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Andrew Jackson Woodhurst was christened at Fairlight on December 8th 1832 to parents James (1) Woodhurst and Sarah (nee) Broadfoot [Parish Register]. This date is consistent with census data [UK Census 1841, US Census 1860]. It has been suggested that he adopted the second forename Jackson himself in adult life out of respect for the US President Andrew Jackson; the name does not appear in his christening record, nor in the 1841 Census. One source indicates that Andrew Jackson was baptized a second time at Fairlight on December 8th 1836, his fourth birthday, but this claim requires to be checked.
He married Ann(e) Amanda Kennedy, probably in the late 1850s. She was born in SC around 1829. Her parents were Andrew D. Kennedy and Jane Drennan [researcher's report], believed to have been of Irish extraction.
By 1860 he was employed as a bricklayer, the same trade as that of his brother George William (1) Woodhurst and of his stepfather John E. Coumbe(s) [US Census 1860]. It has been suggested that he had already learned the trade in England prior to emigrating, though if this is correct then he must have learned it when he was a young teenager. He helped construct many new buildings in Abbeville, including the Court House and the Opera House. It is perhaps noteworthy that other Woodhursts in Kent county, England were employed in brick-making in the mid-19th century [UK Census for Faversham, Kent, 1851 and 1861].
Andrew Jackson enlisted with the Confederates on the outbreak of the Civil War, joining G Company in the 1st Battalion South Carolina Cavalry in Hampton's Legion, under the command of Wade Hampton. He fought throughout the war. With him in the same unit was his younger brother George William (1). During 1862 their battalion took part in the following battles: the Yorktown Siege (April - May); Williamsburg (May 4th); and the Seven Days Battles in Virginia (June 25th - July 1st).
The US 1870 Census finds him living at Cedar Springs in Abbeville County and occupied as a farmer. The record misspells the family surname as "Woodhirst", and wrongly indicates (via carried-forward dittos) that he was born in South Carolina.
The US 1880 Census finds him still living at Cedar Springs but now occupied as a brick mason.
The US 1900 Census finds him living in Abbeville township. This record also misspells his surname as "Woodhirst". He was now occupied once again as a farmer. The record states that he was born in November 1832, that he had immigrated in 1843 and was naturalized, that he and Ann had been married for 45 years and that they had produced "8" children of whom 6 were still living. Her birthdate is given as December 1830. Also in the household was a Mabel Woodhurst, described as Andrew Jackson's grand-daughter aged 6 and born in October 1893. It is suspected that Mabel had been born illegitimately to one of Andrew Jackson's children.
The US 1910 Census finds him still living in Abbeville and occupied as a farmer. The grand-daughter Mabel was still in his household, now aged 16.
Andrew Jackson and his wife Ann both died in 1916 and were buried in the Lower Lebanon Presbyterian Church Cemetery near Abbeville [from Bratcher]. His gravestone states that he died on April 11th. It cites his birthplace as Hastings, England, but this may be only because Hastings was the main town near Fairlight. Her gravestone states the year of her birth as 1829.
Mabel, who had been born on October 15th 1893, died on September 11th 1916 and was buried in the same cemetery [from Bratcher]. The fact that three family members had died in the same year suggests that their deaths may have had some common cause.
The daughter Mary (5) - who may well have had additional forenames - was listed with the family in the 1870 Census, but cited as aged 3 months. More probably this detail pertained to Carrie, whose age was cited as "2". It is suspected that the enumerator accidentally transposed their ages on the schedule. Whichever the case, no further reference has been found to Mary (5) and it is surmised that she died in early childhood.