Person:James Wood (93)

James Wood was an officer of the U.S. Continental Army during the American Revolution and the 11th Governor of Virginia.

Records of James Wood, Jr. in Augusta County, VA

From Chalkley's:

• Vol. 2 - John Ulrick Spore vs. Wood, &c.--O. S. 181; N. S. 64--Bill 1809. Previous to 1st April, 1755, Christopher Tosher (or Dasher) contracted with James Wood, Wm. Russell and Wm. Green for 200 acres on So. Fork of So. Br. Potomac (now Hardy County) and received a title bond in 1757. On 1st April, 1755, Christopher (Christian) transferred to John States, who died before 22d August, 1772, on which day Ann Willson (formerly Ann States, John's only child, who had married Isaac Wilson) transferred to John Gardner. On 21st November, 1777, Gardner sold to Zacharias Smith, who on 11th September, 1779, sold to Martin Gryder, who on 22d February, 1780, sold to orator. James Wood, William Green, Willm. Russell, Christian Dasher and John Gardner are dead. Wood's heir-at-law is James Woods, living in Virginia, and Dasher's heir is Christian Dasher.

1. ↑ Family Recorded, in Cartmell, Thomas Kemp, 1838-1920. Shenandoah Valley Pioneers and Their Descendants: a history of Frederick County, Virginia. (Berryville, Virginia: Chesapeake Book, 1909, 1963).
2.   Biography, in Ancestry.com.

   BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION
   James Wood, Jr., was born in Winchester, Virginia, on 28 January 1741, to Col. James Wood and Mary Rutherford. His public service began at a young age as deputy clerk and deputy surveyor for Frederick County, while also serving as clerk of the vestry of Frederick Parish. In 1766, Wood began his first term as a representative to Frederick County in the House of Burgesses, serving in that capacity until 1775. Wood married Jean Moncure of Stafford County in 1775 and settled at Hawthorn, the home built on his family's estate of Glen Burnie in Winchester. Wood had a distinguished military career beginning as a captain during Dunmore's War and continuing as colonel of the 8th Virginia Regiment Continental Line during the Revolution. In 1779, Wood became Post Commandant of the Albemarle Barracks in Charlottesville which accommodated the Convention Army Guard created to guard the prisoners taken from John Burgoyne's army on 17 October 1777.In 1781, he was named Commissioner of Prisoners for Virginia and Maryland. By the end of the war, Wood had obtained the rank of brigadier general of Virginia troops. Wood was also a member of the 1st (1774) and 5th (1776) Virginia Conventions. He served two terms in the House of Delegates in 1776 and 1784-1785. During the interim, Wood was a member of the Council of State, serving as Lieutenant Governor, the head of that body, for several terms. As Lieutenant Governor, Wood performed the duties as governor on a number of occasions, most notably during the long absence of Governor Henry Lee in 1794. The pinnacle of Wood's long public service came on 1 December 1796 when he was elected by the General Assembly to succeed Robert Brooke as governor of Virginia. Wood was reelected for two additional one-year terms until 6 December 1799 and his governorship was distinguished by the construction of the Virginia Penitentiary and Manufactory of Arms. Following his terms as governor, Wood returned to service on the Council of State until his death on 17 June 1813. Wood is buried at St. John's Church in Richmond.

3. ↑ ^3.0 3.1 Family Recorded, in Hayden, Horace Edwin. Virginia genealogies : a genealogy of the Glassell family of Scotland and Virginia: also of the families of Ball, Brown, Bryan, Conway, Daniel, Ewell, Holladay, Lewis, Littlepage, Moncure, Peyton, Robinson, Scott, Taylor, Wallace, and others, of Virginia and Maryland. (Wilkes-Barre, Pa.: E.B. Yordy, printer, 1891)
   p 428.

   ... HON. JAMES WOOD, Governor of Va. 1796-99, son of Colonel James and Comfort Wood, of Frederick county, Va., where he was b. --, 1750; d. "Olney," near Richmond, July [Jun] 16, 1813. ...

4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2} James Wood (governor), in Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
5.   Recorded, in Chalkley, Lyman. Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish settlement in Virginia: Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County, 1745-1800. (Rosslyn, Virginia: The Commonwealth Printing Company, 1912-1913 in Three Volumes).
6. ↑ Will Transcript of James Wood, in Greene, Katherine Glass. Winchester, Virginia, and its beginnings, 1743-1814: from its founding by Colonel James Wood to the close of the life of his son, Brigadier-General and Governor James Wood, with the publication for the first time of valuable manuscripts, relics of their long tenure of public offices. (Strasburg, Virginia: Shenandoah Publishing House, c1926).

   [cos1776 Note: Contains a full transcript of the Will of James Wood (p 340). The Abstract and Notes below are mine.

   JAMES WOOD. County: not specified. Will: 8 Sep 1746. Rec: not specified.
   

   Wife: Mary
   Children: (minors) James Wood, John Wood, Elizabeth Wood, Mary Wood
   Exe: wife Mary
   Wit: James Porten, Thos. Wood

   Notes: appoints wife Mary as guardian of his children and leaves all real and personal Estate to her, on condition that she pay to each named child 20 pounds current money of Virginia when they come of age.]
   -----
   [Identifies James Wood as a (minor) child of James Wood.]

7. ↑ Will Transcript of Mary Wood, in Greene, Katherine Glass. Winchester, Virginia, and its beginnings, 1743-1814: from its founding by Colonel James Wood to the close of the life of his son, Brigadier-General and Governor James Wood, with the publication for the first time of valuable manuscripts, relics of their long tenure of public offices. (Strasburg, Virginia: Shenandoah Publishing House, c1926).

   [cos1776 Note: Contains a full transcript of the Will of Mary Wood (p 353). The Abstract and Notes below are mine.

   MARY WOOD. Frederick county. Will: 20 Sep 1790. Rec: 2 Jul 1798.
   

   Husband: James Wood, dec'd.
   Sons: Robert Wood ; James Wood
   Grandsons: James Wood and Robert Welsh Wood (sons of Robert)
   Granddaughters: Mary Dorcas Wood ; Mary Ann Harrison ; Elizabeth Harrison ; Mary Harrison
   Executors: sons James Wood ; Robert Wood
   Wit: Alex. White ; Thos. White
   

   Notes: Will was proved 2 Jul 1798, by oath of Alexander White. On 5 Feb 1811, the negro Sarah appeared in court to claim her freedom which was granted by Mary Wood's Will. The court refused, the same being opposed by Peter Lauck, who claimed said Sarah as a slave. During this trial, Obed. Waite appeared as one of the heirs of said Mary Wood.]
   -----
   [Identifies James Wood as a child of Mary Wood.]

8. ↑ Grave Recorded, in Find A Grave.

   [No headstone photo as of Feb 2015, however many headstones are reportedly illegible.. Includes photo of a memorial plaque installed in 2007 by the SAR which lists Colonel James Wood as having been buried there.]