Richard Woodard and Needham Green appeared together in a list of men who apparently made up a road crew in Robertson Co, TN.

[no date at top of page, entry begins on a previous page not copied, after Jan 1809 but before Nov 1811]
Baynard, Thos. Haynes, William Gilbert, Jas- Gilbert, John Gilbert, James Eubanks, Obediah [Chirm?/Chism?], James Martin, Joshua Thurman Elijah Eubanks, Martin Eubanks, Saml Spearman, Abraham Martin, John Biggs, Saml [Wookey?], David [Lugler?], Jutsing Forrester, Jno Forister, Joel Forester, John Hight, Jonathan Forister, Ivan L Armstrong David Groves, Thomas Haynes, Dudley Payne, John Hazlet, Saml Spearman Jonathan Noble Warren Payne _?_ Thos. Williams, John Young, Needham Green, William Martin Pleasant Boles James Host [Lulicom?] Sase Richard Woodard, Jonathan Noble, Wm T. Payne James Yates, John Sumerville Gideon Payne clean [several unreadable words] and that Saml. Pearson oversee the said road –
Book 2, p 393 Robertson Co, TN Court Minutes
Robertson Co, TN Court Minutes, Book 2, p 393

In May of 1812, Richard Woodard was replaced as a juror for a trial in which William Speight was the plaintiff. All of the other jurors he had served with for earlier trials that day served again for the Speight trial, but not Richard Woodard. He was the only juror who was replaced. (See records on Richard Woodward page.)
Robertson Co, TN Court Minutes, Book 3, p 87

The Speight and Green/Greene families both lived near the Woodwards in Wake Co, NC. There is at least one documented marriage of a Speight and Green descendant into the Woodward family - Needham Green and China Woodward, daughter of Pleasants Woodward, Richard Woodward's brother. This was very likely the same Needham Green of the Robertson Co, TN record above. He was the son of William Green and Patience Speight, and the grandson of William Speight I and Abigail, all of Wake Co, NC.

William Speight of the 1812 trial was probably William Speight III, son of William Speight II, and grandson of William Speight I and Abigail. Therefore, he was a first cousin to Needham Green since both were grandsons of William Speight I and Abigail.

Richard Woodward's wife has not been proven, but there are indications that she might have been a daughter of Silas Green and Charity Speight. Since Charity Speight was a daughter of William Speight I and Abigail, the children of Silas Green and Charity Speight would have been grandchildren of William Speight I and Abigail - and first cousins to William Speight III and Needham Green. If Richard Woodward's wife was a first cousin to William Speight III, this would have been good reason for replacing him as a juror for this trial. According to Green/Greene research, Silas Greene and William Greene were brothers. I don't know what records prove this, but it seems very reasonable from the Green records that I do have. Assuming this research is correct, Silas Green would have been Needham Green's uncle - and any of Silas Green's children would have been first cousins again to Needham Green. So if Richard Woodward's wife was a daughter of Silas Green and Charity Speight, she would have been a double first cousin to Needham Green through the Green family and again through the Speight family.

But there is one major problem in trying to prove this. The will of Silas Green does not mention such a daughter. If Silas Green had other children, they will have to be proven in other ways - if any other children can be proven at all. From Marietta Sexton, a descendant of Silas Green through his daughter Sarah "Sally" Green who married Sanders Taylor:

I have a copy of Silas Green's will, dated 2 July 1823 in Perry Co, MS. He names his wife Charity, and
his "four children": John Green, William Green, Sally Taylor, and Lydia Haille.  John Green, David
Reese, and Seth Granberry were joint executors. He also names his nephew William Mathews, and
Samuel Burkett Lassiter (no indication of relationship).
 

The name Edward appeared several times in the Green family. Richard Woodward named two of his sons Green Woodward and Edward Woodward.

