Created: 2008
Hosted by Dave Woody

(A link to the Woody database and pedigrees is located at the end of the historical section below.) 
 

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Contents

Introduction
In the Beginning -  Robert Woody in the Virginia Tidewater
James, John, Samuel & Simon Woody in St. Paul's Parish
John Woody in the Branches of Byrd Creek
Henry & Thomas Woody on Davis Creek
Henry Woody on Drinking Hole Branch
James, John & Thomas Woody in the Tributaries of the Dan River
David Woody near the Hyco River
John, Michjah & Samuel Woody near Matadequin  & Totopotomoy Creeks
William & Samuel Woody near the Potomac River
Robert Woody, the father of Seafarers, on the Rappahannock River
John William Wooddy near the Ohio River
William  L. & Samuel Woody near the James River
Henry Talley Woody near the Savannah River
Henry W. Woody near the James River
Project Progress

Bibliography
Database

Introduction
 

            As discussed above, many Virginia counties have suffered a massive loss of genealogical related records. Although many Woodys did not own land, some did and their land transaction records can somewhat offset the absence of other records. When available, we make significant use of land records, especially the Virginia Land Office Patents and Grants database online at the Library of Virginia. We also use published deed transcriptions and microfilms of original deeds. In addition to the location of the property, these land transaction records usually mention the names of nearby property owners. Since neighbors tended to migrate together, this information can be used to identify and separate Woodys with the same given names. This information greatly assists in sorting out the Woody lines and their westward movements. However, as mentioned above, a very good understanding of the formation of new Virginia counties in the 18^th century is essential maximizing the usefulness of the land transaction data. We use both old and modern maps to try and pinpoint the locations mentioned in the patents, grants and deeds. The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) search capability at the United States Geological Survey (USGS) web site is very useful, since the landmarks mentioned in land transactions usually can be be identified and plotted on a modern Google map.
            Fortunately, the Woodys did associate with a few of relatively well known people of the time. The family histories of most of these people have been documented and some of the evidence presented below comes from this documentation. This evidence is complex and, at times, difficult to follow.
            We are able to get some source material via the Interlibrary Loan System (ILL) and we also rent many filmed records from the LDS Family History Catalog. This research is time consuming and somewhat costly to do. If you have the time and means to aid this project, your assistance is welcomed. If your family history investigations have been limited to copying the research of others, here is an opportunity to expand your horizons. You can become acquainted with the joys and disappointments of basic research. We will be glad to suggest research avenues and coordinate activities so we do not to duplicate our efforts. All it takes is time and a little money.
            We are obsessive about details. Many isolated facts concerning the Woodys have been published by the various Virginia genealogical and historical societies. These publications are available in these societies headquarters and in local libraries. When combined with other information, seemingly insignificant small details can be the keys to solving very complex genealogical puzzles. If you have the opportunity to search any of these publications, please pass along your findings.


 

            On September 21, 1745,  Henry Woody of Hanover paid Nicolas Pryer of Henrico County £40 for 170 acres at the head of Drinking Hole Branch of Tuckahoe Creek in the County and Parish of Henrico. The witnesses were Benjamin Johnson, William Street and Sarah Johnson. In 1752, freeholder Henry Woody voted for William Randolph and Bowler Cocke as Burgesses of Henrico County. Another voter was Richard Contrell. Henry Woody and his wife, Webby, sold property, "being the land said Woody now lives" to William Henley on March 3, 1755. Their neighbors were Benjamin Johnson, Leonard Henley and John Martin. On September 6, 1762, William Henley and his wife Mary sold 50 acres to Austin Woody for £7. This land was adjacent to the property that Henry Woody had sold Henley a few years earlier.
            Henry Woody died shortly before November, 1766 when his will was proved in Henrico by his widow, Webby* Woody. Security was provided by William Woody and Stephen Spurlock. The court ordered Thomas Ellis, Samuel Shepherd and Richard Cottrell to appraise the estate. The will has not survived.
            The Cottrell surname was almost as rare as Woody in Colonial Virginia. Although none of the Woodys are mentioned in the The Vestry Book of Henrico Parish, Virginia 1730 - 1773, Richard Cottrell  was noted as a processioner several times. Richard Cottrell, Henry Woody and Austin Woody are the links between the Woodys of Henrico County and the Woodys of Western Virginia. On September 7, 1785, Samuel Woody married Mrs. Elizabeth Denis in Henrico. Consent for Elizabeth was provided by Mr. and Mrs. Rich'd Cottrell and Henry Woody provided security. Richard Cottrell was the father of Elizabeth and Henry Woody was son of either Henry Woody Sr. or Austin/Augustine. In 1843, Elizabeth Cottrell Dennis Woody, then a widow of 87, deposed for the widow, Martha Kirby Woody, on her pension application based on the Revolutionary War service of her husband Benjamin Woody. Elizabeth stated that "She was well acquainted with Benjamin Woody who was the brother of her deceased husband Samuel Woody...".
            Our research indicates that most of the Woodys found in late 18^th century and early 19^th century Albemarle,  Buckingham, Fluvanna and Nelson Counties, Virginia were descendants of Henry and Webby Woody of Henrico. By about 1830, a small number of Woodys had moved west into Kanawha and Putnam Counties which became part of West Virginia when that state was formed in 1863; however, the vast majority remained in the same general area that their forefathers had settled starting about 1770.
            Ninety-seven Woodys were enumerated in the 1930 Nelson County, Virginia census. In addition, some 130 other Woodys were enumerated in Albemarle, Amherst, Bedford, Fluvanna, Franklin, Goochland and Henry counties. Many, if not all, of these folks were undoubtedly related the Woodys that migrated from Goochland and Henrico counties to the Blue Ridge region of Western Virginia. Male descendants of these 1930 western Virginia Woodys should seriously consider participating in the Woody DNA Project discussed below. This participation could help extend this Woody line and add to the Woody heritage. Many more details about this branch are in the Database.

*Webby Woody was transcribed and published as Westly Woody by a very good transcriber. This error threw us off the track for a while since we tried to find the non-existent Westly. This is a good example of the value of seeing an image of the original document.

