Thomas Woodson Family Site

New Zealand Cousins

The Woodson story began in the fertile highlands of Virginia in the last decade of the 18th century, with the birth of a son whose mother named him Thomas. One hundred ten years later, in the last decade of the 19th century, one particular thread of the story continued in British Columbia with the birth of another son whose parents named him John.

John Cabell

John Cabell was the seventh child and sixth son of William Henry Cabell and Halley Magnolia (Wiley) Cabell, the great-granddaughter of Virginia-born Thomas Woodson. William Cabell, like his father-in-law Jackson Wiley, was a coal miner in Ohio, living near Berlin Crossing. Sometime between 1888, when Clarence was born in Rendville, OH, and 1893, when Walter was born in Canada, the William Cabell family migrated to British Columbia to make a living in the Canadian coal mining industry. The 1901 British Columbia Census for Vancouver District lists the members of the Cabell family then living in Nanaimo South (near Nanaimo City, the second largest city on Vancouver Island).

William, head of household, born in Virginia in 1865
Halley, William's wife, born in Ohio in 1869.
Clarence, eldest son, born in Ohio in 1888
Walter, born in British Columbia in 1893
Arthur, born in British Columbia in 1895
Arabella, born in British Columbia in 1897
John, born in British Columbia in 1899

A few years after the 1901 census, following the birth of their eighth child (and last son) Robert, the Cabells moved back to the state of Washington, putting down roots in the United States again.

At the age of 18, John followed two of his brothers into the Merchant Marines, which was the only American military service not officially segregated in the first decades of the 20th century. During his tour of duty as a Merchant Marine, John and his shipmates dropped anchor in the port of Levuka, on Ovalau Island in Fiji. A new chapter in the story began in 1921 with a daughter—Elizabeth, born to John Cabell and Lura Joseph Acramen of the Fiji Islands.

Elizabeth Cabell

Shortly after Elizabeth's birth, John returned to the States, while Elizabeth Cabell and her mother remained in the South Pacific. During her childhood and adolescence in Fiji, she corresponded regularly with her California family--father John and Aunt Arabella, while attending Catholic schools and nurturing the talents one of her grandchildren today describes as “fabulous” and “fantastic.”

In 1940, Elizabeth married Charles Compain. Their union produced eight children, all born in Ba, Fiji Islands:

Elizabeth and Charles Compain

Frederick Charles, (1940)
John Bruce, born in 1942
Charles Herbert, born in 1945
Benjamin, born in 1947
Arabella, born in 1948
Bryce, born in 1949

Twins Peter and Marie, born in 1952. (Marie died in 1954.)

In June of 1959, Elizabeth and Charles moved to New Zealand, where they lived for nearly 20 years, until she became a widow on April 27, 1979.

In 1982, Elizabeth married Larry Foley. After 15 years of marriage, Elizabeth was widowed for the second time. She remarried once again (at age 80), in 2000, to Bill Weatherley.

Elizabeth is the matriarch of a great and growing New Zealand family: seven surviving children, 29 grandchildren (including three sets of twins), and (so far) 45 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren. She is the magnetic center that “keeps our family together,” according to granddaughter Adele Pope. “Nana has a fabulous voice and has passed that talent on to some of her children and grandchildren. There have been many family gatherings over the years where good food (a lot of island food), drink, music, and conversation have prevailed.”

“Nana has shown many skills over the years and has won trophies and awards in crafts, flower growing, golf, tapestries, and art. She also does fantastic baking!”

Elizabeth attended the 1984 Thomas Woodson reunion in Columbus, Ohio. While in the United States, she visited her aunt Arabella (Cabell de Harris) and several others among her Woodson cousins, especially Edgar Love, her father's first cousin.

The Second Generation in New Zealand

Charles and Elizabeth brought their children up to “achieve the best they could,” says Adele. Then “they went on to become talented in their own right.”

Third son Herbert Compain won a number of trophies as a rodeo rider on the New Zealand Rodeo Circuit.
Daughter Arabella was a dancer with the Polynesian Dance Troop.
Youngest son Peter (Len) inherited his mother's singing voice and became a nightclub circuit entertainer.
The Compains played basketball and became well-known in the New Zealand basketball circuit.

The Third Generation Worldwide

While most of Elizabeth's children and grandchildren have live in various areas of New Zealand, the family has expanded internationally.

In 1988-89, Glenn Compain, Frederick and Mabel Compain's youngest son, spent a year as a transfer student in San Francisco, where he played high school basketball. After graduation, Glenn spent 18 months in Uganda as a missionary. He currently works as a policeman in Auckland, NZ.
Mark Compain, Herbert and Pat Compain’s eldest son, is a staff sergeant in the New Zealand Army.
Craig Compain, Mark’s brother, is a Flight Lieutenant in the English Air Force, flying Navy Harriers.
Craig's sister Megan lived in America for several years, playing professional basketball with the National Women's Basketball Association (WNBA). She also represented New Zealand in the Olympics. Megan currently lives in Wales.
Bruce Compain's son Zion represented New Zealand in athletics in the Commonwealth Games and the Olympics. Zion is currently working for Adidas in Germany.
Marie Compain, Bruce's daughter and Elizabeth's oldest granddaughter, currently lives in England.

Picture of the Great and Growing New Zealand Family

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Elizabeth Weatherly (nee Cabell) with husband Bill. Elizabeth. Elizabeth is 6th generation from the Frances Line. She was born in the Fiji Island in 1921.