Anson S. Wood (1834)

Born 2 Oct 1834 in Camillus, Onondaga, New York

Ancestors

Biography

B. Lt.Col. Anson Wood served in the United States Civil War.
Enlisted: Aug 19, 1862
Mustered out: May 16, 1865
Side: USA
Regiment(s): 138th New York Infantry, 9th New York Heavy Artillery

Anson S. Wood, 27; Aug. 19, '62, Lyons; Sept. 8, 1st Lieut.; rank from Aug. 22; acting Adjutant after Dec. 25. '62; Adjutant, March 14, '63; trans. June 5, '63, to Co. M as Captain.

Anson S. Wood, from Company D, June 5, '63; rank from Apr. 14; wd. at Monocacy; promoted Major.

Anson S. Wood, from Captain, Co. M, Feb. 9, '65; rank from Nov. 28. '64; dis. May 16, '65, Brevet Lieut. Colonel U. S. Vols.

Brevet Lieutenant Colonel

Alfred Roe writes a bio:

"Colonel" Wood, one of the best known figures in the county if not in the state, was born in Camillus, Onondaga county, Oct. 2. 1834. His father, Alvin, was of English descent, while the family of his mother, Fanny Woodworth, was from New England. In the childhood of Colonel Wood, the family removed to Butler, in whose schools and in the Red Creek Academy his early education was had.

He began the study of law in Syracuse in 1853; later he was in the offices of C. D. Lawton and Judge L. S. Ketchum of Clyde. During his law studies he taught school one winter, and in the fall of 1855 he attended the Albany Law School; in December of the same year he was admitted to the bar. Residing in South Butler, he was elected, early in 1856, town superintendent of schools. In July of that year he removed to Lyons, where he formed a law partnership with the Hon. William Clark, with whom and the Hon. DeWitt Parshall he practiced law till September, 1862, also serving as town clerk in 1858 and '59.

When the 138th Regiment was projected, he was one of the early volunteers and was commissioned 1st lieutenant of Company D. Later he served as adjutant, and in May, 1863, he was promoted to the captaincy of Company M, and was on detached service in Elmira in connection with the draft rendezvous there : for a time he was assistant adjutant general of the post. In May, 1864, at his own request, he was returned to his command and was with the regiment throughout the campaign upon which it was then about entering.

In October he served on the staff of General J. B. Ricketts, commanding the 3d Division, 6th Corps, and after the general's severe wounding at Cedar Creek, Captain Wood continued on the staff of General Truman Seymour as judge advocate, Seymour having succeeded Ricketts. Promoted major, he returned to the regiment and partook of its vicissitudes till after the surrender. Then considering the war over, he resigned his commission in May, 1865, with the brevet rank of lieutenant colonel.

Having purchased a farm in Butler, he immediately became prominent in local affairs, and in 1866 served the township as supervisor; the following year he was assistant assessor of internal revenue, and continued to hold the position till the fall of '69, when he resigned to accept the nomination for Assemblyman in one of the Wayne county districts. He was elected, and the following year he was sent again. In the mean time he had resumed the practice of law, locating in the village of Wolcott.

In January, 1872, G. Hilton Scribner, secretary of state in Albany, made Colonel Wood his assistant or deputy, and he continued to hold this place for two years. Then with General Joseph B. Carr, he served in the same capacity six years from 1879. In 1883 he was one of the secretaries of the Republican State Committee. In 1885 he was unanimously nominated secretary of state, but with all the names on the Republican ticket was defeated.

Then followed a single year in Albany, after which he resumed his law practice in Wolcott, having his residence on Wood's Island in Port Bay. At present he is associated in his profession with the Hon. George S. Horton. At all times Colonel Wood has been a prominent man in local affairs. He has been justice of the peace, trustee of the Wolcott Union School, president of the village and supervisor of Huron. He has many times been a delegate to Republican state conventions, and as a speaker in political campaigns he has few rivals in popularity. His old comrades-in-arms believe that the future has yet many honors in store for him.

He was a prime mover in the formation of the G. A. R. Post in Wolcott, of which he has repeatedly been commander, and he has been a member of the New York Department staff. In 1898 he received the honor of election to the command of the department, and for the ensuing year went up and down the Empire State looking after the interests of this great organization, reflecting credit upon himself and the regiment that had sup- ported him so loyally. For a number of years he has been at the head of the Wayne County Veteran Association, which holds an annual meeting in the month of August at Bonnicastle on the eastern side of Great Sodus bay, and he has succeeded in giving to the same a reputation which goes far beyond the confines of the county. His extensive acquaintance throughout the state has enabled him to present a large array of talent from year to year, which the dwellers in this lakeside county thoroughly appreciate.

Sources

• Roe, Alfred S. "Roster of the Ninth New York Heavy Artillery." The Ninth New York Heavy Artillery. A History of Its Organization, Services in the Defenses of Washington, Marches, Camps, Battles, and Muster-out ... and a Complete Roster of the Regiment. Worcester, MA: Author, 1899. 480. Print. https://archive.org/details/ninthnewyorkheav00roea

• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/KH3V-PGX