George D. Wodward, Major of Texas County, Missouri

Maj. George D. Woodward, of the firm of Woodward & Bartholomew, planing-mill and lumber manufacturers and dealers in all kinds of building material, at Cabool, is a gentleman of life-long experience in the lumber milling business. He was born in Pennsylvania, at Cherry Ridge, Wayne County, April 28, 1841, and comes of a long line of English ancestors in America, of Quaker stock. Three brothers of the name made a settlement in Pennsylvania in very early times as followers of William Penn. Maj. George D. Woodward attained his growth in Pennsylvania, and upon arriving at manhood he had completed the trade of carpenter and joiner. In 1858 he came West, and for two years was engaged in contracting and building in Chicago, Ill., leaving it to go into the war. Upon the first call for troops Mr. Woodward responded, and was the first soldier of Illinois to enroll himself upon that list of brave men who did noble service in defense of the Union, and whose acts of glory shed such a grand luster upon the history of the then young State. He rendered active and honorable service for four years and eight months, in Company H, Tenth Illinois Volunteer Infantry, serving in the ranks three months and for the balance in command, rising in regular gradations to the position of field officer, being retired at the end of the war as a veteran of his company and brevetted major, and serving in 127 battles. After the war he returned to the vocation of his choice, and for several years was engaged in milling and in the manufacture of lumber. He then left Illinois, and in 1884 went to Arkansas, where for a time he was occupied in Hot Spring County, at Donaldson, in milling. He then left this business as a traveling man and knight of the gripsack, in the interest of the lumber business, and came to this portion of Missouri in 1886 as superintendent of the interest of the Southern Missouri Land Company. He severed his connection with this company in 1888, and came to Cabool to place his present plant here, in which he takes an especial pride, and, to say the least, he is a master of his interests. The present plant has a capacity of 100,000 feet per day, and has the facilities of turning out all kinds of fine work done in this line of business. He has buried his wife, and has a son, Robert Atwater, a bright lad of eleven years, the relict of his marital union with Miss Fannie C. Atwater, whom he buried at Willow Springs, Mo. He is a Master Mason. For eight years he served on the board of aldermen of Moline, Ill., and presided over that body about four years of that time.