Abraham
Wood 1610–1681
9th
Great-Grandfather of E. David Arthur
Abraham Wood > Sarah Elizabeth Wood > George Archer
Jr. > Margery Archer > Ann Cousins > John Overby > Robert Overby
> William Epps Overby > David Overby > James Washington Overby > Bertha
Margaret Overby > E. David Arthur
Major General Abraham Wood
BIRTH 14 AUG 1610 • Leeds, Metropolitan Borough of Leeds,
West Yorkshire, England
DEATH 1 AUG 1681 • Charles City, Charles City County,
Virginia, United States of America
Father
Francis Wood
1582–1618
BIRTH 18 DEC 1582 • Metropolitan Borough of Leeds, West
Yorkshire, England
DEATH
Mother
Marie CHADWICK
1588–1635
BIRTH 8 AUG 1588 • St Giles, Yorkshire, England
DEATH
Daughter
Sarah Elizabeth Wood
Birthdate: circa
1637
Death:
Daughter of Maj. Gen. Abraham Wood and Margaret? Wood
Sarah Elizabeth Wood married about 1651 Charles City
County, Virginia, George Archer Sr. born 27 Aug 1630 Langdon, Essex, England. Died 2 Nov 1675 and is buried in Archer
Burying Ground, Chesterfield County.
George Archer Sr. my 8th Great-Grandfather,
immigrated to America as a headright for Francis Epps, my 9th
Great-Grandfather
https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Archer-161
Capt. Francis Eppes (Epes) transported an individual named "George
Archer" to the colony prior to 1635 and received the 50 acre head right
arising from that transport.
·
Capt. Francis Eppes received 1700 acres on
26 August 1635 in Charles City County for transport of himself, 3 sons, and 30
servants, including a Geo. Archer.
George Archer, Sr. is the nephew of Captain Gabriel Archer,
Co-Captain of the “Godspeed” which brought the first settlers to establish
Jamestown, VA.
https://edavidarthur.tripod.com/GabrielArcher/GabrielArcher1575.htm
Son of
Sarah Elizabeth Wood and George Archer Sr.
George Archer, Jr Born 1654 Bristol Parish, Chesterfield
County, Virginia Married Elizabeth A. Harris whose Father was William Harris
and Grandfather Thomas Harris
https://edavidarthur.tripod.com/ThomasEHarris.htm
In
1678 Maj. William Harris and Col. Francis Epes
(son of Capt. Francis Epps mentioned above) were in command of a militia
of hands near present-day Richmond when an Indian raiding party came from the
North.
Both Maj. Harris my 8th Great-Grandfather and
Col. Epps my 8th Great-Grandfather, died as a result of this same
Indian raid.
George and Elizabeth had six Children, Judith, Blanch,
Elizabeth, Mary, George III, and Margery.
Margery married Charles Cousins and their daughter Ann
Cousins married Jeremiah Overby.
-------------------------------------
About
Maj. Gen. Abraham Wood
Abraham Wood (1614–1682), sometimes referred to as
"General" or "Colonel" Wood, was an English fur trader
(specifically the beaver and deerskin trades) and explorer of 17th century
colonial Virginia. Wood's base of operations was Fort Henry at the falls of the
Appomattox in present-day Petersburg.
Abraham Wood age 10
arrived in Jamestown 1620 in the Margarett &
John. He was a landowner, politician, Soldier, Trader & Explorer. Settled
"Wood" now Petersburg, Va. Was the discoverer of now New River &
it was named Wood River and went by that name for over 100 years. He was a
Major General, Member of House Of Burgesses for several years and then a member
of the Upper Council for 22 years, or until 1680.
Military Service: Given the commission of Major General in
British Army by Sir William Berkely. 1675
My 8th Great-Grandfather, Nicholas Overby
(Overbury) came to Virginia in 1654 as a “headright” for Colonel Abraham Wood
who was a merchant, explorer and land trader. Based on ship records from Bristol,
England, the port from which Nicholas sailed, he was not indentured or
apprenticed like most other emigrants. Nicholas was employed in some capacity
by Colonel Wood who was well known by the Overbury family. Virginia records
show business transactions by Nicholas Overby and
Thomas Chamberlayne.
https://edavidarthur.tripod.com/NicholasOverbyImmigrant.pdf
Later Nicholas’ Great-Grandson, Jeremiah Overby, married
Ann Cousins, who is the Great-Great-Granddaughter of Abraham Wood.
Biography - From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Wood
Fort Henry was built in 1646 to mark the legal frontier
between the white settlers and the Native Americans, and was near the Appomattoc Indian tribe with whom Abraham Wood traded. It
was the only point in Virginia at which Indians could be authorized to cross
eastward into white territory, or whites westward into Indian territory, from 1646 until around 1691. This circumstance
gave Wood, who commanded the fort and privately owned the adjoining lands, a
considerable advantage over his competitors in the "Indian trade".
