The Elusive Mr. Woods is NO longer Elusive
he is
Harvey Woods

Our cousin and part-time slueth, Verna Stone dug the documents right out of the Oktibbeha County, MS courthouse.

Recorded in the Deed Book F -- page 72, is the entry where Harvey Woods purchased the land.
The land discription for the entry match the land patent.

In the Deed Book E-2 pages 197 - 199 and in Deed Book BDE pages 768 - 769, Harvey Woods and his wife, Elizabeth Woods of Choctaw County, Mississippi sold the land to James A. Peebles.

There are alot of questions that need to be answered about the land documents and we will update the "Comments" section in the table below as we get the information.
Year
Document
Comments
February 27, 1841

 Note: This is the date the Land Patent was signed by the President of the United States.
(This was also signed by the Recorder in the land office on July 3, 1841.)
Land Patent
Harvey Woods

(Click on image to make it larger)

Patentee Name Acres State/County Title Transfer/
Issue Date 		District Land Office Doc. Nr.
WOODS, HARVEY 40.86 MS/Oktibbeha 2/27/1841 Columbus 12772
Accession or Serial Nr. Authority Aliquot Parts Sec./Block Township Range
MS1090__.148 April 24, 1820: Sale-Cash Entry N�E�SE 4/ 18-N 15-E
.
February 27, 1841

 Note: This is the date the Land Patent was signed by the President of the United States.
Land Patent
Harvey Woods

(Click on image to make it larger)

Patentee Name Acres State/County Title Transfer/
Issue Date 		District Land Office Doc. Nr.
WOODS, HARVEY 40.86 MS/Oktibbeha 2/27/1841 Columbus 12773
Accession or Serial Nr. Authority Aliquot Parts Sec./Block Township Range
MS1090__.149 April 24, 1820: Sale-Cash Entry N�W�SE 4/ 18-N 15-E
.
February 27, 1841

 Note: This is the date the Land Patent was signed by the President of the United States.
Land Patent
Harvey Woods

(Click on image to make it larger)

Patentee Name Acres State/County Title Transfer/
Issue Date 		District Land Office Doc. Nr.
William H. Walsh
WOODS, HARVEY 		163.45 MS/Oktibbeha 2/27/1841 Columbus 12789
Accession or Serial Nr. Authority Aliquot Parts Sec./Block Township Range
MS1090__.164 April 24, 1820: Sale-Cash Entry NE 4/ 18-N 15-E
.
1833
Lowndes County
Mississippi
Tax Roll
Harvey Woods

(Click on image to make it larger)
.
January 14, 1835
Oktibbeha County
Mississippi
Recorded Land Deed
Harvey Woods


(Click on image to make it larger)

Deed Book F, pg 72

This is the recording of the Land Deed at the local County level.

1835
Oktibbeha County
Mississippi
Tax Roll
Harvey Woods


(Click on image to make it larger)
.
1836
Oktibbeha County
Mississippi
Tax Roll
Harvey Woods


(Click on image to make it larger)
.
1838
Oktibbeha County
Mississippi
Land Sale
Harvey & Elizabeth Woods

Page 197

(Click on image to make it larger)

Page 198

(Click on image to make it larger)
Comming Soon
1839
Choctaw County
Mississippi
Tax Roll
Harvey Woods


(Click on image to make it larger)
  • The land that we believe this Tax Roll (and the following from Choctaw County) was referencing is the land listed on the 1848 Choctaw County Land Assessment document for Elizabeth Woods.
  • The original land patent for this property was issued to a William Dyre
    Document number:31000
    Listed as the NE part of section 14 in the 19N Township and 8E Range.
    The issue date was 2/27/1841.
  • The sale of this land from William Dyre to Harvey Woods would have been recorded in the county deed book. Those deed books were destroyed in a fire.
1840
Choctaw County
Mississippi
Tax Roll
Harvey Woods


(Click on image to make it larger)
.
1840
Federal Census
Choctaw County Mississippi
Harvey Woods

(Click on image to make it larger)


(Click on image to make it larger)
  • The number of males living in the household of Harvey Woods and their ages listed coincide with those found on the 1850 Federal Census living in the home of Elizabeth Woods.
  • Although there are no females listed on the 1840 Federal Census living in the household with Harvey Woods, theory suggests that there was an error in recoding by the census taker.
  • Looking at the entry directly above in the household of Wiley Pope, you can find the females that would coincide with the females listed in the 1850 Federal Census household of Elizabeth Woods.
  • Verna Stone did research on Wiley Pope and found that he was actually not married at the time of the 1840 Federal Census for Choctaw County, Mississippi.
1841
Choctaw County
Mississippi
Tax Roll
Harvey Woods


(Click on image to make it larger)
.
1844
Choctaw County
Mississippi
Tax Roll
Harvey Woods


(Click on image to make it larger)
.
1845
Choctaw County
Mississippi
State Census
Harvey Woods


(Click on image to make it larger)
CLUE: This is the last document with Harvey Woods listed, which means that he died after 1845.

Below is the first document we find with Elizabeth owning land in Choctaw County and it is dated 1848. That means that Harvey must have died after 1845 and before 1848 (1847/48).

We also know that Henry was the last child listed on the 1850 Federal Census as being aged 2 thus making him born in 1847/48. That means that Harvey died either while she was pregnant with Henry or right after he was born in 1847/48.

The dates on all three documents line up perfectly.
1848
Choctaw County
Mississippi
Land Assessment
Elizabeth Woods


(Click on image to make it larger)
  • This document lists Elizabeth owning the entire NE portion of land in section 14 that was 160 acres and was originally owned by William Dyre.
  • This is most likely the land that she and Harvey purchased in Choctaw County and the land that she was living on during the 1850 census.
  • JB later lived on the western half of this section along with the SW1/4 of the SE1/4 of section 11 that butts up right above this section.
  • Notice that her sons eventually owned the land right below her.
1850
Federal Census
Choctaw County Mississippi
Elizabeth Woods

(Click on image to make it larger)
.
This page created and by Charmane Joiner