Biography

Mentioned in letter written by Frances Adeline Seward to her her mother, Frances Adeline Miller Seward, dated October 1853. Philanthropist who moved to Canandaigua in 1826 and lived with sister Mrs. Nathaniel Gorham. Excerpt from biographical entry provided by Wood Library, Canandaigua, NY: "Uncle Billy Wood, as he was known locally, possessed a love of planting combined with a public spirit. He is credited with laying out the sidewalks of Canandaigua and contributing to her overall beauty by planting shade trees during a time when trees were being cut for progress and fuel. The Gallery of Portraits that hangs in the Ontario County Courthouse was created by him as a means to keep alive the spirit of the early settlers of the Phelps and Gorham Purchase. Around 1826, plans for ‘the Canandaigua Merchant’s Clerks Library’ were made and carried out with a nucleus of 50 books contributed by Mr. Wood. But it was short lived. William Wood is buried in Pioneer Cemetery in Canandaigua."