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Archibald Woods Papers

 Collection
Identifier: Mss. 65 W87

  • Staff Only
  • No requestable containers

Scope and Contents

Papers, chiefly 1783-1846, of Archibald Woods of Ohio County, West Virginia. The papers concern his family, the Poage family, and the Houston family, as well as his business dealings. Correspondents include Levi Barber, Daniel Call, Philip Doddridge, Chapman Johnson, Henry Lee, James Pindall, Benjamin Ruggles, Daniel Sheffey and John Tyler, Edgar Campbell Wilson, George Washington Wilson and Thomas Wilson. Subjects dealt with in the collection include banking, cholera, the Cumberland Road, land speculation, pioneer life near Wheeling, West Virginia and in Kentucky and Indiana, formation of and early days in Belmont and Monroe counties, Ohio (including the founding of Woodsfield, Ohio), the Northwest Territory, Indians of North America, family life, marriage and courtship, Virginia militia during peacetime and in the War of 1812, Ohio politics, sale of slaves and the Whiskey Rebellion. There are also letters of members of the Baker and Morgan families of Fauquier County, Virginia and Wheeling, West Virginia which concern life in St. Louis, Missouri during the 1840's.

Addition to folder 1482:  December 31, 1824 letter from Z. Jacobs in Richmond, Virginia to Archibald Woods regarding moving the College of William and Mary to Richmond.

Dates

  • Creation: 1777-1846
  • Creation: Majority of material found in 1783-1846

Creator

Language of Materials

English

Conditions Governing Access:

Collection is open to all researchers. Before publishing quotations or excerpts from any materials, permission must be obtained from the Manuscripts and Rare Books Librarian, and the holder of the copyright, if not Swem Library. Manuscript collections and archival records may contain materials with sensitive or confidential information that is protected under federal or state right to privacy laws and regulations, such as the Virginia Public Records Act (Code of Virginia. § 42.1-76-91); and the Virginia Freedom of Information Act (Code of Virginia § 2.2-3705.5). Confidential material may include, but is not limited to, educational, medical, and personnel records. If sensitive material is found in this collection, please contact a staff member immediately. The disclosure of personally identifiable information pertaining to a living individual may have legal consequences for which the College of William and Mary assumes no responsibility.

Biographical / Historical

A Federalist, Woods served in the Virginia House of Delegates and was a member of the Virginia Convention of 1788. He briefly served in the Revolutionary War and later was an officer of the Virginia militia, attaining the rank of colonel before resigning in 1816. Woods was president and a director of the North Western Bank of Virginia. He owned a flour mill, traded whiskey and leased out land. One of the founders of Woodsfield, Ohio, Woods was a land speculator in the military warrant land in the Northwest Territory and bought public land in Ohio and Indiana in addition to having extensive holdings in West Virginia. He was also either a principal or involved in some way with lawsuits to either settle land disputes or to collect money. He promoted the building the Cumberland Road which passed through Wheeling.

Administrative History: A Federalist, Woods served in the Virginia House of Delegates and was a member of the Virginia Convention of 1788. He briefly served in the Revolutionary War and later was an officer of the Virginia militia, attaining the rank of colonel before resigning in 1816. Woods was president and a director of the North Western Bank of Virginia. He owned a flour mill, traded whiskey and leased out land. One of the founders of Woodsfield, Ohio, Woods was a land speculator in the military warrant land in the Northwest Territory and bought public land in Ohio and Indiana in addition to having extensive holdings in West Virginia. He was also either a principal or involved in some way with lawsuits to either settle land disputes or to collect money. He promoted the building the Cumberland Road which passed through Wheeling.

Biographical Information:

A Federalist, Woods served in the Virginia House of Delegates and was a member of the Virginia Convention of 1788. He briefly served in the Revolutionary War and later was an officer of the Virginia militia, attaining the rank of colonel before resigning in 1816. Woods was president and a director of the North Western Bank of Virginia. He owned a flour mill, traded whiskey and leased out land. One of the founders of Woodsfield, Ohio, Woods was a land speculator in the military warrant land in the Northwest Territory and bought public land in Ohio and Indiana in addition to having extensive holdings in West Virginia. He was also either a principal or involved in some way with lawsuits to either settle land disputes or to collect money. He promoted the building the Cumberland Road which passed through Wheeling. Further information about this individual or organization may be available in the Special Collections Research Center Wiki:

Extent

10.50 Linear Feet

Additional Description

Arrangement of Materials:

This collection is arranged chronologically by date.

Acquisition Information:

Gift: 2,674 items, 11 May 1940. Gift: 101 items, 2 January 1942.

Physical Description

2775 items

General

Other Information:

Additional information may be found at http://ead.lib.virginia.edu/vivaead/published/wm/viw00093.frame

Subjects

Finding Aid & Administrative Information

Title
Guide to the Archibald Woods Papers
Author
Finding Aid Authors: Special Collections Staff.
Date
2007-06-06
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
The collection description/finding aid is written in English

Repository Details

Repository Details

Part of the Special Collections Research Center Repository

Contact: