Woodward and Spain Families
donated by Donna Boots  at  [email protected]

The following family stories were written about the Green F. and Adaline (Collier) Woodward family of Guadalupe Co., Tx. Green’s family is enumerated in the 1860 Guadalupe Co., Tx census at Lavernia Post Office. Green and Adaline’s daughter Margaret married Frank Spain in Texas. She and Frank had one son named Frank in 1867. Though one story states that the murder took place in Goliad, Tx, because of the census location, I believe it actually took place in Guadalupe Co, Tx about 1868. Margaret later married Robert M. Myers and lived in Goliad Co., Tx. The storytellers, Bessie Myers Craighead Vanderzyde and Jessie Schulze Brummer Rodrigues were Margaret’s grandchildren and great granddaughters of Green F. and Adaline Woodward.

Donna Boots

Alamogordo, NM

Storytellers:

Bessie Myers Craighead Vanderzyde

Jessie Schulze Brummer Rodrigues

Bessie’s Story:

From a series of letters from Mrs. Bessie Vanderzyde (1969 – San Antonio, Tx) to her cousin Jessie Schulze Brummer

The Woodwards are Grandmother Myers family. She was Margaret Woodward. During the war she married Frank Spain (at 13 years of age) and left with him and went with his family in Oklahoma. He was supposed to be a Yankee. That is the reason for them having to leave home. She had one son also Frank Spain.

Grandmother and Frank came back to Goliad, Tx thinking things would be alright and wanted to see her family and show them her son but they still had not forgiven her for marrying Frank. she and Frank went to see them. Her father and brothers were out cutting wood. Her mother asked her not to go see them but she believed her father and brothers would forgive her so they went out where they were. They shot Frank and before he died shot her father and a great tragedy. She lost her husband and father whom she loved very much. Her brothers buried him there and told the story that Frank had shot their father and rode away. They also buried his horse and saddle. So when grandmother died her brother Abe Woodward came to our house and begged grandmother to forgive him. Cried and pleaded but she was dead. he wanted forgiveness for what they had done to her and made her keep silent all her life.

Jessie’s Story:

So the story starts with Maggie Woodard and her family.

They had decided to move to Texas, we know that Maggie and her mother and father and one brother lived together in the Texas area. Maggie married a man by the name of Frank Spain and because Frank Spain was from the Oklahoma area, Maggie’s parents weren’t too happy about this marriage. So Frank with his new wife Maggie moved into the Oklahoma area to live. In the meantime Maggie became pregnant and her and Frank had a boy by the name of Frank Spain Jr. Later Maggie thinking that enough time had passed, wanted to go back to Texas to see her family.

When they arrived at their old home, Maggie’s mother, who would be my great Grandmother had told her that she didn’t believe that enough time had passed and that she didn’t think that Maggie should take Frank out with her to see her father and brother were. But Maggie thought different and her and Frank went out to the field anyway.

A fight did break out between Maggie’s dad, my great grandfather, and her husband Frank. My great grandfather shot Frank, but before he died, Frank Spain also shot my great Grandfather. They both died in the field and Maggie’s brother buried Frank Spain right there. They must have had a funeral for my great Grandfather and Maggie’s brother made her not tell anyone about Frank. The story that they told was that Frank Spain had shot Mr. Woodard and ran away and no one could find him, so Maggie raised her son Frank Spain Jr. without a father or a grandfather.

Jessie Schulze Brummer

7 March 1982