Burris Doudney Wood was born 9 November 1815 in New Jersey. He was the eighth child of fourteen born to Abinah Belford and Susannah Humphreys Wood and the second son. His other thirteen siblings were Marcella, Martha, Emma, Ellinor, Mary Anne, Ruth, Jonathan, Reumah, Elizabeth, David, Susannah, William and John. Abinah was a shipbuilder, carpenter, and sea captain, whilst Susannah was the daughter of an American Revolution veteran.

In 1820, Burris moved to Fayette County, Pennsylvania with his father's family, and spent three years there while his father worked hard "mauling out" rails and made little money doing it. The family finally settled in Birmingham, Pennsylvania, in what is now part of Pittsburgh.

Burris married Julia Blackford (or Blachford) on 1 May 1838 probably in Birmingham, Pennsylvania. She was born in 1817 in Washington County, Pennsylvania. The couple would have seven children; Eliza or Elizabeth, John Devender, Reumah Anne, Margaret, Burris, William and George.

Burris studied law under a Colonel Sam Black and was a justice of the peace, as well as a contractor for building steamboats.  He possibly studied carpentry from his father as well. 

He had plans to move his family to Saint Louis, Missouri sometime around 1854, when he mysteriously disappeared, along with the money he had planned to use in moving his family. No one has seen him since.

One speculation behind his disappearance, given by his niece Sarah, was that he was murdered for his money and his body hidden, though she does cite that there were speculations and sightings of him in a handful of different areas. However, as she puts it, "he was a true lover of his family-he worshipped his children-none of the ugly stories about him could ever be proven." Another version of this story, told by Burris' brother William, speculates that Burris disappeared along with a lawyer friend of his, Tony Hart, in Saint Louis, and that both were murdered because of a large money interest lawsuit that probably was not going the way someone wanted it to.

Whatever the story, Burris' family never made it to Saint Louis.

Julia continued to live in East Birmingham as it changed to Temperanceville, and then to Allegheny City and would be listed as a widow in the directories of that time. That area is now the north side of the present day city of Pittsburgh. She would pass away 25 October 1888 in Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, and would be buried three days later in Highwood Cemetery, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

At least two of Burris and Julia's sons would fight in the Civil War for the Grand Army of the Republic, and two of their daughters would marry Civil War veterans.

Sources:
1 Officers: J.H.Wood, T.R.Wood, P.A.Wood, G.E.Wood, History and Genealogy of the descendants of Abinah Wood and Susannah Humphreys (Andover, Ohio; Press of the Citizen. 1903), A copy is in the personal collection of Kelley Wood; location of original is unknown.
2 United States, 1850 United States Federal Census (Ancestry.com (database online]. Provo, Utah: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2005. M432, 1009 rolls. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C.), National Archives and Records Administration, Census Place: East Birmingham, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: M432_748; Page: 37B; Image: 80.
3 National Archives and Records Administration (NARA);, 1840 United States Federal Census (Ancestry.com. [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.), Census Place: Mifflin, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: 439; Page: 150; Image: 309; Family History Library Film: 0020536.
4 Mark Zeller, Mark Zeller's notes on the Abinah Wood Descendants (Gedcom sent to Kelley Wood-Davis in May 2011 via email), Date of Import: 14 May 2011.
5 Yates Publishing, U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004), www.ancestry.com, Database online. Source number: 193.000; Source type: Electronic Database; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: RR1.
6 Sarah Stuart Strickler Jordan, Sarah Strickler's testimony regarding Burris D. Wood's disappearance (Written in 1903 - copied and passed on to Kelley Wood by Martha Wood Scudder), Original Unknown - copies in the collection of Kelley Wood.
7 William Walker Wood, as told to Percy A. Wood and Thomas R. Wood, Statement by William Walker Wood of the mysterious disappearance of his brother, Burris (Copied and passed on to Kelley Wood by Martha Wood Scudder), Original Unknown - copies in the collection of Kelley Wood.
8 Burris Doudney Wood, Telegram from Saint Louis, Missouri (Sent from Saint Louis 10 May 1854 to Julia Ann Wood. A transcribed copy of the telegram was sent to Kelley Wood-Davis by Martha Wood Scudder in 2002.), Original Unknown - copies in the collection of Kelley Wood.
9 Yates Publishing, U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004), www.ancestry.com, Database online. Source number: 193.000; Source type: Electronic Database; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: RR1.
10 United States, 1860 United States Federal Census (Ancestry.com [database online]. Provo, Utah: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2004. M653, 1438 rolls. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C.), National Archives and Records Administration, Census Place: Temperanceville, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: M653_1062; Page: 535; Image: 542; Family History Library Film: 805062.
11 G.H. Thurston, Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1878/1879 ([Pittsburgh, Pa.] 1878. Posted at University of Pittsburgh, Digital Research Library on 2008-01-20.online at http://digital.library.pitt.edu/cgi-bin/t/text/text-idx?idno=31735054778604;view=toc;c=pitttextdir), 667.
12 FamilySearch from United States Bureau of the Census., 1880 United States Federal Census (10th census. Digital images of originals housed at the National Archives, Washington, D.C.. FHL microfilm. Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Found online at (http://familysearch.org)), National Archives and Records Administration, Census Place: McClure, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: M593_1294; Page: 111A; Image: 226; Family History Library Film: 552793.
13 Ancestry.com, 1870 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009), www.ancestry.com, Database online. Year: 1870; Census Place: McClure, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: M593_;
14 Pittsburgh Commercial Gazette, Obituary of Julia Blackford (October 27, 1888, p. 712. Found on Rootsweb.com message board), Original Unknown.
15 United States, 1860 United States Federal Census (Ancestry.com [database online]. Provo, Utah: MyFamily.com, Inc., 2004. M653, 1438 rolls. National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C.), National Archives and Records Administration.
16 William Bozic jr, Highwood Cemetery Photograph (Taken in 2001), Personal Collection of William Bozic jr.
17 Joan Reumah Evans, Notes of J. R. Evans (Via emails and letters to Kelley Wood-Davis 2004-present in various emails, phone calls, letters, etc. Ongoing Interview).
18 Find A Grave, Inc., Find A Grave.com (Digital images. http://www.findagrave.com: 2011.), Find A Grave Memorial# 63333796.
19 Samuel Tilden Hunter, Descendants of Margaret Wood (Family Legacy gedcom emailed to Kelley Davis April 2009.), Date of Import: 1 Apr 2009.
20 William Bozic, Notes of William Bozic (Via letters and emails to Kelley Wood-Davis from 2002 - present. Ongoing interview).

First posted 2004, Revised January 2012 by Kelley Wood-Davis

Last updated 25 January by Kelley Wood-Davis

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