It has been several long weeks since I last updated 52 Ancestors but I hope I will get back into the habit. For this week in Amy Johnson Crow’s genealogist challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks, I hope to make up for my absence by writing about several people, specifically the husband of my 1st cousin 4x removed, William Samuel Wood (1868-1901) and his family.

William Samuel Wood was born on 23 Aug 1868 in Mountain, Dundas, Canada West to parents Daniel Wood (1841-) and Melissa Ann Lennox (1845-). He had eight other siblings and the family continued to live in the Dundas area until the 1890s when they moved to Renfrew.

My guess is not only did his family bring him to Cobden village but also the nature of his work. William was a brakeman and this would have most likely allowed him to travel across areas of southern Ontario.

Moving to Renfrew was beneficial for William as this is where he met his future wife, my 1st cousin 4x removed, Martha Ritchie (1871-1906). Martha was born to parents Robert Ritchie (1842–1922) and Sophia Esther Holt (1837–1910). Sophia was the sister of my 3rd great grandmother Nancy Adeline Holt (1829-1923) who was married to the patriarch of our family line James Patrick Johnston (1827–1905). Unlike her future husband Martha was from a smaller family with only four siblings.

William Samuel Wood married Martha Ritchie on 18 Nov 1891 in Ross, Renfrew North, Ontario. The happy couple moved out west to the area of Schreiber, Algoma, Ontario where they can be found in the 1901 census. Happier still is that a son was born to them on 8 Dec 1898 named Robert Colin Wood.

Sadly, not long after the 1901 census William passed away at the age of 33 on 6 Oct 1901 from what appears to be some sort of work related accident.

I couldn’t decipher all the writing but I believe it says ‘exhaustion following train injury, fracture spine, chest, and head. six weeks’. I would think that an accident such as this would be found in the local newspapers but I have had no luck finding anything in archives online and have yet to check with local town archives.

Martha Ritchie remarried on 18 Oct 1905 to Alex McFarlone, however their marriage was short lived.

Tragically, Martha passed away at the age of 34, from heart failure, leaving her young son Robert an orphan. Robert went to live with his paternal aunt Martha and her husband Richard Gogg who had no children of their own.

World War War broke out in 1914 and in Mar of 1917 Robert enlisted and became a private of the 28th Battalion. Regimental Number: 1069577. Once more tragedy struck the family when Robert Colin Wood died of his wounds not even a year later on 12 Aug 1918. He is buried in St. Sever Cemetery Extension located in France.