Henry & William Woody - Bedford Co., Virginia - 1758

From: The Library of Congress, American Memory Collection
 George Washington Papers, 1741-1799: Series 4.
"Enclosure in letter  from J. Blair to Washington - May 24, 1758"
 

Transcription

Bedford County

This Day Timothy Dalton made Oath before me one of his majestyes Justices of the peace for the Said County: that yesterday there Came to his house three Indians and Quickly after Came four white men in Pursuit of the Said Indians namely John Wheeler Robt. Dalton Henry Wooddy William Hall from whom the Said Indians had Stollen horses from the Demanded the horses of the Said Indians but they Refused to let them have them on which the Said Wheeler went to take one of the horses on which they Shot at the Said Wheeler three times but Missed him on which the Said Indians went away and the Said white men in a Small time Joined with Seven more white men and went in Pursuit of the Said Indians again and them Indians being Joined by ten more Indians went over Stanton River a mile above the mouth of Pigg River and Threw off there Packs and Prepared them Selves for Battle then William Vardeman Sener and Some of the Rest went up to them and told them they Did not want to fight they only wanted there Horses and Did not want to hurt them on which the Indians told them they Should fight for them and Immediately the Indians fired on them three Guns Still the white men would not Shoot at them then the Indians fired three Guns more at them on that the Battle Began in which William Hall was mortally wounded of which wound he Died this Morning: and Likewise Richard Thompson was wounded in the Shoulder and Buttock; and that the white men Like Wise Killed and Scalped three Indians on which the Rest of the Indians Ran away and Left the horses and the Chief of the Plunder they had Stolen; and farther this Deponent Saith not Certified under my hand this the 9 Day of May 1758

Robt. Baber

Comment: The Pigg River is a tributary of the Staunton River. The Pigg flows for some twenty miles almost directly east from Rocky Mount, Franklin County to the Staunton River. The Staunton is now the border between Bedford and Pittsylvania Counties. Franklin County was the final home of Henry Woody.

From: Virginia Colonial Militia 1651-1776 - Militia Rosters - Bedford
by William Armstrong Crozier
Transcribed from Hening's Statutes at Large - Laws Of Virginia, September 1758−−32d George II, Vol. VII by William Walter Hening


William Wooddie is noted in the right column of page 68.

Comment: Since none of the names mentioned in the above skirmish description were noted as Bedford militiamen, it is likely that the men named in the skirmish were not residents of Bedford. They were probably hunting/exploring in the area south of the Staunton River. The maps of this period (e.g. Fry-Jefferson Map) do not show the detail in this area that is shown north of the Staunton River, so the area around the Pigg River was probably relatively sparsely inhabited. At this time, Henry Woody was documented as living in Albemarle County, just north of Bedford. Although it is certainly possible that William of Bedford and Henry were brothers, we think it is unlikely. We think it is much more likely that the William Woody living in Henry County in the 1790s was the brother of Henry. William Woody of Henry and Henry Woody of Franklin are the subject of Woody Family Roots.

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Created Jan 31, 2011
Revised Jan 14, 2012