Birth1825, OH
Death6-1882, Paulding County, Ohio, USA Age: 57
BurialSlough Cemetery, Antwerp, Paulding County, Ohio, USA
Spouses
Birthabout 1827, Fairfield County, Ohio7
Deathafter 1900 Age: 73
Marriage7-15-1847, Hancock County, OH
Notes for Belinda Wood
Biography researched and written by Evelyn Park Blalock. Please do not publish elsewhere without providing full and proper credit. Thank you.
NOTE: The opportunity to view additional original vital records has resulted in revisions to this biography (Aug 2015).
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Belinda Woods was born about 1828 in Ohio. Her given name appears as "Malinda" on some records, but in the absence of a headstone, the name used on her marriage record was chosen for establishing this memorial.
While the identity of Belinda's parents is currently unproven, some researchers believe Belinda is the daughter of Moses Woods and wife Elizabeth. This parentage was suggested by a name mentioned on the death record of son John Jr, where his mother's maiden name was listed as Malinda Wright. According to baptismal records, Moses and Elizabeth named a daughter Mary Wright Woods. They had another daughter baptized as B.M.W. Woods, but there is a subsequent burial record tied to this baptism. Other researchers have pointed to Enos Woods or Cyrus Woods as her father. Further research is required before the parents of Belinda can be accurately identified.
Belinda married John/Jonathan Sines, who was the son of Henry Sines and Susannah Wooten. This marriage record can be found through FamilySearch.org (free database), with the marriage performed on 15 Jul 1847 in Hancock County, Ohio. The record is filed under the names "Belinda Woods and Joseph Sines" due to a transcription error. The original image (which cannot be posted here) clearly reads "Jonathan" and the error has been reported numerous times to FamilySearch, without any correction showing up on the record.
Belinda and John had six (known) children, all born in Ohio. They are:
Samantha Jane Sines m. Lovirus A. Bell in 1865
Susannah Sines m. John M. Hawkins in 1866
Matilda Sines m. William Hawkins bef 1873
Samuel Sines m. Nora E. Roebuck in 1883
Harriet Sines m. Jonas Fry in 1879
John Nathan Sines Jr. m. Susannah Kees in 1884
John served with the Union forces during the Civil War, enlisting in the 100th Regiment of the Ohio Infantry. Belinda and the family remained in Ohio during John's service, but the family moved to Indiana sometime after the war. They appear together on the 1870 U.S. Census living in Whitley, Jefferson County, Indiana. By 1880, they had moved once again... back to Ohio! The reasons for both the move and the return are unknown. Any information or documentation regarding these events would be most welcome.
On the 1880 U.S. Census, Belinda is shown living in Harrison, Paulding County, with sons John and Samuel. Daughter Harriet Sines Fry and her husband are also shown in Harrison, and daughter Matilda Sines Hawkins and her family are in nearby Carryall. Husband John, however, is shown residing as a "Prisoner" in Paulding, Paulding County, Ohio. The cause of his incarceration is unknown. It is also unknown whether John was released prior to the very unfortunate events that were soon to follow.
Matilda delivered her third child, Lodenna, in February 1881, but the joy of this event was soon overshadowed by grief. Her sister Harriet died during childbirth a month later, in March 1881. Matilda fell ill the following winter, and died from consumption in March 1882. Family records show that Belinda followed soon thereafter. It is presumed that Matilda's infant, Lodenna, also died about the same time, as the only evidence of this child's existence is a birth record.
It is interesting to note that no death for Belinda or Lodenna can be found in Ohio vital records. However, a second marriage for John Sines appears in December 1882, with a third marriage appearing in 1899. From this evidence, combined with Belinda's presence for the 1880 Census, it appears that family records regarding her death and burial are based in fact.
These deaths all occurred in a one year period, within 4.5 miles of each other. Family notes place the burials together, with stone markers. John Sr. was buried in this same cemetery several years later.
ADDITIONAL NOTES:
Belinda's husband, John/Jonathan Sines, appears with various given names on official records, including John, Jonathan and John Nathan. However, the military records provide evidence that "John" and "Jonathan" are in fact the same person, as only one John/Jonathan Sines served in the 100th Regiment of the Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
Regarding the sudden appearance of "Anna Eldridge" living with the family on the 1840 Census... This name has thrown many researchers down the wrong path regarding Belinda's parentage. "Anna Eldrige" is Anna (Polly) Enos Smith, mother of William T. Warner. William was married to John's sister, Sarah Sines. Anna appears on the Census with the surname "Eldridge" due to her remarriage to Stephen Eldrige. It appears that this marriage was not a happy one, as Anna is shown living on her own with a very young girl on the 1830 Census, and then living with John Sines' family in 1840. Her residence in 1850 is currently unknown; she died in 1852 and is buried in Hancock County (#32436189).
Notes for Jonathan Nathan (Spouse 1)
Nancy Schultz has documentation of Jonathan being in jail in 1880.
1850 census has residence in Hancock Co., OH. 1880 and 1900 census has residence in Paulding Co., OH.