 

James, John & Thomas in the Tributaries of the Dan River
(Pittsylvania County, Virginia)
 

            As mentioned above, Pittsylvania County was formed from Halifax County in 1767 and many land records have survived from the early days of Pittsylvania. However, it was not until 1780 that John Woody, "son of James Woody of the County of Pittsylvania", bought 235 acres along Sandy and Cane Creeks from the estate of Nathaniel Ayers. The wording of this deed suggests that the document is a copy that was first filed in another county; however, if so, we have not found the original. A little later, on August 1, 1781, Thomas Woody purchased 100 acres on Sandy Creek from Uriah Owen. {May 20, 2009 update: February 13, 1785, William Owen sold John Woody junr 200 acres on the waters of Sandy Creek. Be aware that the term "junior" did not necessarily imply a farther-son relationship. The term was often used to distinguish between between two men with the same names that lived in the same area. In this case, it is proof that the writers of deed were aware of two John Woodys: One was old enough to purchase property (over 21, thus born before 1764) and one older than the property buyer.} Cane and Sandy Creeks are tributaries of the Dan River located in the southeastern part of Pittsylvania County near the Halifax County, Virginia border and also, near the border of Caswell and Person Counties, North Carolina. We have found Woody deeds along the state border of all four counties.
            James Woody and four other individuals were enumerated in the 1782 Pittsylvania census. James, John and Thomas continued to buy and sell substantial parcels of land in this area for some twenty years. James died intestate in 1818, but the records of his estate settlement name a widow Lucy, sons John, Thomas and James and daughters Frances Woody and Polly Arnett. By the time of James' death, his son John had moved to Georgetown, South Carolina where grandson, John Thomas, was enumerated in 1840. John Thomas later lived in Charleston, South Carolina and, near the time of the Civil War, he moved to Chicago, Illinois with some of his family. James B. Woody, the much younger son of James, moved to Todd County, Kentucky by the 1850s and his son, Wesley Thomas Woody raised a very large family in nearby Logan County, Kentucky.
            yDNA comparisons show that James Woody was very closely related to the other Woodys of Western Virginia, especially Henry Woody of nearby Franklin County. The Woodys appearance in Pittsylvania in 1780 indicates that either they moved there at that time or/and they suddenly came into a substantial amount of money at that time. There are several tantalizing clues that might lead to the parents of James Woody and our research continues.
           Our thanks goes to Charles O. Woody for his excellent basic research and documentation of much of this line, Sharon Petersen for sharing her research on the descendants of Wesley Thomas Woody and Timothy Fisher for sharing information from the Bible of his great grandparents, William and Isadora Woody Fisher.
            Updated May 20, 2009: The yearly collection of Pittsylvania County personal property taxes began in 1782. We have recently viewed these tax records and discovered that James was the only Woody personal property taxpayer in Pittsylvania until Thomas was added to the list in 1807. This evidence, coupled with the fact that, in 1814 Person County, North Carolina, a John Woody sold named slaves to his "brother James Woody" of Pittsylvania County (see below), has caused us to revise our view of the James Woody family. These same named slaves were mentioned in the later estate settlement for James of Pittsylvania. We now conclude that the John Woody that bought land in 1780 Pittsylvania was not the son of James. This leads us to the conclusion that John's father James, mentioned in the 1780 deed, was also the father of James, first taxed in 1782 Pittsylvania. This much older, undocumented James probably lived with his son James in Pittsylvania. This conclusion is further substantiated by census and tax records, which indicate that John and Thomas, the sons of James Woody Jr., were too young to be the men that purchased land in 1780, 1781 and 1785. John was born 1770-1780 and Thomas was born c. 1785. The 1785 deed that mentions a "John junr" as a land buyer complicates the analysis; however, we have discovered records of John Woodys very close by in Halifax County and Caswell County, North Carolina. This John Woody, who seems to have died around 1800, could have been the inferred John Sr. of the 1785 deed and that is our current working assumption. We know that James of Pittsylvania had a brother John and we assume that the older Thomas Woody and the David Woody of Person County, North Carolina were also the brothers of James and John.
            There is not much evidence on which to base an estimate of the birth date of James, but censuses show that his wife Lucy was born c. 1760. If Lucy was the mother of James' son John, then John would have been born near 1780. So we have guessed James birth date as c. 1755, but he could have been born much earlier. His father would have been a contemporary of John of Goochland and Henry of Tuckahoe Creek or even, their fathers. 
            From our interpretation of the currently available evidence, we have concluded that the father of James (bc. 1755) also lived in Pittsylvania. We have found  a suitable candidate for this older James in Louisa County in 1743. In 1752, this James seems to have sold most of his personal property from his "plantation" to John Brooks. Since there is a very strong Woody/Brooks connection in Halifax and Person counties, we  are expanding our Louisa County research. Many more details about this branch are in the Database.

David near the Hyco River
(Person County, North Carolina)

