Mary Jane LeGrand

Mary Jane LeGrand

Mary Jane LeGrand Wood, 1830-1900

• Father: William Chambers LeGrand b. 16 May 1803, d. 4 May 1841
• Mother: Jane Green Paul b. 6 Jan 1811, d. 8 May 1843

• Mary Jane LeGrand was born on 23 January 1830 in North Carolina.
• She was the daughter of William Chambers LeGrand and Jane Green Paul.
• She enumerated in the census of 1 June 1830 in the household of William Chambers LeGrand and Jane Green Paul in West Side PeeDee River, Montgomery County, North Carolina; and it is an educated guess that the male age 10-14 is William's younger brother Thomas.
• She and Milton Paul LeGrand, Margaret Deborah LeGrand and Cornelia Anne Elizabeth LeGrand were enumerated in the census of 1 June 1840 in the household of William Chambers LeGrand and Jane Green Paul in Macon County, Alabama.
• She was New Tag Captain Charles G. Rush, after death of her parents. in 1841 at Macon County, Alabama.
• She married Green Mark Wood, son of Green Wood and Mary Wilkie Hall, on 9 April 1846 in Tuskegee, Macon County, Alabama, with Theodore W. Brevard officiating.. The marriage was witnessed by Theodore Washington Brevard.
• On the way to Texas by water, Mary Jane and children joined the Wood family in Selma. It is an educated guess that for some time prior to the relocation she and the children were staying with Letitia Ann McNair (granddaughter of Green's half-brother Ashley) who raised Mary Jane's sister Margaret LeGrand.
• On Sunday, 26 May 1850, Green Wood recorded: "A very fine day, had Green & wife & Rush to dinner."
• On Sunday, 26 May 1850, Green Wood recorded: "had Green & wife & Rush to dinner."
• Mary Jane LeGrand and Green Mark Wood appeared in the census of 1 June 1850 in Walker County, Texas, near Danville.. Other members of the household included Rush Brevard Wood and Solomon William Wood.
• On Sunday, 30 June 1850, Green Wood recorded: "Green M. Wood & wife & children & Willis B. Wood wife children & Duncan G. Campbell all Dined with us to day at the new place."
• On Sunday, 4 August 1850, Green Wood recorded: "As usual Green & his wife & children spent the day with us."
• On Sunday, 8 September 1850, Green Wood recorded: "A very pleasant day. Green & Willis & their Familys Spent the day here."
• On Sunday, 22 September 1850, Green Wood recorded: "A beautiful day, ain fine health. Mr & Mrs Carothers, Green & Wife & Willis & wife & all their Children & Mr Powell spent the day with us."
• On Sunday, 3 November 1850, Green Wood recorded: "G. M. & W. B. Wood & their fameley's with us & some Gentlemen from Grimes County."
• On Saturday, 3 May 1851, Green Wood recorded: "Mrs. Abercrombie spent the week with us. " And on the following day, "Had Mrs. & Mr. Abercrombie, Mrs & Mr [Thomas] Carothers, G. M. Wood and family and Willis B. Wood to dinner with us. Mr. A. and family returned home this evening." Noted above entry: "Paid Abercrombie 1 Barrel flour and 1 of pork, due him 1 Barrel pork yet."
• Evelina Wood wrote on 14 May 1855, to her daughter Lizzie Powell, undergoing treatment for cancer in Murfreesboro, Tennessee: ". . . Mary Jane has another son born the 8th of May she call him Milton Le Grand, he favors all the rest, will be very dark-skinned -- Rush & Solomon go to school, they are fond of it. Mary Jane is doing finely, Leah waited on her all last week. . . ." (Original letter in B. M. Henwood collection, original transcription copyright R. E. Reichardt.).
• On Wednesday, 11 September 1859, Green Wood recorded: "Green & Willis and their wives went to the Thicket this morning."
• Mary Jane LeGrand and Green Mark Wood appeared in the census of 1 June 1860 in Danville PO, Walker County, Texas. Other members of the household included Rush Brevard Wood, Solomon William Wood, Robert Cummings Wood, Martha Frances P. Wood, Milton LeGrand Wood and George Scovell Wood.
• On 7 October 1864, Mary Jane LeGrand wrote to Rush Brevard Wood: "My Darling Son: I have been feeling quite uneasy about you. We heard you were sick from eating fruit. Do my dear child take care of yourself and you must feel no hesitancy in going to Mr. Spyker’s if you should get sick or wounded. Your Pa has written to Mr. Spyker concerning you. They are most excellent people. You will feel perfectly at home there, and no doubt he would take pleasure in having the son of his old friend with him. Should you get back to Louisiana, Mr. Cummings Post Office is Collinsburg. . . . Miss Sarah has made Jack and yourself each a hat. . . . Give my love to Jack. Tell him if he should get sick he must call on Mr. Spyker. I forgot to mention it when I was speaking of it. . . ."
