Roome and Wood families Genealogy -And soon Powers and Jacobson

last updated Jan 20, 2008

Overview

Please join this message board - it's free - and look for and enter your Roome information:
Roome message board

Here is our Wood family tree - note we were the Roome family until adopted in August 1869 in Terre Haute, Indiana, by Charles Ogden Wood

Henry? Roome b. mm/dd/1806? m. (mm/dd/1853) Maria Cook b. mm/dd/1837 d. 3/24/1875 (St. Louis MO) A. Henry Cook Roome b. 2/26/1854 Harlem NY m. (1) Mary Grisel b. PA 1.Howard Wood (1876) d. Los Angeles ? 2.William Wood b. St. Francisville IL (1-Apr-1881) - (7-Jan-1901) 3.one other child m. (2) Johanna Powers b. 1864 IA d. (24-May-1947) 1.Henry James Wood (30-Mar-1887) - (23-Jul-1890) 2.May Wood (26-Dec-1888) - (1959) m. (23-Apr-1912) A.M. Olstad a.Robert Eugene Olstad (24-Mar-1914) m. Eleanor Callaway b. Maynard Wood Olstad (28-Mar-1917) m. Wanda Morgan 3.Nellie Wood (20-Aug-1890) - (1959) m. (12-Sep-1912) Henry Langlie (12-Sep-1888) a.Lester Henry Langlie (27-Oct-1913) b.Agnes Dorine Langlie c.June Aileen Langlie d.Henry Joseph Langlie 4. Eugene Roy Wood m. Margarette Jacobson a.Ruth Margarette Wood b.Carol Magdalene Wood c.Roy Eugene Wood i. Roy Eugene Wood ii. Susan Elizabeth Wood (Browne) iii. Thomas Eugene Wood iv. Mary Margarette Wood (Swenson) d.Margery Jean Wood 5.Winnifred Wood a.Eileen June Torgerson m. Robert Wade b.Mary Lou Torgeson 6.Ruth Ione Wood (3-Oct-1895)-(22-June-1896) 7.Bessie Dot Wood a.Joan Marie Dayton b.Jerome Howard Dayton 8.Josephine Margaret Wood a.Edward Henry Peter b.Lloyd Eugene Peter c.Marian Marie Peter B. Eugenie Marie Cook Roome b. Yorkville NY (22-Jun-1856) - () --- The Howes --- ======================================= Charles Ogden Wood m. Maria Cook Roome (widow) 12/03/1860 Cleveland OH A. Charles Wood b. 2/26/1865 d. about 1885

My Roome research is stuck in New York City in 1853-56, and in Cleveland Ohio in 1859-1860. Henry Cook Roome was born 2/20/1854 in Harlem, NY. His sister Eugenie Marie Cook Roome was born 6/22/1856 in Yorkville. I am guessing their mother's maiden name was Cook, but that is not certain. Her first name was Maria. Her first husband, we think, was named Henry. They were supposed to have been married in 1853. Henry was supposed to have been born in 1806, and to have died between 2/20/1859 and 2/19/1860. I have been doing family research since 1987. Here is a brief synopsis of what I know:

"Willemses"

Descendants of Peter Willemse Roome. These families I dub "WILLEMSES". They date to the 1600's in New Amsterdam (New York City) and to 1630 in Rotterdam, the Netherlands. A book, "Descendants of Peter Willemse (Will elm see) Roome" by P. R. Warner (David H. Gildersleeve, Printer, 45-51 Rose Street, NY, NY CS71.R778 1883) is helpful. I have provided the male lineage below. I assigned a number for the person at the end of every branch. If you e-mail me (and please do), you can refer to your ancestor by using that number. If no number yet exists, e-mail me and we will add one for your ancestor.

Going through the whole tree gave me the impression that there are a lot of branches to the Roome family, and that the Warner book is far from complete. I am not trashing it - my goodness, what a resource!

Here is a few words from P.R. Warner, from the forward of his book:

" Several, however, from whom information has been requested, have not replied to the inquiries made, either from inability, or from misapprehension of the object for which the particulars were solicited; and as a necessary consequence no account of some families can be given." "... From motives of delicacy the dates of the births of a great part of the living, under fifty or sixty year of age, are not shown." "...As a number of years have elapsed since the effort to obtain information was entered upon, many marriages have doubtless occurred which have not been made know to the writer; and it is also probable that children have been added of whom no intelligence has been received ..."

