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Neal Erastus Wood, a
twin, was born on 15 Dec. 1853 in South Newbury, Ohio to
Erastus Austin Wood and Lucyette Lucretia Bradley. At the
age of four he moved with his parents to Richland Center,
Wisconsin. At the age of 14,in 1867, he moved to Crawford
County, Kansas settling on a farm not far from the new town
of Girard. He was home schooled and later attending the first
school in Girard. After his mother’s
death on 16 Jan. 1874, his father went to California to try
his luck in gold mining. Two days after arriving in Placerville,
California, Erastus Austin Wood was bitten by a tarantula and
died on 21 Oct. 1875. It was at this time that Neal quit farming
and began teaching in Girard for a salary of $25 a month. He
taught for 4 terms. In 1877 he began working for W. G. Seabury
as a clerk in his mercantile store. With Wood’s help,
W. G. Seabury built the first store in Pittsburg on the southeast
corner of 4th and Broadway. Their first transaction was with
a girl who exchanged a basket of eggs for some calico material.
He stayed with Seabury for two years until 1878 when he went
into the real estate, loan and insurance business with Augustus
Jerome Georgia, his future father-in-law, opening Georgia
& Wood. Neal married Georgia’s only daughter, Edith
May on 17 June 1878 in Girard, KS. They later built a two
story wood frame house at 409 N. Walnut next door to his in-laws
who had a house at 411 N. Walnut. Neal was elected city assessor
and city clerk of Pittsburg in 1883. He retained this post
for many years. He was also active in the Independent Order
of the Odd Fellows and the Ancient Order of United Workmen.
His wife, Edith May, died of a cancerous tumor on 5 June 1904
and was buried in the Mt. Olive Cemetery in Pittsburg. He
remarried on 13 Nov. 1905, Mrs. Julia McCarthy. Neil remained
in Pittsburg until about 1920 when he closed the doors of
Georgia & Wood and moved to Chanute, KS becoming a traveling
salesman for Scott & Dillon Tobacco Company of Detroit.
In 1930, he moved to Los Angeles to live with his daughter
Alfa (Wood) Anderson who was the supervisor of music for the
LA Public Schools. Neal Erastus Wood died on 3 July 1937 in
LA and was buried in the Mt. Olive Cemetery next to his first
wife, Edith.
Contributor: Georgia Family History - Edward L.
Woodyard, Armonk, NY |
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Father: Erastus
Austin Wood born 19 Dec. 1829 at Austinburg, Ohio;
married 16 June 1852; died 21 Oct. 1875 at Placerville, CA.
Parents: Samuel Wood Jr. and Amy Welton
Mother: Lucyette Lucretia Bradley born 30 Jan
1834 at South Newbury, Ohio; died 16 Jan. 1874 at Girard, Crawford
Co., KS. Parents: Moses Bradley III and Celia Parks.
Children of Erastus Austin Wood and Lucyette
L. Bradley:
1. Neal Erastus (twin) (see above)
2. Pearl Oresus (twin) born 15 Dec 1853 and
died 1 May 1931 at Girard, Crawford Co., KS. He married 21
June 1877 at Beloit, Kansas, Corlesta Jane Scott. He married
second 21 June 1919 at Erie, Neosho, Co., Kansas, Mrs. Josephing
Titus Foster. He married third 11 Nov 1926 at Girard, Crawford
Co., Kansas, Mrs. Ida Thrift Swearingin. Pearl and Corlesta
had one son, Harry Scott.
3. Frank F. born 22 Aug 1856 and died 15 Aug
1919 at Denver, Colorado. Married 19 Jan 1891 at Howard, Kansas,
Margaret Eleanor Barnes. They had one child, Frankie Evelyn.
4. Arthur Lee born 15 Nov 1958 and died 20
Mar 1930 at Winfield, Kansas. He never married.
5. Harriet Lucretia born 6 Sept 1864 and
died 28 May 1947 near Girard, Crawford Co., Kansas on the family
farm. She married 27 Sept 1885 at Sigourney, Iowa Allison Wilber
Long. They had the following children: Ray Erastus, William
Arthur, Ester May and Ada Claire.
6. Harry Samuel born 19 April 1867 and died
10 May 1909 at Sigourney, Iowa. He married 23 April 1890, Mary
Christiana Wagner. They had the following children: Seldon,
Leatha and Amy
Children of Neal Erastus
Wood and Edith May Georgia:
1. Alfa May born in June 1877 in Pittsburg,
Crawford Co., Kansas and died 29 November 1937 in Los Angeles,
California. She married in 1899 Frank J. Anderson. They had
no children.
2. Ethel Edith born20 March 1883 and died
22 November 1888 in Pittsburg, Crawford Co., Kansas.
3. Georgia Neal born 16 December 1885 at
Pittsburg, Crawford Co., Kansas and died 2 February 1940 in
Topeka, Shawnee Co., Kansas at hospital when he was being treated
for throat cancer. He changed his name George before entering
college. He married 20 Jan 1909 at Columbus, Cherokee Co.,
Kansas, Anna Ruth Fisher. They had 3 daughters, Dorothy Edith,
Addie Virginia and Ruth Charlotte. |
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