WHAT I NEVER CLAIMED
I have never claimed as fact that Bailey Wood’s wife was a Hicks. I never put it in my tree that way because I never had any proof. My notes have always said “tentative,” “possibly,” or “needs proof.” I first mentioned it as a theory on a discussion board, probably twenty years ago. A discussion board. What are discussion boards for, if not for discussing?
Even the best of genealogical resources may include what is simply theory and mention possibilities. One example is the work of John Frederick Dorman, a distinguished genealogical researcher who included a few unproven theories or assumptions in his series of volumes called Adventurers of Purse and Person. The reader is assumed to be smart enough to know the difference between theory and proof so he can weigh the evidence accordingly and possibly be motivated to do further research.
Much to my chagrin, thousands of “researchers” latched onto my theory first mentioned on a discussion board about the Hicks surname and put it in their trees as fact. Let me state: I know the difference between fact and theory, and I always qualify any information I have that may be in doubt. There is no genealogical “proof” that Bailey Wood’s wife was a Hicks.
That being said, let me emphasize that it wasn’t pure speculation that led me to bring it up. That would be like pulling something out of thin air —akin to rolling the dice. That is not what led to my comment.
To be clear, no one should have in their tree that Bailey Wood’s wife was Ann Hicks or Nancy Hicks or Nannie Hicks without a clear indication that this is unproven. Let me also say that no one should have his name as James Bailey Wood, for there is no proof. Nor should they say his name was Stephen Bailey Wood or Atwood, for there is no proof (that I have seen). To my thinking, THAT is pure speculation; I don’t know of any good clues for those claims.
THE FACTS
What IS true is that a list of Virginia Heads of Families 1783-1786 for Greenbrier County includes the names Richard Hicks, William Hicks, and Baily Wood, so the Hicks family was in Greenbrier County very early, as were Bailey and Ann Wood.
Furthermore, Bailey Wood, Ann Wood, and James Wood were charter members of Greenbrier Baptist Church in 1781. This is mentioned in A History of Monroe County, West Virginia, by Oren Morton, as well as numerous other sources. Speaking of Pastor John Alderson, Morton says:
There is no known marriage record for Bailey Wood and his wife Ann. When they joined the church in 1781, Bailey and Ann were already married and were the parents of three small children. Their son James was not born at that time, so the charter member named James Wood may have been the father or brother of Bailey Wood. We do NOT know for sure.
In addition to the Hicks men on the “Heads of Families” list, we find the following Hicks marriages, all performed by John Alderson of Greenbrier Baptist Church (See Greenbrier County records):
June 18, 1783: William Hicks and Hannah Garrad [Jarrett]
April 24, 1785: David Garrat [Jarrett] and Susannah Hicks
Feb. 14, 1786: John Scaggs and Kitty Hicks [Catherine]
Mar. 9, 1786: Richard Hicks and Jane Skags (sister of John Scaggs)
Mar. 8, 1787: William Johnston and Elisabeth Hicks
There was no marriage mentioned for Ann/Nancy Hicks or Sarah Hicks.
There was a marriage of a Levinah Hicks sometime after 1800, but I don’t know how she was related. I have a theory, but I’m not even going to bring it up. Yet.
I don’t think anyone doubts that “Ann” was the wife of Bailey Wood. Bailey Wood is mentioned in tax and land records of Greenbrier County between 1782 and 1796 (and possibly later). He is mentioned in Monroe County records between 1799 (when Monroe County was formed) and 1810 (and possibly later). In 1804, he and his wife “Nancy” are mentioned in a land transaction with Robert Gwinn in Monroe County. So the assumption has been made that “Ann” and “Nancy” are the same person. Why? Both “Nancy” and “Nannie” are often seen as nicknames for “Ann” in the time and location in question. Her name was probably NOT “Nancy Ann” since “Nancy” was a nickname for “Ann”.
