|
|
|
The youngest of Asa Wood and Polly Stoddard's nine children was Charles Forestall Wood, born in Upton, Mass., on 24 March 1833. As a small boy, Charles F. Wood attended school in Upton, in a class taught by his sister, Jane, until her tragic death of the measles. Charles attended school at Lawrence Academy in Groton in 1850 and at Westfield, Mass., in 1851 and 1852. After finishing school, he went into business first in Milford and then spent a year in Boston. As a young man, Charles had learned the manufacturing of shoes from his father.Charles' older sister, Mary Ann, had married Levi Warren in 1834. The following year, Levi took his young bride to Louisville, Kentucky, where he established himself in the boot and shoe business. In time, his firm of L. L. Warren Company made him one of the most prominent merchants in the city of Louisville. In 1852, Charles' older brother, George – undoubtedly encouraged by the success of his brother-in-law, Levi Warren – also left Upton for Louisville. There he established the business of George F. Wood & Co., a wholesale manufacturer of boots and shoes. In 1855, when he was only twenty two years old, Charles F. Wood also left the family farm in Upton, traveling to Louisville, where he joined his brother in the shoe business. Their firm, Geo. F. Wood & Brother, was located there on Main Street.
Charles remained a bachelor for many years, not marrying until he was almost 38 years old. Then he met Ella Virginia Terrell, the 24-year-old daughter of William Hutchison Terrell and Lucinda Wilcox. They were married in Versailles, Kentucky, on 2 February 1871. Ella’s mother hosted the ceremony at her home.
Charles remained in partnership with his older brother, George, in the boot and shoe business for many years. In 1899, Charles retired from selling shoes and joined his son, Lawrence, in St. Louis. Charles F. Wood died in St. Louis on 25 October 1917. He is interred at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville, Kentucky. His wife, Ella, died in St. Louis on 24 January 1918.