My Ahnentafel
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This paragraph appears in JW Fisk's memoirs:97 My grandmother [Charity (Corson) Stites] was married a second time. It was several years after my grandfather Stites either died or became estranged. She married a man by the name of Woods. To them were born three children. John in 1824 or 1824 (?), I cannot recall the month; Minty two years later; Polly sometime in the year 1827 or 1828. "Minty" was J W's uncle Edward Fisk's wife, Araminta Wood. Since there was a marriage between Charity Stites and John Wood in Clark County, it seems clear that John Wood was Araminta's father. From Clark County, Ohio Marriage Records 1818-1821, Volume 1, compiled by Sara J Greer, 1998: Wood, John Charity Stites 20 Dec 1818 13 Wood, William Mary Mattox 30 Mar 1820 49 Woods, Sally Chas. Maddon 9 Sep 1819 36 The 1880 and 1900 census entries for Araminta D Fisk, John's daughter, state that her father was born in Vermont. The census records for Vermont for 1790, 1800 and 1810 list a very large number of Wood households, including the names Isaac (1800 and 1810, Bennington and Franklin Counties) and Jeremiah (Rutland county, 1790-1820). In Rutledge county alone, there are 35 Woods listed for 1800. The 1820 census for Ohio shows two Jeremiahs (Clermont and Muskingum Counties), four Isaacs (two in Clark County, including a Jr) and 21 Johns (including one in Clark County). John Wood appears on the 1818 tax list for Clark county OH as a "proprietor." The "original proprietor" is listed as Andrew Ellison. The 1820 Clark County census index shows: Isaac Wood Springfield Twp page 19 The online census record (Heritage Quest) is difficult to read. This is what I see for John: 1820 > OHIO > CLARK > HARMONY Series: M33 Roll: 88 Page: 15 John Wood 100010 20101 All we can know about John's age from this is that he was under 45 years old, making him born after 1775. Daughter Araminta was not born until 1821 (in Columbiana county) so would not be listed.3 The two youngest girls would have been Charity's daughters from her first marriage, Julie Ann and Doindia Stites. In his memoir, J W Fisk says that Charity and her second husband had three children. The son listed above could be son John, who was known to be their eldest child. It is John, the son, that J W Fisk references:
Uncle John Wood was a man of sterling worth. He together with his mother's family moved to Iowa in 1844 and succeeded in establishing himself in later years on a farm in Marion County, Iowa.97 In 1830, John's widow, Charity Wood, is found living next door to her mother, Christianna Corson, in Harmony township, Clark county. That she is named the head of the household indicates that John had died. Although there are no males listed in her household, there is a young male in her mother's home. We might safely assume that this was John Jr. (See the article on Charity for details.) We're unable to identify John's family with any of the other Wood families in the county, which includes families from Virginia and from England. In a rather desparate search for possible brothers, I've searched the 1850 census for any male Wood born between 1770 and 1790 in Vermont who were residing in Ohio. It's a short list but I don't expect it to yield anything useful.
John Wood (Jr)John Jr is found in Lake Prairie Twp, Marion county Iowa, as early as the 1850 census, age 30. (Note that the 2 year-old Wyatt Earp can be found on the same census.) Interestingly, a Lurena Wood, age 62, is living in the household. Her place of birth isn't noted. We can be fairly certain that she was not John's mother as all evidence points to Charity (Corson) Stites. Could she have been an aunt and, therefore, a sister or sister-in-law to his father? It's curious that most of John's daughters' names started with an 'L'. Was Lurena the inspiration? 1850 > IOWA > MARION > LAKE PRAIRIE TWP Series: M432 Roll: 187 Page: 293 He is found on the 1860 census for Marion County, Iowa, age 38, living next door to J W Fisk's parents, Henry C and Julia A Fiske. Julia was John's half-sister. 1860 > IOWA > MARION > LAKE PRAIRIE TWP Series: M653 Roll: 335 Page: 606 John is 50 years old on the 1870 census, same county. His wife is listed as Mary A, born KY, 43 years old. 1870 > IOWA > MARION > LAKE PRAIRIE TWP Series: M593 Roll: 409 Page: 124 The following is likely him, as John Woods, in 1880. However, the birthplace of his parents is shown very differently from what we'd expect, with his father born in New Jersey and mother born in Florida. Of further interest is the fact that his sister, Polly, is living with him. I'm unable to determine, however, her last name. It certainly isn't the expected Turner.1 His son, Benajah, is found in a separate househould, same page. 1880 > IOWA > CRAWFORD > IOWA Series: T9 Roll: 335 Page: 71 We can determine at least some of John Jr's children from the census records. Son Benajah G Wood would have been named for his maternal uncle, Benajah Corson. (See Following the Benajahs.) John's wife is listed as Margaret, born in Kentucky c1825. Lusanna Wood, born c1849, Iowa Y-DNAThe Y chromosome may one day provide leads. In other words, should a partilineal descendant of John's test, it might be possible to compare it against the Wood DNA Project and find a related line. With that end in mind, I'm maintaining a short list of John Wood's Y descendants. Indeed, the above scenario has happened. A descendant of John's grandson, Benajah Thompson Wood, has tested the low-level Y-37. The markers provided for that test are minimal but are enough to place the tester into group 44 of the Wood DNA Project. One of the Wood testers of the group has taken the most advanced Y-DNA test, known as the Big Y. 
The alphanumeric designations are markers found on the Y chromosome. Because the Y passes directly from father to his sons virtually unchanged, the markers (simple, and harmless, single-letter mutations) accummulate through the entirety of the lineage. For example, my own Y chromosome has gathered at least 1700 mutations. These markers distinguish my Cooleys from all other clans. Comparing these markers against the whole of the database, a simple genealogy-like tree can be developed, as above. For eaxmple, this Wood tester (who happens to have had Wood ancestors born in Vermont) has this genetic ancestry:
Of course, these relationships are not precise. These mutations occur approximately every four generations or so. We certainly don't know whether our tester will follow the same path, but it will be something very close to it. Further testing (and testers) are needed. Other early Wood families in Clark county, Ohio
1. The 1880 census index at Heritage Quest lists it as Renner, but that doesn't look quite right to me. 2. The History of Wyandot County, Ohio (Chicago: Liggett, Canaway & Co., 1884), 930. 3. This brings up an interesting question. What prompted the family -- the mother at minimum -- to relocate 200 miles to Columbiana County?
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