Several exploration parties were dispatched from Fort Henry by Wood during
these years, including one undertaken by Wood himself in 1650, which explored
the upper reaches of the James River and Roanoke River. The first English
expeditions to reach the southern Appalachian Mountains were also sent out by
Wood. In 1671, explorers Thomas Batts (Batte) and
Robert Fallam reached the New River Valley and the
New River. The New River was named Wood's River after Abraham Wood, although in
time it became better known as the New River. Batts and Fallam
are generally credited with being the first Europeans to enter within the
present-day borders of West Virginia.
In 1673 Wood sent his friend James Needham and his partner
Gabriel Arthur (https://edavidarthur.tripod.com/GabrielArthur/GabrielArthur.htm)
on an expedition to find an outlet to the Pacific Ocean. Shortly after their
departure Needham and Arthur encountered a group of Tomahitan
Indians, who offered to conduct the men to their town across the mountains
(Wood 1990, p. 33). After reaching the Tomahitan town
Needham returned to Fort Henry to report to Wood. While en
route back to the Tomahitan town Needham was killed
by a member of the trading party with whom he was traveling (Wood 1990, pp.
36–38). Shortly thereafter, Arthur was almost killed by a mob in the Tomahitan settlement, but was saved and then adopted by the
town's headman (Wood 1990, p. 38). Arthur lived with the Tomahitans
for almost a year, accompanying them on war and trading expeditions as far
south as Spanish Florida (Wood 1990, p. 39) and as far north as the Ohio River
(Wood 1990, pp. 40–41).
By 1676 Wood had given his place as commander and chief
trader to his son-in-law, Peter Jones, for whom Petersburg was eventually
named. He retired to patent more plantation land in 1680 west of the fort, in
what had been Appomattoc territory, notwithstanding
it being disallowed by the House of Burgesses.
Wood, Abraham (1990), "Letter of Abraham Wood to John
Richards, 22 August 1674", Southern Indian Studies 39: 33–44, retrieved
2007-10-10.
General Wood was an important man in his day. He
represented Appamatache County, as it was called
then, 1644-45-46 and 56 and was one of the State Council, 1637. Wood Church,
near Petersburg, was named for him and is older than Old Blanford.
Information re Jones family taken from "A Genealogical
History", pp 36 and 37 by Colonel Cadwallander
Jones, printed by Ye Bryan Printing Company, Columbia, South Carolina, in year
of our Lord MDCCCC and "A Lost Arcadia" or "The Story of My Old
Community" pp 166 and 177, by Walter A. Clark, August GA Chronicle Job
Print 1909 and from information written by Cornelia Ellet Carswell Walker, 1st
wife of Little H. Walker. This information was in the possession of Ellect Carswell Walker their son, on March 4, 1956, who
resided at 1325 Glenn Ave., Augusta, GA
Major General Abraham Wood came to Virginia 1620 in the Margarett and John, and was among those living in the
Mathews' plantation across the river from Jamestown. In 1638, he was patented
400 acres in Charles City on the Appomattox River. Fort Henry was built as
protection against the Indians, probably on Flea Island and near Abraham Wood's
plantation. Captain Wood was granted the 600 acres in 1653 and for many years
remained in possession of his heirs. He served as Justice of Charles City,
commanding officer of the "trained bands" of Charles City and
Henrico, member of the House of Burgesses from Henrico 1644-1646, and from
Charles City 1652-1656, and member of the council 1657. With Edward Bland, Sacheverell Brewster and Elias Pennant, he undertook in
1650 a voyage of discovery along the Chowan and Nottaway Rivers, which was
documented by Bland in "The Discovery of New Brittaine."
Major General Abraham Wood, sent out Thomas Batts and
Robert Fallam in 1671 to discover something of the
west for King Charles and for the trade. Those emissaries proclaimed King
Charles at New or Wood River, but dreading the Salt Indians of the misty
beyond, they returned to the Appomattox, having contributed little to knowledge.
At the Totero town, on the upper Roanoke, near the
mountains, they learned that Captain William Byrd of James River Falls was in
the neighborhood with a company of explorers. Captain Byrd and General Wood
were in 1671 competitors in the Indian Trade to the South. The Indian trade
was, of course, a sphere-of-influence affair. General Wood was convinced of
that. His statement regarding his extraordinary attempts of 1673 was -
"That I have been at the charge to the value of two hundred pounds starling in the discovery to the South or West Sea declaro." His men, Needham and Arthur, in the summer
of 1673, went all the way, indisputably, all the long way from Appomattox Falls
to the Little Tennessee River.
Three years after Lederer turned
back before the sight of the Appalachian Mountains and the Spaniards he feared
inhabited them, Major General Abraham Wood left an account in a letter to his
benefactor in London. The British were still searching for a passage from their
settlements to the Indian Ocean. This expedition reached the very heart of the
Appalachian Summit. The natives they encountered and called the Tomahittans are believed to have been Cherokees.
