William Woodward was a Tennessee native who arrived in Montana sometime prior to 1877. He married Margaret S. Thomas, daughter of William Price Thomas who came to Montana in 1863. Woodward served as a volunteer during the Nez Pearce War, serving in a unit commanded by William A. Clark. Woodward lived for a time in Butte and established a ranch at Divide, Montana. In later years Woodward and his wife wintered in California. The couple had several children, including Mary Woodward, Sophia Woodward Goodall, and Ted Woodward of Fishtail, Montana. William had many business interests, including timber land holdings in Tennessee and various land and mining claims in Montana. Woodward died on March 5, 1925.
The Woodward family papers have been arranged chronologically within topically labeled folders of correspondence, financial papers, legal documents, and memorabilia. The correspondence includes one condolence letter from Montana Senator William A. Clark and six other personal letters from Governor John E. Rickards. Of particular interest is a letter from Reno, Nevada resident J. W. Redington, a former comrade of Woodward's who also served in the Nez Perce War. Redington's letter discusses his service and his application for a pension. The financial papers include William Woodward's bank statements and various receipts relating to him or his adult children. The legal documents consist of land deeds, water rights, mining claims, estate papers, some of which pertain to Roy A. Callan family of Beaverhead County, Montana. The relationship between the Callan and Woodward families is unclear.
This collection is open for research.
The William Woodward family papers were donated to Special Collections by the Museum of the Rockies on March 12, 1985.
This collection was processed 2008 July 3