Wood, John D.

Born: 1801 Virginia

Wood married his wife, Henrietta, prior to moving to Washington County, Illinois, in 1821. He was one of the first settlers in the town of Nashville, located in Washington County. Between 1822 and 1823, he built a tavern and also owned a store. In 1832, Wood served in the Black Hawk War and moved up in rank from Sergeant to Major. After serving in the military, Wood was elected into the Illinois Senate for three terms, representing Washington and Perry Counties, from 1836-1842. He was then later elected into the Illinois House of Representatives for one term, 1859 to 1860, representing Washington County. In 1860, Wood was farming in Washington County and owned $20,000 in real estate, with a personal estate of $3,000.

U.S. Census Office, Eighth Census of the United States (1860), Washington County, IL, 126; This is Washington County; its First 150 Years, 1818-1968 (Washington County, IL: Sesquicentennial Committee of the Historical Society of Washington County, 1968), 11; History of Washington County, Illinois (Philadelphia: Brink and McDonough, 1879), 18, 29, 43-44; John Clayton, comp., The Illinois Fact Book and Historical Almanac, 1673-1968 (Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1970), 205, 207, 208, 222.