John Wood (1656 - aft. 1735)

Born 2 Nov 1656 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Ancestors

Husband of Isabel (Hazen) Wood — married 16 Jan 1680 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Descendants

Died after 24 Jun 1735 after age 78 in Littleton, Middlesex, Province of Massachusetts Bay

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Richard Draper [send private message], Douglass Washburn [send private message], Susie Parker [send private message], Donlyn Whissen [send private message], and Mark Basque [send private message]

Biography

This person is an ancestor of President Millard Fillmore^[1]

This profile is part of the Wood Name Study.

John Wood was born on 2 November 1656 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts to Thomas and Ann Wood. The actual record reads: "John Wood, son of Thomas and An, [sic] born the ninth month and second day." The ninth month of the Julian calendar was November. This record was incorrectly transcribed as "September" on some of the sources.^[2][3]

John served in King Philip’s War of 1675-1677 (also known as Metacom’s Rebellion). This war marked the last major effort by the Indians of southern New England to drive out the English settlers. The claim, however, that John Wood obtained the rank of Captain during his military service lacks proof. In the 1947 book “Hazen Family in America,” the author, Tracy Elliot Hazen, never identified John as a “Captain.” Instead, Tracy Elliot Hazen wrote: “During King Philip’s War, John Wood, served at Marlborough as a Private under Capt. Samuel Brocklebank of Rowley, his name appearing on pay-rolls dated 24 March 1675/6 and 24 June 1676; also 24 Aug. 1676 his wages were assigned to the town of Rowley. His name appears on the list of proprietors of Narragansett Township No. 6, now Templeton, Mass., granted 12 Feb. 1733 to veterans living in Littleton and neighboring towns. (Bodge, Soldiers in King Philip’s War, pp. 207, 271, 435)” ^[4] The pages referenced by Hazen in Bodge’s book, “Soldiers in King Philip’s War,” are proof that John was not a “captain.” The pay-rolls on page 207 simply list John as “John Wood” with absolutely no reference to his being a Captain. On page 435, Veteran John Wood (age 79) is not listed as Captain at this time either. This is noteworthy since in the continuation of the list of names other men are clearly identified as “Capt.”^[5] Sons of the American Revolution Applications also lack any identification as “Captain.”^[6]

John married Isabel Hazen on 16 January 1680/1 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts. ^[7] Isabel Hazen was the daughter of Edward & Hannah (Grant) Hazen. The Hazens were some of the original settlers of Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts and were a family of influence.

After their marriage, John and Isabel initially remained in the Village of Rowley. Their first child was born here:^[8]

Hannah daughter of John Wood borne the 20th of January 1681 [Julian calendar].

About 1683, John and Isabel moved to Bradford, Essex, Massachusetts. Eleven more children were born in Bradford:^[9]

John, s. John and Isabell, Feb. 13, 1683[/4].

Priscilla, d John and Isabel, Aug. 27, 1687.

Edward, s. John and Isabel, Sept. 7, 1689.

Thomas, s. John and Isabel, Nov. 28, 1691.

Samuel, s. John and Isabel, Nov. 18, 1693.

Joseph, s. John and Isabel, May 5, 1696.

Ebenezer, s. John and Isabel, Sept. 8, 1698.

Abigail, d. John and Isabel, Dec. 14, 1700.

Bethiah, d. John and Isabel, Jan. 19, 1702-3.

Richard, s. Jo[h]n and Isabel, Jan. 30 1705-6.

Josiah, s. Jo[h]n [sr. C R. 1] and Isabel, Apr. 5, 1708.

“The Hazen Family in America” by Tracy Elliot Hazen states: “On 22 Aug. 1726, they sold their land there [Bradford] to Robert Savory, and followed their eldest son to Littleton, Mass. where John Wood had bought a farm, 11 May 1726. This farm of 160 acres with buildings thereon, John Wood, Sr., deeded 7 March 1728/9 to Joseph Wood, Carpenter, both of Littleton...”^[10]

The fact that John (age about 79) appears on the list of proprietors on 24 June 1735 in "Soldiers in King Philip's War" by George Bodge strongly supports the premise that John was still living in Littleton at this time and had not moved or died after he sold his 160-acre farm to his son, Joseph, on 7 March 1728/9. Roberts, author of “Ancestors of American Presidents,” speculates that John probably died in Littleton, Massachusetts post 1738/9.^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Roberts, Gary Boyd; Ancestors of American Presidents. Boston: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009, p. 37.
2. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QG1K-4VX6 : 29 November 2018), John Wood, 2 Sep 1656; citing Birth, Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, , town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm . Image shows 9th month, which was Nov prior to 1752.
3. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:DZ39-M5W2 : 19 April 2021), John Wood, 2 Nov 1656; citing Birth, Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009706.
4. ↑ Hazen, Tracy Elliot, Robert Hazen, and Donald Lines Jacobus. The Hazen Family In America: a Genealogy by Tracy Elliot Hazen, PH. D., Page 31. (Thomaston, Conn.: R. Hazen, 1947).
5. ↑ Bodge, George M., “Soldiers in King Philip’s War. Containing lists of the soldiers of Massachusetts Colony, who served in the Indian war of 1675-1677,”Boston, Printed for the Author, 1891
6. ↑ Ancestry.com. U.S., Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Sons of the American Revolution Membership Applications, 1889-1970. Louisville, Kentucky: National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution. Microfilm, 508 rolls.
7. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:Q29G-G4YN : 5 November 2017), John Wood and Isabell Hazzen, 16 Jan 1680; citing Marriage, Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, United States, , town clerk offices, Massachusetts; FHL microfilm 877,468
8. ↑ "Massachusetts, Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1626-2001," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:DCY4-Y3T2 : 19 April 2021), Hanah Wood, 20 Jan 1681; citing Birth, Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts Bay Colony, British Colonial America, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, Boston; FHL microfilm 007009706.
9. ↑ Ancestry.com. Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Town and City Clerks of Massachusetts. Massachusetts Vital and Town Records. Provo, UT: Holbrook Research Institute (Jay and Delene Holbrook).
10. ↑ Hazen Family in America: Edward Hazen., Page 31

See Also:

• Hazen, Tracy Elliot. The Hazen Family in America - A Genealogy (Robert Hazen, Thomaston, Connecticut; Printed by Tuttle, Morehouse & Taylor, New Haven, Connecticut 1947)
• Clemens, William Montgomery American Marriages Before 1699 (Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, USA: Biblio Co., 1926)
• Wood. John Sumner, St.. The Wood Family Index (Garrett & Massie, Germantown, Maryland, 1966) (578 pages) - Person - John (42) page 260, son of Thomas (1)
• Blodgett, George. Early Settlers of Rowley, Massachusetts (Amos Everett Jewett, Rowley, Massachusetts, 1887-1933)Page 412, Person 220-3.
• Records and Files of the Quarterly Courts of Essex County, Massachusetts, 1636-1686 (The Essex Institute, Salem, Mass.,1912) Vol. 2: 1656-1662, Page 4: Rowley vital records, 1656.
• "The Wood family, Sackville, N. B., being a genealogy of the line from Thomas Wood, of Rowley, Mass., born about 1634, to Josiah Wood, of Sackville, N. B., born in 1843 : Kibbe, James Allen. [from old catalog]  : Internet Archive." Archive https://archive.org/details/woodfamilysackvi00kibb/. Accessed 6 Feb. 2024. [pages 9-12]