Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
Mertz Genealogy - Person Sheet
NameMary Woodward 
Birthabout 1708, Bertie Co, NC
Deathbefore 1774, Duplin Co, NC
Spouses
Marriageabout 1728, Bertie Co, NC
ChildrenJoshua (~1728->1790)
Notes for Mary Woodward
Supposedly daughter of John.
Notes for Joshua (Spouse 1)
VII. Joshua Lee, son of Dr. John, was born in 1706 in Bath, Bertie County, NC and died in 1782 in Duplin County, NC. He married Mary Woodward in about 1728 most likely in Bath. She was born about 1708 in Bath and died before 1774 in Duplin County. Her father was John Woodward.
According to the Bland/Lee book, Joshua Lee was listed on the New Hanover County tax records in 1755. Property owned by him was situated on both sides of the line of ”Old• New Hanover and Duplin counties, within one mile on the south side of Wells Chapel Church. The body of water or branch that ran through his property was named for him and called Joshua Lee“s Branch. Later it was called Highsmith or Mill Branch. Joshua Lee Branch empties into Doctor“s Creek.
Within the confines of Joshua Lees Branch, the following families resided: Lees, Highsmiths, Newtons, Blands, Newkirks, Aldermans and some other families. Joshua Lee“s immediate family and descendents, even to the present day, still live within a three mile radius of his homeplace. Some of these descendents were Josiah Lee, who lived one mile north, grandson Jesse Lee, who lived three miles NW at Harrell“s, and his grandson, Joshua Lee III, who lived 2 and 1/2 miles to the north. His great granddaughter, Dorcas Lee, who married Amos Lee, lived 1 and 1/2 miles east on Doctor“s Creek behind the Antioch Church.
The oldest child of Joshua and Mary Woodward Lee was named Joshua. He was Joshua II as identified and linked to Jesse above.
Robert E Lee
There is what seems to be a very authoritative genealogical study of Robert E Lee“s ancestors in our local library (and probably many others). The book clearly establishes that Robert E Lee was the son of Henry ”Lighthorse Harry• of Revolutionary War fame. And Colonel Richard Lee who came to Virginia about 1636 is the great-great grandfather of Lighthorse Harry.
But the Robert E Lee book says that ”no known relatives• came to America with Colonel Richard Lee. It does not suggest any relationship between Colonel Richard and other Lees, specifically, Henry (Harry) cited above.
The book, however, does discuss about ten different Lee families of England, circa 1600, and argues that while not proven, all logic points to the fact that Colonel Richard was of the ”Shropshire• Lees of Nordley-Regis and Coton. But it is unable to name exactly who Colonel Richard“s father was — it says it was not Thomas.
Which brings me to the Bland/Lee book, based (as it relates to the early Lees) on the Lees and Kings of Virginia book. The Thomas that these books place as the father of Henry (Harry) and Colonel Richard, I believe, is the son of the Thomas that the other book was referring to when it said he was not Colonel Richard“s father. So it is not a direct contradiction of this point, just unfortunately silent on the subject of whether the younger Thomas was possibly a candidate.
And the Bland/Lee and Lees/Kings books really make a very strong case that Henry (Harry) and Colonel Richard were indeed brothers, or at the very least close relatives. They cite numerous documents in which the names are linked together.
My belief is that the evidence is compelling that the forbears of Colonel Richard and of Henry (Harry) were the Shropshire Lees and even if these two men were not brothers, they were nonetheless closely related and so their descendants are still, in fact, related to each other.
But there is another part of this whole story on which I need to state some possible reservations. I am sure that Jesse is the son of Josiah and Josiah seems clearly to have been the son of Joshua. The problem is there were numerous Joshua Lees floating around the Carolina“s in the 1700“s. I fear it may have been too tempting for the people who wrote these other books to make the link to the Joshua who descends from Henry (Harry) because by doing so, you get to claim Robert E Lee as your cousin (distant though it may be).