            The first census enumeration of John & Mary Betts Woody was in the 1830 Halifax County, Virginia with seven younger people in the home. John was born 1780/1790 and the couple were married December 8, 1817 in Halifax. John & Mary's son Samuel B. Woody married Mary Ann Blackwell and we have been able to uncover a descendant trail for two of their sons: William B. Woody of Texas and Dr. Samuel Elisha Woody of  Louisville, Kentucky. This John Woody has led us to the excellent research of Dr. McIver Woody, a descendant of John & Mary. Dr. Woody died in 1970; however, his granddaughter, Charlotte, has very kindly provided us with a copy of his unpublished research. During his research, Dr. Woody discovered that the father of John Woody was  David Woody of Person Co., North Carolina. David is surrounded by mystery and contradiction. Person County property tax records indicate that a David Brooks paid taxes on 111 acres from 1793 through 1803. In 1803, the personal property tax for David Brooks was was based on 1 white poll and 3 black polls. In 1804 the exact same enumeration was recorded for David Woody: 111 acres, 1 white poll and 3 black polls. David Woody continued paying taxes on 111 acres until 1817. There are no other land plot of this size in the records, nor has a record of land transfer from David Brooks to David Woody been found. Dr. Woody also posited that David Woody was the David Brooks that married Anna/Ona Gravett, January 7, 1783, in Halifax Co., Virginia.  When David made his will in January 1821, he owned land lying on both sides of the border of North Carolina and Virginia. Dr. Woody also suspected that David was the person that signed a petition with Henry, John and Martin Woody in Albemarle/Amherst Co., Virginia in 1776.
            However, there is also evidence that detracts from some of this story. The David Woody, mentioned above with Henry Woody, was recorded in the 1791-1792 Bedford Co., Virginia tax records, along with Henry Woody. From 1797 through 1803, David paid taxes in Franklin Co., Virginia, as did Henry. Henry Woody did not name David Woody in his will, so we have always assumed that David died before Henry. However, the perfect fit of the Franklin  and Person County tax records suggests that David Woody moved from Franklin to nearby Person in 1803/1804. It is possible that David lived with or near Henry in Bedford and Franklin, but was not the son of Henry. We have not found any record that names David Woody's wife. Another significant complication is that both a David Woody and a David Brooks, both over age 45, were enumerated in the 1820 Person County census.
            The research documentation of Dr. Woody provides insight into another very interesting connection. In 1814 Person County, a John Woody sold three named slaves to "my loving brother of the county of Pittsylvania and state of Virginia",  for "good will and affection" and "one silver dollar". David and Thomas Woody witnessed the bill-of-sale. This John seems too young to be the son of David Woody. The names of these three slaves are also mentioned in documents associated with the James Woody (discussed above) of Pittsylvania. This apparent connection is not surprising since the home of the Woody family near the Dan River in Southeast Pittsylvania was only about 20/25 miles from the home of the Woody family near the Hyco River in northern Person County, North Carolina and the John Woody property on Bold Creek in Halifax County, Virginia. So, it seems that James Woody of Pittsylvania had a brother named John and they are both connected to David and Thomas Woody.
            June 27, 2009 Update: A little progress. In 1781 Caswell Co., North Carolina, Artha Brooks of Caswell sold 250 acres, adjoining the Virginia line, to John Woody of same. In 1785, John Woodde of Caswell sold 250 acres on Bold Branch, adjoining the Virginia line, to David Brooks of same. A neighbor was Arthur Brooks. In 1787, David Brooks of Caswell sold 139 acres on Bold Branch to John Tatum of same. In 1791/1792, Person County, North Carolina was formed from Caswell County. These land transactions left David Brooks with 111 acres in Person County. This was undoubtedly the same David Brooks that paid taxes on 111 acres in Person County from 1793 through 1803. We now conclude that the preponderance of primary evidence indicates that David Brooks and David Woody were one and the same person.
            However, the most intriguing individual is the John Woody that sold David Brooks the land in 1785. He may have been the John Woody who, in 1780, purchased land in Pittsylvania County, Virginia. The deed termed him, "son of James Woody of the County of Pittsylvania", but he did not live in Pittsylvania (see "James, John & Thomas in the Tributaries of the Dan River" above). He was enumerated in the 1790 Caswell census. However, there seem to have been two John Woodys, just as there seem to have been two James Woodys. A John Woodie, Senr, paid Halifax personal property taxes sporadically from 1794 until 1804. In 1803, this John Woody of Halifax purchased 189 acres on the Little Bluewing in Halifax from Arthur Brooks and 1806, John sold this property to Robert Brooks. This may have been the same John Woody that was the defendant in a 1757 Halifax debt petition and, in 1768 Halifax, was ordered to assist James Echols, the surveyor of the road from Banister Lower Bridge to Difficult Creek. If so, John would have been born before 1736. This John Woody probably died shortly after 1806 since he drops out of sight. We know that one John Woody (born before 1759) was the son of the almost invisible James Woody of Pittsylvania. Our current working assumption is that the older John Woody (born before 1736) of Halifax was probably the brother of the almost invisible James. 
            We cannot be sure why David Woody used the surname Brooks for so long. There are several possible reasons for this behavior, but the most compelling to us is that David was born out of wedlock. The customs and the laws of that time dictated that children born out of wedlock be given their mother's surname. Later on, David could have decided to use his father's surname. David Woody's father could have been the John Woody that sold him land in 1785. We would greatly appreciate information concerning a primary or secondary Person County reference/source that names the wife of David Woody.
            Bold Branch no longer appears on maps of Halifax or Person Counties. We strongly suspect that this stream is now called Bowle's Branch, which is just east and south of the Hyco River. In Person County, the highway that parallels Bowle's Branch is called Woody's Store Road.
            Some of the descendants of David Woody have been documented. It would be very helpful to have a Woody DNA Project participant from this line. Many more details about this branch are in the Database.

John, Micajah & Samuel near Matadequin  & Totopotomoy Creeks
(Hanover County, Virginia)  