If I have been in contact with a modern-day descendant, I put the last ancestor in the line in BLUE . I feel funny putting modern day people on this list - e-mail me and I will put you in contact with the "modern" relatives. I hope that someone might have the info in their line to finally find my line. I put the best guesses for my relatives in RED.

PLEASE NOTE: I have already received information from modern Roomes showing instances where the Warner book is in error. Please send me dates, etc. when you contact me. Any uncles along the branches of the Roome tree would also be helpful to others. Finally, "old" nineteenth century pictures of Roomes would be most interesting to display. See my ggrandfather, and his sister under "My Roomes".

-----------------------------------------------------
A modern Roome kindly provides us with the parents of Peter Willemse Roome and some particulars about Peter and Hester:

Willem (William) Jansen Roome
(b. 1630, Rotterdam, Netherlands)
married
Janettje Jans (b. Netherlands)

They came to America on Apr 25, 1659 on the ship "DeMoesman"
(Pilgrims landed 1620)

THE MOESMAN

April, 1659

Lysbeth Arents, Wife of Corn. Barents, and daughter Aertje Leenders;
                widow, from Amsterdam
Barent van Loo, from Elburg
Willem Jansen, from Rotterdam, Fisherman, and Wife and suckling child
               and maid servant.
Peter Petersen, alias Pia, from Picardy, and wife and daughter
Dirch Belet, from Breda
Louis Aeertz, from Bruges, cooper
Gerrit Corn. van Niew-Kirk, planter, and Wife and boy and sucking child
Engelbrecht Sternhuysen, from Soest
Thys Jansen, from TerGouw, Tailor
Albert Petersen, Agriculturist
Geerty Claesen, mason
Gerrit Petersen
Gillis Mandeville

CAN ANYONE EXPLAIN why Willem Jansen from Rotterdam became
Willem Roome in America ?

Son of Willem and Janettje Roome:

Pieter (Peter) Willemse Roome
(b. Oct 20, 1660 in New Jersey - d. May 15, 1729)
married
Hester Van Gelder
(who was bap. Jan 28, 1662 - d. Apr 17, 1729)
on Nov 26, 1684 in New York City
which was called New Amsterdam until 1664.

-----------------------THEIR DESCENDANTS

TIP: Use the "find" button on your browser to quickly search for a name. Select the "find" button in Netscape 3 (way up on top, it has a picture of a binoculars) or in Netscape 4 go to "Edit" and the "find in page". Type in "Benjamin", then hit "Find Next" and it will take you to all the entries with "Benjamin" in them.

WILLIAM bap.Apr 17, 1692 m'd 1714 Sarah Turk
1. Paul bap.1723 m'd 1746 Susannh Loring
2. Henry b.1729 m'd 1756 Ann Grig
3. Jacob bap.1731 moved to halifax, Nova Scotia
John (Johannes) bap. July 22, 1694 {80}

Jacob bap.1720

Jacob bap.1749 unmarried?
William bap.1754 unmarried?
John bap.1758

Jacob J. b.1785

John Jacob {100}

John bap.1725Roy

John LC (customs official Long Island {105}

Peter b.1738

Peter b.1738 {110}
John P. b.1763

Peter b.1786

Philip John b.1811

James Philip {120}

Edward A. b.1817 {125}

Henry B. b.1788 (U.S. Marshall?)

George W. b.1820

Henry B. {130}
George W. {135}

Henry Hutchen b.1823

Abner Lee {140}
William Henry {145}

James N. Wells Roome {150}
William {155}

Jacob Albert {157} b.1796 - wife Phoebe

Peter Cokelet b.1824 {160}
Levi Silliman Ives

Daniel Geary {165}
William John {170}

Stephen Cokelet

Albert Lindon {175}

William b. 1798 {180}
Nicholas Le Chevalier b.1807

Theodore Elliot {185}
Frank J. {190}

Jacob P. b.1766

William J. b.1800

William Henry b.1832

William J. {195}

Abraham P. Maybie

Henry {200}
Alfred {205}

James H. b.1810

James D.

