Person:Archibald Woods (2)

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Sources

Related

Person:John Gass (6)

Analysis. Children of Archibald Woods (2)

Overview

Archibald Woods is said to have been born in 1706 in Ireland. He came to America with his parents before 1733. The family seems to have settled (initially at least) in Lancaster County. By 1733 Archibald was in what is now Cumberland County, where he witnessed the will of Person:John Gass (6).^[2] He is believed to have married John's daughter Isabella, about this time, probably before John's death.

In the mid 1730's the extended Woods family, including members of the Gass and Cowan families ^[3] moved to the Valley of Virginia area. Archibald, and his father Michael, settled on the east side of the Blue Ridge below "Woods Gap". ^[4]Other members of the Woods extended family, including person:David Cowan (1) and Person:David Gass (1) settled nearby. Other Woods, Cowans, Campbells ^[5] settled to the immediate westward of the Blue Ridge, in Beverley's Manor. ^[6]

For some 20 years the extended Woods family flourished on either side of the Blue Ridge. Michael Woods died in 1762. About this time a substantial number of the extended Woods family (including Cowan's and Gass') left the area. Some of them, including person:Archibald Woods (1) and soninlaw person:James Cowan (13) settled in the Savannah River area of South Carolina.^[7]

Footnotes

1. ↑ Source:Ward, 1943. Citing daybook of son Michael.
2. ↑ Document:Will of John Gass, Lancaster, PA, 1734
3. ↑ The maiden name of Margaret, wife of John Gass, and mother of Archibalds wife, Isabella, is believed to have been "Cowan". This point needs to be verified.
4. ↑ It is not clear whether "Woods Gap", now "Jarman's Gap", was named after the Woods family, or after an early explorer of the Valley of Virginia, Col Abraham Woods.
5. ↑ Michael Woods wife was a Campbell.
6. ↑

   The relationships between the Woods and Cowans families on either side of the Blue Ridge is not clear. Some of the Woods on the west side of the Blue Ridge, in particular, may be unrelated to Michael Woods, but this requires additional study. Similarities in naming ways has led to considerable confusion in some of these lineages. An example of this is the uncertainty concerning the identify of the children of Michael Woods (1). Despite the fact that Michael clearly delineates his children in his will, there is a persistent belief that he had other children who for various reasons were not named. This point helps to explain the considerable variability in the identity of Michael's children as recognized by different genealogists.

7. ↑ An identification of all those who left the area, and those who stayed, is badly needed. Much of the work that has been done to date on this extended family has focused on the Woods, Cowan's and Gass'. Additional work is needed for other members of the extended family, including in particular, the Campbells and the Wallaces.