`            Because Hanover County, Virginia is one of the most difficult Virginia counties in which to do research, we have avoided this prospect for over fifteen years. The Library of Virginia Lost Record's Guide states that "most county records, particularly deeds, wills, and marriage records were destroyed by fire in Richmond on 3 April 1865". However, since nearly all of our research on the Woodys of western Virginia suggests that their ancestors came from Hanover, we are going to try to correlate the scant information that is available.
           The processioning records  found in The Vestry Book of St. Paul's Parish 1706-1786 mention Mattedequin and Totopotomoy Creeks many times, along with over one hundred references to the Woodys that lived in New Kent and Hanover. The post Revolution land and personal property tax records for Hanover are extant and start in 1782. The earliest of these tax records list Samuel, Micajah, Cisley, John and William Woody. Micajah and Cecilia Johnson Woody were Quakers (Religious Society of Friends) and they were married in the Hanover Friend's Meeting House on September 4, 1739. Micajah, Cecilia and most of their children are mentioned in the Friend's meeting records and later, in the Hanover tax lists. John, Samuel, Micajah and Lucy Woody were enumerated in the 1782 Hanover County census. Micajah's will was dated September 23, 1771 and he died in 1800/1801. Although Micajah's actual will is not extant, he, his wife and his children were noted in a 1819 law suit. A transcription of John's September 16, 1784 will is also extant and names his wife Ruth and ten children. Micajah Woody was a witness to the original document. John Sr. died in 1786. Samuel Sr. died between 1782 & 1787. William Woody was very likely the son of Micajah and Cecilia Woody and is probably the William Woody that, on December 29, 1789, bought 126 acres on Totopotomoy Creek in Hanover from Thomas and Susan Tinsley. By 1850, as family farming was becoming less and less profitable, a migration to the nearby city of Richmond was well underway.
            May 26, 2009 Update: There are dozens, if not hundreds, of genealogies, lineages and GEDCOMs on the internet that flatly state that Micajah, Mary, Martha and Judith were the children of James and Martha Woody. We have never found any proof that James' wife was named Martha, nor have we found any proof of the names of his children. The evidence seems to indicate that James was older than Micajah and that both were Quakers. As is usual, we do not know the original proponent of this story, but some very important, easy to find, primary data has been overlooked. In 1734, Simon Woody died testate in Hanover County and his will was probated the same year. He named his wife Martha, son Moore and daughters Mary, Martha, Judith and Rebecca. Unfortunately, his only son Moore died testate later the same year. Moore's will named his mother Martha and sisters Mary, Martha, Judith and Susanna. Simon's widow, Martha, lived until about 1769, when her son-in-law, Nathan Johnson, contested her will (not extant). The Mary, Martha and Judith Woody that married David, Ashley and Nathan Johnson were the daughters of Simon Woody, not James Woody. The complete transcripts (not abstracts) of the original Quaker marriage records can be found online. Micajah was probably the son of James Woody but, to our knowledge, there is no proof of that relationship.
            Some of the authors of the abovementioned lineages also assert that this same Micajah Woody married Mrs. Elizabeth Allen, widow of Littleberry Allen, on Aug 15, 1796. While it is true that such a marriage was originally transcribed and published, Micajah Woody was married to Cecilia when he died; therefore, if a Micajah Woody was married in 1796, it was not the husband of Cecilia. However, the abovementioned 1819 law suit begins with the phrase; "Micajah Woody, Senr., of the County of Hanover, by his Will, dated Sept. 23d, 1771...". So a second Micajah seems to have existed in 1771, but we have never found even one additional reference to this second Micajah Woody. It should be remembered that the term "junior" and "senior" were commonly used to differentiate between two men with the same name and did not necessarily imply a father and son relationship. Micajah Woody, Jr. is not mentioned in the wills of John or Micajah, Sr., nor was he ever enumerated in the personal property tax records of Hanover and Henrico counties which are extant from 1782. In fact, we have never found even one additional reference to another Micajah Woody anywhere in America.
            Recent primary research has shed some light on this puzzle. The minutes of the Henrico County Boar Swamp Baptist Church contain this short note: "Dec 1, 1787, Elizabeth Allen, now Woody - removed". Apparently, at least part of the Woody-Allen marriage transcription seems to be incorrect. In addition, the will of Rev. Littleberry Allen, a Baptist preacher, was dated August 20, 1783 and recorded June 6, 1786 in Henrico. His widow was Elizabeth Allen and the will names some seven children; however, we have not seen the probate record of the Allen estate. The Boar Swamp Baptist Church was located very near the border of Hanover and Henrico Counties and close to the Woody homesteads east of Richmond in Hanover. In 1789 and 1790, an Elizabeth Woody was listed on the Hanover County tax lists. From the above data, we conclude that a Micajah Woody did marry the widow, Elizabeth Allen, before 1787 and probably in 1786, instead of 1796. He was not the son of Micajah Sr. and probably not the son of John. He was most likely the son of Samuel Woody, who died intestate; however, he could have been a contemporary of John, Micajah Sr. and Samuel. He was a middle aged or rather elderly man when he married and he died about 1788.
            We continue to evaluate every scrap of data that we can find about these early Virginia Woodys. We will soon publish this data and our conclusions on this site. We welcome any additional evidence.
            The Battle of Cold Harbor, in Hanover County, was one of the Civil War's bloodiest, most lopsided battles. Between May 26, 1864 and June 3, 1864, thousands of Union soldiers were slaughtered in a hopeless frontal assault against the heavily fortified Confederate troops of Gen. Robert E. Lee. For a time, the farmhouse of David Wooddy, about three miles south of Mattedequin Creek, was the headquarters of Union Maj. Gen.  Ambrose E. Burnside. The Wooddy farmhouse still stands and the adjoining property is home to a modern subdivision called Wooddy's Hundred. The nearby Cold Harbor National Cemetery contains the remains of Union soldiers that were originally interred on "Woody's Farm". This 1861 map of Hanover and surrounding counties shows the Cold Harbor area. This June 3, 1864 map of the battle clearly shows the "Woody house".
            Many of the descendants of the Hanover Woodys used the Wooddy variation, so it is relatively easy to locate more recent records. For instance, six Wooddys are buried in the Perrin (a.k.a: Snead, Wooddy) Family Cemetery in Hanover. This cemetery is about two miles north of Totopotomoy Creek. Also, there are Wooddys listed in current area telephone directories. So, Wooddys have lived in this area for at least 320 years.
            July 11, 2009 Update - Mark W. Wooddy, the grandson of William Samuel Wooddy, has kindly provided us with the full names and exact birth dates of the nine children of James P. Wooddy (1772-1839), one of the sons of John and Ruth Wooddy mentioned above. Many of the Wooddys living in present day Hanover seem to be the descendents of James and his wife Mary Q. Jones Wooddy, who were married in 1795. This data confirms and considerably enhances the research that we have done. William Samuel received this data from his older cousin, Harriet Wooddy Wright.
            We have been able to find only a very few published lineages or discussions of this line. This seems a little odd to us, but if the reader knows of such information, we will greatly appreciate your assistance.  Also, it would be very helpful to have a Woody DNA Project participant from this branch. Many more details about this branch are in the Database.
 

