Major John WOOD

This is Major John WOOD of Revolutionary War fame. John WOOD was wounded in the battle of Minisink, NY in 1779. He was in fact the only prisoner taken alive at that battle, saved because General Joseph BRANT mistakenly thought he was a fellow Mason.

The following is a quotation from D.A.R. (Daughters of the American Revolution) official records: "During the battle of Minisink, Major John WOOD of Goshen made a Masonic sign by accident, which BRANT, who was a Free Mason, perceived and heeded. WOOD's life was spared and as a prisoner, he was treated kindly until the Mohawk chief perceived that he was not a Mason, then with withering scorn, BRANT looked down upon WOOD believing he had obtained the Masonic sign which he used, by deception. It was purely an accident on the part of WOOD. When released he hastened to become a member of the fraternity by whose instrumentality his life had been spared."

Upon his release he returned at once to his former home. His wife, Hannah (ELLIOT) WOOD, having heard of the massacre of the prisoners of the battle of Minisink, believed him to be dead. She had remarried (to Reuben HOPKINS) and had a baby with her new husband. John WOOD then married Miss Hannah CARPENTER. They had one son Solomon WOOD. He died August 4, 1810 at Goshen, NY.

The house in which Major WOOD lived is yet standing (as of 1971) though much altered, at the foot of the hill north of the railway station at Goshen, NY.

Another version of the John WOOD story is found in the book "New York in the Revolution" on p. 101:

Major John WOOD was in the early part of the Revolutionary War a Captain in the 3rd Regiment Orange County, NY Militia under Col Wm. ALLISON and Lt Col Benjamin TUSTON. He fought with his regiment in the battle of Minisink on July 22 1779 on the New York side of the Delaware River opposite Lackawaxen, PA, where he was taken prisoner by Joseph BRANT in command of a force of Indians and Tories.

He was wounded in that battle in the neck by a musket ball and after his capture was again wounded in the head by a spear thrust from a savage. BRANT intervened and saved his life.

He was 40 days on his way to Canada and was confined in the citadel at Quebec 3 years. While in prison he obtained a le-w? [loan?] of 500 pounds, the most of which he loaned to his suffering companions. A petition to Congress for the payment of these debts, while its justice was admitted, was denied because the claim was outlawed. Even after the preliminary articles of peace were known in Canada, he was detained for some time but finally released and permitted to return home.

These statements are from papers he preserved and afterwards possessed by his grandson John ? WOOD, of Goshen, NY, including a portion of his original journal letters and correspondence.

After his return from captivity he received a commision as Major in the Militia. During his imprisonment, his wife believed him dead, remarried and after returning he married Miss Hannah CARPENTER (whence possibly the middle name of Benjamin Carpenter), sister of James and Benjamin Carpenter, of Carpenter's Point, a suburb of Port Jervis, NY.

The children by the first wife were Robert, John, Hannah (Mrs. Ben SAWYER), mother of General Calvin SAWYER, and 2 other sons. Major WOOD died in 1812 and was buried with military honors at Slate Hill Cemetery (NY?).

The direct line of descent was traced by two descendents in becoming members of the "Daughters of the American Revolution" (DAR).

DAR ID 59434 (Gr-gr-granddaughter Florence) shows John WOOD born 1753 on Long Island, died 1810 in Goshen.

In source 3, there is an entry for Col. John D. WOOD on p. 646. It is possible that this was the grandson of Major John WOOD, if the latter had a son named Alfred (one of the 2 unnamed sons mentioned above?). The entry is quoted below:

Col. John D. WOOD, the obliging agent at the Mechanicstown station, was born in this county in 1827, being a son of Alfred and Rosetta (DUNNING) WOOD, who were born, reared and married here. The father was a son of John WOOD, who was one of George Washington's minutemen, and who was a loyal patriot, rendering good service in the War of the Revolution. Alfred WOOD was a soldier in the War of 1812. During much of his active life he was engaged as a builder, but when advanced in years, he turned his attention to farming, and was thus engaged at the time of his death, in 1880. His wife passed away four years prior to his demise.

After gaining the rudiments of his education in the common schools, our subject took an academic course. At the age of 21 he secured a position as clerk in a dry-goods and grocery store, but after 2 years in that occupation he began farming, continuing in that vocation until 1862. At that time, responding to his country's call for volunteers to defend the Union, he donned the blue and enlisted in Company H, 168th NY Infantry. He was mustered in as Captain in Newburgh, and remained in active service for 2 years, participating with his company in many engagements of importance. He escaped without having been wounded or imprisoned by the enemy, but the hardships of camp life, and the exposure incident to marching, made considerable inroads on his constitution, and he is now suffering from the effect of his army service.

On being mustered out of the service, Captain WOOD was promoted to Brevet-Major, and after his return he was chosen Colonel of the 191st National Guard, serving in that capacity for 7 years. For 16 years he has served his fellow citizens in the office of Justice of the Peace, and he also served 2 terms as Justice of Sessions. For the past 14 years he has been railroad and express agent at Mechanicstown, where he is also engaged in the feed business.

