HARDWOOD RECORD 



'Builders of Lumber History. 



NCMBEB XLTII. 



John M. Woods. 



I N( f I'uitruit liitpliirtntltt .\ 

 To write the life history of Hon. .lohii M. 

 Woods, himberraan, orator, j)olitii'ian, ])lii- 

 lanthropist, is to tell of early privations 

 and difficulties surmounted by indomitable 

 will and remarkable ability — not employ"e<l 

 as excuses for indifferent achievements, but 

 used as stepping-stones to unquestionable 

 success. 



Mr. Woods was born in Pelham, N. H.. 

 Oct. '12, 18,39, and his early life was devoted 

 to hard work in field and shop rather than 

 to the care-free fun and frolic and happy 

 school life which are childhood's due. At 

 the age of twenty-one he had mastered the 

 shoemaker's trade and left home to prac- 

 tice it in Salem, N. H., at a salary of .$4 

 a month. It is worthy of note that today 

 no employee of John M. Woods & Co. re- 

 ceives less than ten times the salary at 

 which his princi]ial commenced a business 

 career. 



Mr. Woods divided his time between liis 

 work at the bench and in the field until 

 180::!, when he enlisted in the Union Army, 

 Thirteenth Xew Hampshire Volunteers, for 

 three years' service in the Civil War, Of 

 his regiment 's long and honoralde record 

 he is justly proud. In his memor.y the bat- 

 tles of Cold Harbor and Fredericksburg 

 stand out most vividlj-. During the latter 

 engagement he was wounded and left on the 

 field as dead, but in the night regained con- 

 sciousness and escaped to his comrades. 

 Probably no "old soldier" in the country 

 has more love for the army, or retains in 

 more marked degree the patriotic enthu- 

 siasm engendered by the nation's peril in 

 those dark days than does Mr. Wood, and 

 his friends and fellow citizens delight in 

 hearing him voice his sentiments and reminis- 

 cences. Three times he has delivered the 

 Memorial Day oration in Somerville, Mass., 

 where he now resides, and he often addresses 

 other posts in surrounding states. He has 

 been prominently mentioned as department 

 commander of the Grand Army of the Re- 

 pul)lic, but has never cared to conduct a 

 campaign to that end. Mr. Woods has 

 achieved distinction as an after-dinner 

 speaker and writer on various subjects. His 

 brochure on ' ' The Forest and Its Uses ' ' is 

 particularly noteworthy. 



In March, 1867, he began his career in 

 the lumber business as a clerk for Clark & 

 Smith, hardwood dealers of Boston, at a 

 salary of .$12 per week. In November of 

 that year he married Sarah E. Drake of 

 EiEngham, N. H. Notwithstanding their 

 meager resources the young couple managed 

 carefully and prospered. Each year Mr. 

 Woods' salary was advanced, and in 1868 

 he moved to Charlestown; in 1870 he went 

 to Indianapolis as buyer for the firm, and 

 in 1872 was admitted to partnership. This 



arrangement was dissolved in '73, however, 

 and in the panic of that year he lost prac- 

 tically all he had, about $7,000, but his 

 dauntless spirit refused to be downed by re- 

 verses and he began anew as buyer and 

 salesman for Holt & Bugbee, with whom he 

 remained until '79. He then became east- 

 ern agent for George D. Emery of Indian- 

 apolis with whom he continued until 1884. 

 In that year he began business for himself, 

 and in '98 moved to the present location 

 of John M. Woods & Co., 223 to 253 Bridge 

 street, East ('ambridge, Mass. 



His concern has the highest possible rep- 

 utation for integrity of dealing and high 

 business standards. It does an average busi- 

 ness of half a million dollars annually, com- 

 prising the handling of 6,000,000 feet or 

 more of mahogany and other hardwood' lum- 

 ber and veneers. More than twenty-five 

 years ago it advocated then almost unknown 

 measures for the benefit of employees, among 

 tnem the early Saturday closing movement; 

 ;ind it %va8 the first lumber firm to volun- 

 tarily advance the wages of its men, thus 

 forcing the scale up in every other house in 

 the metropolitan district. Mr. Woods has 

 taken as partners young men who began 

 at the very bottom of the ladder — Messrs. 

 E. D. Walker and W. E. Chamberlin, as well 

 as his son-iu-law\ C. H. Sherburne, and to 

 them he feels that he owes no inconsider- 

 able measure of the prestige of his house. 

 Twice in the past few years Mr. Woods 

 has made a European trip for combined 

 business and pleasure. 



Several notable contracts have been filled 

 by the concern, among them the furnishing 

 of mahogany for the state capitol at In- 

 dianapolis, much of the hardwood for the 

 state house in Boston, for the addition to 

 the White House at Washington, and the 

 famous palace of Mrs. Jack Gardner in 

 Boston, as well as for several handsome 

 steamers and office buildings owned by east- 

 ern capitalists. 



