Rev. James W. Wood, D.D., Page 2

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=90 BGCOLOR="#006699" TEXT="#080000" background="0a5d05a3.jpg"> <div> Orange County, New York</div> <div> American History and Genealogy Project</div> <div> Rev. James W. Wood, D.D., Page 2</div> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#FFCC66" TEXT="#080000" background="0a6d2123.jpg"> <div> <A HREF="http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/orange/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/county/or"><U>Orange County AHGP/ALHN</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/state/" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://www.usgennet.org/usa/ny/state/"><U>New York AHGP/ALHN</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://ahgp.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://ahgp.org"><U>AHGP</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="http://alhn.org" TARGET="_top" TITLE="http://alhn.org"><U>ALHN</U></A></div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=390 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> <I><B> <TABLE BORDER="0" CELLPADDING="2" CELLSPACING="1" WIDTH="623" BORDERCOLORLIGHT="#C0C0C0" BORDERCOLORDARK="#808080" FRAME="BOX" RULES="ALL" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0" > <tR> <tD VALIGN=TOP HEIGHT= 1098 WIDTH="617"><div>      A mixture with the Armstrongs added to those essentials needed in strong, good men.</div> <div>      James Wood (IV.) purchased of the family the farm, paying $25.00 per acre for which his great-grandfather paid $1.00 per acre. From the marriage of James Wood and Mary Armstrong were born Daniel T., Sarah, William, Julia, Caroline, Jane, Keturah, James (IV.), Mary, Thomas and Emily. Daniel T. was for twenty-nine years Pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Middletown.  William was an Elder in the Presbyterian Church, Galesburg, Ill.  Jane was for many years engaged in missionary and pastoral work as an assistant to Rev. Thos. K. Beecher, Elmira, N. Y.</div> <div>      James Washington Wood (IV.), or “Dominic Wood,” as he was called by the seniors in Chester, was born near Florida.  Monday, October 5th, 1813.  He remained at home until nearly nineteen years of age.  At a revival service in Florida during the Fall of 1831 he became interested in Christ repentance and faith.  He made a public profession January 1st, 1832, by uniting with the Presbyterian Church in Florida.  His mind naturally turned to a calling in life, and with the knowledge that an education was costly, and means did not exist to aid him, he nevertheless determined to prepare for the ministry.</div> <div>      In the Spring of 1832 he began a course of studies his brother, Rev. Daniel T. Wood, in Middletown.  The sudden change from an active outdoor life to the sedentary habits of the student bought on a severe sickness, so it was necessary to carry him on a bed to his Florida home.  In the Fall of 1832 he entered the Goshen Academy, then under the charge of a Mr. Stark.  In November, 1833, he went by the once famous Newburg & Easton stage line to Easton, Pa., and on December 11th, 1833, was admitted as a student in Lafayette College.  In this institution he held a high rank, and sustained himself by working as a cabinet maker, or carpenter, by teaching and by writing for newspapers and magazines.  He graduated September 20th, 1837, and in honor for his records as a student and orator was awarded the Latin and English Salutatory Address on Commencement Day.  Next he entered the Union Theological Seminary in New York City and accepted such occupations as would bring in funds for support.  For three months, one year, he established a class in the classics in Middletown.  This effort in the plane of a higher education resulted in the establishment of the Academy in that city.  During a meeting of the Presbytery of Hudson, at Amity, Orange County, N. Y., on September 11th, 1839, Mr. Wood was examined and licensed by the Presbytery to the office of Minister.  His hours while a student at Lafayette had not been given exclusively to study.  The attractions of society had their share, which resulted in an engagement between Elizabeth Caroline Able and James Washington Wood.  They were married October 9th, 1839, in Easton, by Rev. Daniel T. Wood, of Middletown, N. Y., and Rev. Dr. Gray, of Easton, Pa.</div> <div>      Mrs. Wood was the daughter of Jacob Able, the son of Jacob Able, who, when a child, came from Germany in the year 1750.  The Able house at “the point” still stands where several generations of the family lived.  They were Presbyterians, industrious, frugal, and prosperous.  Mrs. Wood was well educated, a persistent reader, and possessed a remarkable memory.  In early life she was active in Easton society, and earnest in the work of a Sabbath School scholar and teacher.  At the age of eighteen she united with the Presbyterian Church in Easton, under the pastorship of Rev. Dr. Gray.  Through her life, as a Pastor's wife, she appreciated and supported all objects of benevolence, yet preferred the home duties of a wife and mother than to be the president of a sewing circle.  In the congregation where her husband was Pastor she was popular, and equally maintained her part as “the better half.”  Mrs. Wood died at her home in Allentown, Pa., April 6, 1882.</div> <div>      The children of this marriage were Jacob Winslow Wood, Allentown, Pa.; James Whitfield Wood, Easton, Pa.: Elizabeth Able Harrison, Minneapolis, Minn.; and Daniel Burton Wood, Spokane, Mo.  Subsequently Mr. Wood formed a second marriage with Miss Maria Woodring of Allentown, Pa.</div> <div>      Mr. Wood was ordained and installed as Pastor of the Presbyterian Church in Deckertown, N. J., December 11th, 1839, by the Presbytery of Rockaway.  A handsome memorial window in the new Presbyterian Church in Deckertown is a witness of the esteem with which Mr. Wood is remembered by the sons and daughters of his old parishioners in that place.  In September, 1845, he resigned, and began work for the American Board Foreign Missions in New York.  As the representative of this society he preached for missions in Chester, N. Y., and unexpectedly to him the congregation extended a call for him to become their Pastor.  This invitation was accepted, and he began his work in Chester, November 1st, 1845.  He remained in Chester seventeen years, during which time the Church more than doubled in members and in reality valuation.  About 216 members were added, and a large and beautiful new house of worship was erected in 1853 on a more desirable site at a cost of about $10,000.  Feeling the need of relaxation, Mr. Wood resigned October 1st, 1862, and moved to Easton, Pa.  On October 18th, 1862, he sailed from New York for a visit to Europe and the Holy Land, returning in the Fall of 1863.  On April 23d, 1865, he accepted a call to the Presbyterian Church in the City of Allentown, Pa., and was installed by the Presbytery of Philadephia, October 25th, 1865.  He continued to reside in Allentown until his death, which occurred suddenly May 5th, 1884, at one o'clock, a. m.</div> <div> Mr. and Mrs. Wood are buried in the Able family plot in the beautiful cemetery at Easton, Pa.</div> <DIV ALIGN="LEFT"></DIV> <div>     </div> <bR> <div> <A HREF="pg14.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Rev. James W. Wood, D.D., Page 3"><U>Next Page</U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="pg1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Table of Contents"><U>Table of Contents</U></A></div> </tD> </tR> </TABLE></B></I></div> <bR> </td> </tr></table></body>