NINTH GENERATION

355. William Martin WOODY ⁽²⁵⁵⁾ was born on 8 Aug 1850 in Roane Co., TN. He was buried in 1918 in Deep Creek Cemetery, Decatur, TX. He died on 15 Jan 1918 in Decatur, Wise Co., TX. MR. WOODY WAS A TEXAS PIONEER

Parents Moved from State of Tennessee in 1850


Roswell, N.M., Jan 24 ____ William M. Woody of Chaves County, New Mexico is one among the greatest adventurers that can be found in this or any other country. He has familiarized himself with many hundreds of miles of the Arctic circle and traveled over country which had never been walked over by mankind. He can tell stories relating to the most interesting points of life which are thrilling, yet full of truth.

Mr. Woody is a native of Tennessee, having been born in Roane County, that state, August 8, 1850. His parents moved to Texas in 1850 when young Woody was not yet 6 months old and settled near Decatur Texas. In 1854, Samuel Woody, his father, built a house in Decatur, which is still standing. (1950)

Mr. Woody received the best education possible, compatible with opportunities at that time in the Lone Star State. At the age of 15, he went into the mercantile business. When yet a boy, a speculative idea entered his head. About the close of the Civil War, the settlers of his community owned quite a number of hogs, which, however, could not be sold as the market wasn't near and young Woody decided that he would try to make something out of these hogs. He made an agreement with the owners thereof to take their hogs and make an effort to get them to market. One, morning, Master William rose bright and early, rounded up the best hogs in the community and started to drive them overland, a distance of 200 miles to market. This was a great undertaking for the young lad and more of a job for the fat hogs.

SOLD IN FORT WORTH, TEXAS

After reaching Fort Worth, he closed a deal with a merchant, who paid him one-third cash. However, the hog market at that time was not very good in Fort Worth and his purchaser was not able to pay the remainder of the amount offered for the hogs, but gave young Woody the privilege of entering his store and selling goods sufficient to realize the money due him. In later life Mr. Woody went into the mercantile business for himself at Louisville, Danton County, this state. A financial panic, however, broke up his prosperous business. In 1878, a firm by the name of Woody & Jacobs entered the same kind of business at Albany, Texas; Mr. Woody also associated himself with a Mr. Lynch in the cattle business at the same time.

He marries Julia Tinsley in 1871. He has one son in Chicago, Ill., acting as business manager of Pioneer Paper Stock Co., one of the largest of its kind in that city; he has another son in Seattle, Wash., who is a practicing attorney; and Mrs. Nettie Swayze, a daughter.

Mr. Woody is not a lawyer, neither did he hold positions of public trust while residing in Texas, but he did take a prominent part in conventions which nominated J. W. Throckmorton for governor, who was elected to that office.

LIVED AMONG THE MORMONS

In 1883, Mr. Woody immigrated to Ogden, Utah, where he was engaged in business for about a year among the Mormons of that state. He did well, but was forced to give up his job on account of his refusing to sign a petition to become an adherent to the Mormon Church. He then decided to try a new venture. He had listened to great mining tales in Ogden, which led him to depart for the state of Idaho, which was oft spoke of by old-time Utah miners as being rich in gold ore. He had a tough journey and to add to his sorrows was disappointed in the gold mines that were supposed to be there. He, however, discovered gold ore which was assayed while he was returning to Ogden in anticipation of again entering the mercantile business. Just before entering his old line of pursuit, he received an assay certificate from Lewiston, Idaho, stating that his gold ore turned out $200.00 to a ton. That was too good a thing to be lying around loose, thought Mr. Woody, so he made a second trip to the above mentioned state. However, later investigations disclosed the fact the gold ore was base metal and could not be worked at that time. As a result of that trip, he discovered one of the richest mica mines in the country and which today is among the best of that kind in the Unites States.

In about 1885, Mr. Woody moved with his family to Pomona, Calif., where he purchased an orange grove of 100 acres for $1,600. per acre. The White Cushion Scale broke out, and the venture was not successful, but quite the reverse. He was mayor of that town and President of the Orange Grove Street Railway Co.

He moved to northern California engaging in the real estate business, which did not prove profitable. He then immigrated to Springfield, Ill., where he followed the manufacture of tiling.

The sunshine of New Mexico attracted his attention and also did the mining prospects of that territory and in 1895 he landed in Taos county, in the northern part of New Mexico. He and Mrs. Woody ran a hotel in Taos county for a while. Mrs. Woody was such a good cook, people came for mile to eat at their place. He followed placer mining for a short time, in the meantime staking out a quartz mine which looked good to him. At this quartz mine, Mr. Woody afterwards erected an immense milling plant with 200 horsepower. His gold ore finally ran as low as $40. per ton -- worthless.

