Woods Family Made Up of Brave Pioneers, Hall, Georgia http://files.usgwarchives.net/ga/hall/newspapers/wood1.txt ----------------------------------------------------------------------- USGENWEB PROJECT NOTICE: In keeping with the USGenWeb Project policy of providing free information on the Internet, this data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material These electronic pages cannot be reproduced in any format for profit or other gain. Copying of the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access. GAGenWeb Archives File Manager, Hall County Carolyn Golowka, ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Submitted by Bill Stephenson, January 2001 Transcription by William L. Stephenson, Jr. Reprinted by permission granted to William L. Stephenson, Jr. by Sybil McRay to be placed in the ALGenWeb Archives, part of the USGenWeb Project. Woods family made up of brave pioneers The Times of Gainesville, June 23, 1974 - Sybil McRay, Special to the Times Transcribed by William L. Stephenson, Jr. (WoodArt@one.net) Numerous present-day North Georgians are descendants of a group of adventurous pioneers who moved to this area from Pennsylvania. Samuel Woods and his brother, Robert, came with the group. Samuel Woods was enumerated in the 1820 census of Hall County. According to a descendant of hardy settlers, in the autumn of 1787 a colony of Scotch-Irish Presbyterians started from the neighborhood of Carlisle, Penn., to seek new home in the wilds of North Georgia. When the group had nearly reached the Savannah River, they met a crowd of other pioneers fleeing from Georgia. It seems that the Indians had become infuriated and has been ruthlessly murdering individuals whom they came across and in some instances entire pioneer families had been killed. In view of the reported Indian outrages, most of the Pennsylvania emigrants stopped a year in Abbeville County, S.C., and planted a crop there in 1788. In the fall of the same year, after harvesting the crop, the group continued their journey to Georgia. The entire colony of people settled in the same neighborhood between the north and south forks of Broad River, 40 miles northwest of Washington, Ga. This area was then Wilkes County. Some of the families listed in the colony were: McGurdy, Groves, Griffeth, Leeper, Eberhart, Cochran, Calvert, Denny, Appleby, MvElhannon, Atcherson, Vineyar, Woods, and Cleghorn. In a few years, the group was joined by other families from North and South Carolina. Some of these families were: Fergus, Storey, Thompson, Evans, Hull, Walker and Human. The colonists were all ardent Revolutionary patriots, according to Rev. Groves H. Cartledge in "Historical Sketches.....," and these patriots had all borne arms in defense of American liberty. They, therefore, bore a mortal hatred of all tories. As soon as the colonists had located their lands, they united in building a large stone fort, with cabins for the families within the fort. For several years the women and children spent most of their time in the fort, while the men labored by day upon the farm with their guns stacked conveniently nearby. While in some settlements some few individuals were killed but in some instances entire families were murdered by the Indians. No person in the colony from Pennsylvania lost his life in this manner. However, they did lose some personal items, and especially has horses stolen by marauding Indians. The group from Carlisle, Penn. were descendants of the Scotch Convenanters who had ages before contended into the death for Christ's crown and covenant; therefore, one of the first things they did was to select a site for a church and then erected a rude log cabin to be used as a temporary place of worship. The first elders of the church were Samuel Woods, Samuel Long, and William Hodge. These men had evidently been ordained while still living in Pennsylvania. Samuel Woods had moved to Hall County by 1820 and more likely died sometime during the year. In the census of that year he was living alone except for a slave. His wife had died and all the children had left home. Also enumerated in the 1820 census were John and William Wood. (The name is spelled Wood and Woods) John and William both had large families and some of the children were under ten years of age. Samuel Woods left a will recorded in Hall County which was dated Dec. 25, 1820 and was probated July 10, 1821. "I will and bequeath to my daughter, Caty and her husband John Eberhart, my right and title to tract of land where they now live beginning on Bartons Creek to Stringers Creek.To daughter, Margaret and husband Jacob Eberhart, my right and title to tract of land on which they live.My son-in-laws to pay half of cost of the present account respecting the title of the land.... to settle with William Patton according to contract..... James McCleskey, Senr. and Craven Williams are witnesses to above mentioned lines.Balance of property to be sold and divided among my children, (not named).Executors: my two sons, Robert and Samuel Woods (Jr.). Most of the descendants of Samuel Woods Sr. moved from Hall County before the 1820 census and are enumerated in Alabama, Mississippi, and Texas. Some of the daughters and their husbands remained in Hall County and their descendants live in this area even today.