Woodham Family Cemetery
Lee County, South Carolina
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his section of our Woodham Family Association website is devoted to our two Woodham family burial grounds. The oldest of these is located in the Stokes Bridge Community of Lee County, South Carolina (formerly part of the old Darlington District), where our family settled about 1785. Some relatives left there in the 1830's and settled in southeast Alabama where they established another family cemetery in the 1840's near Newton, Dale County.
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he Woodham Family Cemetery located in the Stokes Bridge Community of what is now part of Lee County, South Carolina was founded in the late 1790's or by 1800 as a family burial ground by our family. It is located on what was originally the farm of our ancestor Edward Woodham Jr. which he bought in the 1780's. The land surrounding the Cemetery is still owned by the Woodham family.The Cemetery is located on a Lee County public dirt road, just off Hebron Church Road which runs north from Woodham Road to Hebron Methodist Church. From Bishopville, travel northeast on US Highway 15, cross Lynch's River bridge and turn left on the first paved road. Go north on this highway to the first paved road on the right: this is Woodham Road. Travel east on Woodham Road to the first paved road on the left: this is Hebron Church Road. Go north until you see a group of large farm sheds and barns on the right. This is "Tococobe Farms", a joint Woodham - Beasly farming operation. Look for a small dirt road on the left near the farm buildings. The Cemetery is located a few hundred yards west of the paved road, on the south side of the dirt road.
For the time being, there is no purpose in visiting the site for all you will find is a plowed field. All evidence of the Cemetery was destroyed several years ago by the Woodham who owned the land surrounding it. He first turned hogs loose in the grounds and later tore down the fence around it and threw away or broke up all of the tombstones. Parts of two tombstones were found and have been saved by Pete Beasley of Tococobe Farms, the husband of Virginia Woodham; two or three other tombstones were buried in a ditch beside their home but can no longer be located.
The Woodham Family Association is sponsoring a drive to raise funds to restore our historic ancestral burial grounds. We need enough funds to erect a chainlink fence around the site that contains between 1 1/2 and two acres of land. When the fence is put up, we will start raising funds to erect tombstones for the oldest burials known there, especially for Edward Woodham Jr. and his wife Mary, his mother Mrs. Edward (Eleanor) Woodham Sr., Edward Junior's son Aris Woodham Sr. and his wife Rachel Beasley. These are the ancestors of about 98 per cent of the people born as Woodham's whose roots are in the South (Dixie). Until a fence is erected to protect the site, the Cemetery will continue to be plowed over.
If you are a Woodham or descendant of a Woodham, this Cemetery belongs to you. It is YOUR responsibility to restore and preserve this sacred burial grounds of your ancestors. This is a private FAMILY cemetery--owned by all the Woodham family and as such, there is no public agency to take care of it, no church nor other organization--just you. This is the responsibility solely of the descendants of our ancestors buried here. That means you and all our other kinfolk. Your help is urgently needed to restore and preserve our sacred family burial grounds. Donations can be made either in memory of an ancestor or as a memorial to living relatives. Send your donations to the Woodham Family Association: and be sure to include who you wish to make your donation in memory of or memorial to.
Unfortunately, there are a lot of kinfolk today who don't give a confound about their Woodham kinfolk. I know...I have met a lot of them over the years. There are also those who profess a love of their family but when it comes down to getting serious about it, they don't "take a back seat", they run for cover and hide. One such person was the late Ruby Woodham Knight of Ozark, Alabama. Ruby was a member of the Family Association, always attended the Woodham National Reunions BUT -- when it came to restoring the Woodham Family Cemetery in Dale County, she reneged. In fact, she came to me back in the 1980's and asked if the family club had the money in the treasury to restore the border around her Woodham grandparent's graves. I told her that no, I wasn't handling the funds for the Dale County cemetery...we had a secretary for that.
Ruby's husband had recently died and she inherited a sizeable amount of insurance money from him. When I asked if she had contributed to restoration of the two family cemeteries, she said no, she had decided that money should be spent on the living. I turned and looked at her new Cadillac and said "I see what you mean." Ruby never showed up at one single cemetery working and cleaning; there were other women a lot older that her who did show up and worked hard to restore our family cemetery.
And then there are those who would rather take off to the beach or some other hot spot for a vacation, or buy new clothes or any kind of excuse for not spending a few dollars or a little work on restoring and preserving their ancestor's graves. One cuz from north Alabama said to just forget the cemetery and put up a sign there. Even got real nasty about it.
Come to think about it, of all the hundreds of family obituaries I have gathered over the years, many say donations may be made in memory of the loved one to a hospital, nursing home or some national organization such as the Cancer Society. But to date, I have never seen one single obituary which said donations in their memory could be made to either of our Woodham Family Cemeteries -- not one. Is it a sign of the new "Age of Greed"? If they are Christian and hope to meet their families in the hereafter, then they just might be in for a good ole tongue lashing when they get there. What a pity.