James D. {210}

John Lewis b.1816

William Poe {215}
John Lewis {220}
Jacob Peter

Willliam Poe {225}
Edwin Lewis {230}

James Augustus {235}

William P. b1769

Peter Parsells b.1797

William D. b.1821

William D. {240}

John D. {245}

Thomas Henry b.1808{250}

Nicholas b.1775

Thomas b.1801 [252]

George

??? child - xxx unknown{255}

child - xxx unknown{260}
John Thomas{265}

John b.1804

William Nicholas {270}
Andrew Jackson {275}
Francis Marion {280}
James Benjamin Jefferson {285}

Edward b.1807

Charles Oakley (1833)

William W.S. {290}
Charles Oakley H. {295}
Adolphe R. Edward {300}
Samuel Douglas {305}

Edward F. born 1807

Frances H. {310}

William Oscar

Edward {315}
Francis {320}
William Oscar {325}

Samuel Seabury

Douglas (1878) {330}

Albert Wiswall born 1843

Henry Sherburne born 1872 {335}

Douglas (twin Roland 1848) {340}

Richard Seaman (1808) {342}

Edward m.1854 {344}

George Thomas {345}
William E. {350}

Walter (1809) {355}
Charles m.1859

Claudius Monelle {360}
W. Harris {365}

James (1814)

Hugh Reinagle

Bertram Reinagle {370}

Charles Drake b.1822

Perry Walter {375}

William Henry b.1824 (no issue)

Peter bap. Feb 24, 1703

Samuel

Peter born 1758 (surname change Romer ~1800)

Samuel born 1781 unm'd
Henry born 1786 unm'd
Richard Romer born 1795

Aaron Romer

George Romer {400}

Peter D. Romer

Frederick Romer {405}

Henry Milton Romer (girl Jane)

Henry Romer born 1805 (girls)
Peter Romer born 1808

George Romer {410}

Jacob Romer

Henry Romer {415}
Charles Romer{420}

William Romer

Horace Romer {425}
John Romer {430}

Henry born 1762 Bergen County NJ(all girls) {432} Kim email me!

Peter born 1728

Samuel born 1754

John born 1777

Samuel born 1798

John Van Buren {435}
Charles H. May 19 1825 d mar16 1857 {437}

Peter born 1804

Martin R. {440}
George {445}

Cornelius born 1806 m'd 1834 Maria De Bow

Henry m'd Mary Demarest {450}

James born 1808

William B. {455}
James {460}

Hassel born 1815

James apr 3 1839 d 12/5/1858 {465}

Peter 1786

Samuel (girls)
Peter (no children)
Martin

Samuel (twin John died) {470}

John (a girl)
Simon {475}

Jacob

Benjamin born 1758 (no children)
Joseph born 1775

Benjamin b 1798

Jacob marr 1845

Giles {480}

John B. marr 1855

William {485}
Frank moved Welch LA {490}

Francis marr 1860 (no children)
William marr 1865 (3 children){495}

Whitis homepage

Peter b 1808

Abraham (girl)
Joseph P. marr 1872

Warren {500}

Benjamin P. marr 1862

Ellsworth {505}
Theodore {510}
Conrad {515}
Jessie (male?){520}

William {525}
John marr 1860 {530}

Jacob b 1811

Peter b 1833 (no children)
Hiram H. (no children)
John M. (girls)
Samuel m 1866

George H. {535}

Matthias marr 1876

David H. {540}

David W. marr 1869

Garrett E. {545}
Jacob {550}

William E.{555}

Joseph b 1813

Chileon marr 1863

Frank C. {560}

Ira {565}
Newton marr 1873 (girl)
Isaac marr 1871

Harry {570}

Wilson {575}
Levi {580}

Matthias born 1779

Adrian P. b1816

John marr 1860

John A. {585}
William {590}

William marr 1871

Henry B.{595}
Charles P. {600}

Solomon B. marr 1867

Wesley A. {605}

Matthias marr 1872
George

Henry {610}

Jacob Gilbert born 1782 (girl)

Paul marr 1766 (girl)

About 1/2 the Roomes I contact are "Willemse" Roomes. My oral family history says our ancestors were French Huguenots. On a state census my ggrandfather's father's nationality is listed as "France". We have a date of birth for this gentleman of 1806. His name was supposed to be Henry. Other Willemse Roomes have oral traditions involving France. Joan of Arc's mother's maiden name was Romee', and one branch of the family has always repeated this to the next generation that they were related to Joan of Arc. Here is more on the French Connection from a modern day Roome:

My father ... had a print for the name Roome he'd picked up from a company doing genealogical references in the 50's. According to that document, in the original Dutch it was 'Van Romer'. He also mentioned Rome, or roam, or something that sounds like it in Dutch means cream, so the name might have evolved from some sort of dairyman. As you also mentioned, my mother said she'd heard my grandfather, ... , talk about the family name originating in Paris and suggested the Huguenot connection you brought up. What happened and how Rome in Paris became Roome in the Netherlands, then moved to New Amsterdam, is a mystery to me.