Petersburg's (VA) history dates from 1645 when the colonial
legislature at Jamestown, Virginia ordered a fort built at the falls of
Appomattox River, which came to be known as Fort Henry. Major General Abraham
Wood, commander of Fort Henry, VA, established a trading station to serve
explorers for western expeditions and himself completed three exploratory expeditions
from Fort Henry, venturing to the falls of the Roanoke River near the Caroline
line, across the Appalachian Mountains, and into Cherokee Indian country,
helping pave the way for settlement of the mid-west. By 1675, Peter Jones was
operating the prosperous trading station, to which the growing population
referred as “Peter's Point”. The name of the Town of Petersburg evolved from
“Peter's Point”. (Today the ruins of the trading station can still be seen and
visited, thanks to the preservation efforts of Historic Petersburg Foundation.
Petersburg has survived three major wars: the American Revolutionary War, the
War of 1812 and as some would still say, the “War of Northern Aggression” also
known as the American Civil War. Source: http://www.historicpetersburg.org/
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abraham_Wood
Abraham Wood (1610–1682), sometimes referred to as
"General" or "Colonel" Wood, was an English fur trader
(specifically the beaver and deerskin trades) and explorer of 17th century
colonial Virginia. Wood's base of operations was Fort Henry at the falls of the
Appomattox in present-day Petersburg. Wood also was a member of the Virginia
House of Burgesses, a member of the Virginia Governor's Council and a
high-ranking militia officer.
Abraham Wood came to Virginia as a 10-year old boy in 1620.
By 1625, he was employed by Captain Samuel Mathews (Governor) and was living at
Jamestown.
Abraham Wood represented Henrico County in the House of
Burgesses from 1644 to 1646 and Charles City County from 1652 and 1656. He was
a justice of Charles City County in 1655. Also in 1655, he was appointed to a
committee to review Virginia's laws. He was elected to the Virginia Governor's
Council on March 13, 1657–68 and actively served until at least 1671, and
according to correspondence, keeping his seat as late as 1676.
Fort Henry was built in 1646 to mark the legal frontier
between the white settlers and the Native Americans, and was near the Appomattoc Indian tribe with whom Abraham Wood traded. It
was the only point in Virginia at which Indians could be authorized to cross
eastward into white territory, or whites westward into Indian Territory, from
1646 until around 1691. This circumstance gave Wood, who commanded the fort and
privately owned the adjoining lands, a considerable advantage over his
competitors in the "Indian trade".
Several exploration parties were dispatched from Fort Henry
by Wood during these years, including one undertaken by Wood himself in 1650,
which explored the upper reaches of the James River and Roanoke River.
The first English expeditions to reach the southern
Appalachian Mountains were also sent out by Wood. In 1671, explorers Thomas
Batts (Batte) and Robert Fallam
reached the New River Valley and the New River. The New River was named Wood's
River after Abraham Wood, although in time it became better known as the New
River. Batts and Fallam are generally credited with
being the first Europeans to enter within the present-day borders of West
Virginia.
In 1673 Wood sent his friend James Needham and his partner
Gabriel Arthur on an expedition to find an outlet to the Pacific Ocean. Shortly
after their departure Needham and Arthur encountered a group of Tomahitan Indians, who offered to conduct the men to their
town across the mountains (Wood 1990, p. 33). After reaching the Tomahitan town Needham returned to Fort Henry to report to
Wood. While en route back to the Tomahitan
town Needham was killed by a member of the trading party with whom he was
traveling (Wood 1990, pp. 36–38). Shortly thereafter, Arthur was almost killed
by a mob in the Tomahitan settlement, but was saved
and then adopted by the town's headman (Wood 1990, p. 38). Arthur lived with
the Tomahitans for almost a year, accompanying them
on war and trading expeditions as far south as Spanish Florida (Wood 1990, p.
39) and as far north as the Ohio River (Wood 1990, pp. 40–41).
Wood was appointed colonel of a militia regiment in Henrico
and Charles City counties in 1655. Later, he was appointed major general but
lost this position in 1676 after Bacon's Rebellion either because of infirmity
or political differences with Governor William Berkeley.
By 1676 Wood had given his place as commander and chief
trader to his son-in-law, Peter Jones, for whom Petersburg, Virginia was
eventually named. In 1676, Governor Berkeley wrote that Maj. Gen. Wood of the
council kept to his house through infirmity. By March 1678–79, he was strong
enough to negotiate with the Native Americans and to arrange for the chief men
of hostile tribes to meet in Jamestown.
Wood retired to patent more
plantation land in 1680 west of the fort, in what had been Appomattoc
territory.
Documentation of Abraham Wood’s daughter’s marriage to
George Archer.
Top of page George Archer marriage
This
publication is available at the link below which is from ancestry.com
George Archer I of the Umberslade
Archers of Henrico County, Virginia and his descendants
Pedigree
:
George Archer I of Henrico County, Virginia
Download a pdf file of this page at:
https://edavidarthur.tripod.com/AbrahamWood/AbrahamWood.pdf