The books may very well have it right, I have no evidence that contradicts their research, but even the authors say, in at least one case, that their suppositions may be a bit weak: ”Note, this generation of Joshua Lee II and his children are pieced together from scattered records, since there were very few records and wills available in the late 1700s. The lack of records was due to the Revolutionary War and the following 15 years while establishing a new form of government.•
So, if it were me, I would not go around saying I am a relative of Robert E Lee, but I might say something like this:
”My great-great grandmother was Margaret E Lee and we“re not 100% sure but the evidence seems pretty strong that she was a distant cousin to General Robert E Lee and that would make me the General“s 5th cousin 7 times removed.•
According to the Bland/Lee book, Joshua Lee was listed on the New Hanover County tax records in 1755. Property owned by him was situated on both sides of the line of ”Old• New Hanover and Duplin counties, within one mile on the south side of Wells Chapel Church. The body of water or branch that ran through his property was named for him and called Joshua Lee“s Branch. Later it was called Highsmith or Mill Branch. Joshua Lee Branch empties into Doctor“s Creek.
Within the confines of Joshua Lees Branch, the following families resided: Lees, Highsmiths, Newtons, Blands, Newkirks, Aldermans and some other families. Joshua Lee“s immediate family and descendents, even to the present day, still live within a three mile radius of his homeplace. Some of these descendents were Josiah Lee, who lived one mile north, grandson Jesse Lee, who lived three miles NW at Harrell“s, and his grandson, Joshua Lee III, who lived 2 and 1/2 miles to the north. His great granddaughter, Dorcas Lee, who married Amos Lee, lived 1 and 1/2 miles east on Doctor“s Creek behind the Antioch Church.
The oldest child of Joshua and Mary Woodward Lee was named Joshua. He was Joshua II as identified and linked to Jesse above.
Robert E Lee
There is what seems to be a very authoritative genealogical study of Robert E Lee“s ancestors in our local library (and probably many others). The book clearly establishes that Robert E Lee was the son of Henry ”Lighthorse Harry• of Revolutionary War fame. And Colonel Richard Lee who came to Virginia about 1636 is the great-great grandfather of Lighthorse Harry.
But the Robert E Lee book says that ”no known relatives• came to America with Colonel Richard Lee. It does not suggest any relationship between Colonel Richard and other Lees, specifically, Henry (Harry) cited above.
The book, however, does discuss about ten different Lee families of England, circa 1600, and argues that while not proven, all logic points to the fact that Colonel Richard was of the ”Shropshire• Lees of Nordley-Regis and Coton. But it is unable to name exactly who Colonel Richard“s father was — it says it was not Thomas.
Which brings me to the Bland/Lee book, based (as it relates to the early Lees) on the Lees and Kings of Virginia book. The Thomas that these books place as the father of Henry (Harry) and Colonel Richard, I believe, is the son of the Thomas that the other book was referring to when it said he was not Colonel Richard“s father. So it is not a direct contradiction of this point, just unfortunately silent on the subject of whether the younger Thomas was possibly a candidate.
And the Bland/Lee and Lees/Kings books really make a very strong case that Henry (Harry) and Colonel Richard were indeed brothers, or at the very least close relatives. They cite numerous documents in which the names are linked together.
My belief is that the evidence is compelling that the forbears of Colonel Richard and of Henry (Harry) were the Shropshire Lees and even if these two men were not brothers, they were nonetheless closely related and so their descendants are still, in fact, related to each other.
But there is another part of this whole story on which I need to state some possible reservations. I am sure that Jesse is the son of Josiah and Josiah seems clearly to have been the son of Joshua. The problem is there were numerous Joshua Lees floating around the Carolina“s in the 1700“s. I fear it may have been too tempting for the people who wrote these other books to make the link to the Joshua who descends from Henry (Harry) because by doing so, you get to claim Robert E Lee as your cousin (distant though it may be).
The books may very well have it right, I have no evidence that contradicts their research, but even the authors say, in at least one case, that their suppositions may be a bit weak: ”Note, this generation of Joshua Lee II and his children are pieced together from scattered records, since there were very few records and wills available in the late 1700s. The lack of records was due to the Revolutionary War and the following 15 years while establishing a new form of government.•
So, if it were me, I would not go around saying I am a relative of Robert E Lee, but I might say something like this:
”My great-great grandmother was Margaret E Lee and we“re not 100% sure but the evidence seems pretty strong that she was a distant cousin to General Robert E Lee and that would make me the General“s 5th cousin 7 times removed.•