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hose relatives who make a donation of $50 or more will receive a copy of the book "History of the Woodham Family Cemetery" on the family cemetery in South Carolina, prepared by our historian, Robert Earl Woodham. This book lists all known burials in the Cemetery and has a separate page on each of them. It also includes family information sheets on several of these relatives and some history on them. The book contains about 182 pages.I
n addition, we have printed a book on the history of the Woodham Family Cemetery in Dale County, Alabama detailing the history of the Cemetery and those relatives and friends who are buried there. This book and the one on the Lee County Cemetery are both available for those relatives who make a minimum contribution of $l00 toward restoration of the Cemetery in Lee County.These books are not for sale. They were written by our Historian as part of his contribution toward restoration of our two family cemeteries and are meant solely as gifts for those kinfolk who help restore their family graveyards. Copies of the books will be placed in local and state libraries to help preserve the information about our ancestors.
The following relatives have made donations to help restore our Woodham Family Cemetery. Below the name of each contributor is the name of their relative for whom they have made the memorial donation. This is followed by the relative's direct ancestors back to Edward Woodham Sr., the common ancestor of our family.
Brockington Graham ("Woody") Woodham Jr. Tryon, North Carolina $100
In Memory of: my father, Brockington G. Woodham Sr., son of Stephen Middleton Woodham: son of John Wesley Woodham, Stephen Woodham, Aris Woodham Sr., Edward Woodham Sr.
Mary E. Wilson Pasadena, California $25
In Memory of: my great grandmother, Sarah Ann R. Woodham, daughter of Aris Woodham and Rebecca Smith: Athanasius Woodham, Aris Woodham Sr., Edward Woodham Sr.
E. Jerome Woodham Marietta, Georgia $100
In Memory of: my mother, Mrs. Ora Lee Smith Woodham, wife of William Allen Woodham of LaGrange, Ga.: Hessie Joshua Woodham Sr., William Hartwell Woodham, Aris Woodham, Edward Woodham, Aris Woodham Sr., Edward Woodham Sr.
Rosemary Woodham Bonifay Pensacola, Florida $50
In Memory of: my father, Grady Cecil Woodham of Geneva County, Ala.: John Talbot Woodham, John Robert Woodham, Edward Hartwell Woodham Sr., Edward Woodham Jr., Edward Woodham Sr.
Frederick Sidney ("Fred") Woodham Brooks, Georgia $100
In Memory of: my father, Owen Frederick Woodham of Darlington County, SC: Thomas Emberry Woodham, Johnathan Edward Woodham Sr., Asa Woodham, Aris Woodham Sr., Edward Woodham Jr., Edward Woodham Sr.
Ica Ida Woodham Lovett Mayflower, Arkansas $10
In Memory of: my father, Oscar Lee Woodham: Francis Marion Woodham, John Nelson Woodham, Ira Woodham, Aris Woodham Sr., Edward Woodham Jr., Edward Woodham Sr.
Mr. & Mrs. Andrew Dowling Woodham Bishopville, South Carolina $25
In Memory of: Robert Earl Woodham's mother, Mrs. Norma Turnage Woodham Parrish, widow of Rufus Woodham: John Wesley Woodham, Ira Edward Woodham, Edward Christopher Woodham, Aris Woodham Jr., Aris Woodham Sr., Edward Woodham Jr., Edward Woodham Sr.
Mrs. Ella Perry Foster Zarr Bay Minette, Alabama $100
In Memory of: my great grandmother, Icy Sophronia Skinner, daughter of Rachel Woodham daughter of Aris Woodham Sr.: Edward Woodham Jr. Edward Woodham Sr.
Mrs. Ruth Woodham Bishopville, South Carolina $20
In Memory of: my husband, Harris Middleton ("Jack") Woodham, son of Ernest Edward Woodham: Johnathan Edward Woodham, Asa Woodham, Aris Woodham Sr., Edward Woodham Jr., Edward Woodham Sr.
Teresa Ann Wallace Madison, Georgia $100
In Memory of: my great great grandmother, Harriett S. Woodham and her husband, William E. Hearon: Dorothy Ann Jenkins, Nancy Harriett Hearon, William Woodham Hearon, Harriett S. Woodham, Asa Woodham, Aris Woodham Sr., Edward Woodham Jr., Edward Woodham Sr.
Mrs. Delene Woodham Pensacola, Florida $40
In Honor of: my husband, William Jesse Woodham Jr. (school principal, county school superintendent, college professor): W. J. Woodham Sr., Aaron Thomas Woodham, John Wesley Woodham, Athanasius Woodham, Aris Woodham Sr., Edward Woodham Jr., Edward Woodham Sr.
Mrs. Jack Woodham Tavares, Florida $50
In Memory of: my husband, Jack Howard Woodham: Hillary Hopewell Woodham, Joseph John Woodham, Reddick Woodham, Athanasius Woodham, Aris Woodham Sr., Edward Jr., Edward Sr. (Editor's note: in a letter to us, Minnie stated she had made a contribution for the South Carolina Cemetery and sent this to the chairman of the Woodham Cemetery Committee in Dale County, Ala. It was mistakenly used on the Alabama cemetery)
South Carolina Woodham Reunion Bishopville, South Carolina $30
In Memory of: Robert Earl Woodham's mother, Mrs. Norma Turnage Woodham Parrish, wife of Rufus Woodham.
