Harrison County Iowa Genealogy

HISTORY OF HARRISON COUNTY, IOWA, 1891
BIOGRAPHIES
Page 473
MRS. MARY E. WOOD

Mrs. Mary E. WOOD, widow of William W. WOOD, who resides at her beautiful farm home, situated on section 27, of Union Township, will form the subject of the following biographical notice.

She was born in Philadelphia, Pa., July 8, 1837, and is the daughter of Jonas and Mary CHATBURN, who were the parents of seven children, our subject being the third. The following is the order of these children�Thomas, Jane, Mary, Margaret, Sarah, deceased, Celia and George.

Our subject's father is Judge Jonas CHATBURN, now a resident of Harlan, Shelby County, Iowa, who came to Western Iowa in 1850, and when our subject was five years of age, settled on Willow Creek, near where Magnolia now stands, and she remained with her parents until sixteen years of age, when she married William W. WOOD, who was a minister in the Latter Day Saints Church. After their marriage they moved into the house with her husband's father, Samuel WOOD, and farmed his land for four years, at the end of which time, our subject's husband bought her present place, which now contains two hundred and forty-three acres of valuable land, which cost $8 per acre. Here Mr. WOOD spent many years of hard labor in the subduing of this wild land, having to build a log house, every stick of which he hewed, and every shingle of which he shaved; besides this farm work, he taught school winters, for the purpose of getting money with which to pay for his land, and none but those who have gone through such pioneer struggles, can fully understand the hardships endured by this man, in common with others, in Western Iowa at that date. Mr. WOOD was born in Caldwell County, Mo., and came to Unionburg, Iowa, when he was eight years of age, at which time his parents immigrated to this county.

Mr. and Mrs. WOOD were the parents of thirteen children, born in the following order: Wilburt, born October 8, 1865, now deceased; Leona, born September 4, 1866; Friendie, January 25, 1868; Rose, April 4, 1870; Mary, born November 28, 1872, now deceased; Samuel born February 11, 1873; Anna, born October 16, 1874, now deceased; Pearl, born March 2, 1876; Jonas, August 28, 1877; Bruce, born January 3, 1878, now deceased; William, born November 16, 1880; Clarence, September 7, 1882; and George, born August 31, 1886, now deceased.

Mrs. WOOD in her religious convictions, is a believer in the doctrines as taught by the Latter Day Saints Church, as was her husband.

Our subject's husband, William H. WOOD, departed this life February 1, 1890, bearing the respect of all with whom he was acquainted through his long term of years in this county, where he lived and faithfully labored for the good of mankind.

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