William & Samuel near the Potomac River
(Loudoun County, Virginia)

            William Wooddy was first taxed in Loudoun Co., Virginia in 1799 and in the 1810 census he was enumerated as being born before 1765. In 1804, he was appointed postmaster of Loudoun County and served in that capacity until his death in 1823. His son, William Jr. was a well known and successful printer in Baltimore, Maryland. The advertisement on the right is from the February 15, 1822 edition of the Baltimore Sun. The will of William Sr. names his 2nd wife Elizabeth, sons William Jr., John, David and James and daughters Mary Jane Wooddy, Ruth Jones Wooddy, Sally Hamerly and Kitty Rose. The sons names duplicate those found in the will of John Woody of Hanover County and John's wife was Ruth. John was the likely brother of Micajah Wooddy, who was a Quaker. Although Loudoun County had one of the largest concentrations of Quakers in Virginia, we have found no evidence that any of this branch were members of the Society of Friends. In fact, James the son of William Sr., was a Methodist Episcopal minister in Florida. However, William Jr. was associated with the Baltimore Friends and he printed several Quaker books. Ruth, the wife of William Jr., is recorded as a witness to two Quaker marriages in Baltimore. Most of the children of William Jr. and Ruth Wooddy are buried in the New Elkridge Meeting House Cemetery (Ellicott Graveyard) on "Quaker Hill" in Ellicott City, Maryland. Since the tombstones are engraved, it is not likely that these Wooddys were Quakers.  The names of the children of William Sr. and the Quaker connection of William Jr. leads us to conclude that William Sr. was the son of John Woody of Hanover. The will of John of Hanover named two of his sons, John Jr. and William, to be his estate executors, but neither seemed to have stayed long in Hanover after he died in 1786. John and William were likely the eldest sons of John Sr. John Jr. was born c. 1760, so the age of William of Loudoun is a very good fit with the known data.
            July 15, 2009 Update: Recent analysis of personal property and land tax lists (primary sources) of Hanover County has provided direct evidence that William Wooddy of Loudoun was indeed the son of  John Wooddy of Hanover. William Wooddy paid taxes on 50 acres in Hanover from 1812 until 1822; however, this William did not live in Hanover, since he paid no personal property tax in that county. This property was sold in 1823, the same year that the will of William Wooddy of Loudoun was probated. This evidence is heavily reinforced by the circumstantial evidence mentioned above. There seem to be living male descendants from this line, so it would be very helpful to have a Woody DNA Project participant.
            Samuel H. Wooddy is another Wooddy found in Loudoun and Jefferson Counties, Virginia. Samuel H. was bc. 1814, but does not seem to connect to the other Wooddys of this area. Again, there seem to be male descendants of Samuel H. The yDNA from one of these descendants might help solve this mystery. Many more details about this branch are in the Database.

Robert, the father of Seafarers, near the Rappahannock River
(Lancaster, Middlesex & Richmond Counties, Virginia)

            October 21, 2009 Update: The tidewater counties of northeastern Virginia, are not the place that most researchers would expect to find a descendant of the Hanover County, Virginia Wooddys. The migration pattern of almost all the early established residents of Colonial Virginia was from east to west. There were several reasons for this pattern: colonial tobacco farming techniques depleted the soil of it nutrients and gullied the land; colonial governments offered inexpensive land grants in the west; colonial primogeniture statues encouraged non-inheritors to find inexpensive land on the western frontier. So it is surprising to find the 1813 marriage bond of Robert Wooddy (1792 - 1845) to Polly Corey in Middlesex County on the south side of the Rappahannock River in northeastern Virginia. The bond notes that Polly was the daughter of David Corey, John Wooddy Sr. was Robert's guardian and John Wooddy Jr. provided the security and was a witness. This John Wooddy Sr. (1760 - 1822) was almost surely the son of John Wooddy (1733 - 1786) of Hanover and the brother of Frederick Wooddy (1768-1804). Both John and Frederick lived in King William County in the late 1700s and early 1800s. Apparently, Robert and Polly Wooddy lived in Hanover County for a few years after their marriage as Robert paid personal property taxes there in 1814 and 1815; however, the 1820 census shows Robert in Lancaster County in the 1830 in Richmond County. Lancaster and Richmond Counties are on the north side of the Rappahannock River across from Middlesex. This is "Tidewater" Virginia since the Rappahannock is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay and most of the larger waterfront towns supported extensive maritime activities in the Colonial period. While living in Richmond County, Robert had at least three sons: Robert C. C. Wooddy, James Parker Wooddy and Frederick M. Wooddy. In 1836, Robert and his son Robert C. C. Wooddy witnessed a will in Hanover County. Both Robert C. C. and James Parker are documented as seafarers. James Parker was the captain of a Confederate blockade runner in the Civil War. The only mention of Frederick M. that we have found was as a brother of James Parker in the 1880 census; however, this is an extremely important fact, since one of the sons of John Wooddy of Hanover was named Frederick. Perhaps the absence of this later Frederick Wooddy in the records indicates that he may have been a landless seafarer.
            Considerable circumstantial evidence indicates that Robert Wooddy was the son of Frederick Wooddy and that is our assumption. It does not appear that there are any living male Woody/Wooddy descendants of the Robert Wooddy branch; however, this research has led us to a connection that we had not known before. In 1828, John William Wooddy (1801 -1856) married Ann Nancy Corey, the daughter of the abovementioned David Corey and the widow of John Herron, in Lancaster County. This may have been the John Wooddy that provided surety and witnessed the marriage bond of the abovementioned Robert Wooddy; however, John William would seem to have been too young to be a bondsman. Many more details about this branch are in the Database.

John William Wooddy near the Ohio River
(Jefferson County, Kentucky)

            Oct 29, 2009 - New: John Wooddy (1801 - 1856) died on February 10, 1856 in Jefferson County, Kentucky. His death record notes that he died at age 55 and that he was born in Hanover County, Virginia. In 1828, John married Ann Corey Herron, the widow of John Herron and the daughter of the David Corey. Ann Nancy was the sister of the Polly Corey that married Robert Woody, mentioned above, in 1813. yDNA results of two descendants of John William Woody confirm that he had the same common ancestor as many other Woody DNA Project participants with roots in Colonial Virginia. George Llewellyn Woody was one of the children of John William and Ann Nancy Woody. George had at least three sons that migrated to Texas and there are many living descendants of this branch. Several online lineages contain detailed dates concerning births, marriages and deaths of John William Woody, his wife and his descendants. The dates for John William are consistent across these lineages and appear to be based on the same source, but this source is not identified. Detailed dates, such as these, are usually found in a family Bible or written family history. We would like to know this source, since it may include other important information. We would also like to give credit to the person that first compiled the information. More details about this branch are in the Database.
 

