Turner County, SD Biographies.....Wood, W. R. 1859 - 
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Joy Fisher sdgenweb@yahoo.com December 28, 2007, 1:03 am

Author: Geo. A. Ogle & Co. (1897)

W. R. WOOD. Among the enterprising business men of Turner county there is
probably none so well known as the gentleman whose name heads this sketch. Mr.
Wood was born in Green Lake county, Wis., October 26, 1859, and is a son of
Norman I. and Julia (Welliver) Wood. The former is a native of New York and came
to Wisconsin at an early day, settling in Green Lake county, where he was one of
the pioneers. He was a farmer by occupation, and of Mohawk-Dutch descent. His
wife was born in Pennsylvania, of Pennsylvania-Dutch descent. Mr. and Mrs. Wood
are still living on the old homestead in Green Lake county, Wis., and are the
parents of four children, viz.: Charles A., W. R., the subject of this
biography, Bert N., and Ella, now the wife of Harry L. Vesper, of Green Lake
county, Wis.

   W. R. Wood was the second child in order of birth, and passed his minority in
his native county, attending the common schools of the district, and later for
three years was a student at the Oshkosh State Normal school. After the
completion of his studies he located in Winterset, Iowa, where he remained for a
year and then removed to Sanborn, same state, as an agent in the lumber
business. In the fall of 1883 he came to Parker, Turner county, and engaged in
the lumber business here as agent and manager of the Oshkosh Lumber company.
This he continued for five years and in 1888 bought a half interest in the
company's yards at Alexandria and Parker, the firm name being changed from that
time on to W. R. Wood & Co. Beside this business Mr. Wood bought, February 12,
1895, Mr. Vale P. Thielman's abstract, loan and real-estate business, which he
also conducts under the name of W: R. Wood & Co. In this connection it might be
stated that the abstract books purchased of Mr. Thielman were the only records
of the kind in the county at the time of the destruction of the court house by
fire, March 24, 1890. This conflagration also destroyed all of book "N" of
mortgages, with over eleven hundred transfers, and plat record No. 1, containing
all the town plats. Mr. Wood, therefore, has the only true and complete set of
abstract books in the county, and for these he paid a neat sum of money.

   Mr. Wood, politically, is a strong supporter of Republican principles and a
believer in a gold standard on the financial question. He has been a member of
the board of education for ten years and has always taken an active interest in
all school matters. He is also a member of the Parker lodges of the I. O. O. F.
and K. of P.


Additional Comments:

Extracted from:

MEMORIAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL RECORD
OF 
Turner, Lincoln, Union and Clay Counties,
SOUTH DAKOTA.

Containing Biographical Sketches of Hundreds of Prominent Old Settlers and
Representative Citizens, with a Review of their Life Work; their Identity with
the Growth and Development of these Counties; Reminiscences of Personal History
and Pioneer Life; and other Interesting and Valuable Matter which should be
Preserved in History.

ILLUSTRATED
CHICAGO.
GEO. A. OGLE & CO.
Publishers, Engravers and Book Manufacturers.
1897.


Biography is the only true history.—EMERSON.

A people that take no pride in the noble achievements of remote ancestors will
never achieve anything worthy to be remembered with pride by remote
generations.—MACAULAY.

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