George Washington Wood

George Washington Wood was a brother of John Rhoden Wood, who served as a U. S. Diplomat to France between WWI and WWII.  The two brothers grew up in Ray City GA.  Around 1913, after the death of his first wife, Creasey Brown, George Washington Wood moved to Savannah, GA. But some time in the early 1940s, George and his second wife, Fannie Lou Taylor, moved from Savannah back to Ray City, GA.

George Washington Wood and his second wife, Fannie Lou Taylor. Image courtesy of Katie Frost

George Washington Wood was born July 9, 1884. A son of Milledge Dewey Wood (1862 – 1932) and Nancy Caroline Rhoden Wood (1860 – 1929).  George grew up at Ray’s Mill, GA (now Ray City).  As a young man, he was tall with medium build, grey eyes and brown hair.

At the age of 18, he married Creasy Brown of Dupont, GA and  the couple made their home on a rented farm in the Connells Mill District, the 1329 Georgia Militia District,  on the “Rays Mill and Cat Creek road” near the town of Rays Mill (now Ray City).  George worked the farm and Creasy assisted with the farm labor while raising four kids. Following the birth of her fifth child, Creasy fell sick in the fall of 1911 and died on October 10, 1911.

Children of Creasy Brown and George Washington Wood:

1. Leon Wood, born August 30, 1901, Berrien County, GA;  died November 8, 1922; buried Beaver Dam Cemetery, Ray City, GA
2. Hattie Wood, born about 1906, Berrien County, GA
3. Gruvey Silas Wood, born March 24, 1908, Berrien County, GA; married Mary Pannal; died May 22, 1984, Savannah, GA; buried Hillcrest Abbey East Cemetery, Savannah, GA
4. J. Remer Wood, born September 30, 1909, Berrien County, GA; married Jewel Prickett; died October 4, 1995; buried Beaver Dam Cemetery, Ray City, GA
5. Henry C. Wood, born August 8, 1911, Berrien County, GA; died April 24, 1986; buried Beaver Dam Cemetery, Ray City, GA

George was left to raise five children on his own. It appears that around 1915, he moved his young family to Savannah, GA where he secured a job as an electric street car conductor. About 1916 he married Fannie Lou Taylor  (1896 – 1981) and the couple made their home at 318 East 36th Street in Savannah.

Children of George Washington Wood and Fannie Lou Taylor:

1. Thelma Wood, born August 10, 1918, Savannah, GA; married Jack Herlihy; died June 11, 2007; buried Beaver Dam Cemetery, Ray City, GA.
2. Georgia Wood, born August 18, 1921, Savannah, GA; Married first Robert Stanley Krinsky, second George Ruscup; died August 21, 2004; buried Beaver Dam Cemetery, Ray City, GA
3. James Arthur Wood, born January 7, 1924; married Barbara Swindle, Berrien County, GA; died June 22, 1991 Savannah, GA; buried Bonaventure Cemetery, Savannah, GA.
4.  Wallace Glenn Wood, born March 18, 1926; married Loretta Carver; died July 28, 2015; buried Beaver Dam Cemetery, Ray City, GA.

In the early 1940s Fannie Lou Taylor and George Washington Wood moved to Ray City, Georgia.  They lived in a home on Main Street, just across the street from the residence of Henry Alexander Swindle and Ora Kathleen Knight Swindle in a house that was formerly the residence of Mr. and Mrs. P. M. Shultz.

Home of George Washington Wood and Fannie Lou Taylor Wood, Main Street, Ray City, GA

George Washington Wood died on Monday, June 13, 1960. He was buried at Beaver Dam Cemetery, Ray City, GA, among others of the Wood family connection.

Grave of George Washington Wood and Fannie Lou Taylor Wood, Beaver Dam Cemetery, Ray City, GA.

Related Posts:

• Portrait of Creasy Brown Wood
• Milledge Dewey Wood and the First Cotton Blooms of 1912
• John R. Wood Goes to Paris
• Creasy Brown Woods buried at Dupont, GA
• Jewel Wood and Ray City’s Victory Soda Shop
• Wilma Harper Shultz Began 60-year Teaching Career at Ray City