Mr. Woody turned his milling plant into a roller or grist mill and did quite well. He also had a toll bridge built across the Rio Grande River, in front of the mill. The Indians used to use it when they went through on their way to Taos. Sometimes they didn't have money so Mr. Woody would accept as for gifts, Indian Moccasins, beads, blankets, baskets, bows and arrows, etc. He had one of the largest collections in New Mexico at the time. Also, he had a stagecoach line with two or three stage coaches. He had a partner with him on this venture. One of the stage coaches he used, can be seen in the House of Governors in Sante Fe, New Mexico.

Mr. Woody went into Alaska over the Chilkoot pass, which was 3,600 feet from foot to summit. This was covered with ice at the time, into which steps were cut. Mr. Woody had two tons of provisions, eight Newfoundland dogs and a snow sled which had to be carried to the top of the mountain.

He consumed two months in getting ready to start on the opposite of the pass. However, he made forty miles per day when on good road and soon reached the Yukon River. Before reaching Dawson, it became necessary to build a boat as the ice was too thin to move a sled over. When in about fifty miles of Dawson, Mr. Woody saw his first gold dust and at that place he also had an opportunity of selling part of his provisions at a dollar and a half a pound, which he believed was a maximum price.

Upon reaching Dawson, the city in the midst of the great Kondike, he discovered that all the good claims had been taken up and that the Canadian government had fixed the limit of claims to 100 feet square. Mr. Woody floated down the Yukon River to the mouth of Mission Creek, 100 miles below Dawson and eleven miles below the Canadian line, where he laid out the townsite of Eagle. He served as the first mayor of this new town, which grew under his direction to a population of seven thousand inhabitants. In the summer of 1889, Captain Richardson, of Texas was sent up the Yukon to Circle, fifty miles below Eagle. Mr. Woody used his influence to get Captain Richardson to come to Eagle to establish his headquarters. Upon reaching the latter city, Captain Richardson awarded a contract to Mayor Woody to build a fort, which is known as Fort Egbert today, where Captain M. B. Stokes of the Tenth United Stated Infantry is situated. Mayor Woody and a young lawyer penetrated country which had never been explored. In the fall of 1899, he left Eagle floating down the Yukon to Fort St. Michaels on the Bering Sea.

When Mr. Woody returned from his trip to Alaska, he decided to sell the property in New Mexico and move to Colorado Springs, Colorado. He purchased a large ranch nine miles from Colorado Springs, with a large lake in front of the ranch house. He did well with this ranch, raising cattle, horses and hogs plus turkeys. When he became sick and knew he couldn't continue, he decided to go to Texas before he died. He turned the ranch over to his son Tedie F. Woody, who had been helping him with it, also to his daughter, Nettie M. Swayze. As his son, Tedie, was in Chicago, his daughter took over the running of the ranch as well as she could. Mr. Woody died in 1918 in Texas and is buried in the Decatur cemetery. He had many friends in Texas, New Mexico, California, Illinois and Alaska. His happiest times were when he could visit with these friends and recall old times.

Mr. Woody's two sons and daughter are all dead. (1950) He has a granddaughter, Mrs Walter C. Miller of Phoenix, Arizona; grandson, Glenn Woody, who is a noted bone-specialist in Springfield, Ill.; two grandchildren, twins, Si & William of Chicago; grandson, Milton of San Francisco, Calif.; granddaughter, Ethel Spence of Boise, Idaho; and another granddaughter Nellorr Haines of Salt Lake City, Utah.

article written by Leota Miller
(Mrs. Walter C.) 1950

also Homer Swayze.
Both he & Leota (Mrs Walter C. Miller) are deceased.

copied by Nellorr Woody Haines (1963)

He was married to Julia Elizabeth TINSLEY (daughter of Alanson TINSLEY and Catherine Grace FOX) on 30 Mar 1871 in Wise Co., TX.⁽²⁵⁶⁾ Julia Elizabeth TINSLEY was born on 22 Nov 1852 in Lexington, KN. She died on 17 Jan 1929 in Park Ridge, Cook, IL. She was buried in Main Township Cemetery, Park Ridge, IL. Her father was a wealthy merchant in Kentucky, probably Lexington, before the war. Lost everything during the war -- all destroyed. Moved family to Texas.

After the death of her husband, she moved to Park Ridge and lived with Tedie and his family until her death. She is buried next to her son and his wives. William Martin WOODY and Julia Elizabeth TINSLEY had the following children:

+546 i. Tedie Ford WOODY.
547 ii. Walter WOODY was born in Jan 1875 in Lewisville, TX.
+548 iii. Nettie May WOODY.