William L. & Samuel & near the James River
(Chesterfield County and the City of Richmond)

            William L. Woody (c. 1809 - 1884) was first recorded in the 1840 Richmond, Virginia census. He was born in Virginia and had married Jane Williamson, a native of Scotland, in 1831. William and Jane had at least eight children, including Thaddeus M. Woody (1840 - 1906), a veteran of the Civil War. One of Thaddeus' grandsons was Thaddeus Braxton Woody (1901 - 2000), Professor Emeritus at the University of Virginia. There seem to be several living male Woody descendants of this branch. Many more details about this branch are in the Database.
            Samuel Wooddy (1778 - 1856) was recorded in the 1810 Chesterfield County, Virginia census and he was very likely the same person that was taxed in Hanover County in 1801. During the War of 1812, Samuel was a sergeant in Capt. Henry Heth's cavalry unit in the First Regiment of the Virginia Militia. Henry Heth was also the proprietor of an extensive coal mining operation in Chesterfield, across the James River from Richmond. In 1815, Samuel auctioned 320 acres, including a tavern, near the Chesterfield coal fields between "Black Heth Coal Mines and Sally's Pitts". Ownership of this rather expensive property would seem to indicate that Samuel had received an substantial inheritance. The 1830 Richmond census records Samuel with five younger females and two males in the 20/30 age bracket. In 1831, Mary Woody died and her obituary reads "wife of Samuel Woody of Richmond, leaving husband and seven children".  The 1840 Richmond census shows two males in the 30/40 age bracket in Samuel's family, but when his son, Samuel Washington Wooddy, died in 1846 at age 41, his obituary mentions only his father and two sisters as survivors. There were very few Woodys in the Richmond area at this time and the above mentioned William L. Woody seems to be a good candidate for another son of the above Samuel; however, the obituary contradicts this proposition. Samuel lived until 1856 and he and two of his daughters, Amanda and Mary, are in the 1850 Richmond census.

Henry Talley Woody near the Savannah River
(Wilkes & Oglethorpe Counties, Georgia)

            In October, 1798, the Augusta (Wilkes Co., Georgia) Chronicle reported unclaimed mail for Henry Woody at the Washington (Wilkes County) post office and in 1801, Henry T. Woody (c. 1779 - 1812) was taxed in Capt. John Paxton's District of Wilkes County, Georgia. In 1803, Henry Woody married Keziah Jennings in that Oglethorpe County. Oglethorpe had been formed from the northwestern portion of Wilkes County in 1793. Keziah's parents were from Henry and Pittsylvania Counties in Virginia. The only known son of Henry and Keziah was Samuel Rockingham Wooddy (1804 - 1863), who married Lorene Stamps and this couple and their children moved to Chambers County, Alabama about 1836. Here their family grew to at least fourteen. This Woody branch has been previously well researched and documented; however, it is difficult to determine the original researcher, but it appears to be Will Stamps. On October 7, 1809, Henry T. Wooddy of Goose Pond, placed a notice in the Washington, Georgia Monitor and Impartial Observer newspaper advising that he "being about to remove to the state of Virginia...has appointed George Hudspeth and Stephen Upton... to transact his business during his absence."  When Henry and Keziah sold their inherited land from the estate of Keziah's father, Miles Jennings in 1810, Obadiah Talley was living on the property. Obadiah was the son of Elias and Ann Woody Talley of Hanover County, Virginia. The Talleys had moved to Edgefield District, South Carolina about 1798. Edgefield was just across the Savannah River from Wilkes and Oglethorpe Counties, Georgia, so it was not too surprising to find Obadiah in Oglethorpe. Ann was the daughter of Samuel Woody (c. 1717 - 1788) of Hanover. We have also discovered several Henry T. Wooddy death notices that were published in the December 3, 1812 Richmond newspapers. Henry died at Capt. Haley Cole's Tavern in the coal fields area of northern Chesterfield County, Virginia, some ten miles west of Richmond. At that time, the above mentioned Samuel Wooddy was the only other recorded Wooddy/Woody in this area.  In 1803, Samuel Woody and Haley Cole had both testified for Obediah Hatcher in his suit against John Salle, so the two men were also acquainted. This may have been the Samuel Wooddy that was mentioned in a May 11, 1799 Augusta (Georgia) Chronicle advertisement concerning unclaimed mail at the Washington (Wilkes Co., Georgia) post office. We conclude that it highly likely that Henry and Samuel were brothers; however, their parents are unknown to us. We also suspect that their mother was a Talley; however, there were many Talleys living in Hanover County near the end of the 18^th century. In addition to Elisha Talley, his brothers (or close relatives), Nathan and Caleb, seemed to have moved to Edgefield District, South Carolina about this time. There seem to be many living male Woody/Wooddy descendants from this branch. Many more details about this branch are in the Database.

Henry W. Wooddy near the James River
(City of Richmond)

            On April 10, 1838, Jane C. Wooddy and Thomas T. L. Taylor bonded to marry in Henrico County, Virginia. On June 7, 1841, Jane C. Taylor provided consent for the marriage of her son, Henry W. Wooddy, to Sarah E. Bohannon. On July 23, 1846, Jane C. Taylor, widow of James M. Wooddy, provided consent for the marriage of her daughter, Mary Jane Wooddy, to Will W. Taylor and on June 4, 1842, the marriage bond for Parthenia Woody and Thomas R. Jones names Jane C. Taylor as the brides mother. So it seems that James M. Wooddy died before 1838, when his widow remarried. In later censuses, Jane C. Taylor was enumerated as being born c. 1805 in Virginia; however, her son, Henry W. Woody, was enumerated as being born c. 1820 in Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. Several of Henry's sons also enumerated the birth place of their father as Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina. A search of the early censuses of Virginia, North Carolina and South Carolina produces a James M. Woody in the 1820 Pendleton County, South Carolina census. James M. was born between 1794 and 1804 and the rest of the enumeration details seem to be a perfect fit with the few facts that are known about Jane C. and her children in Virginia. However, this general area of South Carolina was also the home of another completely separate line of Woodys, although we have not found a documented James M. Woody in this line. There seem to be many living male Woody descendants from the Henry W. Woody branch and this situation is a near perfect application for yDNA analysis. Many more details about this branch are in the Database.

