John Woodrow

As printed in 1881

JOHN WOODROW, wood worker and turner, Springfield. Mr. John Woodrow, although numbering his threescore and fifteen, is virtually a native of Clark County, for, although born in Fayette Co., Western Pennsylvania, in 1805, his father moved from Pennsylvania to Kentucky when the subject of this sketch was less than 1 year old, and moved again to this county, settling in Montgomery County, at so early an age that Mr. Woodrow has but the faintest recollections of it, being too young to remember well the events of this period; he relates from hearsay that, after coming to Ohio, his father and a man named Oberholz made up a flat-boat load of flour, pork and similar produce for the Lower Mississippi market; on reaching Natchez, his father was taken sick and died, and was buried at Natchez, Miss.: young Woodrow was then left an orphan. Oberholz went to New Orleans and sold out; a short time thereafter, one Daniel Rouser, from Maryland, but then living in Miami County, about half way between Springfield and Troy, came to Dayton looking for a boy to adopt, he and wife being well-to-do and childless, and, finding our subject a bright boy and an orphan, and liking him, adopted him and took him with him to Miami Co. and raised him to years of maturity and self-support. From Miami Co. he came to Clark Co. to live, when Woodrow was but 10 yearsold. He first worked on a farm, then commenced learning the trade of wood-working and turning, under a man named David Pettigrew. His adopted father died on Oct. 18, 1832, when young Woodrow was about 18 years old, since which time he has, in every sense of the word, “paddled his own canoe,” having no help whatever ‘from any one. This Daniel Rouser, his foster-father, was the uncle of Samuel Rouser, whose arms were blown off at a 4th of July celebration in early days, of which mention is made in the sketch of Philip N. Woliston, of Springfield; he afterward fell down the stairs and broke his neck. Mr. Woodrow belonged to a home artillery company about seven years, from 1830 to 1837. He was married, on March 8, 1829, to Mary Berry, from Virginia: he has one son and two daughters living, one of his daughters having married Mr. J D Smith, of this city; his son, David N. Woodrow, was in the Union army as a member of the 100- day troops, and re-enlisted in the 58th O. V. L, and is now working in the Champion reaper shops, and is still unmarried. Mr. Woodrow has been a wood-turner for over half a century, and probably no man in Ohiohas doné more work with a foot-late than he; and he still does it daily, at his advanced age of 75. Mr. Woodrow is one of stock that are now so rare—blunt, square, to the point, but withal so courteous and kind, and to know him even slightly is to like, him.

As printed in The History of Clark County Ohio, (1881). See the original pages. Wording is the original; obvious scanning errors have been corrected, and a few may remain.