England/Scotland/Ireland "Rhume"

People who mostly pronounce the last name as "Rhume". I dub these families "RHUMES". Most often these people emigrated to the U.S. from England: at some point from around Yorkshire, but previous to that from Scotland. I have heard that "Roome" may be either a clan name or a lake in Scotland.

One modern day Scottish Roome not only knows where loch Roome is, he knows his family migrate down from Scotland and came to rest in the Kent area. I believe this family is working on a book about their Roome ancestry.

One person I spoke with on the phone had his ancestors go to Ireland and then South Africa (they were seafaring folk).

I have corresponded with James F. Roome several times over the years. Jim kindly provides information on Room/Roome deaths collected from St.Catherines Public Record Office in London. He also has a large list of English Room/Roome marriages. His ancestors are from EastCottingwith, old Yorkshire County, a very small place about 12 miles south-east from the old city of York. Back in 1979 he visited with Norman Room, a man of 72 years, now not living. He maintained that his line came over from Holland to help drain the Fens. Jim Roome's line were very poor tenet farmers working for the Lord of the a Manor called Thicket Priory, which he has visited.

South African "Roams"

Des Roome has e-mailed from South Africa. His seafaring branch of the Roome family ended up in South Africa. Here is an excerpt from an e-mail from Des:
YOU REFER TO A BOOK ON THE ROOMES IN S.A., I HAVE A BOOK PUBLISHED BY THE S.A. HUMAN SCIENCES RESEARCH COUNCIL TITLED "FAMILIA ROOME IN SUID AFRIKA" (1985) [ISBN 0 7969 0176 7]. THIS CONTAINS A LARGE AMOUNT OF DETAIL ON THE S.A. SIDE OF THE FAMILY, MY LATE GRANDFATHER WAS ONE OF THE CONTRIBUTORS TO THE BOOK. YOU MENTIONED SEAFARERS AND IRELAND, WILLIAM ROOME (b . 19/02/1796) MARRIED AN IRISH GIRL , CATHERIN CECILIA BUSHNELL IN 1827. SHE IS SAID TO HAVE BEEN BORN IN VIRGINIA, USA IN 1806, HER FATHER WAS A SHIPS CAPTAIN AND APPARENTLY HAD SETTLED WITH HIS FAMILY IN HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA. WILLIAM ROOME WAS ALSO A SEAFARING MAN AND OWNED MANY BOATS. HE TOOK PART IN THE THEN VERY PROSPEROUS TRADE BETWEEN THE WEST AND THE EAST INDIES. HE EVENTUALLY SETTLED IN CAPE TOWN S.A.IN 1834

Here is the Roome family Coat of Arms from Des

THIS IS A SCANNED COPY OF A PEN AND INK DRAWING IN MY POSSESSION, I UNDESTAND THAT IT WAS DRAWN CIRCA 1784. THE ORIGINAL HAS THE SEAL OF THE LINCOLN'S INN HERALDIC OFFICE, GREAT TURNSTILE, LINCOLN'S INN FIELDS, LONDON, EMBOSSED ON IT (TOP LEFT CORNER). I THOUGHT YOU MIGHT LIKE TO INCLUDE IT ON YOUR WEB PAGE Blazon of arms: Argent a fess pean in chief a lion passant gules. Translation: The lion is a symbol of Majesty and Kingship. Crest: A dexter arm embowed habited azure, charged with two bars argent holding in the hand a caduceus, both proper. Translation: The arm is a symbol of Strength, Protection and Defence. Motto: Durum patientia frango Translation: I overcome difficulty by patience .