Mr. Woods is prominent in lumber asso- 

 ciation affairs and has been president of the 

 Massachusetts Retail Lumber Dealers' As- 

 sociation; he is invariably a prominent 

 speaker at meetings and banquets of the 

 National Wholesale Lumber Dealers' Asso- 

 ciation and is a leading spirit in the Na- 

 tional Hardwood Lumber Association. 



In 1904 Mr. Woods was nominated for 

 state senator from the Third Middlesex dis- 

 trict and, after a campaign carried on along 

 his own original ideas, was elected. That 

 his services were appreciated was shown by 

 re-election the following year. During his 

 terms in the Senate Mr. Woods was a mem- 

 ber of many important committees and in- 

 variably distinguished himself for his clean, 

 open, honorable position with regard to 

 every measure which demanded his atten- 

 tion. 



17 



For more than twenty-five years he has 

 been a member of Somerville Royal Arch 

 Chapter A. F. and A. M.; is a member of 

 Coeur de Lion commandery, K. T.; and of 

 Aleppo temple. Mystic Shrine; also of Oasis 

 Lodge I. O. O. F.; Ancient Order of United 

 Workmen, the R.oyal Society of Good Fel- 

 lows, Massachusetts Forestry Association, 

 International Society of Arboriculture, and 

 the Corinthian Yacht Club. Mr. Woods is 

 prominent in the Congregational Church, and 

 in the Somerville Y. M. C. A., and is a mem- 

 ber of several political and social clubs. 



In 1884 he was married the second time 

 to Mrs. Almira J. Folsom, a sister of his 

 first wife. He has one daughter and one 

 step-daughter, both of whom are married 

 and reside near him. 



In political matters Mr. Woods always in- 

 sisted upon his enthusiastic friends and sup- 

 porters following out three distinct rules: 

 That nothing should ever be said or done 

 to reflect upon any opposing candidate; that 

 the means employed toward his election 

 should be honorable and legitimate; and that 

 no political work should be done upon Sun- 

 day. Likewise in all his personal achieve- 

 ments, three principles have guided him — 

 to name them is to summarize the splendid, 

 positive character of the man — to make his 

 word as good as his bond; to master all the 

 details of his own business: to be consid- 

 erate of all mankind. 



Production of Lumber in 1906. 



The director of the census announces the fol- 

 lowing preliminar.v report of the production of 

 lumbei- in the Cuited States tor the calendar 

 year ending Iieceml)ei' 31. I'JOG. Statistics con- 

 cerning the production of lumber and timber 

 products have heretofore been collected in con- 

 nection with the decennial and quinquennial 

 censuses of manufactures. To satisfy the ur- 

 gent demand for more frequent information re- 

 lating to these important products, the Forest 

 Service of the Department of Agriculture col- 

 lected statistics pertaining to the production of 

 190.5, and for purposes of comparison these 

 totals are presented below. In order to avoid 

 duplication of work, however, and insure uni- 

 formity of results, the preparation of the an- 

 nual statistics has been committed to the Bu- 

 reau of the Census, which has worked in co- 

 peration with the Forest Service. 



The figures cover the cut of 21,077 mills in 

 UKKi and 11,660 mills in 1905; 



Lumber, thousand 

 feet B. M. 



Ivind of wood — 1906(1)- 1905. 



Yellow pine 13,049,769 9,760,508 



Douglas hr 4,969,.S43 4.319,479 



White pine 4,69::, 719 4,983,698 



Hemlock 3,00»,558 2,804,083 



White oak 1,833,176 1,210,^16 



Spruce 1,649,813 1,165,940 



Bed oak !iso,yoi 6i:3,553 



Maple 866,862 608,746 



Cypress 843,603 753,369 



Yellow poplar 683,382 582,748 



Kedwood 650,703 411,680 



Red gum 453,678 316,588 



Chestnut 396,713 2:i4,413 



Basswood 3i:i, i4S Zo8,390 



Cedar 359,910 363,900 



Birch 34.5,097 1!40,704 



Cottonwood 263,906 236,000 



Beech 260,683 219,000 



Elm 212,365 227,038 



Ash 208,905 159,034 



Larch 100,220 76,173 



Hickory 148,732 95,803 



Sugar "pine 139,139 123,085 



Tamarack 123,835 64,463 



White fir 104,329 52,725 



Tupelo 51.008 35,794 



Walnut 48,174 29,831 



All otller 193,306 _555,371 



Totals 37,490.067 30.502,961 



(1) New York cut toi- 1905 included herein: 

 totals for 1006 being prepared by the State 

 I- orest. Fish and 'iame Commission, not yet 

 availal)ie. 



