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.

http://www.edavidarthur.net/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

http://www.edavidarthur.net/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.

 

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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.

http://www.edavidarthur.net/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 (http://www.edavidarthur.net/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/

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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.

Text Box:  Text Box:                                                                               Top of page George Archer marriage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This publication is available at the link below which is from ancestry.com

https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/13606/images/dvm_GenMono002247-00007-0?treeid=109303857&personid=212343583065&usePUB=true&_phsrc=hRj4621&_phstart=successSource&pId=9&rcstate=dvm_GenMono002247-00006-1%3A656%2C700%2C905%2C766%3B666%2C1197%2C914%2C1254%3B665%2C1282%2C912%2C1338%3B666%2C1367%2C913%2C1423%3B1158%2C1364%2C1447%2C1433%3B1914%2C1362%2C2263%2C1421%3B672%2C1448%2C953%2C1506%3B2216%2C1945%2C2561%2C2001%3B683%2C2597%2C932%2C2652%3B683%2C2676%2C932%2C2734%3B838%2C3084%2C1146%2C3143%3B589%2C3167%2C902%2C3226%3B2068%2C3167%2C2381%2C3224%3B592%2C3332%2C905%2C3391%3B1743%2C3331%2C2050%2C3390%3B2974%2C3326%2C3283%2C3385%3B640%2C3494%2C949%2C3555%3B2449%2C3493%2C2754%2C3552%3B596%2C3662%2C906%2C3721%3B1014%2C3827%2C1322%2C3886%3B3079%2C4485%2C3390%2C4545%3B649%2C455%2C898%2C510%3B654%2C534%2C903%2C593

 

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:

http://www.edavidarthur.net/AbrahamWood/AbrahamWood.pdf