I am just doing research in Charlotte, NC and found some interesting information on Arrowoods and Arwoods in Rowan and Burke Counties, NC.
It is interesting that some transcribers associate Yearwood, Yarwood, Earwood, Erwood, Erewood, Arrowood, and Arwood into variants of a common name. It is also interesting to see how these North Carolinians with a similar last name (assuming early recorders spelled phoenetically) share some of the same neighbors.
Another interesting note is that John Arwood fought with Col. John Harden on the Catawba frontier and Robert Yearwood purchased land in Pendleton, SC from John Harden in 1800. Robert Erwood in 1778 lived on land formerly owned by John Fish, then owned by Col. Hugh Brevard in Burke County. John Arwood fought with Col. Hugh Brevard in the Cherokee campaigns as well. John Yearwood, b. 1762 in Halifax County, NC fought in Eutaw Springs, SC and lived in Rowan County when he joined in 1781. In 1790, the Lincoln County, NC Earwoods were neighbors to John Fish and Hugh Brevards widow, Jane Brevard.
Could all of these families be related? I have seen information that suggests the Arwood/Arrowoods were from MD, but have no proof. If I had not seen the association of the Arrowood/Arwood and Yearwood/Earwood name in the transcribed books, I would not have made the association. Are we being misled by someone's interpretation, or is there more to this that may connect all our American Yearwoods/Earwoods/etc?