William Wood

William Wood was born on 2 February 1823, in the city of Hereford, England, to John Wood and Ann Lawrence. He received his schooling in the city of Hereford. Upon finishing school quite young, he went to work. The first thing he remembers doing was keeping crows off a field of beans for a neighbour who had a small farm and kept a cow, two horses and a few sheep. William then worked in various occupations until the spring of 1840. During this time he had been a regular attendant at the meetings of the United Brethren. He heard about Wilford Woodruff and his preaching and attended a meeting where Brigham Young spoke. He records this in his diary, “The Elder who preached that night was President Brigham Young and seemed to me that I knew that it was the truth, as I had a strong testimony of it and intended to obey it. But that was the question for me. I knew well that if I did get baptized, I would be turned out of work and in that country, if you do not work you do not eat, so I put off going into the water. Nevertheless, I was a regular attendant to the Latter-day Saint Meetings. Sometimes I would make up my mind not to go to the meeting but when the time came I could not rest until I went.”

William joined the church and was baptized by Elder Phillips Green in the River Lugg on 23 September 1840. This was done at night and was all over the neighbourhood the following day. He received much persecution from his employer and was now without work. He finally joined some men and worked all through harvest earning more money than it took to support him.  A family by the name of Green was going to America. They loaned him three pounds so that he had enough money to go as well. He set sail on the “Medford” from Liverpool on 23 September 1842. (Just two years since he had joined the church.)

He was at Nauvoo when Joseph and Hyrum Smith were assassinated. He enlisted in the Mormon Battalion on 16 July 1846. He was discharged at San Diego, California, on 16 July 1847. He married Lucy Babcock in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 4 March 1849.  He settled in Washington County, Utah. He sold his home there for a barrel of molasses and came to Minersville, Utah, in 1860. Lucy, his wife, died on 6 December 1863.  To this union were born nine children. On 7 March 1865, he married Ann Eyre Banks in Minersville, Utah. Fourteen children were born into this union. He received a badge of honour for thirty years of faithful work in the Sunday School. He served as Church Organist for a great many years and was the proprietor of the old Minersville Coop store, finally buying the stock and going into business for himself.  He was Postmaster, which office he held and attended for 25 years until he died. He served as Justice of the Peace for more than 25 years.

William died on 18 September 1900 in Minersville, Utah - Age 77.