Dutch "Roams"

People who trace their families to Holland, but are not Willemse Roomes. They pronounce the name "Rome". James F. Roome has traced his family to near York, and has heard that they were Dutch who were brought to England long ago to drain the Fens (swamps). I have also seen some Roomes in the 1855 NY state census who were immigrants who said they came from Germany. Indeed, my ggrandfather was sent to Frankfort, Germany in 1870 to be educated.

Here a RE from "Andreas Adrianus VAN ROOMEN" from the Netherlands. My father and I did genealogical researches into our family and after the family name VAN ROOMEN. We're all ready back to about 1600, but we still have missing links. We think at the end of the 16th and the begin of the 17 century there were Van ROOMEN "globetrotters". The most of the Van ROOMEN's lived in the south of the Netherlands. Belgium was a part of the Netherlands then. The missing links we're searching after are the Van ROOMEN's who lived in Antwerp, a very important city at that time. But we have some other missing links of Van ROOMEN's who left the Netherlands or Europe at a later time... During our research we saw that the name was spelled at different ways, like Van Rome; Van Roome; Van Roomen; Roome etc. ================= All branches of my extended Roome family has heard that way back we were Huguenots. The Huguenots were French Protestants who were driven out of France by the Catholics because the Hugeuenots were industrious and the Catholics wanted to take their stuff (in a nutshell). Holland accepted many refugees, mainly because the Huguenots were considered very industrious. Holland also accepted the Pilgrims before they moved on to America. I have learned the term "de Vroome" means "the Pious" - there is a family named de Coursey in France who came to Holland and became known as "Coursey de Vroome" or "Coursen the Pious". So Roome *may* derive from this. One Coursen (de Coursey) family who later emmigrated to America had two branches use the surname ROOME and one use the surname DE COURSEY. There is a Huguenot family that went to Holland and produced painters and sculptors - Hendrik and Cornelious are first names there for several generations. They started the Dutch Maritime school of painting. Over the next year I will update my website and add this and other info I have collected over the years. I have been stuck for 25 years on ROOME, so if any of this matches up with your info be sure to contact me at

Canadian "Roams" I have a list (Internet resources)of Roomes living in Canada. NOTE: Jacob Roome (b. 1731) purportedly left for Halifax, Nova Scotia after the Royalists lost the American Revolution about 1790. You don't suppose the old brigadier was related ???

Here is the obituary of Brigadier Richard Roome (born May 1, 1892 Died mid-August 1985 age 93)

Distinguished soldier, Brig. R.E.G. Roome, dies

Brigadier Richard Edward Graham Roome, C.B.E., V.D., 93, Dartmouth, died Friday in Camp Hill Hospital. Born in Dartmouth, he was the son of late George N. and Florence A. Roome. He was one of the original partners of the firm Harris and Roome, Halifax, Nova Scotia.

He served with the Canadian Artillery in the First World War and with the British Royal Field Artillery. He was with the British Expeditionary Force in France from 1915-17. He was also a member of the Mesopotamia Expeditionary Force in 1917. He was twice mentioned in dispatches in the First World War.He was instrumental in forming the 87th field battery in Dartmouth in 1921.

He served in the Second World War, organizing and commanding a field artillery regiment in the second division. He commanded that unit in England until 1942, when he was promoted to brigadier and called to Ottawa, where he Has appointed deputy adjutant- general. He held this office until the end of the war.

After the war he was honorary A.D.C. to Governor General Vincent Massey 1952-59. He was honorary colonel of 36th Med. A.A. regiment. He was awarded the Commander of the British Empire medal in 1945. He was president of the Royal Canadian Artillery Association in 1949. He is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Neil Vanallen, St. John's; three grandchildren; three great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his wife, the former Helen Jones.

My Roomes

My ggrandfather Henry Cook Roome was born February 20, 1854 in Harlem, NY. I believe his father died between 2/20/1859 and 2/19/1860. Henry was adopted at the age of 15 in 1869 by Charles Ogden Wood. He afterwards called himself H.R. Wood.

Henry's sister Eugenie Marie Roome was born on June 20, 1856 in Yorkville, NY. I believe this Yorkville was a portion of Manhattan east and west of Central Park and about 86th Street high. She ,too, became a Wood. One of the first genealogical missions I went on was to find her descendants. Indeed, I found the modern Howe's (Howe, Vyn, etc.), and they provided the pictures of Marie Roome and her daughter Eugenie that are displayed on this web site. This picture of the painting of Maria was taken by Frederick Howe. The painting which was made from a daguerreotype of Maria, also shown on this page.

