William Ervin and Margaret Wood

William Ervin “Bill” Wood, son of William Harley and Sarah Adeline (Tatum) Wood, born in Forsyth County, Georgia July 11, 1860, and came to Cass County as a young single man about 1876, following the Grogan Brothers lumbering operations. On August 11, 1885, he married in Cass County, Margaret Talullah “Lou” Grogan, born in Georgia, November 12,1869, daughter of Thomas Jefferson and Mary Elizabeth (Lummus) Grogan, who for many years ran the Gulf Hotel in Bloomburg. He was a farmer.

His younger brother, John Silas Wood and two of his sisters, Sarah Adeline, who married Joseph Early Hansford, and Mary Elizabeth, who married John McKinley, later came to Cass County, but they left no descendants in the area.

William died January 3, 1940 and Lou died January 28, 1943. Both are buried in Salem Cemetery near Bloomburg. They were parents of nine children: 1. Mary Wood born June 21, 1886, died a child, buried Ida, Louisiana.

2. Emma Elizabeth Wood born July 24, 1887, married Edwin Hansford, see separate history for this family.

3. Thomas Wood born December__1889, died a child, buried Queen City.

4. Eula Mabel Wood born January 26, 1891 near Bivins, Texas. She attended college, obtaining a teaching certificate and taught school for a short time. In 1919-1920 she was associate editor of the Bloomburg Enterprise, which was published by a family name-ed West for several years. She was somewhat of a poetess, and quite a few of her poems did appear in print. She had planned to have her poems published, but, unfortunately, they all seem to have disappeared, and none of the family knows what happened to them. During the 1930’s she reported the Bloomburg news for the Citizens Journal. Eula never married and is buried Waco, Texas.

5. Ethel Wood born 1893, died a child, “buried Queen City, Texas.

6. William Walter Wood born July 28, 1894, died March 8, 1946 and is buried in Odessa, Texas. Married (1) Pearl Thompson, born August 31, 1907, had two children. They divorced and in 1942 he married Nadine_______. No children by this marriage. William served overseas during World War I. Afterwards he worked in the oil fields and operated motels, and was in the wholesale and retail gasoline business in West TX. Joel Ferron Wood born July 16, 1925,-married Doris Hague, and Infant, born and died 1927. Joel married February 23, 1944 in San Luis Obispo, Cal. he and wife Doris have three children: Cheryl born February 23, 1947) Gail born March 17, 1949; and Robert “Bob” born September 1952.

7. Lester Robert Wood born November 21, 1895 in Miller County, Arkansas, died November 12, 1931 near Mineral Wells, TX. He served overseas during World War I, afterwards worked in the oil fields and operated garage and service stations. A gasoline truck he was driving overturned, caught on fire and burned him to death. He is buried in Minerals, Texas. He married LaVur Helms, they had two daughters. Frances Laraine, born May 6, 1924, married a Webb; and Mary Lou. After Lester’s death LaVur remarried and moved to California.

8. Jefferson Davis Wood born November 3, 1897, in Miller County, Ark., married March 8, 1920, in Cass County, Eloise Sandlin, daughter of S.S. and Susan (Lawrence) Sandlin, born October 1904 in Atlanta, Texas. For some years he operated several gasoline stations in Midland, Texas area, from which he retired in 1961, and died 1979. They were parents of two children. Conrad Leslie born in San Angelo, Tex. October 22, 1923, served in World War II in Italy as a technician. He died in Italy and is buried there. Married Eliza Aycock, no children. Betty Lou born August 3, 1925, in Vernon, Texas, married (1) in 1946, J.C. “Joe” Angel, had two sons. She married (2) December 31, 1961, Ray Paul Moudy, who adopted the two sons by her previous marriage and legally changed their names to Moudy in 1962, and have one daughter by second marriage. David Gerald Moudy born August 28, 1948. Steven Thomas Moudy born September 12, 1950. Patricia Diane Moudy born March 8, 1973.

9. Paul Franklin Wood born January 17, 1900. Unmarried and died December 24, 1924, buried Salem Cemetery.

—By Winnie (Hansford) Garrett.