Wood, William P.

The following data is extracted from Merrimack and Sullivan Counties, New Hampshire Biographies.

William P. Wood, a farmer of Plainfield, was born here, December 29, 1859, son of Alban Palmer and Rhoda (Eaton) Wood, of this town. His grandfather, John Wood was the first male child born in Lebanon, N.H. John was one of the foremost and wealthiest farmers in the district and a very religious man. He married Persis Hyde, of Lebanon, who bore him eleven children; namely, Persis, John, Jr., Lucinda, Jemima, Sally, Thomas, Annie, Harriet, Martha, Palmer, and one child who died in infancy. Persis, who was born in 1797, and did not marry, died at the age of fifty. John Wood, Jr., born in 1799, who became a very prosperous farmer and a prominent man in Lebanon, served in all the town offices, and was a Representative to the General Court. He married Sylvia Whittaker, and had two sons-John and Joseph. Lucinda, born in 1801, married Samuel Wood, of Lebanon, a wealthy farmer and real estate owner, and had two children-Hannah and Clara. Jemima, born in 1803, married Isaac Leighton, a farmer of Hartford, Vt. Sally, born in 1805, became Mrs. Silas Waterman, of Lebanon. Thomas, born in 1810, who became a wealthy farmer and speculator of Lebanon, married Joanna Davis, and had two daughters. Annie, born in 1812, died at the age of six. Harriet, born in 1814, married Allen H. Weld, of Lebanon, who was first a professor in a seminary of that town, and later a farmer and the Superintendent of Schools for the county of St. Croix, Wisconsin. Their son, Allen Palmer Weld, became a lawyer in River Falls, Wis., and is now Judge of Probate. Martha, born in 1816, was unmarried, and resided with her brother Thomas.

Alban Palmer Wood, born January 28, 1819, received his education in the schools of Lebanon, and afterward taught school for some years. He then went to Plainfield and took charge of a farm. Formerly he raised large numbers of sheep, when sheep-raising was a profitable industry for the New England farmer. He has filled many public positions in his town, and he has been a Justice of the Peace for more than thirty years. An attendant of the Baptist church, he is ever ready to support it financially as well as morally. A Mason of Cheshire Lodge, No. 23, of Cornish Flat, he has held all the offices in that body, and is very popular in the fraternity. His wife, Rhoda, who, born in 1822, died April 25, 1890, had five children-Alma, William P., Alban A., Frank H., and Byron Hayden. Alma H., born November 15, 1853, taught school for many years with remarkable success, and is now living with her father. Alban A., born May 15, 1856, settled in Lawrence, Mass., after his marriage, and was an overseer there. His wife, Grace V., born in 1857, died July 4, 1891. He now makes his home with his father, and has two children-Gertie L. and Byron M. Byron Hayden, born May 9, 1868, is an engineer in the employ of the Boston & Maine Railroad Company, running from West Lebanon to Concord on one of the express trains. He married Hattie Hurlburt, of West Lebanon, and has two children.

William P. Wood was a pupil of the common schools and Kimball Academy. Upon finishing school, he went to Boston, and was for a time employed as a private secretary. His health failing, he came back to New Hampshire, and at Meriden conducted for some time the store now managed by Chellis & Stickney. He then took charge of the farm he is now operating, and has since been engaged in agriculture and dairying. Mr. Wood is respected as a citizen. On November 2, 1886, he married Minnie B. Bean, whose father, Samuel Bean, is a wealthy resident of Lebanon, now retired from active business. Mr. and Mrs. Wood have no children. Mr. Wood is a Mason, having membership in Cheshire Lodge, No. 23, in which he has held all the offices, and which he has represented in the Grand Lodge. He attends the Baptist church.

Source: Merrimack and Sullivan Counties, New Hampshire Biographies

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