Rash's Surname Index
Notes for Henry Clay WOOD
Dr. Wood was born in Chatham during the famous Henry Clay campaign, and was named in honor of the popular statesman from Kentucky. When he was a lad his parents moved to West Chester and Henry, who went for long visits to his grandparents, in North Coventry, began school at the latter place. One of his early teachers being Squire Davis Hause, now of West Chester. Later the youth attended school in West Chester.
During the War of the rebellion he went to the front as a Union Soldier. He belonged to a militia company, in the 175th Pennsylvania Volunteers, and afterward was First Lieutenant in Co. A 188th P. V.B. Later he served as Captain of Co. K., 117th U. S. Colored Volunteer Infantry. Much of his service was on a transport on the Mississippi River, where he was under the command of General Benjamin Butler, and in after years he delighted in telling of the droll manner of that celebrated commander.
In 1867 Dr. Wood was graduated, from the Hahnemann Hospital, Philadelphia, and the following year he married Hannah Hoopes Haines. The wedding occurred at the Chester County Prison, where Mr. Benjamin Haines was Warden. It was a saying in the Wood family that Mr. Wood and his father both married their wives from the jail, as Dr. J. B. Wood had married Elizabeth Rogers, daughter of Sheriff William Rogers, who lived in the old jail on North High Street in West Chester.
Dr. Wood practiced at Avondale but in the spring of 1873 moved to West Chester, where he remained to the end of his life, practicing until failing health obliged him to give up his work.
As a zealous advocate of the outdoor life, he spent much of his time in the country, camping out and living as near to nature as possible. He knew the fish and the birds and the flowers, One of his early and permanent friends was the late Benjamin M. Everhart.
As a member of the General George A. McCall Post, No. 31, G.A.R. he was loyal, but declined to turn out on parade, saying that he had seen real soldiering he could not play soldier. It is related of him that he never saw the soldiers pass but his eyes filled with tears at the memory this sight recalled. On Memorial Day the year of his death he sat on the porch of his premises when to his surprise the veterans in making a short parade, passed by his house. As they went by a number of them tossed boutonnieres to him in token of their regard.
- Page 748 - Like his father he has been a homeopathic physician and enjoyed an extensive practice.
A newspaper article cam out shortly after his passing:
How He Disposed of Much of His Fishing Tackle
The late Dr. Harry C. Wood, whose death was announced here yesterday, was of a strenuous nature and what he had to say he used little care in expressing, but he had many friends and this was especially true of his angling acquaintances. For many years he followed the streams until compelled to give up the sport a few seasons ago on account of his ill health. He frequently shouldered a goodly supply of provender and his fishing tackle, taking a long a small tent and going to the Brandywine for a couple of days, doing his own cooking and enjoying himself in the camp life. He had disposed of nearly all of his large supply of fishing paraphernalia previous to his last illness and had an original method of doing so.
On one occasion a reporter of the Local News, who goes fishing sometimes, was summoned to his home in a somewhat mysterious manner late at night, and thinking there was a good story on tap, hastened to call. He found Dr. Wood in his office, and stacked upon the table in the center of the room was a miscellaneous assortment of fishing tackle.
"See that bunch of stuff?" said the Doctor. "Well, get it out of my sight as soon as possible. I've quit fishing . Take a cigar and get that stuff out of here." The reporter took him at his word and gathered up an armload of material. There was a steel fly rod which is considered the finest in this section. It has guides and a tip cut out of solid agates and is light steel finely mounted. In addition there was a hook book with a hundred hooks, all new; a fly book filled with the latest patterns, a leader case filled with leaders, many "sinkers", two fine reels and lines, two extra lines and other paraphernalia. The reporter has had many a pleasant day with the tackle. He did the same with a fine metallic boat, simply ordering William McCormick, a friend, to get it out of his stable on the plea that it was in the way. McCormick has the boat at Lenape, where it has done duty for several seasons and is one of the finest in this section.
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