Colonel WOOD was united in marriage, in 1856, with Miss Mary L., daughter of Moses and Elizabeth (VALENTINE) SAWYER, all natives of this county. Eight children were born to their union, but 3 are deceased. Those living are named as follows: Jessie, wife of C. V. PUFF, of this county; Clara L., who married Frank Van VORIS, also of this county; Arthur S., who married Miss Emily MAPES, a member of one of the leading families of the county, and who now makes his home in Philadelphia, Jefferson County, NY; Lillie May, wife of Verner M. WEEKS, of Fond du Lac, WI; and Alfred W., a dispatcher in the New York Central Railroad office at Albany.

Like all old soldiers, Colonel WOOD is interested in Grand Army affairs and is connected with the order. With his wife, he holds membership in the Presbyterian Church. In politics he votes the Democratic ticket. He is interested in public affairs to the extent of encouraging every worthy movement with his influence and means, and is respected for his honorable character and upright life.

Doris JIMISON notes that further research has yielded the following information: Major John WOOD's first wife was Hannah ELLIOT. When Major WOOD was being held prisoner in Quebec, she thought he was dead and married Reuben HOPKINS and had a baby with him.

Another interesting entry in source 3 is on p. 835, for Henry W. CROMWELL, son of Henry T. and Hannah M. (WEYGANT) CROMWELL. In it is a connection to a member of the HOPKINS family, possibly related to Hannah HOPKINS, first wife of Major John WOOD. The entry is quoted as follows:

The CROMWELL family is of ancient English origin, and the American branch of the family is directly descended from the father of Oliver CROMWELL, the great commoner of England. Joseph CROMWELL, the brother of Oliver, emigrated to America, and the branch of the family in Orange County is descended from him. Rich was another brother of Oliver; then comes Colonel John, the 3rd son of Rich, who had a son also named John. The latter emigrated from Holland to the New Netherlands, and in 1686 resided at Long Neck, Westchester Co., NY, which place was afterwards known as Cromwell's Neck. He married and left 2 sons, John and James. John CROMWELL, the third, was born December 5, 1727, and married Anna HOPKINS, of Long Island, who was born January 12, 1730. John was an active patriot during the Revolutionary War, and died in 1805.

The earliest record of the family in the old family Bible now in possession of our subject, and inscribed in the quaint Quaker style, is as follows: "John CROMWELL, born fifth day, twelfth month, A.D. 1727; Anna, his wife, born first month, twelfth day, 1730." Their marriage must have occurred about 1750, as their firstborn, James, was born November 6, 1752.

A grand-daughter of Major John WOOD was Susan (WOOD) SAWYER, who married William SAWYER, a grandson of Benjamin and Hannah (WOOD) SAWYER. Not sure who Susan's father was.

A contributer to the NYORANGE rootsweb list, Phoebe (MzCortez@aol.com) sent the text of a Goshen will:

1760 John CARPENTER [of?] Goshen wife Elinore son Anthony (under 21 years) got house on town lot, dau Hannah land near Sugar Loaf Hill lot #2 land taken by "my father", Eunice got Conn Co. 1rst purchase on Delaware River, Elinore got land in Conn Purchase on Susquehana River

Another contributor to the same list, Pamela J. SEARS (pjsears@stratos.net) sent this extract from the NY Historical Society Collection, Abstracts of Wills Vol VI 1760-1766, all Liber 22, page 349:

In the name of God, Amen. I, John CARPENTER, of Goshen, in Orange County, being weak in body. "My funeral to be decent without pomp or state, at the discretion of my wife, who I doubt not will manage with all requisite prudence." I leave to my wife Elinor 1/4 of my movable estate, and the use of all lands and tenements, and make her executor. I leave to my son Anthony this house in which I now dwell, with the land, and the land adjoining being one Town Lot, with my right in the undivided lands in the Patent of Waywayanda, when he is 21. I leave to my daughter Hannah 1/4 of my movable estate, and a lot of land lying near Sugar Loaf Hill, which is part of a tract of land taken up by my father, and is Lot No. 2. I leave to my daughter Eunice 1/4 of my movables, and all my right in Connecticutt Company's first Purchase, on Delaware river, and she is to have this when 18 years old, or married. I leave to my daughter Elinor when 18, onequarter of my movables, and all my right in lands lying in Connecticutt Purchase, on Susquehana river. My wife Elinor is to take charge of the education and maintainance of my children, until my son Anthony is of age; and for this I leave her the use of all lands and movables, until he is 21. October 3, 1760. Witnesses, Solomon CARPENTER, Jr., Thomas WICKHAM, Nehemiah Carpenter. Proved, November 8, 1760, before John GALE, Surrogate.

The Hannah mentioned in this will is possibly the second wife of Major John WOOD of this page.

Fellow researcher KWilli1046@aol.com of the NYORANGE rootsweb group posted information from the document; DEED INDEX - 1703-1869 (A-H) GRANTEE INDEX - FORGERSON, which included the following record:

Year: 1795
Grantee: Hannah
Grantor: John Wood
Book: F
Page: 424

This was apparently a deed transfer from John to his second wife (?)

Sources: