As a side note to Linda's information below, I will add that George Woods, at the commission of somebody (I forget who right this minute - maybe the Penn heirs?), laid out the original survey of the city of Pittsburgh, circa 1781. So we have him to blame for our current traffic problems. His son John (who helped his dad lay out the city and therefore also deserves some of the blame) built a house around 1792 that they called "Leisure Retreat" in what was then the countryside just east of Pittsburgh's city limits. It still stands today within the Pittsburgh neighborhood of Hazelwood, making it the oldest continuously standing structure within the entire city (the Ft. Pitt blockhouse at the Point is older, but was demolished in the 1800s and reconstructed in the 1960s). The sandstone house is now simply referred to as the "Woods House." It's on the National Register of Historic Places (since 1993), but it's in a sad state of repair now. Interestingly, the latter generations of the Woods family were friends with composer Stephen Foster, another Pittsburgh S-I. They suspect that some of his famous compositions may have been written there at the Woods House, where he used to stay sometimes on weekends. His songs "Sadly to Mine Heart Appealing," "Farewell Old Cottage," and "There's a Good Time Coming" were dedicated to Rachel and Mary Keller after Rachel married George Woods' grandson, Henry. Foster also wrote "Where is Thy Spirit, Mary?" after Mary passed away in 1846 (Source: Deane Root, University of Pittsburgh's Stephen Foster Memorial). Just thought someone might like to know, Rob -----Original Message----- From: Linda Merle [mailto:merle@mail.fea.net] Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 2:13 PM To: Scotch-Irish-L@rootsweb.com Subject: [Sc-Ir] Early History Pittsburgh (Western PA) (Dungannon > Pgh) Hi Folks, The following website has a history of a ward of Pittsburgh that gives a detailed picture of the area in the French and Indian War and afterwards. It details the WOODS family, including Indian captives, etc. Many of these people lived in Bedford till Pittsburgh was 'settleable'. Here's a bit: "The founder of the Woods family in America was George Woods, member of a family of Scotch origin, resident in Ireland. He married Rosanna Hall in Ireland, and emigrated with his family from Dungannon County, Ireland, to America, prior to 1733. He was probably accompanied by his brother, John Woods. In 1740, George Woods took the oath of allegiance in Philadelphia, and he settled in Tuscarora, prior to 1754. In religion he was a Presbyterian, and by occupation an Indian trader and packer, owning large trains of horses used in transporting merchandise of all kinds from Harris' Ferry (Harrisburg) to Fort Pitt (Pittsburgh) and the intervening settlements, and bringing on the return trip packs of furs and skins. By 1762, George Woods was living at Fort Bedford (Bedford) where his children and their families had preceded him. George Woods, founder of the Woods family in Pennsylvania, had four children, all born in Ireland. (1)." Linda Merle ________________________________________________________________ Sent via the WebMail system at mail.fea.net