Memorial Record of Western Kentucky, Lewis Publishing Company, 1904,
pp 782-785 [Christian]

     GEORGE W. WOOD, of Hopkinsville, is not only one of the oldest
living native sons of Christian county, but is a member of the
family which can claim priority of settlement on the present site of
the city of Hopkinsville.  George W. Wood was born in Christian
county, Kentucky, in the city of Hopkinsville, February 23, 1825, so
that he has nearly reached the eightieth milestone on his life's
journey.
     His grandfather, Bartholomew Wood, was a native of South
Carolina, whence he moved to Tennessee, and about 1796 came to
Christian county, Kentucky, being the first man to locate where
Hopkinsville now stands.  He first stopped at the river about one
mile from this place, and carried all his property over on
horseback, even taking his wagon apart and bringing things piece by
piece.  He discovered the spring now known as Rock Spring, and there
pitched his tent, which was his first home.  About a half a mile
from this spot the found another spring, and here he built a log
house and made the first improvements upon his farm.  He took up
land from the government, and upon his land the first houses of
Hopkinsville were built, but the settlement was then called
Elizabethtown, named by himself.  His was the first house of the
town.  He was a great Nimrod, and was in his favorite element during
the earlier years when all kinds of game animals were to be found in
the vicinity, besides the barbarous humans in the shape of Indians. 
One of his sons was the first white child born in Christian county. 
Grandfather Wood afterwards returned to Tennessee, where he died,
but his remains rest at Hopkinsville.  His wife spent her last days
in Christian county and died at the home of her son, Bartholomew.
     Bartholomew Wood, the father of George W. Wood, is supposed to
have been born in South Carolina and was twelve years old when he
came to Christian county.  After reaching manhood he bought his
father's property at Hopkinsville.  He was a farmer by occupation,
and was one of the first county clerks.  He also ran a hotel in
Hopkinsville for about three years.  He lived to be seventy-eight
years old.  His wife was Nancy Saffren, a native of Virginia and the
daughter of John Saffren, who was one of the early settlers of
Christian county.  She lived to be about sixty-five years old, and
was the mother of eleven children, all of whom reached maturity, as
follows: Patsy, deceased; Sevier, deceased; Hardin, deceased;
Catherine, deceased; Caroline, deceased; George, mentioned below;
John, a resident of Christian county; Cynthia, deceased; Lizzie, the
wife of D. M. Taylor, of Hopkinsville; Dr. B. S. Wood, deceased; and
Miss Susan.
     George W. Wood was reared and educated in Christian county, and
has made this the scene of his life with the exception of about
seven years.  He went to Texas in 1886 and was in the milling
business for a time, and then bought a farm near Fort Scott, Kansas,
where he carried on general farming for six years, after which he
returned to Hopkinsville for a visit; while here his wife died, and
he then sold his Kansas farm and remained in his native town and
county.  He bought a livery business in Hopkinsville, which he
conducted for five years, and then sold it and bought a farm one mile and
a half west of town, fifty acres of which he still owns,
having disposed of fifty acres.
     Mr. Wood was married in 1848 to Miss Mary Steele, who was born
in Brownsville, Tennessee, and died in 1893, having been the mother
of five children: Mary, deceased; George, a resident of Missouri;
James, deceased; Nanie, the wife of W. D. Ennis, of Hopkinsville;
Susan, wife of Michael Erskin, of Texas.  Mr.  Wood is a lifelong
Democrat, and is a member of the Methodist church of Hopkinsville.
     No other family in Christian county is better known than the
Wood family, nor any more closely identified with the making and
development of the county.  Grandfather Wood gave four acres for the
public square of Hopkinsville; three acres for a cemetery and
Baptist church, which is one of the old landmarks, and one acre for
school buildings.  He also gave the half-acre about Rock Spring, and
by these donations brought the town to the present site of
Hopkinsville.  The name of the city was changed from Elizabethtown
to Hopkinsville in honor of a later settler by the name of Hopkins. 
Mr. Wood recalls the interesting scenes of an election in those
days.  At that time an election lasted for three days, and everybody
from all the country round came to the town by every known
conveyance and made the occasion a holiday and celebration that
could never be forgotten by anyone who had ever witnessed it.

Wood Saffren Taylor Steele Ennis Erskin
=
SC TN VA TX KS MO

http://www.rootsweb.com/~kygenweb/kybiog/christian/wood.gw.txt