Thomas J. Woolford (b.
circa 1841 - d. 1898)
MSA SC 3520-4963
USCT Soldier, Dorchester County, Maryland
Biography:
Thomas J. Woolford was born a slave around 1841 in Cambridge, Dorchester County, Maryland.1 As a slave, he was owned by the Woolford family, specifically Emily Woolford at the time of his enlistment into the Civil War.2 Thomas Woolford decided to enlist as a private in Company D of the 7th U.S. Colored Troops regiment on September 26, 1863 in Dorchester County, Maryland.3 Three days later he was in mustered in at Baltimore, Maryland.4 Robert Bennett, a fellow soldier in the same company and regiment, provided testimony in defense of Thomas Woolford who was applying for a pension after the war. Bennett stated he was “well acquainted with the soldier Thomas Woolford in his boyhood and knows he never served in the Army or Navy of the United States prior to his enlistment in Company D of the 7th USCT on September 20, 1863.”5 These type of neighborhood connections were not uncommon as many former slaves fought next to one another during the war.
Former slaves were joining the war for the opportunity to “liberate their race from the bondage of slavery.”6 The 7th regiment became very dedicated to the cause and willing to fight for their liberties. The regiment performed laborious activities, such as construction, grading roads, cutting down trees, and digging ditches.7 These chores may have been arduous, but they performed them to the best of their ability as they desired to become soldiers instead of slaves. As they became well-disciplined soldiers, they were being pushed into military duty. The 7th regiment participated in numerous campaigns that spread from Virginia down to Florida.8 One particular battle had a devastating effect on Thomas J. Woolford’s military career when he was at Chapin’s Farm on September 29, 1864.9 He suffered a gunshot wound to his left arm and had to have it amputated within an inch and a half of the shoulder joint.10 He was medically discharged from the army on April 27, 1865 at U.S. General Hospital at Central Park, New York.11
After his discharge, Thomas Woolford went back to Dorchester County where he would remain until his death. He married Martha C. Anthony on September 15, 1868, just three years after the war.12 Eliza A. Henry provided an affidavit stating they were married by the Reverend Ezekiel Stanley “at a place they call the school house.”13 They had five children who were born between 1883 and 1893.14 This made them eligible for a pension increase since they were under the age of sixteen.
The war had caused significant physical damage to Thomas Woolford, but he made the most of his opportunities. On the 1870 census, Thomas Woolford was considered a “disable soldier” as his occupation.15 Despite being a disabled soldier, he was able to accumulate a real estate value of $200 and a personal estate value of $100.16 To put his value in perspective, it was only five years after his discharge that he was able to accumulate that amount. In 1870, his wife was listed as Catharine, which is presumably Martha since Catharine was her middle name.17 Her occupation was listed as “keeping house.”18 Both, Thomas and Catharine could read, but they could not write.19 The census also shows two children, William D. and Mary A., living in the household.20 These two were over the age of sixteen by 1890 - making Thomas and Catharine ineligible to receive a pension increase of an additional $2.00 per month for each child.
On May 25, 1887, Thomas J. purchased "eleven acres and three quarters of an acre" of land for $300.21 The parcel of land was known as "Belfield" and was lying near "Bayley Road leading from Cambridge to Church Creek."22 Part of this tract of land situated in the Cambridge Election District was sold to James Bantom for $18 in June of 1887.23 Thomas J. and his wife Martha Catharine sold roughly seven acres to Bantom.24 Both Thomas and Catharine could not write, they both left their "marks" for signatures.25
By the late 1890s, his wealth had seemingly increased. Numerous affidavits suggest that Thomas Woolford owned around 30 acres in a place near “The Rock” and also “a lot of woods land 76 acres – worth not over $100 an acre for there is no wood in it and it is low and swampy.”26 The county commissioners completed a valuation of his property around 1898. The following valuations were listed: 35 acres of land valued at $409, dwelling and out building valued at $250, 78 acres valued at $312, 14 ¾ acres valued at $148, another dwelling and out building valued at $150, 2 horses – 1 cow – 2 pigs valued at $169, and vehicles – household furniture valued at $80.27 The cumulative valuation for his property was listed at $1,518.28 Woolford made the most out of his land by cultivating both corn and wheat, which helped him to earn a profit.29
After a tumultuous life, he chose to remain in Dorchester County after the war, instead of moving to Baltimore like many other former slaves. Thomas J. Woolford was able to escape the perils of slavery, fight for emancipation, and ultimately secured his freedom after the war. According to affidavits by Thomas King Carroll and Martha C. Woolford, Woolford died on February 27, 1898 at his home in Cambridge, Maryland.30 Woolford was buried in Dorchester County after a life of persevering through various obstacles that stood in his way.31 Martha C. Woolford testified in a pension affidavit that her husband was earning $45 per month as a result of his wartime injuries.32 After his death, she received a pension for the remainder of her life - she was last paid on March 4, 1910 at a rate of $12.00 per month.33 Due to her death, Martha C. Woolford was officially dropped as a pensioner on April 7, 1910.34
6. Agnes Kane Callum. Colored Volunteers of Maryland: Civil War 7th Regiment United States Colored Troops, 1863-1866 (Baltimore, MD: Mullac Publishers, 1990), 7.
7. Ibid.
8. Ibid.
9. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (U.S. Colored Troops Pension File Collection) Thomas J. Woolford. Page 40.
11. Ibid., 40.
12. Ibid., 53.
13. Ibid., 10.22. Ibid.
24. Ibid.
25. Ibid.
26. SPECIAL COLLECTIONS (U.S. Colored Troops Pension File Collection) Thomas J. Woolford. Pages 19, 29.
27. Ibid., 50.
28. Ibid.
29. Ibid., 49.
31. Ibid.
33. Ibid., 32.|
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