Publisher’s Notebook: In search of William Wood — a name no longer forgotten

The future always triumphs over the past.
Too often, our history is trampled in the inexorable march forward in time. Families grow, and with that growth are diluted the memories, the memorabilia and the interest in what has gone before.
My family had long suffered from a stumbling block in identifying any Wood beyond my great-grandfather, James H. Wood of Carthage, Ill. Oh, we knew that he had launched a highly successful restaurant in Carthage known as the Wood Inn. We knew that he had sired four sons, including my grandfather, Ralph Wood.
But beyond that, we knew little about him. He died when my father was 11 years old, and with James died the familial history of who had gone before him. We didn’t know where James was born, nor did we know his parents’ names. My grandfather died in the mid 1960s, and my father in 1992. Any memories they might have had went either unspoken or forgotten.
Some of those gaps have now been closed, however.
Sometime last year, I began some modest Internet research. I found a couple of things, including the date of James’ marriage to Emma Hertzler in Carthage. I also found a census form from 1900 identifying the two and their children. I learned that Emma was born in Illinois but that James was born in Iowa. His father was born in North Carolina.
Still, I didn’t know his parents’ names.
On a recent trip to my hometown of Nauvoo, Ill., I ventured to nearby Carthage, the county seat. There, I looked up their marriage license and at last found the names of their parents. In addition to the name of William Wood and John Hertzler, my great-great grandfathers, I learned other branches of our family tree, including Rucker and Leifeiman.
Finally, the wonderful ladies at the Hancock County Historical Society and the Kibbe Museum provided great help, including the very-detailed obituary of James Wood, and a less-detailed obituary of his father, William Wood. (William, it turned out, was once a Carthage brick mason, born in North Carolina in 1827. He’s buried in the same Carthage cemetery as my grandparents and great-grandparents, though we never knew.)
The Kibbe Museum actually had a formal invitation to a party at the Wood Inn from a century ago, revealing the incredible menu selection that was offered.
James Wood’s obituary revealed many details about the Wood Inn — and about the man himself.
“His restaurant was popular and his business sufficient to enable him to build the handsome Wood Inn that was such an asset socially as long as they owned it,” the obituary said.
It continued: “He was a very kindly and comfortable man in all dealings. He was always a gentleman and the ladies of Carthage who employed him for their dinners and teas remember him with gratitude for the interest he took in the engagement and for his efficient service.”
He was, it turned out, a great businessman: excellent product and superior customer service. Perhaps that’s one reason that the business he started in 1891, the Wood Inn, remains in business to this day (although I had never ventured inside until last week). It’s now a popular spot for area youth, who refer to the establishment in shorthand, calling it simply “the Wood.”
Since returning to Colorado, I have done further research on the Internet and have found the Wood family on the 1880 census form. I’ve also found the date of William Wood’s marriage to Susan Louisa Rucker, my great-great grandmother. I hope to fill in some more blanks in the Wood line, tracing it back to its North Carolina roots. I’ll then start filling in blanks in other lines.
The future always triumphs over the past. But that doesn’t mean that the past should be forgotten.

Christopher Wood can be reached at (970) 221-5400, (970) 356-1683 or via e-mail at cwood@ncbr.com. His fax number is (970) 221-5432.