Herald ■ Unlern • Dispatch S March '86 21

Dr. Wiley Built House in 1854

(From page 1) of a single head horn. "And that fossil was up in the attic." the neighbor recalled, noting Mrs. Wood's fondness for showing it to visiting children. "And she had dinosaur footprints." the neighbor remembered, adding that she illustrated fossils for National Geographic magazine. While the Woods were away, youths sometimes broke into the house. And. even when the elderly widow was home alone, people would steal -her possessions, complained the neighbor and her brother-in-law, Dr. Albert E. Wood, who lives behind the house. "DURING THE LAST 15 YEARS, mv sister-in-law would get people in who said I'm going to look at the stained-glass windows,' " he recalled. "I know some things were taken; I told my sister-in-law she shouldn't let people go up there." Local residents remember Mrs. Wood as the short, gray-haired lady who could hardly see over the steering wheel of her Studebaker Lark that now sits behind the house near two Volkswagon "Bugs," and a vintage Jaguar that the Woods drove through Europe in the 1940s The house's new owner. Realtor Joseph R. Pierce. 31. of Wildwood Crest, said he may try to restore the vehicle as well as the house. "They tried to get out West fossil hunting every few years." Albert. 75. a retired Amhurst geology professor, said of his brother, Horace, a Rutgers geologist paleontologist, and Mrs. Wood, a biologist, who also taught for a time at Rutgers. Family photo albums, sold with the house, show them and their son as a youngester, smiling and playing at a "dig" in the fossil-rich Dakota "Badlands." HIS MOTHER WAS ONE OF six children born to Ruth Thomas Dowden and Dr. James E. Dowden. a Fairmont. W.Va., dentist. She earned her undergraduate degree from Sweetbriar College there and a Ph.D. from Yale in 1926. The following year, she married Horace, a Princeton undergrad who completed his doctorate at Columbia. He and Albert were two of four sons born to Dr. Edith Elmer Wood, a sociologist, and Navy Capt. Albert Wood, originally from Indiana. An older brother. Horace Elmer Wood I. died in infantry in the Orient while his father was serving with Admiral Dewey and the family lived in Manila. Japan. Korea and China. An other older brother, Thurston, a 1918 West Point graduate, was killed in Europe during World War I. A local veteran's post bears his name. Dr. Albert Wood was born in the house at Main and Mechanic, "and my piece of property (behind it) is the only piece of property in the county that goes back to the original deed," he noted. He lives there with his wife, the former Frances Wright. Besides Dr. Roger Wood, they have two other sons: Dr. Albert Wood, a San Francisco urologist, and Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Daniel Wood of Alameda, Calif. EDITH ELMER WOOD inherited the Victorian homestead from her mother. Adele Wiley Elmer, one of two daughters born to the original owner. Dr. John Wiley, and his first wife, Danielia. They also had a son who died in infancy. Danielia was the great-great-great

granddaughter of Shamgar Hand who purchased the property ana surrounding land from the West Jersey Company when ! William and Mary reigned over the Colonies. During the region of George III in 1764, Shamgar's grandson. Daniel, donated land in Middletown < later Cape May Court House) to the county "for the use of a court house and gaol, forever " Two days before Christmas. 1845. Dr. Wiley married Danielia and nine years later he built the Victorian house at Mount Airy Farm on land she inherited. (The older farmhouse, now part of the Middle Diner, was moved north on Stone Harbor Boulevard in 1918. ) Dr. Wiley was the oldest of 10 children born near Pennsgrove to a prosperous Salem County farmer. David Wiley, and his wife, the former Martha Borden, on Aug. 7. 1815. According to his 1955 biographer and descendant. Dr. Horace E. Wood. II. Wiley attended Jefferson Medical College. Philadelphia, from 1834- 37. Soon after g-aduation, the physician bought the Court ouse medical practice of a Dr. Fifield at 8 N. Main St. The sulky Wiley drove to visit patients is at the County Museum. IN THE SUMMER OF 1854. he had the Victorian house built of coffcrete blocks, molded from gravel, quick-lime and water, then sun-dried. Old even then, the barn behind it, with its wooden pegs and wrought-iron hardware, was moved from the Fifield property. Now it's headed for the county 's Historic Cold Spring Village (see related story). Before Wiley built his new home, he had been active in local affairs. He helped with construction of the local Baptist Church and a road from Court House to South Dennis. In 1848. he helped defeat a ballot referendum to move the county seat from Court House to Dennisville. then a ship-building center. Once prominent in the Whig Party of Henry Clay, Wiley helped found the Republican Party in South Jersey just before the Civil War. Though not an abolitionist. he opposed slavery, his descendant recorded, and organized a home guard at the war's outbreak. COMMISSIONED SURGEON of the Sixth New Jersey Volunteers, the physi'cian twice had his horses shot from under him. Captured behind Confederate lines during the Second Battle of Bull Run (Manassas), he was released after 10 days of treating the wounded. Dr. Wiley served through Gettysburg and Grant's bloody Wilderness Campaign, mustering out Sept. 7. 1864 to tend his invalid wife. Danielia died Dec. 31, 1873; on July 17, 1877, the widower married her cousin. Lydia F. Hand. who. childless, survived him by many years. County tax collector and a cranberry farmer. Wiley was the first elected president of the county medical society in 1885. He predicted a typhoid epidemic from contaminated drinking water. The house's builder died of pneumonia Christmas Eve, 1891, after exhaustive treatment of his mother-in-law. Hetty Hand. He was buried in the Baptist cemetery here only a few short years "before the house's last owner was born in West Virginia.