Mrs. Grady C. (Zenobia) Woodham Pensacola, Florida $70
In Memory of: my husband, Grady Cecil Woodham: John Talbot Woodham, Johnathan Robert Woodham, Edward Harley Woodham Sr., Edward Woodham Jr., Edward Woodham Sr.)
Everett Wade Woodham Jr. Bartlesville, Oklahoma $50
In Memory of: my father, Everett Wade ("Monk") Woodham Sr.: Levin Oscar Woodham, Athanasius Jehu Woodham Jr., Athanasius J. Woodham Sr., Athanasius Woodham, Aris Woodham Sr., Edward Woodham Jr., Edward Woodham Sr.
Mrs. Melva Whitehead Dallas, Texas $50
In Memory of:
Billy Peters Winter Haven, Florida $50
In Memory of: my great great grandmother Eleanor Dupree ("Elender") Woodham, wife of Samuel G. Windham and daughter of Edward Harley Woodham Sr.: Billy Peters, Myldred Nadine Wiggins, Myra Cornelia Windham, James Edward Windham, Eleanor Dupree Woodham, Edward H. Woodham Sr., Edward Woodham Jr., Edward Woodham Sr.
Robert Alan ("Bob") Woodham Kingsport, Tennessee $50
In Memory of: my son, John Keith Woodham: R. A. Woodham, John William Thomas Woodham, James Hillary ("Jim") Woodham, John Wesley Woodham, Athanasius Woodham, Aris Woodham Sr., Edward Woodham Jr., Edward Woodham Sr.
Carolyn A. Martin Tallahassee, Florida $50
In Memory of:
Carl Nick Kelley Bowling Green, Kentucky $50
In Memory of: my mother, Exia Ann Woodham, daughter of Aaron Thomas Woodham: John Wesley Woodham Sr., Athanasius Woodham, Aris Woodham Sr., Edward Woodham Jr., Edward Woodham Sr.
Doyle Melvin Lawrence and his wife,
Margie Lois Wiggins, Liberty, Texas $100
In Memory of: Doyle's great grandmother, Rachel Woodham, daughter of Aris Woodham Sr. and Rachel Beasley: Edward Woodham Jr., Edward Woodham Sr.; and
In Memory of: Margie's great great grandmother, Jane Woodham, daughter of Athanasius ("Atha") Woodham and Mary Ann Kelly: Aris Woodham Sr., Edward Woodham Jr., Edward Woodham Sr.
Debra Ashlock, Georgiana, Alabama $100
In Memory of: Pheriba (Fereby, Phereby, Feriby) Woodham, wife of Jehu Mixon Junior; daughter of Aris Woodham Sr. and Rachel Beasley: Edward Woodham Jr., Edward Woodham Sr.
Virginia W. Baldwin Davis, Smyrna, Georgia $50
In Memory of: my great great grandfather Aris Woodham Jr. and my great grandfather, Edward Harley ("Mott") Woodham Jr. Virginia is the daughter of the late Jewell V. Woodham and William Jeptha ("Jepp") Baldwin and a granddaugher of Jasper Richard Woodham and Laura Florida Mae Woodham. Her father was also the son of Lenora Frances Woodham and Jasper Augusta Baldwin.
William C. ("Bubba") Davis, The Woodlands, Texas $50
In Memory of: my great grandparents, Jasper Richard Woodham and Laura Florida Mae Woodham. He is a son of Virginia Wandis Baldwin and William Davis and a great great great grandson of Aris Woodham Jr. and Edward Harley Woodham Sr.
John H. Skinner, Wesley Chapel, NC $100
In Memory of: my great great grandparents Simpson Skinner Sr. and his wife Pherabee Jane Woodham Skinner.
Mike and Beth Campbell, Interlachen, FL $100
In Memory of: Edward Woodham Jr. my great great great great great grandfather. Mike is a son of Mary Ella ("Ellen") Hemphill, daughter of Ella Demaris Woodham, daughter of James Hillary ("Jim") Woodham, son of John Wesley Woodham, son of Athanasius Woodham, son of Aris Woodham Sr., son of Edward Jr.
Coming soon.
NOTE: For burials in the family's Dale County Cemetery, you can view these at Robert Earl's "Dale County, Alabama AlGenWeb" Internet website. The AlGenWeb is part of the national USGenWeb Project, a national, non-profit effort to put genealogical information on the Internet. He is the volunteer for the Dale County website and has included our Woodham Family Cemetery among several other Dale County cemeteries on his site. When you jump to this site, you will not be able to return here unless you bookmark this page or our Home page. Be sure to do so first.
Click on "Burials" to jump to the page with a list of the burials in this family cemetery.
(NOTE: info on the burials and history of our Woodham Family Cemetery will be posted on this site later.
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