The Emma Ferrer Letters, Part 4: Over Six Months

On November 4, 1898, Emma wrote to P.G. Wood indicating that she would need over six months to get onto her feet.

So who is this P.G. Wood?

Pleasant Green Wood was born in Alabama in 1832. As a young man, he studied Morse Code and worked as a telegraph operator for the local newspaper. When he was 20, he began studying the law and was admitted to the bar in 1854. During the war, he advanced to the rank of Major; he suffered 11 wounds. In 1866 Pleasant was elected judge of Selma’s City Court, but he resigned following the passage of the Reconstruction Act (see notes below). In 1876, Governor Houston appointed Pleasant as Probate Judge, a position that he held after continuous re-elections until his death in 1901.

In addition to his official position, Judge Wood was one of the originators and promoters of the Summerfield Orphan’s Home. It was because of his role on the Executive Committee of the orphanage that he was in a position to guide the future of the Ferrer children. The writer of his obituary claims to have overheard the following conversation between two young orphan girls following Judge Wood’s death:

“Judge Wood’s death is a greater loss to us than the President,” remarked one little girl with a tremor in her voice that told how deep her feeling was. “Yes,” responded her little companion, “He is the only father we have ever known except for Mr. Stewart.”

In the weeks following his death, an article appeared in the Montgomery Advertiser titled Tribute to Late Judge. In it, a fellow member of the Alabama bar said, We honor his memory for the purity, elevation, and simplicity of his life. The kindness of his nature was shown in all he said and did. Amid his laborious duties, he found time for attention to moral obligations, public duties, private charities, and the offices of friendship. In his death, the poor and lonely have lost a friend whose purse relieved their wants, whose counsel solved their perplexities, and whose sympathies soothed their griefs. 

Next Week:  A letter of recommendation

Wood Removed from Bench

In 1867, the United States congress passed four statutes known as the Reconstruction Acts. Adherence to these acts was a requirement to be readmitted to the Union. Included in the statutes was a requirement of judges to use tax-paying citizens in juries –including African Americans. Judge Wood argued that this went against the constitution and laws of the state of Alabama and refused to comply. According to his obituary, a “file of United States soldiers” marched into his court room and removed him from the bench.  While time may cast a new light on such an action, at the time, many respected Wood’s drive to stand up to carpetbaggers.

Sources:

• Pleasant Green Wood. From BROWN, BURT, ABNEY, WATTS, and Related Families
• Judge P.G. Wood Dead. Montgomery Advertiser. September 24, 1901, Volume: LXXII, Issue: 224, Page: 3  
• Tribute to Late Judge Resolutions on Death of Hon. P. G. Wood. Montgomery Advertiser. October 3, 1901,Volume: LXXII, Issue: 233, Page: 3