; Hardy & David, the former procured for himself a pretty large
family & died about the year 1817. The latter went to Alabama, & died
single about the year 1824.

My mother’s name was Jerusha Vickers. She was the daughter of John
Vickers, a revolutionary whig, who after the war emigrated from Virginia
to Georgia, and settled in the County before mentioned. My grandfather
Vickers had many sons and daughters (to wit) James, Hardy, Nathan,
Jonathan, Mary, Celia, Elizabeth, Winney, Jerusha, Rachael, & Nancy. Of
most of these, of course I have nothing to say. I will only record,
that so far as I know, all of them, but one, lived to a good old age,
and raised respectable families. This one, (Nancy) died early after her
marriage.

[PAGE 9 – Reproduction of page 1 of the manuscript]

[PAGE 10]

[EDITOR’S NOTE: On Hardy’s page two, the following has been written
sideways in the margin, apparently NOT in Hardy’s handwriting.]

John Vickers raised a Company during the Revolutionary War, of which he
became Captain and fought through the war.

[Hardy’s handwriting resumes. ED]

My father and mother were married about the year 1803, and had three
children, before it came my unhappy time to enter the world. The names
of these three were, Martha, Cynthia and Elizabeth. Cynthia died an
infant, of the others I may speak hereafter. The time of my birth has
been mentioned. It was in the south side of Burke County, [following
part crossed out but partly legible] in the piney woods, and in a lob
cabin, …

It will be perceived, that I had an uncle on each side named HARDY, so
I being the first son of my parents, it is but natural that I should be
named HARDY VICKERS WOOTEN.

My infancy, as tradition tells, was principally, noted for crying – the
length of time I remained at the breast – and what my parents thought to
be extraordinary intellect. In proof of these traits in my early
character, I am told that I have cried myself to fainting, that I
remained at the breast nearly 3 years, BEFORE WHICH TIME I COULD “SPELL
IN TWO LETTERS.”

In 1816 I had a brother born, who, for his father, was named Eli. It
was I believe in the early part of this year that my Grandparents
Vickers died, their deaths being not far distant from each other. In
1817, my parents moved to another place further out from the Ogeechee
river. All of the family were very sickly, and I had my share, indeed I
was so near dead at one time that my shroud was prepared.

In 1818, my father bought a tract of Land on the road from Louisville
to Savannah, to which he moved, and on which the family remained after
his death. It was during the early part of this year that I first
commenced going to school. At first my father hired me with 6 ¼ cents,
but such was the fondness which I soon contracted for it, that, in a few
days my mother wishing to carry me to a tailor, (as I had got to be a
“little man”) had to give me another “thrip” to stay from school. I
continued at school for about 4 months, in that year, during that time I
passed nearly through Webster’s spelling book. Our school was in a
little pole cabin near the corner of an old field, and the school master
was an old Scotchman named Bolling. He frequently came to school drunk,
as was the practice of many schoolmasters in those days. . . .

[At this point, we skip to pages 9-10. ED.]

[PAGE 11]

1818. No other memorable event in my history occurred during that year.

(1819) This year was rendered memorable by the death of my FATHER. He
was confined about
3 weeks with pleurisy, and died on the 28th January. . . .[clinical
description of his condition. ED] By the time of his death, my father
had procured a comfortable competence for the support of his family,
being however, somewhat in debt it took some time struggling to pay off
without parting with any of the estate, which was eventually done. My
father left his estate to my mother during her life or widowhood, and
she by extraordinary management & industry, kept it all together until
her death, paying off the debts my father left unsettled, by the
proceeds of the estate. My father died, as I learn from unimpeachable
sources, without an enemy on earth. On the 9th of March I had another
brother born, who was named James David, for his Uncle on each side. He
was blest with health and grew up. My mother superintended her farm
herself this year and saved a good crop.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

The foregoing excerpts contain most of Hardy’s statements concerning
his own parentage and relatives.

From the Diary and other records, we now summarize the main events of
Hardy’s life.

