Guide to the Papers of the Ross-Woods Family, 1769-1897 (bulk 1784-1837)
- Repository
- Heinz History Center
- Title
- Papers of the Ross-Woods Family
- Creator
- Ross- Woods Family
- Collection Number
- MSS#215
- Extent
- 1.0 cubic feet (2 boxes and 1 shelf volume)
- Date
- 1769-1897
- Date
- 1784-1837
- Abstract
- James Ross (1762-1847) played a prominent role as an attorney and politician in the city of Pittsburgh, as early as 1795. James Ross married Mary Woods and had three children, named James Jr., Mary Ann and George W. Mary (Woods) Ross was the daughter of Colonel George Woods, of Bedford (Bedford County), Pennsylvania, who was the man that laid out what has become known as, "The Military Plan" of the streets of Pittsburgh. The papers include correspondence, business records, deeds, wills and diaries.
- Language
- The material in this collection is in English.
- Sponsor
- This finding aid has been encoded as a part of the Historic Pittsburgh project a joint effort of the University of Pittsburgh and the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Funding for this portion of the project has been donated by the Hillman Foundation.
- Publisher
- Heinz History Center
- Address
- 1212 Smallman St.
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15222
library@heinzhistorycenter.org
URL: https://www.heinzhistorycenter.org
Biographical Sketch of James Ross (1762-1847) and Milton L. Woods (1828- ? )
James Ross (1762-1847) played a prominent role as an attorney and politician in the city of Pittsburgh, as early as 1795. He was a United States Senator from 1794-1805, and during this time, also head of the Allegheny County Bar, a position he held for 50 years. He was born in York County, Pennsylvania to Joseph Ross and his wife, Jane (Graham) Ross. He studied Classics at State Ridge Presbyterian Church, and Academy in Pequea, Pennsylvania. In 1780, when James was 18, he came to Western Pennsylvania to teach Latin and Greek at the famous Log Cabin School known as Canonsburg Academy, which is the present day Washington and Jefferson College in Washington (Washington County), Pennsylvania. At that time, he was also studying the law under John Canon and was admitted to the bar of Washington and Fayette Counties in 1784. He was admitted to the Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania Bar in 1785, and three years later to the Allegheny County, Pennsylvania Bar. He practiced law in Washington County until 1795, when he moved to Pittsburgh.
Mr. Ross rose quickly within his profession and was admitted to the first court ever held in the newly formed Allegheny County. He was also chosen as head of the Allegheny Bar, and held that position for 50 years. Due to his outstanding capabilities he was elected to the United States Senate in 1794, and was then elected to a second term in 1797. During his time in the Senate he served as President twice. In 1790, at the age of 27, Ross was elected as a member of the convention to frame the New State Constitution of 1790. In his capacity as an attorney, Ross had responsibility for the sole management of all matters for President George Washington's large estate in Western Pennsylvania, and while at Braddock's field meeting, he was appointed by President Washington as chief of a commission to oppose the Insurrection during the Whiskey Rebellion. This commission was empowered to grant amnesty to those who would pledge good faith to the New Federal Government.
James Ross married Mary Woods and had three children, named James Jr., Mary Ann and George W. Mary (Woods) Ross was the daughter of Colonel George Woods, of Bedford (Bedford County), Pennsylvania, who was the man that laid out what has become known as, "The Military Plan" of the streets of Pittsburgh. Mary's brother John Woods was a federalist of Pittsburgh, a United States Congressman, and a Pennsylvania State Senator.
The bulk of this collection centers on the diaries of Milton Lawrence Woods (1828-?), who was a river barge pilot along the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Milton L. Woods was related to Mary (Woods) Ross' family, however that connection in unclear. His diaries cover the years from 1870-1897, relating his work experiences as well as life at home with his family.
Milton L. Woods was the son of Joseph and Catherine (Barnes) Woods. He was born on September 7, 1828 in Greene Township, Beaver County, Pennsylvania. He began his work on riverboats at the age of 15 on a steamer called the Belmont. By 18 he was a pilot on keelboats, and in 1847 he became the pilot of the Wheeling packet Ionian. In 1882, due to his vast river experiences, he was also able to find work as a captain. He continued to work on the river barges for all of his life, well into his seventies. For most of his years on the river he worked for the W. H. Brown Co., but he also worked for a man by the name of Blackmoor. As each of the male children in his family came of age, he found them work aboard the various boats. Often they would be on his boat and work with him in the pilot's house.