Their parents were Maria Cook and Henry(?) Roome. She was born in 1838 somewhere (!), and he possibly in 1806. They were married in 1853, somewhere. This means (perhaps) that a 47 year old man married a 15 year old girl. I have been told that this might very well be the case in the 1850's. The mysterious Mr. Roome died between 1856 and 1860. Oral family history says he killed himself when his business partner ran off with the money. I prefer to think no 50 plus year old man is destined to live long with a teenage wife.

The widow Roome remarries Charles Ogden Wood in Cleveland on Dec 3, 1860. I have the marriage certificate. Wood adopts my ggrandfather and his sister in Terre Haute, Indiana in 1869. We also have this. I recently received a picture of Wood from "The History of the 9th US Infantry". Quite a find! The grandfather of Charles Wood, John Wood, served as gun captain in the Washington artillery and was inside Fort McHenry while the British were bombarding it and the Star Spangled Banner was being written. Charles' Uncle William Maxwell Wood was the first U.S. fleet surgeon, and he was on and wrote the casualty report for the Minnesota after her brush with the Merrimac in Hampton Roads in 1862. Charles Wood became the 4th commander of Fortress Alcatraz, San Francisco harbor, and his son Charles was born on Alcatraz.

The Wood's main base after about 1840 was Terre Haute, Indiana. We (and we are adopted) seem to be the only Wood's descending from this line with the Wood surname.

========================================================

Oral tradition says my Roome's were of French Huguenot descent. I have an autograph book dating to 1855 that has the births of Henry and Eugenie recorded in French. I suspect the mysterious Mr. Roome may have had some influence on this, because the birth of the son of Charles and Maria is recorded in the album in English. Above is an entry from the Huguenot society concerning a baptism in 1737. Note that it is in French, and that "Marie Roomen" is written out in English as "Mary Roome". Curious, n'est pas?

Here are some pictures of Maria. The picture on the right was used many years after her death (Chicago, Il. 1950) for the basis of a portrait by Frances Foy. She was only 38 when she died in St. Louis.

Obituary of Maria Cook Roome Wood

Here is the obituary of Maria Cook Roome Wood. She is my great great grandmother and died St. Louis, Mo. on March 24, 1875. I found this obituary in the Cairo, Ill. public library. Plainly she believed in Spiritualism. If you remember your history, Mary Todd Lincoln, wife of Abraham Lincoln, was committed to an insane asylum in about 1870 in part for her Spiritualist beliefs. Spiritualism was sweeping the country, mainly because so many women had lost their sons and husbands in the Civil War. I wonder if Maria needed closure with her first husband, and this led her to Spiritualism. We won't ever know.

Passed to a Higher Life
{From the Cairo Gazette}

From St. Louis, Mo., on the 23rd Inst., Mrs. Maria Wood, wife of Charles O. Wood of that city, and the mother of Mrs. C.M. Howe and Henry Wood, of this. Her remains were interred at Terre Haute, Ind., where her other child, a son of seven or eight, is at school.

Mrs. Wood was a citizen of Cairo for several years, and in our short acquaintance with her, we found her a beautiful woman, of fine address; warm impulses, high culture; and much charity. She possessed a powerful and laudable moral courage, and was brave and determined in doing that which presented itself to her as right. She was a staunch and active infidel, and an earnest investigator of Spiritualism; and passed away in the realization of the truths and comforts of those convictions.

She remembered her friends in her last hours, and spoke of her future with a calmness and confidence; desiring to the last, no clerical consolations.

Ere this she is doubtless possessed of the grand mysteries of immortality and knows, what she has believed, that life is continuous beyond the grave. That the freed spirit, the individualism, is liberated from its corporeal casket, and expands into broader capacity of understanding and action. That such life may realize as facts, those finer and nobler sentiments of our hungry souls, which in earth-life are only hopes and aspiration. Mrs. Wood's last conscious hours (which are honest hours to every soul,) were in accordance with her Infidel belief, lighted by a hope of Divine Love, sufficient to embrace humanity. In such hope, peace be to her memory!

"There is no death! The stars go down
To rise upon some fairer shore,
And bright is heaven's jeweled crown
they shine forevermore.