1822—He refers in the Diary to his “principle playmates. . . cousins
Joel Wooten and James V. Jones.” Note that this Joel Wooten was son of
Hardy’s uncle Hardy Wooten.

Hardy V. then attended the Augusta High School for Boys, and in October
1833 entered Augusta Medical College, from which he graduated with
honors. He then studied medicine further at the University of
Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

Following his graduation, he moved to Lowndesboro Alabama, where he
practised medicine for some 20 years, and where he still maintained
residence at the time of his death 9 July 1856, although he actually
died in Marysville TN.

He married Charlotte Rochelle 24 Jan 1841 in Lowndesboro. Of their
five children, only one survived to have issue, the third child Ella,
reported to have married Joseph Mark Howard. The other children, all
died early, were Garvin, Rochelle, Ida, and Zoe.

In 1851, Hardy accepted a teaching position at the Memphis medical
college, but after three years was forced by ill health to retire in
1854, when he returned to live in Lowndes County Alabama until his
death. His wife Charlotte lived on until 1885.

[PAGE 12]

We should note that some of the data given above are from a biographic
sketch of Hardy in Thomas McAdory Owen, HISTORY OF ALABAMA AND
DICTIONARY OF ALABAMA BIOGRAPHY, Vol. IV pp 1807-1808. This is an old
work reprinted 1978 in Spartanburg SC. The sketch has several serious
errors, and should be used with caution.

For example, Owen gives Hardy’s mother as Ruth Vickers, while Hardy
himself says her name was JERUSHA. Georgia records made during her
lifetime show JERUSHA or sometimes JERESA, but not RUTH. Owen also
states that Hardy’s wife Charlotte was great-granddaughter of a Huguenot
George Rochelle “who escaped from France after the Edict of Nantes.”
This is patently incorrect. The Edict of Nantes was issued in 1598,
providing for TOLERANCE of the Huguenots, not persecution. Owen (or his
informant) probably should have said “the Revocation of the Edict of
Nantes”, which took place in 1688 and set off a wave of persecution of
French protestants.


THE WOOTEN ANCESTRY OF HARDY V. WOOTEN

On the basis of Hardy’s statements in the first four pages of his
Diary, there can be no doubt as to his Wooten ancestry. He is a
descendant of Thomas and Jane Watton of Castor, Northamptonshire,
England, whose son Thomas was baptised in Castor in 1612and emigrated to
Virginia sometime before June 1639.

This Thomas acquired land in Isle of Wight County Virginia in 1645, and
about 1649 married Sara the widow of his friend and neighbor Arthur
Wood. Thomas and Sara had only one son Richard, who lived his whole
life in Isle of Wight, married Joyce, and had two sons Thomas and
Richard II. It was this second Richard Wootten who married Lucy Council
and had certainly sons Richard III and William, almost certainly a son
John, and probably also a son James.

It was the son William, born after 1710, who married Ann (probably
Bryant) and moved south to North Carolina, where we find records of him
in Northampton County by 1743, in Johnston County 1750-1755, and then
for good in Edgecombe County in 1756.

All statements made above are fully documented by records presented in
our Special Study No. I, THE WOOTTONS OF ISLE OF WIGHT COUNTY VIRGINIA.

William and his wife Ann had only four sons who have been reliably
documented: Amos, James, Joel, and Joshua. William’s deed of gift of
513 acres to his son Amos is in Edgecombe DB E p 255, made 13 Jan 1783.
A similar deed to his son Joel for 40 acres is in Edgecombe DB 6 p 430,
made 26 Feb 1791.

[PAGE 13]

On 19 Jan 1797, Amos’ sons Eli and Hardy Wootten witness a deed from
James Wootten to Joel Wootten for 150 acres (Edgecombe DB 8 p 665). The
same day, Joel deeds 225 acres to Edward Cobb (DB 8 p 701). These are
Joel’s last transactions in Edgecombe; he next turns u in Burke County
GA. This is also Hardy’s last appearance in Edgecombe for some years;
he too next turns up in Burke County GA.

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• Hardy Wooten #1 by Martha Wooten Solomon <>