Selden Wood
2nd great-granduncle of Jane Hall
2nd great-granduncle of Joyce Hulbert
2nd great-granduncle of Susan Norder
3rd great-granduncle of Beth Beach
3rd great-granduncle of Barbara Dumler
Private Co. D 1st Engineers and Mechanics
Dates of Service: 26 Aug 1863 - 5 Nov 1863 **Died of Typhoid Fever
Selden Wood was born in 1841 in Cuyahoga County, Ohio as the fourth child, second son, of William and Mary Ann (Roberts) Wood. By 1860, the family had migrated to Grand Rapids, Kent County, Michigan.
On 26 August 1863, Selden enlisted at Grand Rapids, Michigan, for 3 year period in Co. D, 1st Engineers and Mechanics. He was a 22-year-old farmer, had hazel eyes, dark hair, light complexion and stood 5 feet 10 inches tall. He joined his company on September 10 in Detroit, Michigan. He was paid a bounty of $25, $4.00 premium plus one month's pay in advance.
Selden Wood died of Typhoid Fever on 5 November 1863 at U.S. General Hospital in Chattanooga, Tennessee. His worldly possessions consisted of 1 hat, 1 uniform coat, 1 pair trousers, 1 flannel shirt, 1 haversack, 1 "History of Rebellion", 1 gold pen and holder, $4.54 cash, all turned over to his father.
A cenotaph stands at Fulton Street Cemetery in Grand Rapids, MI (Plot: Block 11, Lot 15, Grave #12). The cenotaph, placed near his parents, honors the memory of Selden Wood. It reads:
SELDEN WOOD
MEMBER OF CO. D,
1 MICH. MECH. & ENG.
DIED
IN HOSPITAL AT
CHATTANOOGA TENN.
NOV. 5, 1863
AGED 23 YRS.
His body is buried where he died.
1st Regiment Engineers and Mechanics. During the latter months of 1863 and the early months of 1864, the regiment was engaged in the construction of the Nashville and Northwestern RR from Nashville to Chattanooga, and in the construction of storehouses and ordnance buildings at Bridgeport and Chattanooga.
GRAVESITE: Chattanooga National Cemetery (Section A Site 113), Chattanooga, Tennessee
Written by Susan Norder, September 2008