The Lewis A. Wood Family, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana
Submitted to the USGenWeb Archives by Sandra McLellan, Mar. 2007
Special thanks to Jim Perrin for donating it to the archives.

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THE LEWIS A. WOOD FAMILY

BY JIM PERRIN, Local Historian

One of Ponchatoula's leading citizens of the 1920's was Lewis Amasa Wood, the 
town's postmaster.  He was born 4 Nov. 1862 in Millbury, MA, to Charles V. Wood a 
Massachusetts boot and shoe manufacturer, and Catherine M. ______, who was a native 
of Georgia.  Lewis, the only child of the family, grew up in the Boston area and 
attended the Chauncey Hall Preparatory School and then Harvard University.

When he was about thirty years old he left Massachusetts and moved to Macon, 
Georgia, where he was engaged in the cotton trade.  He met and married 30 June 1894 
to a Georgia belle named Charline "Charley" Conner (b. Oct. 1871).  Lewis and 
Charlie lived in Macon for about eleven years and raised their family of one son 
and one daughter.  About 1903, the family moved to New Orleans, but because of some 
health problems he moved from the Crescent City to the healthier piney woods of 
Ponchatoula. 

Lewis purchased some land in Ponchatoula and started a small farm.  He was 
characteristically active in civic and church work as soon as he arrived.  He was a 
senior warden in the All Saints Episcopal Church in Ponchatoula and helped the 
congregation erect a new church building in the 1920's.

In April 1914, he was elected mayor of Ponchatoula following Millard F. Tucker in 
that position.  Lewis served one two year term as mayor and was then appointed as 
the postmaster in Ponchatoula in Sept. 1916.  While he was postmaster Ponchatoula's 
population quadrupled because of the opening of two large cypress lumber mills 
south of town.  The resulting growth was reflected in a much large amount of mail 
passing through the local post office.  During the 1920's the post office moved 
into the new Edwards Building on the south side of the 100 block of East Pine 
Street.  A lease was signed with A. M. Edwards, the owner of the building and new 
facilities were added to the post office in Feb. 1926.

Lewis Wood had been appointed during the administration of Woodrow Wilson and there 
was some thought that after the Republicans gained the White House in 1921 that a 
new postmaster would be appointed through the established patronage system.  
However, based on his good performance Lewis was reappointed by the new 
administration and served as Ponchatoula's postmaster until his death.

After a lifetime of service to his community and church, Lewis died at his home in 
Ponchatoula, 3 June 1927, and was buried in Ponchatoula Cemetery.  Charlie went to 
live with her daughter in New Orleans following Lewis death.  Charley C. Wood died 
16 Nov. 1930 in New Orleans after being ill for several months.  She was buried 
beside Lewis.  Lewis and Charley Wood had two children: Lewis A. Wood, Jr., b. ca. 
1897 and after reaching adulthood moved to Atlanta, GA; and Catherine Wood, b. ca. 
1899, m. in Nov. 1923 in Hammond to John A. McCorkle, son of long time Ponchatoula 
physician Dr. John McCorkle. 

Lewis A. Wood, a man whose motto was "Faith, Hope, and Charity to All," and his 
family contributed to the growth and success of our community during the first 
three decades of the previous century.

Anyone with questions, comments, or suggestions for future articles, may contact 
Jim Perrin at 386-4476.