And ever near us, though unseen,
The dear immortal spirits tread;
For all the boundless universe
Is life; there is no death!"

The Wood Family

I state quite clearly here that our last name now (2004 - "Wood") is because Charles Ogden Wood adopted our great grandfather Henry Cook Roome in 1869 and Henry took his step-father's surname. I have found quite a bit on the Wood family over the years. Unlike the mysterious (or criminal or obscure) Roome family, the Wood's left quite a wake behind them. I am going to start putting it up here on my website. Is this strictly speaking "family history"? I am going to argue that it is. It will also serve to give me something to do until the Roome mystery solves itself.

Let me add here the tale of "The Pumpkin Seller Killers and Their Kin". I was in Cairo Illinois doing family history. My wife dropped me off in the local library while she and the children did laundry (we were on vacation). This is where I found the obit for Maria Wood. I wanted to use the copy machine, and reached it just as another couple got there. I let them use it first. While they copied they told me of researching their local ancestors who had been pumpkin farmers. It seems one year the price for pumpkins was low. Not happy with the price they got for their pumpkins, these people's ancestors KILLED the pumpkin buyer and were hanged. They told me all this matter of factly. I secretly rejoiced that I had let them go before me and that therefore there would be no future tale "The Copy Machine Killers and Their Kin".

Fort Lafayette - New York Harbor

During the Civil War Charles O. Wood spent several years in New York City Harbor serving in what was termed the Harbor Forts. During our trip to NYC just before the tragedy of 9/11 Washington/NY trip Charles' grave I traveled to the southern tip of Brooklyn to visit the Harbor Defense Museum at Fort Hamilton. Fort Lafayette, where Charles Wood served, no longer exists. In the Harbor Defense Museum I noticed a Civil War era picture that might be Charles Wood and his step-daughter Eugenie Marie Cook Roome Wood Howe (whew!). Here is the picture: ©Harbor Defense Museum

Look at the upper center of the Fort wall - can you see New York Harbor and the shoreline beyond thru the window center window? I am pretty sure it's the harbor since that is where the cannons point!

Notice how close the man is standing to the little girl in the white dress? If these are indeed Charles Wood and his adopted daughter Eugenie then these two are my candiates. The man to the right looking into the camera is obviously an officer. Everybody else (the man with the gun(?), the bugular, the man sitting on the cannon balls, the man by the bugular) has their coats buttoned up. Maybe only an officer dare go around with his shirt exposed. Of course, I may be wrong.

Here is the same picture with the little girl and her nearby companions enlarged. My biggest reason for thinking that this is Eugenie is that Wood is so closely identified with Fort Lafayette, and this is clearly Fort Lafayette. Of course, there are no prisoners, but they could be mustered somewhere else for some purpose, and during that break this picture was arranged. Charles O. Wood was sent to command Fort Alcatraz in San Francisco Harbor in 1864, so this picture cannot be from the end of the war or after the war. Please feel free to speculate ... Here are two pictures of Eugenie as a child. Note the part in her hair in the picture (bottom, left) and the part in the hair of the girl in the picture above. They both look similar. Not conclusive but ... . The picture bottom right is on copper and the notation is that Eugenie combed her own hair for the portrait. These two pictures and the ones of Maria are provided by Franklyn Vyn. Doesn't it look like a lot of motherly pride manifested in these two pictures?

This is from a report filed by Charles Wood about a foiled escape attempt at Ft. Lafayette FORT LAFAYETTE, New York Harbor, April 22, 1862. Lieut. Col. M. BURKE, Third Artillery, U.S. Army, Fort Hamilton, New York Harbor. COLONEL: I have the honor to make the following report: At half-past 9 o'clock last night Richard Thomas Zarvona, the French lady, a prisoner in close confinement at this post, informed the sergeant of the guard that he wanted to go to the water closet. The sergeant sent him out attended by a member of the guard; when he had reached the water closet (which is situated on the sea-wall) instead of entering it he jumped overboard and attempted to escape by swimming to the Long Island shore. The guard immediately gave the alarm, when the barge belonging to the post was manned and he was recaptured before he had succeeded in getting but a short distance. To prevent a recurrence of this I have had a police tub placed in his room. I am, colonel, very respectfully, your obedient servant, CHAS. O. WOOD, First Lieutenant, Ninth Infantry, Commanding Post.