E. L. Woodward
by Gyda Woodward Morrow (1901-1990) circa 1983
Elbert Lee Woodward was born near Covington, Kentucky on December 13, 1865 to James Warren Woodward and Henrietta Glacken.
After his wife died, James Warren Woodward moved to Milam County, Texas in 1881 with his sons Elbert Lee and Andrew.
Elbert married Flora Nabours at the home of her parents on January 8, 1892 in Cameron, Texas by Rev. J. C. Womack. Flora was the daughter of William Alexander [Ashford] Nabours who was born January 30, 1839 in Itawamba County, Mississippi and died August 22, 1922; and Eliza Zellner born January 24, 1853 in Milam County, Texas and died in 1923. Mr. Nabours was a veteran of the Civil War. Mr. and Mrs. Nabours are buried in the Salem Community Cemetery near Cameron, Texas. Flora Nabours was born Nov. 13, 1873 at Cameron.
Elbert and Flora Woodward were parents of eight children. The two oldest children, Lee and Alva, were born near Hico, Texas. The rest of the children were all born in Milam County, Texas.
In the spring of 1910 Elbert and Flora Woodward decided to sell their home and land in Milam County, Texas, and move west. After looking at land in many West Texas counties, they chose Santa Anna in Coleman County as the ideal place to make their permanent home and raise their family of four sons and two daughters. They bought land 3 miles east of Santa Anna on the Brownwood highway in the Liberty community.
In August of 1910 they left Cameron, Texas, with their family in covered wagons for their new home. Taking about two weeks for the overland trip, they arrived in Santa Anna in September (1910) in time for the children to start the fall term of school in their new home town. They lived in Santa Anna several weeks while waiting to get possession of their new home. In the meantime, E. L. Woodward returned to Cameron and shipped their household furniture and livestock by rail to Santa Anna.
The Woodward children attended school at Liberty Community school and Santa Anna school. The family attended the Methodist Church in Santa Anna.
E. L. Woodward was actively engaged in farming and stock raising until the time of his death in 1940. After his death Mrs. Woodward continued to make her home in the farm home they built in 1923, where she continued to be active in the family business until her death in 1945. Both of them are buried in the Santa Anna cemetery.
(1) Lee Woodward married Merle Kingsbery, daughter of Henry Williams Kingsbery, who were pioneer settlers of Coleman County. At the time of their marriage Lee was working for the Santa Anna gas company. Later he owned and operated the "Zenith Gas System" in Alva, Oklahoma, for many years. When he retired after 60 years in the gas business he and Merle moved to Mineral Wells, where he had ranching interests. He died suddenly at his home in Mineral Wells on June 5, 1975. His wife, Merle, continues to make her home in Mineral Wells, Texas.
Lee and Merle were parents of two daughters -- Claride and Janet. Claride married Philip Walters. She lived in Alexandria, Virginia, and has three sons -- Stefan, Mark and David. Janet married Mike Holland, they live in Mineral Wells, Texas. They are the parents of a daughter, Michele, and a son, Daniel Lee.
Lee was a veteran of World War I.
(2) Alva (A. C.) Woodward married Ina Millhollon of Comanche, Texas. Soon after their marriage they moved to Lamesa, Texas, in Dawson County where A. C. was int he land and real estate business. He bought and still owns extensive farm and ranching acreage in Martin County, Texas. Due to ill health he has been forced to retire from active management of his farms and ranches. He continues to live on the land he has improved. A. C. and Ina were the parents of three children - Annie Lee, A. C. Junior, and John.
A. C. Jr. died at age 3 in 1927 and is buried in Lamesa, Texas. Annie Lee married Jim Cole in Phoenix, Arizona. She is the mother of 2 daughters - Julie and Glenda. Julie married Edward Diercks in Arizona. Glenda married Steven Phillips.
John Woodward married Jay Quig. They live in Martin County, Texas and engage in ranching and farming. They have two children - Dawn and John II.
(3) Doyle Woodward married Christine Burk, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. C. Burk who were pioneer ranchers and farmers east of Santa Anna. Doyle and Christine lived at Rockwood, Texas, for several years after their marriage where they were engaged in farming. They had two children born while they were living at Rockwood - Leland Doyle and Helen Louise. Leland Doyle is married and he and his wife, Almeda, live in Graham, Texas. They have three children - Kathy, Doyle, and Susan. Helen Louise is married to Lt. Col. Clise of the U. S. Army. They live in California.
(4) Gyda Woodward married Edmund Morrow of Stanton. They were engaged in farming and ranching. Edmund died in 1978 and Gyda makes her home in Stanton. They are the parents of two children -- one daughter, Eddye Frances, and one son, William Elbert. Both of
their children are engaged in farming near Stanton. Eddye Frances married James Biggs and they have three daughters - Beth, Kathy, and Leann. William Elbert Morrow married Virginia Vandling of Arizona while he was in the Air Force stationed at Mesa, Arizona. They have one son, Thomas Owen.
(5) Curtis Woodward married Grace Lackey of Santa Anna. After their marriage they moved to West Texas where they were engaged in farming. At the time of Curtis's death in 1961 he owned farms in Dawson and Martin Counties. Grace is now making her home in Lubbock. They are the parents of two children - Louise and Curtis Richard. Louise married J. C. Flowers of Lamesa.
Richard Woodward married Nita Burkett at Lamesa. They farm near Lamesa, Texas. They are parents of a son, Craig, and a daughter, Velda. Clint was drowned in an accident at Lake L. G. J. near Kingsland, Texas, in July 1982, and is buried at Lamesa.
(6) Gladys Woodward married Eaf Day, son of Mrs. and Mrs. W. L. Day who farmed in the Liberty Community east of Santa Anna. Eaf died in January 1960 and is buried at Santa Anna. They are the parents of three children - Louis Roland, Billy Eugene and Virginia Grace. Roland married Fay Hill of Bangs, Texas. Billy married Beverly Gilbreath of Santa Anna. Virginia Day married Gene Rice.
Gladys is the only one of the Woodward children who has continued to make her home in Coleman County. She makes her home in Santa Anna, but still owns the part of the original Woodward land that is on the north side of the Brownwood highway where she has done extensive restoration and improvement on a house that was on this land when the Woodwards bought it in 1910. She and her family enjoy this vacation place. She still raises cattle on this land, doing much of the work herself.