Perhaps this will help. I do not know who authored this, but I am posting it here as it may contain more clues:
"A few notes on what I learned about John Woody who married Mary Lindley.
His birth date of 1715 was an estimate made by an early researcher based on how old he would have been when he got married. There is no documentation of his age or his birth.
Property documents in North Carolina and Maryland were signed with a mark indicating that John could not read or write.
The will witnessed by John Woody in PA had a very well trained writing hand and thus not the same John Woody. John Woody was never seen by anyone other than the other will witness and I have concluded it was possibly and invention of the other witness to satisfy legal requirements.
I had a Boston Genealogical Researcher go through the records. He observed that: 1. There is no John Woody mentioned in any Boston area records between 1697 and 1739 (The year that John married Mary Lindley). 2 The last two records of a John Woody in the Boston area prior to that period were death records. John Woody (Often called John I) son of Isaac and Dorcas Woody whose will was written 4 Feb 1690/91 and probated starting 22 May 1695 and John Woody son of John Woody died 17 Apr 1697. 3. There is no mention of a son John (Often referred to as John II) in John Woody's probate starting 22 May 1695. 4. All family members designated to act as officials in John I's probate process declined to do so. 5. John I was literate.
The researcher has concluded that 1. John II died before the probate starting 22 May 1695 as no one was appointed to look after him or his interests and 2. John I had nothing but debts when he died.
Regarding the John Woody son of John who died in 1697, he has not researched it specifically so the researcher could only speculate.
I did not request that further research as there is no John Woody mentioned in Boston area records after the death in 1697. Therefore the hypothesis that the John Woody who married to Mary Lindley in Maryland in 1738 was from the Boston area is not supported by documentation and thus his connection to the family of Richard Woody of Boston is not documented. The research does establish that it is very unlikely that the John Woody who married Mary Lindley is the Great Grandson of Isaac Woody and Dorcas Woody via their son John. In other words, the John I, John II, John III theory is highly unlikely'
More generally, I have concluded that the connection to Boston Woody's can neither be proved or disproved. Given the lack of documentation I have decided that I do not know the birth date or parentage of John Woody who married Mary Lindley and will no longer carry the Boston Woody's in my family tree.
If anyone wishes to contact the researcher to request further research, let me know and I will give you the contact number.
I hope this is more clarifying than confusing."