Milton L. Woods was married to the former Miss Eliza Bradley, whom he referred to in his diaries as "Lide". They lived on Jack's Run Road, in the Bellevue neighborhood of Pittsburgh. They had 11 children, losing three during infancy. The eight surviving children, were, Francis M., who was known as Frank, Kathryn (Woods) Ford, Clara, George W., John, Harry, Etta (Woods) Heath, and Percy. The last two children were born within the 27 years time span covered by the diaries.
In regard to his personal life, these diaries tell of the day-to-day activities of he and his family. One of the ways the family managed to sustain itself was through farming. They grew such items as, cabbages, lima beans, corn, potatoes, cucumbers, citrons, eggplants, and tomatoes. They also had peach, and pear trees, along with a grape vineyard, which was used mainly for wine making. Milton also took care of beautifying the home by planting dahlias around the house each year. He often writes of how the children and he would take care of the farming duties, as well as helping to clean the house, repairing of broken tools, farm equipment, and taking care of maintenance on the house and the barn. When the children were young, the whole family usually attended church and went to church picnics.
From reading through the diaries, it becomes apparent that the Woods' family had many problems to deal with, such as Milton's alcoholism, which aroused an atrocious temper and a terrible case of jealousy. He and Lide had almost constant domestic difficulties, due mainly to the fact that Milton believed at least as early as 1870, that his wife was having extra-marital affairs. However, there is no other verification of these stories. He contends throughout the years that this is the case, even writing that he had caught other men in his bed, and that he had confronted her alleged lovers (each of them usually denied this allegation). He often mentioned that he would divorce her if he could find enough evidence. His wife's alleged behavior often caused Milton to fall into moments of extreme despondency wherein, he saw no hope and thought it best to give his children to an orphanage or an asylum and commit suicide. Often if his despondency lead to drinking, his temper would rage out of control and he would beat his wife, burn her clothing, or destroy the contents of the home, which frequently led to his being arrested or his wife leaving home for a time. On numerous occasions, he had to sign documents stating that he would not drink any alcoholic substances for a certain number of years, but he never kept his word. It is interesting to find when reading through the diaries that Woods sees himself more often the victim than the abuser. One memorable incident was when his wife hit him with a poker; he ended up giving her two black eyes. He seems to feel that he was justified because she had started the fight. Another trial that the family had to suffer through were times of near poverty, when work for Milton on the river would become scarce. He would end up getting himself so far into debt that the children couldn't attend church or school because they had no shoes. By 1872, he tried to change his financial luck by playing the policy game, which was a type of lottery. He won occasionally, but not enough to ever make a difference. He felt that his financial collapse began in 1874 when he endorsed, for a man named McGinnis, two notes for approximately $500.00 each on which he himself ended up having to pay. The result of his lack of money took its most dramatic turn in September of 1879, when the bank foreclosed upon his house. The family continued to rent the home from the bank until it was sold in 1888. In the early diaries, Woods seemed to find solace from his problems in religion and taught Sunday school at his church. Unfortunately, as he got older he did not write of attending services except on holidays.
In later years, misfortune continued to follow the family, as his eldest son Frank, who was an alcoholic, lost his wife before she was 36 years of age, and was often in trouble with the police due to his drinking. His son George lost his first wife and child in childbirth, but later remarried and then moved back into his father's home. While visiting from Turtle Creek, where he had moved upon getting married, his son Harry lost a baby. His oldest daughter Kate also lost a daughter a few years later, named Hazel. Other problems plagued his younger children. In 1884, he believed that his daughter Clara was mentally disturbed. He feared that she would kill herself on different occasions. They also had to deal with her running away for almost a week. She was found at the Washington County Home. His daughter Etta, also left home often and he feared she was engaged in questionable activities. His sons John and Percy were also problematic in that they would often get in trouble with the law and had to flee to Cincinnati, Ohio, or go into hiding.
