So a good family friend who knows I am a garden nut brought back these seeds... hard pods the seeds themselves look and are the size of small split peas and very hard shells... They noted nothing about the tree - thought I would just know the tree from the seeds,, i have no idea - any ideas out there? Would like to try to grow one out but not even sure how or what to use until I know what they are!

This could be from a leguminous tree, perhaps the honey locust.

Dave that was my first thought, so I pulled up pics of honey locust, black locust, palo verde, and mesquite... anything I knew for sure grew in the area...

I can't see the photo clearly but I was thinking the pods look sorta like Dalbergia (Rosewood):

http://www.google.com/search?q...

Sorry - bad photo I know - the pod looks like a green bean - only very hard and dark brown... the seeds look just like half of green peas like you would have for split pea soup.

Not honey or black locust , the pod and seeds are too fat .
I have both here
and too small for Kentucky coffee tree ,

Acacia trees have bean pod type pods , but they don't grow here so I have not seen them in person.
They do however grow in the South west.

Acacia - now that I had not thought of!