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The Woodworths’ story stretches from New England and New York to Michigan and into the Deep South. By contrast, most Americans in the 19th century never traveled very far from home. The Woodworths migrated west to become owners of a farm under a U.S. Government program that made such “homesteads” feasible for those without wealth. The land they made claim to was part of treaties with Native Americans between 1800-1860. Samuel enlisted at the mid-point of the Civil War and was sent to Tennessee and Alabama; he served until the end of the war in May 1865.

This timeline tracks key moments in the lives of Samuel Woodworth and Ellen Preston before and after their marriage.