Comments on: That 1937 Illinois Documents Purchase

By: Gerald Faerber

Gerald Faerber — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 07:02:44 +0000

LDS Archive source for Wilford Wood’s records
Wilford C. Wood Collection (microfilm at LDS Archives, Ms f 413, Reel 25)

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 14:54:20 +0000

Kent, I have no idea! Even a 5th grader would have done a better job of “cataloguing,” don’t you think? This is RLEvans’ report, verbatim, and I know nothing more than this. Intriguing…

By: Kent Larsen

Kent Larsen — Sun, 18 Dec 2011 14:32:12 +0000

Arids,

These kind of things too often get lost in history — we focus on what was collected instead of how we got them.

My respect for Wood grows with each piece of information I find out about him. He seems to have been the impetus behind a lot of the Church’s historic sites.

I’m curious, though. What poems are on the “Two pages of poems” listed and who wrote them?

By: kevinf

kevinf — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 18:51:29 +0000

My blog reading always suffers over the weekends, so I didn’t see this until this morning. Thanks for the back story to the picture, and entertaining my question. I’ve heard a lot about Wood’s collecting efforts of Mormon art, artifacts, and documents, but have never taken the time to set up a visit to his museum that the family still maintains there in Bountiful.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:39:51 +0000

Grant, I’m glad you saw this, and that you posted additional family information — here’s hoping some cousin responds sometime.

I noticed that too, Clark. Very typical of a major strain of Mormon thought, isn’t it?

By: The Other Clark

The Other Clark — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 22:52:42 +0000

Really enjoyed this post. I couldn’t help but notice that Elder Evans, while conspicuously generous and complimentary of Mr. Bidamon, ends his articles by implying that the documents purchased really should have belonged to the Church all along and only fell out of its possession due to extreme duress.

By: Grant

Grant — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 21:01:50 +0000

Thanks, Ardis. I can’t help but take advantage again. Maybe it will help me connect better with my extensive Wood cousins. The first mention I have of Wilford Wood is from Addie May’s teenage journal, with my annotations:

Tuesday, November 12, [1895]. I pitched gravel all this morning and plowed this afternoon. Grandma [1] came up to see us and to see how Ma [2] was. She brought Wilford [3] a little coat and me some very pretty flowers. Yesterday was my birthday. I was fifteen years old and nobody thought of it until this morning and Ma told me. Then I was surprised to think I was that old.
_________
[1] This would have to be her maternal grandmother, Adelaide Whiteley Ridges (1830-1919). Addie May’s paternal grandmother, Peninah Shropshire Cotten Wood, died in 1879. FamilySearch.org.

[2] Adelaide Ridges Wood (1857-1927). Daughter of Joseph Ridges, the builder of the Tabernacle Organ. She was listed as “Addie” on the 1880 Census, the year Addie May was born. FamilySearch.org.

[3] Wilford Cotton Wood, born 22 May 1893, died in 1968. FamilySearch.org. This would be the Wilford Wood who ended up with the George C. Wood family home (the stone house behind (east of) the Orchard Stake Center on Orchard Drive in Bountiful about 3600 South) and established the Wood Museum with many artifacts from LDS Church history.