Elder Ziba Woodworth was the pastor of the
Free Will Baptist Church in Montpelier.

*UPDATE*

I would like to extend many thanks to Emlen, who personally made sure the cemetery was notified of Ziba Woodworth's service as a Revolutionary War Soldier, and that he received proper recognition for his service.

Mr. Woodworth is not a relative of mine, nor did I know anything of him when I created the memorial. I just happened to notice his headstone, and felt compelled to create a memorial for him, that there was something about the man that deserved to be remembered with honor.

Ziba Woodworth is the son of Benjamin Woodworth, and twin brother of Joseph. Ziba and his brother Asael served in the Revolutionary War, and were engaged in the massacre at Fort Griswold.

He was a young man of barely 18 years when he joined, under the command of Colonel Ledyard, in the spring of 1781. A few months into his service, he was severely wounded at Fort Griswold.

Black and white soldiers had been fighting side by side at Groton Heights, Connecticut, defending against forces led by the American traitor, Benedict Arnold. When the small force of Americans was overwhelmed, they retreated to Fort Griswold.

Here, the Americans quickly ran out of ammunition, and the British charged the fort. The Americans fought with everything they had, using their rifles as clubs, but the the British overpowered them, and quickly slaughtered all who remained.

Ziba was wounded by a bayonet thrust through his body, and a ball piercing his thigh and shattering the bone. In the book, Golden Thoughts at Ingleside by Mrs. Frank Leland, his niece described his ordeal; too weak from his injuries even to cry out, he was thrown onto a heap of dead to be taken away and buried.

Praying for the strength to show some sign of life, he promised God he would dedicate himself to God's service, if only He would let him live. He found the strength to utter a single groan, which was heard by the men driving the cart.

They took him away to a hospital, where he recovered. According to the account given by his son, John, Ziba spent nineteen months recuperating, and finally was able to walk with the aid of crutches, but walked with a limp for the rest of his life.

Ziba and Lucy Palmer married June 19, 1791, in Alexandria, New Hampshire. Rev. Enoch Whipple performed the ceremony.

They had the following children:
Ziba Woodworth Jr., b. April 27, 1792
Lavina Woodworth, b. August 13, 1793
Seneca Woodworth, b. December 30, 1799
Ziba Woodworth 3rd, b. January 20, 1804
John Edgerton Woodworth, b. August 1, 1808

He spent his life as a preacher of the gospel, and dedicated many hours to writing a history of his life, and how God spared him the fate of being buried alive.