Wake Co, NC records that prove these relationships:

The Wake Co will of William Speight (I) dated 2 July 1773, recorded June Term 1774 mentions among others, wife Abigail, "my Eight Children Namely my Son William Speight and my Daughters Sarah Hunter, Lydia Lane, Charity Green, Betty Turner, Mary Miate, Winifred Speight and Patience Speight". The will also states, "Item I give to my Son in law Silius Green all the right and property I have hold or Claim to a Survey of Land Surveyed for William Brown Jr and Sold to Abner Leegatt and by him Sold to me in Consideration that the said Silius Green hath agreed to pay me five pounds proclamation Money for the purchase of it to him and his heirs and Assigns forever." Witnesses were William Utley, Isham Uttley, and Jesse Lane.

A full transcript of this will can be found at http://ftp.rootsweb.com/pub/usgenweb/nc/wake/wills/speght01.txt

From this we know that Silas Green had married Charity Speight at some time prior to 2 July 1773. No marriage record has been found.

1790 Wake Co, NC
Green, Silas..............................1-2-4-0-5   (1M16+, 2M 16-, 4F, 5 slaves)
(Pleasant Woodward, Richard Woodward, and Silas Green were enumerated one after the other.)

1800 Census - Wake Co., NC
M32, Roll 32, page 732
Silas Green - 1 free white male 16 to 25 - 1 free white male over 45 - 2 free white females 16 to 25 - 1 free white female 26 to 44 - 1 free white female over 45 - 1 other free person - 10 slaves

The 1810 and 1820 Wake Co censuses have been lost. A Silas Green appeared on the 1820 Tax List in Raleigh Dist, Wake Co., NC.
 

Wake Co marriage bond for William Green and Patience Speight dated Dec 23, 1778, Edward Green bm.

The Wake Co will of Abigail Speight was written Jan 17, 1781 and recorded Sept 15, 1783. She named daughter Lydia Lane, daughter Charity Green, son William Speight, daughter Mary Myatt, Patience Green, Susanna McGuffy, granddaughter Winifred Turner, Winifred Hunter; extrs son William Speight & James Lane. Witnesses were Joel Lane, Sarah Lane, and John Rench.

Jan 1, 1786 Deed from Silas Green and wife Charity to William Green. 300 acres North bank of Brassels Creek adjoining John Utley. Wit: James Norris, John Norris. Wake Co, NC Deed Book G, p 294
[Woodward's Mill and the Christopher Woodward homeplace were on Brassels Creek. This land had been left to son Pleasants Woodward.]

William Speight (II) wrote his will dated Jan 6, 1809, probated May 1809 Wake Co. He named wife Penelope, the children of dau Rhody Strickland, the children of dau Tabitha Edwards, grandson Burrell Edwards, sons William & James. Extrs sons & Matthew McCullers.

Wake Co marriage bond dated Sept 16, 1799 William Speight and Sally Birt, Phillip Jones bm

This was William Speight III, son of William Speight II.
 

1790 census Wake Co, NC (all on the same page)
Roll 637_7, Page 105
Wm Spights - 1 male 16 and up - 2 males 16 and younger - 2 females - 15 slaves
Wm Utley
Bartan(?) Utley
Burwell Utley
Ephraim Ewings (Could he be the father of Ephraim Owings/Ewings who married Lucinda Woodward in Calloway Co, KY?)

1800 census Wake Co, NC
p. 796
William Speight - 1 male 45 and over - 1 female under 10 - 1 female 10 to 15 - 1 female 16 to 25 - 1 female 45 and over - 11 slaves
p. 798
William Speight Jr - 2 males under 10 - 1 male 16 to 25 - 1 male 26 to 44 - 2 females 16 to 25 - 1 other free person - 3 slaves
 

http://www.tngenweb.org/madison/smith/swca-10.htm
GENEALOGICAL ABSTRACTS FROM REPORTED DEATHS THE
SOUTHWESTERN CHRISTIAN ADVOCATE 1838-1846
By Jonathan Kennon Thompson Smith
Copyright, Jonathan K. T. Smith, 2003
JULY-DECEMBER 1846
SARAH HUNTER wife of Washington Hunter, esq.; born Wake Co., N.C.; daughter of John Burt;
married William Speight and moved to Dickson Co., Tenn.; he died and she married Hunter; died
May 16, 1846.