The transcription of church records (below), published by the The Journal of the Greenbrier Historical Society, lists the name Ann Wood and then Bailey Wood in sequence. Why did they leave the church at different times? It’s probably because Bailey was spending time in what later became Ansted (then in Nicholas County), where he was helping to plant a new church—Hopewell Baptist Church. His wife and children apparently did not leave Monroe County until later. (By the way, the transcription might have errors.)
THE HICKS FAMILY
I am not going to discuss the parents of the Hicks siblings because I have not seen clear evidence for who they were.
However, Virginia Soldiers of 17761 names all of the Hicks children: Mordecai, William, Richard, Sarah, Nanny, Susan[nah], Elizabeth, and Catherine. The surviving siblings (Susannah, Elizabeth, and Catherine) of Mordecai Hicks made application in 1834 to receive land for his military service in the Revolutionary War, as follows:
CHURCH AFFILIATION
It should be noted that Susannah (widow of David Jarrett), Elizabeth (wife of William Johns(t)on, and Catherine (wife of John Skaggs) were all members of Greenbrier Baptist Church, as were Bailey Wood and his wife Nancy. Remember, there is no actual proof that Bailey Wood’s wife Nancy was a Hicks. However, I am a descendant of Bailey and Nancy Wood, as well as William and Elizabeth Hicks Johnston AND John and Catherine Hicks Skaggs, so I am particularly interested in gathering as much evidence as possible about the Hicks family.
LAND RECORDS and FAMILY CONNECTIONS
In addition to their church ties, there are land records on file in Monroe County involving Bailey and Nancy Wood in relation to Hicks individuals. One of those records was mentioned here, involving William Johnston and his wife, Elizabeth Hicks Johnston. Family members often engaged in land transactions. Does that mean Elizabeth Hicks Johnston was related to Bailey or Nancy? No, but she could have been.
I also wrote about a land transaction here, naming all of the children of Bailey and Nancy Wood and their spouses.
We know that cousins often married in the early days of settlement in Southern West Virginia. William Wood’s son Allen married the daughter of William and Elizabeth Hicks Johnston. Is that proof that they were related? No, but they could have been. One of Bailey Wood’s sons married a daughter of John Skaggs and Catherine Hicks Skaggs. Were they cousins? We don’t know, but they could have been. Bailey Wood’s daughter Susanna married a brother of John Skaggs, husband of Catherine Hicks. In other words, these families were very intertwined. When you are dealing with so much intermarriage, it’s really important to be aware of how these people are related.
SIMILARITY OF NAMES
Interestingly, the names of Bailey and Nancy Wood’s children are quite similar to the names of the Hicks siblings. However, that does not prove anything since these names were common in all families at that time. Nevertheless, here they are side by side. There are five names in common.
Children of Mr. and Mrs. Hicks Children of Bailey and Nancy Wood
When my mother was researching the family of Bailey Wood, she interviewed many people in the Ansted area, and was told that William Wood, son of Bailey and Ann/Nancy, had the middle name “Hicks”. Is there any proof of that? No. Am I just going to discount it? No. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it COULD be true, so my mother and I spent many hours trying to figure out WHY William Wood would have the middle name “Hicks”. We never figured it out. That does not qualify as proof that his mother’s maiden name was Hicks. I never claimed it as fact. How could I? (By the way, at that time, we did NOT KNOW that Elizabeth Hicks Johnston and Catherine Hicks Skaggs had a sister named Nannie.)
But I will say this: There is nothing SO FAR that eliminates that possibility. Therefore, it cannot yet be discounted.
I do not apologize for anything in regard to what I have written or said about this family because I never said it was FACT. I have always stated it as unproven or more research is needed (or I put a question mark with the information), and that does not make me any different than most other genealogists, certified or not.
I will keep digging and I do believe one day the truth will be known. When I get proof one way or the other, I will be thrilled to get it no matter what it says.
Please tell people that it is not PROVEN that Bailey Wood’s wife was a Hicks. The evidence that I have mentioned is not sufficient to PROVE that she was.
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Ancestry.com. Virginia Soldiers of 1776 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2008.Original data: Burgess, Louis Alexander. Virginia Soldiers of 1776. Vol. 1. Richmond, VA, USA: Richmond Press, 1927.