 

Project Progress

            July 4, 2008 - As a start in documenting this project, we have selected Henry Woody of Buckingham. Henry was born in about 1763, died in 1834/35 and was in Buckingham as early as 1779. Henry's wife was Elizabeth and they are one of the few Woody families that owned land and stayed in one place. Other Woodys in Buckingham in the 1780s were Augustine/Austin Sr. & Jr., Samuel and Benjamin. Henry had a proven son Benjamin and most likely two other sons; William and Henry Jr. Some of the descendants of William have been previously documented; however, this research has led to some later undocumented connections and branches.  
            Aug 4, 2008 - We have added what we know about William Woody, a long time resident of Bedford County. William's wife was Margaret Brown and they were taxed in Bedford as early as 1782. William was probably born before 1748, but he may have been much older since there was a William Woody in the Bedford militia in 1758; however, we are not sure this was the same man. William died before May 23, 1814, when his will was proved in Bedford. His only bequests were to his wife Peggy and daughter Elizabeth. Elizabeth married James Brown and they had a daughter Charlotte who married Moses Milam. The Milam family moved to Kanawha County and lived in the vicinity of Samuel, Hawkins and Fleming Woody.
             Aug 18, 2008 - It is now clear that at least two separate, but closely related families of Woodys made their way from Goochland and Henrico Counties to Amherst and Fluvanna Counties. The children of John Woody of Byrd Creek in Goochland were in the Rockfish River area of Amherst (later Nelson) by 1770. Augustine and Henry Woody and their children moved from Tuckahoe Creek in Henrico to Fluvanna and Buckingham about 1776. From Amherst, Buckingham and Fluvanna, they rapidly spread to the neighboring counties. It is our opinion that the ancestors of both of these families had their American roots in New Kent and Hanover Counties.
            Oct 9, 2008 - We have made considerable progress toward demystifying some of the Woodys of western Virginia. One of the keys was the realization and proof that the name Austin was a common nickname for Augustine. Also, a census anomaly occurred in 1850 and 1860 Virginia that has aided this research. In the 1850 Buckingham County census, the county of birth was recorded and in the 1860 Nelson County census, the county of birth was also recorded. The 1850 census confirms our previous comments concerning the almost complete absence of Woody land owners in the region. The only Woody land owners noted were John and Samuel, who were neighbors in Buckingham. Some of this property was almost surely part of the land that Henry Woody sold to Benjamin, William and Henry Woody Jr. in 1814. The well documented research of Dan Moore and Tina McKie has aided this research.
           Oct 27, 2008 -   The focus of the latest update is on the descendants of Richard C. Woody, born c.1800.  Richard was almost surely the son of Samuel and Elizabeth Cottrell Dennis, who were married in Henrico County in 1785.  Some of the branches of this line have been previously researched, but this update adds unpublished branches. As mentioned above, a descendant of one of these Woodys is a Woody DNA Project participant. His yDNA information has already proved very useful and this paper research project was initiated because one person had enough interest in the Woody heritage to join the project.
            Nov 15, 2008 - The yDNA results of descendants of George Woody of Nelson County and James Woody of Pittsylvania County compare very favorably to the results of descendants of Henry, William and Austin Woody. George Woody moved to Madison County, Alabama with his assumed brothers Robert and William. William later moved to Mississippi. Some limited research has been published on the George Woody line. We have considerably expanded this research and added what we could find concerning the descendants of Robert and William. Some excellent research has been done on the James Woody line and we hope to include some of this work soon. These recent yDNA results continue to confirm that all of the Woodys that moved to wide area of Western Virginia in the latter half of the 18th century shared a common ancestor.
            Dec 10, 2008 -  The yDNA results of two descendants of James Woody of Pittsylvania County are a very close match to the results of the descendants of Henry, William, Austin and George Woody. James was born before 1755 and was in Pittsylvania before 1780. We have considerably expanded the excellent research of Charles Woody and Sharon Petersen and added this lineage to the database.
            Jan 22, 2009 - Tradition research has revealed that James Woody of Pittsylvania is somehow connected to David Woody of Person County, North Carolina. We have expanded  Dr. McIver Woody's research on David Woody and added this lineage to the database.
            Feb 8, 2009 - We have added our research on the Woodys of Hanover Co., Virginia. This research mainly concerns the descendant of John & Ruth Woody. John died in 1786 and left six sons. We have added many descendants of John's son, James P. Woody, to the database.
            Mar 23, 2009 - Our research of the Hanover County Woodys has led us to King William County which borders Hanover on the north. Several of John and Ruth's children and grandchildren lived here, the most notable being grandson Ezekiel Woody. We have added many descendants of Ezekiel and Martha Woody to the database. We have also revised our understanding of the family of James Woody of Pittsylvania to reflect our latest research.
            May 19, 2009 - We have added our research on the lines of William Wooddy of Loudoun County, Virginia and Samuel H. Wooddy of Jefferson County, Virginia/West Virginia to the database.
            Sep 7, 2009 - Additional research of the William of Loudoun and the John of Hanover branches has established that William was the son of John.
            We have added the branches of Samuel Wooddy of Chesterfield (1778 - 1856) and William L. Wooddy of Richmond (1809 - 1884) to the database. Some minimal evidence points to Samuel as the father of William, but there is also contradictory evidence.
            We have added the branch of Robert Wooddy (1792 - 1845) of Hanover & Richmond Counties  to the database.  Robert had at least four children, the most well known being James Porter Wooddy.
            We have supplemented the existing documentation of the lineage of Henry Talley Woody (d. 1812) and his son, Samuel Rockingham Wooddy (1804-1863), and added this branch to the database.
            Sep 15, 2009 - We have added the lineage of James M. and Henry W. Woody (1820 -1880) to the database.
            Nov 1, 2009 - We have updated the lineage of Robert Woody (1792 - 1845). Substantial circumstantial evidence indicates that Robert was the son of Frederick Woody (1768 - 1804) and the grandson of John Woody Sr. (1733 - 1786) of Hanover. We have added the lineage of John William Woody (1801 - 1856) of Hanover County, Virginia and Jefferson County, Kentucky to the database. Robert and John William Woody are connected by their marriages to Corey sisters. Two Woody DNA Project descendants of John William Woody share a common ancestor with a large group of men with Virginia ancestors.  
          
