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Abner & Eliza Woodward Frazier Family

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Eliza Woodward was the eighth child and fourth daughter of Abraham and Hannah Thornbrough Woodward of Chester County, Pennsylvania, Randolph County, North Carolina and Jefferson County, Tennessee.

Abner Frazier was the sixth child and fourth son of James and Martha Millikan Frazier. Abner was first cousin of William Frazier, husband of Eliza's sister Susanna Woodward via their Millikan relationship. There was a double relationship between Abner & William Frazier. William Frazier's father, John Frazier, was a son of Alexander and Sarah Coppock Frazier. Abner Frazier's grandfather, Alexander Frazier was also a son of Alexander & Sarah Coppock Frazier, so Abner & William Frazier also had a common Frazier ancestry. (For more on the Coppock family see Aquila's Web Site.)

Eliza Woodward
born 5-7-1777 Guilford County, NC
died After 1850

Abner Frazier
born 7-14-1777
died Before 1812?

Married: Abner Frazier married Eliza Woodward on 2/6/1797 in a civil ceremony in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Eliza condemned her marriage out of unity (out of the Quaker faith) at Lost Creek Monthly Meeting on 1/20/1798.

Children:
Martha Frazier born 9/28/1797 Jefferson County, Tennessee; married (1) William Mills and (2) Col. John M. Baker who served in the War of 1812
Abraham Frazier* born about 1799 Jefferson County, Tennessee
Hannah Frazier*; married William Hammonds
Alice or Ailsa Frazier; married Jacob Golden
Abner Frazier* born about 1808 Jefferson County, Tennessee
*speculative!

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Speculation on the marriage

It is a little strange that Abner and Eliza Woodward Frazier's marriage was out-of-unity (out of the Quaker faith). Abner Frazier's parents are buried at Centre Friends Cemetery in Guilford County, North Carolina. James Frazier died in 1817 and Martha Millikan Frazier died in 1825. There is a notation in the records of Centre Friends Cemetery listing their children and their birth dates, including Abner, so we know he was a birthright Quaker. James & Martha Millikan Frazier were members in good standing of Centre Monthly Meeting and their children's births are listed there. James and Martha had been dismissed on 4/26/1766 at New Garden Monthly Meeting in Guilford County for their marriage out of unity, but had apparently made their peace with the Quakers.

Both Eliza Woodward and Abner Frazier were from good Quaker families and we wonder why the records do not read "married contrary to discipline" and not "married out of unity." Abner's great grandfather, Aaron Coppock, was a Quaker Minister so it was a Quaker family of longstanding. Since the minutes of Centre Monthly Meeting have been lost, it is difficult to tell what the history of Abner Frazier himself was. On 10/20/1798 Abner Frazier presented a certificate at Lost Creek Monthly Meeting from Center Monthly Meeting so we know he was a Quaker in good standing at that time. On 8/20/1803 he was dismissed for attending a marriage out of unity. Eliza & Abner together apparently had never made atonement for their marriage as their children are not listed at Lost Creek. It is because of this lack of Quaker records that we cannot identify their children.

Speculation on the Children of Abner and Eliza

Speculating on the children is very dangerous as the Frazier name is so common. In the 1790 census there are 19 different spellings of the surname and 200 families listed. There was even a Frazier family from Hopewell Monthly Meeting in Virginia living in the Lost Creek area with a son named Abner of about the same age as ours (he could even have been the one presenting the certificate at Lost Creek!). A Frazier genealogy covers that family, and we know they are not related to our Fraziers unless it was many generations back. We have included the three "speculative" children for Eliza and Abner as Hannah, Abraham, and Abner for the following reasons.

Hannah Frazier Hammonds

There were two Hannah Frazier marriages in the same time period in Jefferson County: one married William Hammonds on 5/3/1817, and the other married William Williams on 11/28/1816. Because of the name Hannah (after Hannah Thornbrough Woodward,) we feel one is the daughter of William & Susannah Woodward Frazier and the other the daughter of Abner & Eliza Woodward Frazier. John Baker, Eliza Woodward Frazier's son-in-law stood bond for the Hammonds marriage so we feel that Hannah Frazier Hammonds was Eliza Woodward Frazier's daughter. William Hammonds was also executor of Abraham Woodward, Jr.'s will. Abraham Woodward was brother of Eliza and took care of some Frazier children.

