John Devender Wood was born on 23 April 1841 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He was the eldest son of Burris Doudney and Julia (Blackford or Blachford) Wood, and second of seven children, the others being Eliza or Elizabeth, Reumah Anne, Margaret, William W., Burris and George. John's father, Burris, mysteriously disappeared in 1854 either in their hometown of Pittsburgh, or in Saint Louis, Missouri, where he had planned to move the family. It was presumed he was dead shortly thereafter, and Julia raised the family in Pittsburgh on her own.

Like most young men of his time, John fought in the Civil War, mustering in as a private on 1 August 1861. In time, he was promoted to the rank of corporal and then to sergeant of the 63rd Pennsylvania Volunteers, company K. He was presumably good friends with the company's captain, a man by the name of Charles Wesley Chapman, who died in a skirmish on the picket line near Ft. Lyon, Virginia on 5 March 1862. John Devender fought in a number of battles; Malvern Hill, Petersburg, Williamsburg, Yorktown and Gettysburg.  He mustered out with the rest of the regiment at the end of the war. His only injury would be rheumatism in his feet, which he received from the trenches of Petersburg, which would develop steadily as he got older to the point where it was quite painful at times to walk.

(For more on his Civil War exploits, check out The Hays Guards: The Story of Company K of the Sixty Third Pennsylvania Volunteers which opens in a new window).

John married Carrie C. Doerr (or possibly Doen) on 27 February 1868 at the U.P. Church Temperanceville, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. An H. Calhoun would marry the couple. Carrie was born 27 December 1848 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, though at this point not much is known about her younger years.

The couple had seven children; Harry Weaver, Amelia Minich, Maggie Julia, Charles Wesley Chapman (named for the Civil War captain), Augusta Burgdolf, May Carrie and John Denvender junior, who died in infancy.

John wore many occupational hats in his lifetime to provide for his family.  He began as a riverman, then went on to work as a roller in the iron and steel mills that Allegheny County and Pittsburgh in general would become famous for later.  He and Carrie and their family lived in what was once Allegheny City, but is now the North side of Pittsburgh. 

Because of the rheumatism in his feet that steadily worsened, as an older man he applied for and recieved a veteran's pension from the United States government.  After his death, his widow received a benefit as well, which would support the elderly Carrie as well as the couple's daughter May. 

John Denver Wood died 31 August 1890 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and was buried in Highwood Cemetery in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. His wife would survive him by seven years, as she died 23 August 1898 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and is also buried in Highwood Cemetery.

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    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, Year: 1880; Census Place: Allegheny, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: 1088; Family History Film: 1255088; Page: 41B; Enumeration District: 26; Image: 0086.
3    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.
4    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, Year: 1860; Census Place: Temperanceville, Allegheny, Pennsylvania; Roll: M653_1062; Page: 535; Image: 542; Family History Library Film: 805062.
5    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.
6    William Bozic jr, Highwood Cemetery Photograph (Taken in 2001), Personal Collection of William Bozic jr
7    W. H. Lockhart, Esq., Proof of Disability for John D, Wood (Allegheny City, Pennsylvania, 9 September 1889.), NARA - Copies are in the personal collections of both William Bozic jr. and Kelley Wood.
8    National Archives and Records Administration, John Denver Wood's Civil War Pension File (Sent to Kelley Wood from William Bozic in Spring, 2004 - various documents are in this file), NARA.
9    Gilbert Adams Hays, Under the Red Patch: Story of the Sixty Third Regiment, Pennsylvania Volunteers, 1861-1865 (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Sixty-Third Pennsylvania Volunteers Regimental Association. 1908), Original Unknown - copies in the collection of Kelley Wood.
10    Samuel M. Evans, chief complier, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, in the war for suppression of the rebellion, 1861-1865 (Published by the authority of the Board of Managers, Soldiers, and Saliors Memorial Hall; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 1924), 211.
11    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, FHL Film # 1255088.
12    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).
13. Strickler, Sarah Stuart, Sarah Strickler's testimony regarding Burris D. Wood's disappearance, (Written in 1903 - copied and passed on to Kelley Wood by Martha Wood Scudder).

Written 2004 - Revised February 2013 by Kelley Wood-Davis