The list seems a bit quiet so thought I would ask a question that has bugged me for some time. "In 1850, an Act of Assembly was passed, creating the office of District Attorney and making the officer elective by the people. The first choice of the electors fell upon Paschall Woodward, who acted in that capacity until 1853, when he resigned and removed to the West." Tells of a murder case tried by Paschall in Jan 1851. From Side Lights on the Bench and Bar of Chester County, by Wilmer W. MacElree 1918 Then I find Paschall in the 1850 census in Chester County: 1850 #362 West Chester Chester Co, Pa Paschall Woodward, 25, lawyer, $2500, Pa; Elizabeth J., 22, Pa; Anna Mary Woodward, 17, Pa; Margaret Mills, 19, Pa. They are next door to a girls' school run by Palmer Evans and thus probably the two girls staying with them. Anna Mary is Paschall's sister. Then he did indeed remove to the west and is found in 1860: 1860 New Lenox Will Co Ill 1119 Paschall Woodward, 35, farmer, Pa, 72,000 real estate 20,000 personal property Elizabeth J., 34, Pa; Harry Woodward, 9, Pa; Emma J, 4, Il; John Yertze 60, farm hand, Pa; John Conwell, 30, carppenter, NY; Wm Edwards, 24, farm hand, Pa; James Brenan, 30, farm hand, Ire; Henry Law, 25, farm hand, NY; Angus McFadden, 25, farm hand, Scotland; Charlotte Weston, 56, servant, England; Lydia Cramer, 14, servant, NY My question is how did this guy go from a net worth of $2500 in 1850 to nearly $100,000 in 1860. That is an enormous amount of money in that day and time. A currency comparison site online using comparative cost of living gives the value in 2004 of $100,000 from 1860 as over two million dollars. Paschall is only distantly related to me - second cousin, four times removed and it is mainly prurient curiosity on my part. He descends from William and Eliza Marshall Woodward and I have his family information. Didn't find much on him by Googling and wonder if anyone out there knows his story , i. e. anything about the murder trial and how Paschall may have come into his wealth? Nadine Holder

Nadine Maybe he hit it big on the Kentucky Derby. visit"The George Smedley Homepage" http://smedley.lewis.home.att.net additional photos at http://smedley.george.home.att.net #4679 ELIZABETH JAMES (Jesse,Elizabeth,John,Mary,Sarah,George),b. Westtown,5-27-1827;d.West Chester,5-25-1891;m.Philadelphia,3-16-1848, Paschall Woodward,b.West Bradford,9-27-1824;d.Louisville,Ky.,1-28-1870; buried at Bradford Meeting,Chester Co.;son of Thomas S Woodward and Mary Worth,of West Bradford.He studied law and was admitted to the bar of Chester Co.,Nov.4,1847;elected district attorney,Oct.,1850,and served till Sept,1853,when he resigned and removed to the West. Issue: 4679A William Henry,b.12-20-1850;living in West Bradford,unmarried. P.O.,West Chester. 4679B Emma J,b.Chicago,Ill.,9-12-1855;m.West Chester,Pa.,10-2- 1877,E Frank Stoner,b.Lancaster Co.,Oct.,1850;d.Washington, Pa.,April,1884;buried Millersville,Pa.;son of Jacob Stoner and Susan Funk,of Lancaster Co.He was in the drug business. She now resides at 3608 Walnut St.,Phila. Issue: Elizabeth,b.Washington,9-18-1878;unmarried. Samuel Francis,b.same,2-22-1882;d.Phila.,10-25-1900. ----- Original Message ----- From: "Nadine Holder" <nadineholder72@ssvecnet.com> To: <PA-OLD-CHESTER-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Sunday, May 21, 2006 4:06 PM Subject: [PaOldC] Paschall Woodward of Chester County and points west > The list seems a bit quiet so thought I would ask a question that has > bugged me for some time. > > "In 1850, an Act of Assembly was passed, creating the office of District > Attorney and making the officer elective by the people. The first choice > of the electors fell upon Paschall Woodward, who acted in that capacity > until 1853, when he resigned and removed to the West." Tells of a murder > case tried by Paschall in Jan 1851. From Side Lights on the Bench and Bar > of Chester County, by Wilmer W. MacElree 1918 > > Then I find Paschall in the 1850 census in Chester County: > 1850 #362 West Chester Chester Co, Pa > Paschall Woodward, 25, lawyer, $2500, Pa; Elizabeth J., 22, Pa; Anna Mary > Woodward, 17, Pa; Margaret Mills, 19, Pa. They are next door to a girls' > school run by Palmer Evans and thus probably the two girls staying with > them. Anna Mary is Paschall's sister. > > Then he did indeed remove to the west and is found in 1860: > 1860 New Lenox Will Co Ill > 1119 Paschall Woodward, 35, farmer, Pa, 72,000 real estate 20,000 personal > property > Elizabeth J., 34, Pa; Harry Woodward, 9, Pa; Emma J, 4, Il; John Yertze > 60, farm hand, Pa; John Conwell, 30, carppenter, NY; Wm Edwards, 24, farm > hand, Pa; James Brenan, 30, farm hand, Ire; Henry Law, 25, farm hand, NY; > Angus McFadden, 25, farm hand, Scotland; Charlotte Weston, 56, servant, > England; Lydia Cramer, 14, servant, NY > > My question is how did this guy go from a net worth of $2500 in 1850 to > nearly $100,000 in 1860. That is an enormous amount of money in that day > and time. A currency comparison site online using comparative cost of > living gives the value in 2004 of $100,000 from 1860 as over two million > dollars. > > Paschall is only distantly related to me - second cousin, four times > removed and it is mainly prurient curiosity on my part. He descends from > William and Eliza Marshall Woodward and I have his family information. > Didn't find much on him by Googling and wonder if anyone out there knows > his story , i. e. anything about the murder trial and how Paschall may > have come into his wealth? > Nadine Holder > > > ==== PA-OLD-CHESTER Mailing List ==== > Unsubscribing. To leave PA-old-chester-l, send mail to > PA-old-chester-l-request@rootsweb.com > with the single word unsubscribe in the message or subject slot." > > NO VIRUS WARNINGS - if you are concerned contact me PERSONALLY > ferg@ntelos.nettp://archiver.rootsweb.com/th/index/pa-old-chester > this site allows you to browse by month.. > > please visit the Chester Co rootsweb site...it is full of area photos, > helpful URLs and lots of county information > http://www.pa-roots.com/~chester/ > > if you have a problem contact ME ferg@ntelos and NOT the list > > ============================== > Search Family and Local Histories for stories about your family and the > areas they lived. Over 85 million names added in the last 12 months. > Learn more: http://www.ancestry.com/s13966/rd.ashx >