06 September 2012

Alonzo Wood and Lydia Hodgess

The old Newcomb genealogy said that Alonzo Wood (1808-1876, son of Allen Wood and Lucinda Newcomb) married Lydia Hodgess. However, another researcher tells me this is incorrect and that he married Aurilla Sprague.

The 1850 census for Troy OH shows Alonzo Wood, farmer, age 44, born in Massachusetts, with Lydia age 35, born in Massachusetts, and L, age 14, born in New York. The 1860 census for Troy has Alonzo Wood, age 52, born in Vermont, with Lydia, age 44, born in Massachusetts, and Lucinda O., age 24, born in New York. I found the same Alonzo, Lydia and Lucinda, still living in Troy, in the 1870 census. In the 1880 census, Lydia is a widow, still living with her daughter Lucinda, who is now Lucinda Sperry, also a widow. All of this is consistent with the information in the Newcomb books. Also interesting is that the daughter is named Lucinda, probably after Lucinda Newcomb, Alonzo's mother.

A database of New York marriage notices on Ancestry.com shows that an Alonzo Wood married Aurilla Sprague some time between 1800 and 1855. The 1850 census for Elbridge New York shows Alonzo Wood, merchant, age 42, Aurelia age 38, William age 16, Charlotte age 13, Byron age 11, Luticia age 8, all born in New York. The 1860 census for Elbridge has Alonzo, merchant age 52, living with C.C. Stevens (female), age 23, Byron age 21,Tish age 19, and William Stevens, merchant age 36, all born in New York. The 1870 census for Elbridge shows Alonzo, age 65, living in a hotel.

A contributor to Find A Grave states (no sources given) that the Alonzo Wood who married Aurilla Sprague later married Emeline Green in Rockford IL, and that he was born 6 Apr 1808 in New York and died 28 June 1887 in Illinois. The contributor states that this Alonzo's parents were Enoch Wood and Elizabeth Taylor. Given the dates and the parents, he would not be our Alonzo, whose parents were Allen Wood and Lucinda Newcomb. Additionally, some family trees on Ancestry.com indicate that the Alonzo Wood who married Aurilla Sprague was the son of Enoch and Elizabeth.

Given all this, I am of the opinion that the Newcomb books are right, and Alonzo Wood married Lydia Hodgess.

1 comment:

  1. Update: Further research into the details has confirmed that our Alonzo Wood was indeed the person who married Lydia Hodges, and that the Alonzo Wood who married Aurilla Sprague was a different guy.

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