Searching For Woods Family Members

If you can help with this family history search please reply directly by using the Comment box at the bottom of the post or email us at info@discoversaintfield.com and we will forward your information.

Dear Saintfield Heritage Society,

My wife’s grandfather, Daniel Herbert McCallum was from Bangor, Down and immigrated in the US in 1905.  His mother was Mary Stevely Woods, of Newtownards.  We have been researching the Woods ancestry, and were even able to visit Northern Ireland and the Public Records Office to do research.   We have much evidence to suggest they were from Saintfield and the parishes adjacent to the east.  I have been documenting our family research in Northern Ireland on my website at www.mccallum-omagh.blogspot.com

I am contacting you in the hopes that you may be able to connect me with someone locally who may point me to resources in Saintfield that might help our research.  I have used many online sources (PRONI, Ros Davies’ County Down site, others) and have pieced some together but I have still not been able to find the birthplace/hometown area for our Dr. William Woods.  Below I include what we do know of the Woods family.

I find numerous Woods families in the area, especially east of Saintfield in parishes Killinchy, Kilmore and Saintfield.

Any assistance or advice you can provide would be greatly appreciated.  We hope to return and make further connections with our cousins in County Down.

Kind regards,

Andrew Barett-Bettcher
Minnesota,  USA

WOODS FAMILY OF CO. DOWN

Dr. William Woods, MRCSE
Born. about 1810/11 in Co. Down, to John Woods, farmer.
Married 9 Jan. 1852 at Templecorran Presbyterian to Eliza McAlpin of
Ballycarry, Co. Antrim
Died 20 Mar. 1869, Newtownards, Co. Down.

Career and residence
• Licentiate of Medicine, Glasgow University 1838
• Member of Royal College of Surgeons England 1839
• Resided in Bangor 1843-1857
• Resided in Newtownards 1858-1869
• 1857-69 Med. Officer,Newtownards Union Workhouse Infirmary and Fever Hospital

Children – all baptised at 1st Presby, Bangor
born                    baptised     notes
William 31Jan1853 14Mar1853 died bef. 1903?
Madaline (McClure) 9Jul1854 25Aug1854 md. Washington Nicholl, lived at  Edenville, Bangor

Edwin (MacAlpine) 1Jan1856 2Feb1856 Merchant in London.  Md to Fanny?
Elm Lodge, Half Moon Lane, London, SE (Herne Hill SE24)
James Alfred 10Jul1857 28Aug1857 died 26Aug1859

Mary (Stevelly) 30Jun1860 29Aug1860

Clara md Mr. Walter of London

Helen md.  Died before 1903

2 others? died before 1903?

Known Woods family connections to Saintfield area:

1. Brother – John Woods of Drumnaconnell, Saintfield – will and probate from PRONI.  John Woods was a whitesmith and/or blacksmith in  Saintfield 1863-1865.  His will made his brother Dr. William Woods of  Newtownards executor.  Having searched the City Directories, John  Woods may have worked in Belfast 1835-1852.  He died 11 Dec. 1865 at  Drumnaconnell, a widower, born about 1802.  We have been unable to  locate information on his wife, or if he had children.

2. Rev. Hugh Woods of Bangor, minister of 1st Presbyterian from 1808-1857.  It is possible that Hugh was an uncle/cousin to William.  All of  William Wood’s children were baptized at Rev. Woods church in Bangor (1853-1860) and one of them was even named after Hugh’s wife Magdaline McClure.  Hugh Woods is known to have been the 3rd son of James Woods of Kilmore-Crossgar.  Hugh was born 1780, married 8 Dec. 1814 at Edenvale? to Magdaline McClure. Hugh died at Bangor in 1868.

3. Cousins in Ravara Townland (near Ballygowan in Killinchy Parish). It is known that the Mary Woods McCallum who came to America had a cousin, Magdaline McClurg who also lived in Michigan.  I have traced the McClurg’s to Ravara and have shown they are indeed Woods relatives via Thomas McClurg’s wife Ann Woods, born about 1835 was  daughter of John Woods of Ravara, farmer.

4. McCallum children (grandchildren of William Woods) attending school in Saintfield.   Helen McCallum and Daniel McCallum were attending school in Saintfield in 1905, just prior to emigrating.

5.Family oral history says our Woods family had connections/relations at Saintfield.