          

Bibliography

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Frain, Elizabeth R. & Hiatt, Marty. Loudoun Co Virginia Death Register 1853 - 1896, Heritage Books, Westminster, MD, 2000
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Hanover Co., Virginia Land Tax Lists 1782-1801B, Library of Virginia County Microfilm Records, Reel #137

Hanover Co., Virginia Land Tax Lists 1802A -1817B,  Library of Virginia County Microfilm Records, Reel #138

Hanover Co., Virginia Land Tax Lists 1818A-1829A,  Library of Virginia County Microfilm Records, Reel #139

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            For much of the information on this page and in the database, we are indebted to the following individuals, institutions and organizations: Steve Allen, Jeanne Arguelles, Carrie Frances Averett, Linda Ayres, Danny J. Balch, Edna Barney, Mrs. John Bennett Boddie, Linda Boorom, Eugenia Bradsher, Bonnie Breedlove, Wanda Brooks, Warren Leigh Brookes, Kimball Carter, Jean K. Childs, John A. Ciaccia, Tracy Coley, Richard Cottrell, Nancy Jones Crawford, Rhonda Jill Crawford, W. C. Crews, C. C. Culpepper, Pat Dailey, Grace Gillam Davidson, Emma Lou Day, Leonard Dean, Jack DeBolt, Barbara Dillard, Jim & Gail Dixon, Jordan R. Dodd, William Douglas, Patricia B. Duncan, Paul & Ruth Ellis, Elizabeth Prather Ellsberry, Becky Falin, Timothy Fisher, Elizabeth R. Frain, Mamie B. Fraser, Candie Freeman, S. Bassett French, Craig Gathright, Mildred Goss, Robert N. Grant, Jean Pickett Hall, Charles Ray Harper, Elizabeth Harris, Lillian Herrin, Marty Hiatt, Dennis Ray Hudgins, Frank Parker Hudson, Marsha Lloyd Howell, Kathryn Humphries, Louisa Skinner Hutchison, Frances T. Ingmire, George S. Jack, Edward Boyle Jacobs, Aurelia M. Jewell,  Suzanne Johnston, W. Mac Jones, D.S. Keeton, Katherine Kerr Kendall, T. William Kethley, George Harrison Sanford King, Doug Kirk, Danny Lamberth, Roy Laney, Cecil Q. Larsen, Frances H. Leonard, J. Lester Link, Charlotte Woody Martin, Mary McGhee, Jackie McInnis, Tina McKie, Jessie McLam, Rudy Moe, Dan Moore, William Munford, Joanne Lovelace Nance, Henry C. Peden, Sharon Petersen, Dorothy G. Pilout, Phyllis Porter, Faye Stone Poss, Bettie B. Powell, Shirley Pritchett, Joyce Rash, Anne Waller Reddy, Carl Reed, Joan Renfroe, Melanie Renfroe, Andrew Lewis Riffe, Bernard Rodenhizer, Nelwyn P. Rogerson, Velvet Satterwhite, Brian Keith Scott, Steve Scott, Susie Sexson, Cindy Wooddy Sherrod, Ronald L. Simmons, Herk Slutter, Nancy Smith, Martha Bradsher Spencer, Will Stamps, Dwight D. Taylor, Julia Ann Taylor, Richard Taylor, Barbara Jean Thomas, Marianne C. Thompson, V. A. Thomson, Kenna Van Meter, Patricia G. Viellenave, John Vogt, L. G. Vincent, Alex Wade, Homer Walker, Tom Flynn Walker, Anne A. White, Jason Whitt, Dorothy Wilkinson, Leon & Mary Wilson, Millie Wilson, Barbara Walker Winge, Martha Winstead, Mark W. Wooddy, William Samuel Wooddy, Charles Owen Woody Jr., Lavalette Tinsley Woody, McIver Woody, Harriet Wooddy Wright, Jane Wooddy Wright, the staff of the LDS Family History Centers in Fort Myers, Florida & Knoxville, Tennessee, the staff of the Newberry Library, Chicago, Illinois, the staff of the Calvin M. McClung Historical Collection, Knoxville, Tennessee, the staff of the Mid-County Regional Library, Port Charlotte, Florida, the staff of the National Archives, Chicago, Illinois & Washington, D. C. and the staff of the Library of Virginia, Richmond, Virginia. Any omissions are unintentional.

 

To be continued.....
 

Caution - Caution - Caution

            A search of primary and secondary records has uncovered some persuasive evidence and this evidence is documented on this page and in the database. However, you are cautioned that some of the assumed relationships in the database are based on indirect, circumstantial evidence and some of this evidence is quite sketchy. Please remember that the database is similar to a historical documentary: It is based on facts, but the authors have made assumptions that may or may not be correct. If and when more evidence is uncovered, these assumptions and the database may be revised. All of the evidence is sourced. The bases for the assumptions are outlined in the "notes" citations. Read the notes and citations. Look at the sources. Decide for yourself.

            Since it is possible to interpret the evidence in other ways, the yDNA from descendants of these Woodys would be very useful in proving/disproving these relationships. If you find possible lineages, connections and/or helpful information in the database, we ask that you join the Woody DNA Project. If you are not a male Woody, please strongly encourage a male Woody relative to join. Get involved.   

A few family branches have used the Wooddy surname variation; however, this usage was not always consistent, even in the same branch. To simplify database searching, we have used the Woody
 variation for every Woody/Wooddy; however, some key individuals are listed with both variations.

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Revised Nov 5, 2009