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| | '''John Wood''' (1821-1899) | | '''John Wood''' (1821-1899) |
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| − | Born 1821 in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich,_England Greenwich, England] | + | Born Sep 1821 in [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greenwich,_England Greenwich, England] to Thomas Wood a Leather Tanner. |
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| − | He came to Quebec from England sometime between 1837 and 1843, settling first at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Prairie,_Quebec La Prairie, Quebec] where he was a Leather Tanner and Captain of the Militia (Military Service). In 1850 he moved to the area that would later become the town of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxton_Falls,_Quebec Roxton Falls, Quebec]. | + | He came to Quebec from England sometime after the [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Patriot's_War War of 1837], settling first at [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/La_Prairie,_Quebec La Prairie, Quebec] where he was a Leather Tanner and Captain of the Militia (Military Service). He first appears in my records when he marries on 24 Dec 1843 in St Luke's Anglican Church at La Prairie to Josephine Lalande dit Latreille. Their first four children were born there and baptised at the Cathedral of Notre Dame in Montreal. |
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| − | In 1863 he was elected the first Mayor of Roxton Falls, a position he held until 1880. He retired from his occupation as a Leather Tanner in 1888. | + | In 1851 the family moved to the area that would later become the town of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roxton_Falls,_Quebec Roxton Falls, Quebec], where the rest of their 14 children were born and baptised, and where he was again the Captain of a Military unit of fifty men. |
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| | + | In 1863 he was elected the first Mayor of Roxton Falls, a position he held until 1880. At one time his leather tannery employed 30 people. He retired from his occupation as a Leather Tanner in 1888. |
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| | <blockquote>Thanks to the unslacking devotion of John Wood, mayor of Roxton Falls, the first goods train of South Eastern Townships Railways made it's appearance in 1877.</blockquote> | | <blockquote>Thanks to the unslacking devotion of John Wood, mayor of Roxton Falls, the first goods train of South Eastern Townships Railways made it's appearance in 1877.</blockquote> |
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| − | He died 16 Jul 1899 in Acton Vale,Quebec, Canada | + | He died 16 Jul 1899 in Acton Vale,Quebec, Canada and is buried at the Cemetery of St Mark, Acton Vale, Quebec, Canada |
| − | Buried at the Cemetery of St Mark, Acton Vale, Quebec, Canada
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| − | Census: 1871 Roxton Falls,Shefford Co,Quebec
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| − | Census: 1881 Roxton Falls, Shefford Co, Quebec
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| − | " John Wood est ne en septembre 1821. Il est venu de Greenwich en Angleterry ou son pere Thomas et ses freres etaient tanneurs de cuir.
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| − | Il est arrive au Canada tres jeune, apres la guerre de 1837. Il etait alors Capitaine de milice. C'est le 24 decembre 1843 qu'il epouse Josephine Lalande, une jeune fille de Sainte-Martine. Ils se marierent a l'elise episcopalienne St Luke's de Laprairie ou il demeurait a l'epoque. On a pu retracer dans les registres que John et Josephine eurent au moins 12 enfants. Malgre sa grande foi en sa religion, on dit que John Wood a toujours laisse les siens libres de pratiquer et grandir dans le catholicisme. Un de ses descendants disait de lui qu'il etait un homme bon et discipline.
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| − | Avec la gougue de la jeunesse, il arriva a Roxton Falls au debut des annes 1850. Par peur de represailles, en cas de guerre, il forma a Roxton une importante milice dont il etait le Capitaine; sur la liste on compte plus de 50 noms, tous des residants de Roxton. Dans les annees 1850, il eut la grande epreuve de perdre deux filles, une agee de 3 ans et l'autre de 5 ans.
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| − | Il ouvrit par la suite une tannerie qu'il opera jusqu'en 1888. A un certain moment, il employait 30 personnes. Il fut prefet du comte de Shefford pendant 2 ans. John Wood fut le premier maire de Roxton Falls, poste qu'il occupa de 1863 a 1880. Il fut aussi directeur de la Compagnie des Comtes du Sud en 1873 et il se devoua sans relache pour l'obtention du chemin de fer. Roxton Falls en avait absolument besoin car, pour la tannerie, on utilisait seulement l'ecorce des arbres; le reste etait condamne a pourrir faute de transport que aurait pu l'acheminer vers les Etat-Unis. John Wood fut aussit marchand general sur la rue Notre-Dame en copropriete avec un Monsieur Lauzon.
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| − | Apres lae deces da sa femme en 1886 et d'une de ses fille en 1887, il vendit sa tannerie. On dit qu'elle fut rachetee par les freres Shaw qui possedaient deja l'autre tannerie.
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| − | John Wood resta actif jusqu'a la fin de sa vie. En 1888, alors age de 66 ans, il fut agent des Postes au bureau situe au coin des rues de l'Eglise et Notre-Dame.
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| − | Pendant toute sa vie, il fit des transactions de toutes sortes. Achats et ventes de terrains, lots, location, il fut proprietaire de la mine de cuivre et de la tannerie et on dit qu'il habita plusieurs proprietes.
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| − | John Wood fut un pionnier important de Roxton Falls, ville naissante, a laquelle il consacra beaucoup d 'energies.
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| − | Il mourut paisiblement le 16 juillet 1899 a l'age de 77 ans et 10 mois, chez sa fille. Il repose au cimetiere anglican de l'eglise St Mark a Acton Vale."
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| − | - "Roxton Falls: au fil des ans" Juin 1992; there is no publication information, but I believe it was published privately by the city of Roxton Falls, or possibly whatever passes as a Chamber of Commerce.
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| − | Extracted by Will Johnson, wjhonson@aol.com, copyright 2003, all rights reserved.
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| | ==Sources== | | ==Sources== |
| − | *[[JohnWood1|1881 Census for Shefford County, Quebec]] | + | *[[JohnWood3|Biography appearing in a Roxton Falls publication]] |
| | + | *[[JohnWood2|1871 Census for Roxton Falls, Shefford County, Quebec]] |
| | + | *[[JohnWood1|1881 Census for Roxton Falls, Shefford County, Quebec]] |
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| | + | [[Category:Biographies]] |
