Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens
Lawrence County Pennsylvania 1897
[p. 363] a prosperous citizen of Pulaski, Lawrence Co., Pa., was born in his present home on Sept. 18, 1858. He is the son of Dr. William and Grace (Scott) Woods. After attending the district schools in Pulaski township, he spent two years in Villa Maria, and when his school days were over at thirteen years of age, he began clerking for his uncle, James F. Scott. For the first year he worked as an apprentice, and received no pay, but the second year he had ninety-six dollars as wages, and that increased to one hundred and ninety-two dollars the third and to four hundred dollars the fourth year, and at that time he was considered well paid. The next move was to Bradford, McKean Co., Pa., where Mr. Wood went into the oil business, giving his time to that until 1884, when he was recalled to Pulaski township, and has since continued to be a resident of Lawrence County. He worked for his uncle until the death of that person in 1889, when Mr. Wood branched out for himself, and carried on a store until 1893, when he disposed of his interests in the mercantile line to Porter & Terrill. Another employment was the opening of a mineral well in 1891 on the Donaldson farm west of Pulaski, in which he reached the depth of eight hundred feet with his well-boring apparatus. This well he disposed of to J. Renwick Davidson of Connellsville, Pa. Since that time he has been busy settling the estate of his uncle, James F. Scott. Mr. Wood is a stanch Republican, and a thorough man of affairs, well-liked and possessed of a wide acquaintance in social and religious circles. He is a member of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics.
Mr. Wood pledged his faith in wedlock with Fannie Francis, daughter of T. H. Francis of Bradford, Pa. Two winning children are in their home: Grace W. born Feb. 8, 1889, and Kenneth G., born July 8, 1881. Mrs. Wood is a communicant of the M. E. Church.
Dr. William Wood, the father of the subject of this personal history, was a Pennsylvanian by birth, and received the rudiments of a common school education; he then read medical books for a year, and entered the Jefferson Medical College of Philadelphia, from which he graduated. He began to practice in Pulaski, and as the years went by his practice grew to large proportions, and he was thought a very successful physician, competent to deal with any case that came up in a general practice. He never laid down his work, but clung to his profession until his death on July 3, 1863. Dr. Wood was a Whig and afterwards a Republican; his time, however, was never wasted on vain aspirations for public office. The doctor was bound by marriage ties in 1854 to a daughter of James Scott of Pittsburg, and two children were the issue of the union: Margaret, on whom the hands of Death were laid when she was six months old; and James S., whose name is the title of this biography. The family held to the Presbyterian faith. Mrs. Wood was a native of County Down, Ireland, and was called to her last home on Dec. 3, 1884.
Rev. William Wood, grandsire of James S., was of an English family, and was born March 27, 1776. He was a Presbyterian minister, and settled in Mercer County, in what is now Pulaski township, Lawrence Co. He was widely known and respected as a God-fearing servant of the Lord, whose daily life exemplified in the fullest way the teachings of his Master; he was never idle, as he operated a farm, besides preaching the Gospel, and his farm is now the property of John Byler. He was married May 11, 1798, to Margaret Donald, an English lady, who was born Feb. 17, 1781. Their household consisted of these members: John D., born Jan. 28, 1800; Isabella, Feb. 7, 1802; Rebecca, Feb. 15, 1804; Samuel M., July 1, 1806; William, Jr., father of James S., Sept. 20, 1808; Marquis, Dec. 5, 1810; James H., March 28, 1813; Joseph S. and Benjamin, twins, July 3, 1815; Margaretta J., Jan. 15, 1818; Elizabeth M., Nov. 10, 1820; and David E., born Dec. 10, 1823, The worthy parents remained with their children and reared them to be noble men and women until Mr. Wood's death July 31, 1839, and Mrs. Wood's departure on April 20, 1842, for her home in the far country. Our subject comes from good stock, and may be well proud of tracing his ancestry back into the last century. It is the men of sound principles and high ideas of patriotism, who have made the country what it is, and it rests with the men descended from such to keep our land the home of good citizens.
Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens Lawrence County Pennsylvania
Biographical Publishing Company, Buffalo, N.Y., 1897
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Updated: 28 May 2001