Gloucester County Democrat., 1912-07-04
THE WOOD FAMILY BURYING
GROUND.
CONTINUED from page one)
Rev. H. E. Thompson's Address.

This remark is somewhat paradoxic-
al, but altogether true. Sensible
people do not have their pictures
taken for themselves to look at; but
that posterity may know, at least, con-
cerning face and figure, what manner
of men they were. So current events
are not recorded for the benefit Of
those who are living, but for those
who come after; that history may
take the place of personal experience.
1t is far cry from Bury, England, to
this spot where we are now assem-
| bled. 1t is long, long memory that
must reach back from 1912 to 1852.
Nevertheless the records of over. two
hundred years ago not only make
possible the fact, but also make clear
the meaning of what we are doing
| today. The man who linked his local
name for his new habitation in this
land, was unconsciously forging one
link in the chain that binds two ma
l.
tions, and the stronger chain that
keeps past, present and future to-
gether in one unbroken course of
events" Our Society has the laud-
able two-fold purpose of interpret
ing and making history. The little
| episode of today is a small matter to
read about in tomorrow's newspap-
ers, but it will be a great matter
when it has reached far into the fu-
ture to tell there the story, written in
stone, of still older past.
We members of the Gloucester
County Historical Society, together
with those who are SO good as to be
our guests today, are assembled on
what we believe to be a significant
and we'll identified spot. 1t is por-
ton of the land that in 1853 was
decided to Henry Wood, of Bury
County, Lancaster, England, by Ed
ward Byllings, then one of the Pro-
| prietors of West Jersey. Some auth
critics affirm and so this stone has
been made to record, that the land
was decided jointly to Henry Wood
and John, brother Be that as it
may, in the same year, 1852, Henry
Wood, with John, a son, came to claim
this land, and became the pioneer
settlers of what he then named, and
is now called Woodbury..
When we would know the history
of men or things, it is necessary "to
| look unto the rock whence they were
hewn, and the hole of the pit whence
they were digged." So it serves our
present purpose to ask where and
what is Bury? 1t is easy to state
geographically that it is town in
Lancastershire, or County Lancaster,
England, one hundred and ninety-fve
miles northwest from London. 1t is
easy to read modern accounts of it's
Town Hall, Library, Museum, Art
Gallery and it's cotton manufacture as
the chief industry: its calico printing
dyeing and bleaching works; iron and
machinery operations. But, of course,
most of these things are comparative
ely modern. What little else we know
is of more use to us, is more interest
ing because it touches the actual time
| of Henry Wood.
The lowest extreme of life is forc-
IDLY suggested by the fact of the pres
ence in 'the everlasting hills" of that
neighborhood of coal mines and stone
quarries. Contrariwise, from a world
ly point of view is suggested the OPP
posite extreme of life, by the fact that
Bury was Fee or Fief of the Royal
Manor of Tollington, held by the
Laceys. The very name Bury" from
the Saxon Burg" of Brig" signi-
fies castle or fortified place, and
suggests that Imprisonment of ex-
tremes within rural limitations which
was such a dangerous condition Of
early English life. Add to the sit
uation a rural parish church, st.
Mary's, of very early foundation, and
here are reasons enough why a mem
Der of the Society of Friends would
fear and dislike the place too much
to remain there, even while he loved
it too well to forget it in a far and
strange land. In our thankfulness to
Almighty God for the glorious reform
revival and renewal of later years,
we are not unwilling to acknowledge
the one time degeneracy of the church
of England; spiritual wickedness in
high places; carnal wickedness in
castle and hall unrebuked by the
church. We deplore all this because
we understand it, and realize that one
whose religion taught him modera-
ton, quietude, justice and peaceable-
ness could not remain in such a sit
,1atior,