http://www.rootsweb.com/~tndickso/deeds-sac.htm
Deed Book B 1812-1816
            Transaction                             Page       Comment

Shous Wm             to  Tidwell E             223  [AH: June 21, 1813. William
                                                    Shouse, Sr to Edmund Tidwell
                                                    $260 - 64 acres on Parker's
                                                    Fork of Turnbull, part of
                                                    tract granted Joseph
                                                    Davidson and Cole Murphries.
                                                    No Wit. Proved July Term
                                                    1813 by Shouse. Reg. Oct 13,
                                                    1813
Speight Wm           of  Allen C               226
Speight                  of  Allen G               228

Although no dates were given for the Speight deeds, they were probably shortly after the 1813 Shous deed just before. I found no other William Speight deeds before or after this. This was certainly William Speight III. We know he was in Dickson Co by 1813, but where was he in 1812? The NE corner of Dickson Co adjoins the SW corner of Robertson Co. Even if William Speight III was never a resident of Robertson Co, he easily could have found the need to file a lawsuit against a nearby resident of Robertson Co.

William Green left his will in Wake Co written April 26, 1786 recorded July 10, 1786. He named wife Patience, children Penney, Polly, Edward, Needham, and Gilly. Negroes to be divided when youngest child Gilly comes of age. Extr Silas Green. Witnesses Jessee Jones (Jurat), Wm Thrailkill.

The son Edward Green in this will certainly could not have been the same Edward Green who was the bondsman for William Green and Patience Speight in 1778. The bondsman must have been an earlier Edward Green.

Wake Co marriage bond dated Jan 10, 1805 for Needham Green and China Woodward. China was a daughter of Pleasants Woodward and Winifred Utley. Since Richard Woodward and Pleasants Woodward were brothers, China was Richard's niece.

Needham Green has not been found on the 1810 census. Some of the 1810 censuses for TN have been lost, including Robertson Co. But he was listed on the Sumner Co, TN census in 1820. According to research by the descendants of Needham Green and China Woodward, their first child William Green was b Jan 23, 1806 Wake Co, but the following children, Winifred Green b Nov 7, 1808, Pleasant Nathaniel Green b Feb 13, 1810, Zachary Green b April 12, 1812, Sanders Green b June 26, 1814, Carroll Green b Sept 23, 1816, Alfred Green b Sept, 1818, and Mary F "Polly" Green b April 8, 1820 were born in Sumner Co, TN. The next child James Green b May 23, 1822 was listed only as b TN. The child after him was Needham Green Jr b August 11, 1825 Carroll Co, TN. Carroll Co TN History states that Needham Green came to Carroll Co, TN before 1824 when Needham established the Clear Creek Baptist Church in his home in 19th district.

The birthdates come from a Green family Bible, but the birthplaces - especially the specific counties in TN - may have been assumptions. William Green's 1860 Carroll Co, TN census gave his age as 51 b NC. His age is a little off from the Bible record, but his birthplace agrees. Since censuses usually give only the state of a person's birth, most likely the descendants who researched the children of Needham Green and China Woodward assumed Needham had always lived in Sumner Co since he was found on the 1820 census there. But that may not have been the case. The 1810 census for Robertson Co, TN seems to have been lost as were a number of the other 1810 censuses for TN. Needham Green was probably living in one of those counties since no census can be found for him that year, and we know he was in TN by 1808. If Needham Green was assigned to a road crew in Robertson Co, TN some time between 1809 and 1811, surely he was a resident of that county at the time. Robertson Co and Sumner Co adjoin with Sumner lying just east of Robertson.

According to the birthplaces of their children, Needham Green and China Woodward moved to TN
between 1806 and 1808 - the same period that Richard Woodward and James Woodward moved to
Robertson Co, TN. It also appears that Needham Green was a resident of Robertson Co before he was a resident of Sumner Co. Given the Green, Speight, and Woodward connections, it appears likely that all these families moved to Robertson Co from Wake Co, NC at about the same time.
 
 

A HUGE thanks to   and  and Marietta Sexton who contributed many of the records included here.

Additions and corrections are welcome! Contact  .