Descendants of Deforest and Georgia Stutts Woods

His grandchildren lovingly called him Grandpa, his children called him Papa and the people in the community referred to him as Forest. He was the youngest of the four children of John Barney and Mary Ann Woods. He was born on May 13, 1879 in Thomasville, Alabama. 

On Christmas Eve in 1896, when they were only 17 years old, he married the love of his life, Georgia Stutts. They had twelve children – seven boys and five girls. The boys were Major, McKinley (Mack), Walter, Brady, Leonard, John B. and Robert Lee, and the girls were – Mamie, Willie Mae, Annie B., Asyline, and Earlie Mae (Doll). 

He loved listening to music. He had a lot of 78 speed records, and loved listening to gospel music on his old Victrola Record Player. 

Back in the day, preachers would travel from church to church, because most churches did not have assigned pastors like they have today. We were told that he took pride in the fact that he was responsible for picking up, in his horse and buggy, and providing food and lodging for the traveling preachers that would come to preach at New Hope #2 Baptist Church. The family church in Thomasville that his father, John Barney Woods, provided the land and lumber for, that is still there today.

DeForest was very friendly, very sociable and always had a smile on his face. He chewed tobacco and drank Coca Colas in the little glass bottles. He would come to Mobile (Prichard), Alabama to visit from time to time and when he would visit my Aunt Mamie, who lived on Main Street, he loved sitting on her front porch and watching the cars pass by  and counting the different color cars with his grandchildren. He would visit his other children in town and loved playing with his grandchildren. He would sit them in his lap and pinch their arms and legs and tell them the ants were biting them.

He was also a business man. He was a farmer, owned a syrup mill and was a trader and buyer of goods. He was the Trading Post. Remember, many people didn’t have a lot money, but they had goods that they could trade, and he provided them that opportunity. He was a blessing to his community.  He also managed his, his sister, Luverta, and brother, Willie’s, portion of the land, the selling of the timber, etc. until his death.

He lost his wife, Georgia, the love of his life, on September 5, 1939 after 42 years of marriage, when they both were 60 years old. He never remarried, and he lived another 20 years and died from cancer on March 13, 1960 in Prichard, Alabama at Aunt Mamie’s house at the age of 80.