• On 3 December 1864, Green Mark Wood wrote to Rush Brevard Wood: "My Dear Son: I returned home day before yesterday after an absence of three weeks in the Reserve Corps. All were well when I arrived. Campbell was taken sick yesterday and your mother has chills every two or three weeks. The school is out and Solomon will be home today. /P/ We caught a good many deserters and conscripts in the Big Thicket. We get very little news now. We have not heard a word from you since Jack Williamson’s letter just after the arrival of Capt. Raney [Lorenzo] Fisher. Old Lincoln is elected and the war will probably go on for years to come. So you may make up your mind to remain in the service for years to come. I regret it on account of my children. I shall not be able to give them an education. And I fear should it end you will not feel like going to school. /P/ I am looking for Mr. Cummings out here. He and his mother-in-law and brother-in-law are going to move out with all their negroes some 700 to get out of the way of the Yankees. . . ."
• Mary Jane LeGrand and Green Mark Wood appeared in the census of 1 June 1870 in Huntsville, Walker County, Texas. Other members of the household included Rush Brevard Wood, Solomon William Wood, Robert Cummings Wood, Martha Frances P. Wood, Milton LeGrand Wood, George Scovell Wood, Campbell Clark Wood and Green Alexander Wood.
• She was enumerated in the census of 1 June 1880 in the household of Green Mark Wood in Walker County, Texas.
• Evelina Wood wrote (from Willis) to her grandson Wood Powell on 12 April 1887, " . . . Your aunt Mary Jane is going to Montgomery soon & from there to North Carolina to see Mrs. Brevard, the lady by whom she was raised. Dr. Legrand wrote Mary Jane he would foot all of her expenses. a dear good brother. Milton Wood is building a brick house with seven rooms. He is making money & saves it. he has only one child. George Wood & wife will begin keeping house now very soon. Green Aleck will remain with his father & mother. . . ." " . . . Your aunt Mary Jane is going to Montgomery soon & from there to North Carolina to see Mrs. Brevard, the lady by whom she was raised. Dr. Legrand wrote Mary Jane he would foot all of her expenses. a dear good brother. Milton Wood is building a " . . . Your aunt Mary Jane is going to Montgomery soon & from there to North Carolina to see Mrs. Brevard, the lady by whom she was raised. Dr. Legrand wrote Mary Jane he would foot all of her expenses. a dear good brother. Milton Wood is building a brick house with seven rooms. He is making money & saves it. he has only one child. George Wood & wife will begin keeping house now very soon. Green Aleck will remain with his father & mother. . . ." " . . . Your aunt Mary Jane is going to Montgomery.[Letter in possession of B. M. Henwood, descendant of Wm Wood Powell, transcription copyright 2007 R. E. Reichardt.]
• The following appeared on 16 April 1896 in The Dallas Morning News: Navasota, Grimes Co., Tex., April 14.-- On April 9 Mr. and Mrs. Green M. Wood celebrated their golden wedding at the residence of their daughter, Mrs. L. J. Goree, Revs. Duncan and J. M. Wesson officiating. At the ceremony were five children, thirty-eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren, besides a hundred or more friends. Everybody seemed to enjoy themselves as much as if the venerable couple had just fallen in love with one another instead of having lived together for a half century, and congratulations by word of mouth and telegraph "were as plentiful as leaves in Vallambrosa in autumn." After everybody had wished everybody else everything good an elegant repast was discussed and the party dispersed. /P/ Green M. Wood, the groom, was born in Georgia in 1814, and lived near the city of Montgomery and married Miss M. J. LeGrand of Tuskegee. In 1849 they settled in Walker county, where they resided till their taking up their residence in this city. They reared a family of seven sons and a daughter, the latter Mrs. L. J. Goree, whom they make their home with. Mr. Wood was a private in the confederate army. /P/ Mrs. G. M. Wood was a daughter of W. C. LeGrand and was born near Wadesborough, N. C., and removed to Tuskegee at a very early age.
• With all their children in town for Green Mark and Mary Jane's 50th wedding anniversary celebration in April 1896, it is likely that this was the occasion for the photograph of their five surviving sons, treasured more than a hundred years later by all of their descendants.
• Mary Jane LeGrand became a widow at the 5 March 1898 death of her husband Green Mark Wood.
• Mary Jane LeGrand died on 19 March 1900 at age 70 in Navasota, Grimes County, Texas.
• She was buried at Oakland Cemetery in Navasota, Grimes County, Texas.

• Last Edited: 14 Aug 2010