Woodward Cemetery
The Woodward family cemetery lies in a quiet nestle of bushes and cedar trees along the north edge of Range #10 (formerly Range #12 on the 1976 Ft. Meade map). Range #10 is inside Wildlife Loop (formerly called Trainfire Rd.) about 700 meters south of the Little Patuxent River bridge in the eastern edge of the North Tract. There are eight marked graves here plus six fieldstones. We have no specific information from the Woodward family but the Tercentenary History of Maryland Vol. III, (Powell, 1925) states that John Randolph Woodward was a widely known and respected farmer and held the office of County Surveyor. His father, Nicholas Woodward, served as a soldier in the War of 1812. John R. was married to Caroline Virginia Gardner, the daughter of a tax collector and both are buried here. The earliest engraved headstone placed in the Woodward cemetery was in 1871, for Mary Virginia Woodward, and the last burial, that of Daniel Dodge Woodward who was Mary Virginia's husband, took place in 1914. The cemetery is small enough that there is little room left for unmarked graves and there may be few or no tombstones missing. Several of the headstones present are unfortunately broken and in need of repair and others are very fragile and about to come off their bases.
Just outside the fence surrounding Woodward Cemetery one can see the remnants of a decorative iron fence which apparently once adorned the site, as well as bits of metal associated with it when it was removed, probably by the Army when they assumed custody and care of the cemeteries. There are at least two square granite footings still in the ground around the perimeter which held the iron fencing in place.
As with all the family cemeteries in the North Tract, it is hoped that descendants of the family will contact us and provide some insight to who these departed were in life and how they fit into the larger picture of the area's history. No doubt they are part of the Woodward family associated with Woodwardsville which is the area near Trinity Church on Patuxent Rd. just east of the North Tract. Though Woodwardsville no longer appears in the County map book, it was marked that way in the 1922 Ft. Meade Map.
Nothing makes these people seem more real and less distant than the engravings on the tombstones placed by those who were left behind. Those tributes of love were somehow made to fit on stones too small to hold the feelings of a lifetime.
Detail of 1878 Hopkins map:
Detail of 1976 Ft. Meade map:
CEMETERY NO. 16 - WOODWARD CEMETERY
Located off Boundary Rd. south of Range No. 9
( Old range #. Now Area G via Range 12)
1976 Ft. Meade Map Coords: 49,24
LAT/LON: 39o03'38" x 76o44'65"
Number of Graves - 8
| NAME | BORN | DIED | ADDITIONAL NOTES |
| Woodward, Abram G. | April 10, 1830 | July 15, 1906 | |
| Woodward, Caroline V. | July 10, 1879 | ||
| Woodward, Cora Virginia | February 3, 1869 | December 29, 1886 | Dau of M.V. and D.D. Woodward |
| Woodward, Daniel Dodge | April 18, 1836 | August 29, 1914 | |
| Woodward, Emily R. | August 14, 1834 | September 13, 1907 | |
| Woodward, John Randolph | July 23, 1825 | September 24, 1893 | |
| Woodward, Martha Anna | February 26, 1839 | March 16, 1892 | Wife of Abram G. Woodward |
| Woodward, Mary Virginia | August 22, 1842 | September 12, 1871 | Wife of D.D. Woodward |
Woodward Cemetery Epitaphs
|
RD 832 DIED "Blessed are the pure in heart |
JOHN RANDOLPH WOODWARD |
ABRAM G. WOODWARD BORN "Peace, perfect peace with loved
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TO THE MEMORY OF BORN FEB. 26, 1839 Aged 53 yrs & 17 dys. ---------- "Yea, though I walk through the valley (The footstone is marked M.A.W.) |
SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF BORN (The footstone is marked E.R.W.) |
TO THE MEMORY OF BORN AUGUST 22, 1842 AGED 29 YEARS & 20 DAYS "Blessed are those who die in the (The footstone is marked M.V.W.) |
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SACRED TO THE MEMORY OF BORN FEB. 3, 1869 "The Lord is my strength and my (The footstone is marked C.V.W.) |
DANIEL DODGE WOODWARD BORN "Be thou faithful unto death and (The footstone is marked D.D.W.) |