Abraham and Abner Frazier

The two children Abraham & Abner Frazier are included because of their given names. Both are found very near each other in Vermilion County, Illinois in the 1850 census. They are not listed in Quaker meetings there, but might have migrated with Quakers from Lost Creek, Tennessee. Abraham Frazier is 51 years old, born Tennessee, merchant, and seems to have no children living with him. Abner Frazier is 42 years old, farmer, born Tennessee, and has children Perry, Francis, (male), William, Eliza, Emily & John. The recent identification of a possible sister Alice below lends strength to the argument that Abraham and Abner were probably children of Eliza Woodward Frazier.

Alice or Ailsa Frazier Golden

A kind person recently sent us information on the Golden family which included Ailsa Golden and the evidence that she was daughter of Abner and Eliza Frazier is fairly compelling. First, Eliza's sister Alice was often called Ailsy or Ailsa in various public records and we believe it is logical that Eliza would have named a daughter Alice after her sister. Ailsa Golden is also found in Vermilion County, Illinois in 1850: Ailsa Golden, 44, farmer, born Tennessee; Sarah, 20, Il; Abraham, 18, Il; Melinder, 17, Il; Eliza, 16, Il; Elam, 14, Il, Mary, 13, Il; Martha, 11, Il (twin), Hannah, 11, Il (twin); Juletta, 9, Il; Richard, 6, Il. The use of the names Abraham and Hannah and Richard from the Woodward family and the naming of a child Eliza strongly indicate the connection to Eliza Woodward Frazier. We were able to follow all of the children except Eliza in further records and will add the information here as time permits.

Speculation on the death of Abner Frazier

It is likely that Eliza Woodward Frazier was already a widow by 1812, as brother William Woodward's will states "Also I give that tract of land where Eliza Frazier now lives to my sons Samuel and Abraham who are to allow her to live on said land for the term of four years from the first day of the first month next and have the house and cleared land free rent." Why four years? Was Abner away and expected to return or was he deceased? No record of a will or estate for Abner has been found in Jefferson County, Tennessee. Sometimes in those days of mass migration young men simply disappeared into the "west." Or he too might have served in the War of 1812. He was most definitely deceased by 1830 where we find Eliza as a widow in the 1830 census: 1830 Jefferson County #1052 Eliza Frazier, 2 males 20-30 (Abner and Abraham?), 1 female 50-60. In 1840 she has a young woman with small children with her: 1840 Jefferson County, Tn, Eliza Frazier 1 male 5-10; 1 female 10-15; 1 female 20-30; 1 female 60-70.

In 1814, Abraham Woodward also made special provisions in his will directing that "...my Executors take into possession and hold in trust for my Dauter Eliza Frazer the following property to wit, my sorrel mare, three cows, one heifer, two yearlings, one feather bed & furniture, bedstids, one chest, one pot and oven, one plough, and one pair of geers (horse harness), two hoes & one loom, to remain in their possession but to her use and for her benefit in raising her children...my Executors takes one ninth part (of my remaining estate) into their hands in trust for my Daughter Eliza and appropriate to her use in manner as last above direct..." Abraham directed the remaining eight parts of his estate to be divided among his other eight (living) children but his singling out of Eliza is notable

Eliza as a Widow with John and Martha Baker

Eliza Woodward Frazier did not marry again as she is found in the 1850 Jefferson County, Tennessee, census living with her daughter and son-in-law John & Martha Baker. This is the evidence that Martha was her daughter. The household includes sons John Baker, age 20, and D. W. Baker (female), age 16. There is a Charles Baker, 22, living next door who is probably another son.

There is a William Frazier, age 12, with the family who is probably a grandson of Eliza's. Eliza's brother Abraham Woodward, Jr., is living nearby with a Fidelion Frazier, age 17, in the household, perhaps another grandson of Eliza's. In the census, Eliza Frazier, age 74, is listed as unable to read and write and there is a check mark in a column indicating a medical problem of some kind. No will is found for her in the Jefferson County records.

Updates
11/7/2005 - added information on another possible child, Alice or Ailsa Frazier Golden.