When the boys had grown it seems that they followed in their fathers footsteps and also succumbed to alcoholism, a fact that greatly distressed their mother. Once they were grown many of the children had horrid and abusive fights with their father, most likely induced by alcohol on one or both sides. According to him, in 1894 things escalated to a point where his sons, John and Percy, threatened his life on two separate occasions.
Scope and Content Notes
The James Ross and Milton L. Woods Family Papers are housed in two archival boxes and 1 shelf volume and arranged alphabetically by folder title with miscellaneous materials arranged to the rear. The papers include correspondence, business records, deeds, wills and diaries. The section of correspondence related to George W. Ross, son of James' Ross, contains letters from George, informing his father of how he was while attending school at St. Mary's College near Baltimore, Maryland. There are also letters to James Ross notifying him that in 1805, some of his rules for George were going to be relaxed and later in 1807 that, George had run away from school.
The files of James Ross are related to his political and legal work, as well as correspondence regarding his own personal affairs. The correspondence with Major George Stevenson appears to be of an official nature, but in a friendly manner. The records regarding James Ross' business as an attorney relate to a bill for $500 to the Department of Indian Affairs for services rendered and also a case involving remuneration for stolen goods through the Spanish government. The documents of Colonel George Woods relate to lot claims and land transfers, including some to his daughter Mary (Woods) Ross and another daughter, Rosey Woods. Also included within his papers is a copy of a letter, which gave approval to the plan of the town of Pittsburgh, in 1784. The extent of the John Woods documentation is his last will and testament, dated February 1817. The correspondence of Milton L. Woods' son Harry C. Woods relate to his making the donation of his father's diaries to the Historical Society of Western Pa., in 1942. In this letter he defends his mother and relates how his father was a good man, taken to drinking.
The most extensive information within this collection is the diaries of Milton L. Woods. These diaries date from 1870 - 1897 (excluding 1891 and 1895), and cover all aspects of his life. They include insights into working on the rivers, and 20 years in the life of a nineteenth century family. When writing of his time on the boats, he recorded weather and river conditions, the health of himself and the other crewmembers, and each place they stopped for meals or to pick up or drop off barges. He took great care in detailing any accidents his boat or any others had, including incidents as minor as brushing up against the dock, or as serious as collisions with other boats or a time when a skiff slipped under his boat and four men were killed. He was very concerned about his job and worried that any problems that the boat incurred while he was in charge could ruin his reputation as a dependable pilot. Within the diaries he describes the places he went on his trips, such as, California Pennsylvania, Wheeling West Virginia, Cincinnati Ohio, which garnered him $150 a trip, and Louisville, Kentucky a trip that would pay him, $175.
The diaries provide an extremely candid view of his home life. It is interesting to follow the lives of the children from their youth, well into their twenties, and the problems with which they had to contend. They dealt with Milton's alcoholism, and then when the boys grew up, their own drinking problems. The family had to face moments of near poverty, due to the scarcity of jobs on the river, and also losing their family home because of the lack of money. These diaries provide a comprehensive account of all aspects of this family's life for 20 years, providing valuable information regarding their day-to-day activities, in an extremely detailed and straightforward style.
Conditions Governing Access
This collection is open for research.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
These materials came in several accessions and were combined into one body of papers in 1996.
Acc. 1930.0001 Gift of Mrs. Harvey S. Childs and Harry C. Wood, (Papers. Childs and Wood were children of Milton L. Wood), 1930-1942.
Preferred Citation
Papers of the Ross-Woods Family, 1769-1897, MSS# 215, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania.
Processing Information
This collection was processed by Historical Society Staff in 1948. Papers rearranged and inventory rewritten by Melanie Nable on February 10, 1996.
Revision and rearrangement for the encoded version of the finding aid provided by Doug MacGregor on July 26, 2001.
Conditions Governing Use
Property rights reside with the Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania. Literary rights are retained by the creators of the records and their heirs. For permissions to reproduce or publish, please contact the curator of the Archives.
Subjects
- Ross- Woods Family
- Ross, George W.
- Ross, James
- Stevenson, George
- Woods, George
- Woods, Milton L.
- Bellevue (Pa.) -- Family and Social Life
- United States -- Department of Indian Affairs
- Ohio River -- Transportation