Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1913-04-29
John F. Wood.

John r. Wood.
John Farmer Wood, who died II
Shows Falls, Paris, on Sunday after
noon, April 20, 1913, was q native OF Con
cord, Mass, where he was born Oct. 2
1888. He was the youngest Of sever
children OF James Wood and Rizpat
Farmer, and was descended from eigh,
of the earliest settlers of Concord, his
direct ancestor, William Wood, com
ing from Matlock, England, and set.
Ting in that town in 1888. Mr.. Woods
grandfather and grest-grandfather per-
formed good service In the war tina,
freed our country from the yoke OF
England, and each took part in the
events of April 10, 1775.
In his early days Mr.. Wood was the
foreign representative of Walter A.
Wood, and introduced and sold moving
machines In England, France, Ireland,
Egypt and Algeria. Returning to
America in 1868, he organized the Union
Stone Co. of Boston, which was the
pioneer in the manufacture Of various
forms for the application Of emery, and
had prosperous career for many years,
being now continued by the Cutter &
Wood Supply Co. on Pearl Street, Bos-
ton.
In 1880 Mr.. Wood, by heroic efforts,
succeeded in interesting large part OF
the prominent business men Of New
England in q proposition to erect q
mammoth exhibition building in Boston
in which to hold annually, industrial
- No Droduckiopo
This resulted in the erection Of the In
stitute Fair building on Huntington
Avenue, a structure covering FIVE acres
of ground and having eight acres OF floor
space. Mr.. Wood was elected treasurer
aud general manager Of the Institute,
which position he held for four years.
About 1880, Mr.. Wood became inter-
ested with the late P. w. Locke In the
Exeter Wood Pulp Co., and made his
first acquaintance with Shows Falls.
The company did not prosper, and Mr..
Wood stepped into the financial breach
so frequently that he soon found himself
the owner Of a large amount Of the com.
pany's bonds, and, 10 self defence, was
obliged to buy the property at Shows
Falls, when it was finally sold by the
sheriff. He leased the mill later to
Prescott & Forbes, under whose tenancy
the entire plant was destroyed by fire In
June, 1884. By some legal technicality
Mr.. Wood was deprived of the benefit OF
his insurance, although the tenants got
theirs, and he therefore faced an entire
loss OF bis investment except the value
of the land and privilege.
In 1885, certain parties obtained from
Mr.. Wood the right to erect mill build
ing at Shows Falls, but owing to a
lamentable blunder in the location of
the building, the river made short work
of their efforts. Nothing more was done
at Shows Falls until 1898, whom Mr..
Woods SOD, Fred j. Wood, moved to the
Falls, and, in partnership with his IA
Their, undertook to establish business.
A three. story building was built and
water wheel installed, and various minor
improvements made, during the fall Of
1898 and spring of 1894, and the manu-.
facture of polishing wheels was begun in
1894. This business continued for but
short time, finally closing for lack oil
orders. A cargo Of emery, procured at
that time, was long on the ground, and
recently much of 1t was used as broken
stone in the construction of . concrete
dam.
Mr.. Wood was largely interested 10 the
developments by the Linen Manufsctur'
ing Co., and labored earnestly to estab
lish business that would have greatly
benefited the town as we'll as himself
When the business finally failed, as a re-
suit of indiscriminate stock jobbing, Mr.
Wood was bitterly disappointed, and
never ceased to regret the unfortunate
ending.
Mr.. Woods business activity ceased
after this, and he soon retired to bis
home at Shows Falls, spot which he
loved. IAN ideal place." he used to say
"for a man tired Of the worlds activity,
to spend the last Of bis days" His last
years were devoted to the cultivation OF
his small garden and the duties OF az
amateur farmer.
Mr.. Wood was man OF generous,
loving disposition, and many young men
we're indebted to him for help and ad
vaucemsnt in their early life. he was g
man of high ideals, and fond OF bit
family, and broken. hearted circle
mourps his loss.
Mr.. Wood was married Feb. %, 1866
to Ella Louise Skinner, daughter of the
well-known family Of that name, Of
Charlestown, Mass. She died November
s, 1882, and In due time Mr.. Wood wal
again married. to Alice Cora Sparks
daughter of Reuben G. Sparks Of
Provincetown. She with son by the
first marriage, Fred ]. Wood Of Brook
line, Mass, survives him.
He was made q Mason In Corinthiar
Lodge. F. and A. NJ, in Concord, Mass.
In 1858.