Turn the Hearts: John WOOD Jr. (1858-1931)

Tuesday, November 29, 2016

John WOOD Jr. (1858-1931)

History of John Wood Jr.

Son of John WOOD Sr. and Ellen SMITH

Husband of Sarah Jane GIBSON

written by grand daughter Metta Wood Tweedie

John WOOD Jr. (1858-1931) / Sarah Jane GIBSON (1863-1936) holding John Andrew WOOD (1883-1932)

John Jr. and Sarah's children.

Oldest to youngest in picture taken abt 1897: John 'Andrew' Wood (1883-1932), Ether (1889-1974), Ivie (1891-1985), William Erwin (1893-1969), Claudius (1896-1944). Not pictured: Ellen May (1885-1886) and Pearl Ann (1887-1887), Clarence (1899-1955) and Josephine (1902-1902).

Pipe Springs 1891

John Jr. remembered climbing upon the chicken coop in Lehi, Utah to watch Johnston's Army March by when they left Utah.

John Jr. played the fiddle and spoke Pauite.

One of the Dulcimers made by John Wood Sr. in on display at the Pipe Springs Arizona National Monument.

Johns parents had come to Utah from England. He was born in Lehi moved to Virgin Utah as a child moved to Long Valley, Nevada, Duncan, Utah then back to Grafton Utah. He lived in Rose Valley, Nevada. John with his brother George Henry moved to Pipe Springs Arizona to work at braking horses. Then moved back to Grafton. John ranched on Kolob Mountain summers (starting in 1900). The family built and lived in Hurricane, Utah (1906).

Left: George Andrew Gibson, George Cropper, Joe Scow. standing-Toby (Indian), standing-Jess Lemon, Pete Warnick, Dave Ballard and John Wood Jr.

#5 Will Isom home (Bishop and brother in-law to John Wood Jr), #10 Tithing house, #15 Blacksmith shop, #17 original John Wood home, #18 John Wood sr. Home (George Andrew Gibson brother in-law to John Wood Jr - lives with Wood Sr), #19 John Wood Sr. barn, #20 George Henry Wood home ('Nen'), #22 Grafton Church/School, #23 Mosasses mill, #32 John Wood Jr. home, #33 Sorghum mill, Cemetery location shown.

From Ether Wood (1889-1974) History: [In Grafton we lived in a two room frame house about three fourths of a block from the one room adobe schoolhouse and church.] My grandfather's house was across the street west. His house is still standing in Grafton [as of 2016]. In 1911 Andrew moved my Fathers house and barn to Hurricane and lived in it until he died and his family moved to Salt lake City about 1932. ...[Just north from the rocky hill] was my fathers blacksmith shop.

From Ether Wood History: The Expression "The river", meant Springdale, Rockville, Grafton, Duncan, and Virgin. My father had the first Grain binder on the river. It took three horses to pull it. It would cut the grain and tie it in bundles with twine. The grain was never stacked in the field, it was hauled to town and stacked in round stacks. My Father [John Wood Jr.] and Uncles, George Gibson, 'Nen' Wood and Will Isom [the Bishop and husband of my mothers sister] had the first threshing machine on the river also. They threshed all the grain on the river. The Thresher had two parts. (1) the separator and (2) the horsepower [10 horses in 5 teams]....

During the early 1890's the men of Grafton donated their time and work to make a road up the Grafton Mountain, south of town.... This mountain road was so steep it really worked a team of horses to pull an empty wagon up and one of my fathers trips for wood on Gooseberry Mountain I went with him. When we arrived at the top of the mountain he stopped and made me get off and walk. He had what he called a "shoe" he had made to put under the rear wheel and chained it to the rack side. It slid down the mountain and he wouldn't have to brake very much. [This trip the "shoe" had been forgotten.] He hadn't gone far, [me following on foot] when the link which supported the brake bar to the rack side broke and turned him loose with no brake at all and the horses trying to out run the wagon made so much dust I couldn't see the road. I groped along as fast as I could when I came to where the wood, including the rack and rear axle and wheels had gone over thee rock call on the lower side. I looked among the scattered wood for my father but couldn't see him. When the dust cleared I could see him down the road. The ranch which holds the front and rear axles together had broken and the front axle pulled out and the horses continued on with the front axle. [The horses were going so fast when they came to the S turn they they not able to make the turn] and went straight on through the rocks.... It was a miracle that my father survived.

From Ether Wood History: In 1906 we moved to Hurricane. Although we lived in a tent with a board floor and walls for six years. We built a barn, stable and corral, fenced the lot and field, and worked on the canal.

John and Sarah Jane home in Hurricane Utah

John Wood Jr. barn built in Grafton and move board by board to Hurricane by son Andrew in 1911. Stood near the Hurricane house into the 1970's.

John Wood Jr.

John Jr. help buitd the St. George Temple by hauling lumber by wagon. He and Sarah Jane Gibson were later married in the St. George Temple.

John worked at several trades. He was in the hauling business using wagons with teams of horses. He and his brother George Henry Wood "Nen" broke horses. "Nen" died from a horse falling on top of him. Like his father he was also a blacksmith and a farmer. John was an owner in the co-op Threshing Company. John and his son John Andrew Wood helped build the Hurricane Canal. John was a rancher on Kolob Mountain. John served as counselor in the Grafton Bishopric 1887-1907. He served as a Justice of the Peace and a County Commissioner.

From Ether Wood History: About the turn of the century my father bought a ranch on Kolob mountain from Moses Gibson. It was on big Creek about a mile up the valley from what is now Kolob reservoir. We lived there many years in the summer and dairyed, our milk cows were range cattle and were quite hard to break to milking. We would lasso them and snub them to the fence, quite often when we turned them loose we would have to go under or over the fence to keep from getting a horn in the seat of our pants.... My Father kept horses and cattle on the ranch from early spring until late fall.