.-k « IJ FLORENCE V. BOWDEN At Sweet Briar. 1920

■ 1 ■ " IKS ! If**"' ' ^ I i HORACE E. WOOD II At Princeton. 1921 I

■ * , V ' i , ■:.*! >*>. . ^ up. ^ A ~£M\ v Vintage Jaguar ar.d Older Barn.

Middle Honor Roll Has 136 Students

COURT HOUSE - High honors went to 15 students for the second marking period at Middle Township High School, and 121 others were listed on the Honor Roll just released. Named to the High Honor Roll were: George Haieh. Christin L'odd. Abigail Fagan. Christine Heck. Margaret Hsleh. Stephanie Lish. Lisa Lord. Alice Schellinger. Reynold Wang. Robert Dean. Heidi Robinson. Stephen Schuck. John Francis. Mark Hindle. Steven Marriner Christopher Anderson. Rebecca Bond. Amy Branca. Manning Camp. Barry Dickinson. Anthony Fazio. Jesse Gregg III, Victoria Hetin. Charles Lee. Joseph Livingston. Peter Lomax. Stephanie Pombo. Avinash Prabhakar. John Radzieta. Richard Roach. Renee Taylor, Deborah Wnek. Thomas Blair. Laura Carman. Stacy Corson. Jon Durante. Elizabeth Errickson. Holly Farland. Joanna Francis. Cory Gilman, Harry Grier. Ronald Hudamch. Michael James. Joseph Jenkins, John Keith, Shannon King. Gregory Lane. David Learning, Brian Markle, Kirsten Marme. Calresa Meyers. Robert Murray, Gwen Rich. Valessa Rocke. Karen Ryder. Allison Schmid. Amelia Spaulding. Bruce Terry. Beverly Tozer. William Watson. Laurie Weimer. Nicole Balliette. Greg Hostard. CArote Coles. Jo-Ann Hinev Andrea Hodges. Audrey Hoffman. Suzanne Keen Kim Kirby. Kathleen Law Kristin Lawrence. Terry Layton. Timothy Leonard. Andree Long. Leslie Ludlam. Kara McVey. Pamela Meadowcroft. John Monachelli. Cynthia Pantelione. Jennifer Raab. Michael Ktbeiro. Teresa Rieser. Cary Roach. Richard Robinson. Jr., Jennifer Rodgers Richard Rogers Larry Ryan. Michelle Szymanski. Deidre Thaler. Elizabeth Thomas. Renee Tozer. Judith Wang. Edmund Webb. Debbie Williams. Carol Ashbridge. Kristin Brady Andrew Brockman, Rose Buckley. Michelle Clayton. Bryan Conklin. Darwin Coverdale. Lori Dinnella. Hot Cakes GREEN CREEK - A pancake, breakfast will be held by Green Creek Volunteer Fire Co. 1 Sunday. March 16. 8 a.m. -I f.m. For further informaion. call 886-1294 or 886-5355.

Laura Fausey. Dotlie Gallop, Robert Hicks. Kristen Holt. Maurice Hubbard. Cara Hudamch. Arthur Kelly Jr . Patricia Law Jeffrey Iawson, Veronica Lynn. Michele Mitchell. Barry Mass brooks. Steven Moss brooks. i)ebb.r Myers, fori Osuorne. Deborah Pettit. Joseph Richter, Tina Roberts- Kristrn Rosenheim, Deai.na Ruggiero Charles Schellinger. Tami Seymour Thomas Shaw . Sancy Simmtrman. Carol Syostrom. Hazel Spaulding. Karen Stitt. Tammy Tozour. Kathleen Trainor, Kimberlv Vance. Wendy Weaver. Melissa Whittington Kristin Wilson. Tracey Yarborough > 40 Earn Honors At WCHS NORTH WILDWOOD - Wildwood Catholic High School has named 16 students for high honors for the current marking period. Second honors went to 24 others. Selected for high honors were: Michelle Brzy$ki. Ann Marie McCarthy. Katie Caruso, Jackie Steady. Maria Bilotti. Laura DiGiovanni. Charistine Gawel. Stephanie Souchak. Jennifer Dever, Shannon Quinn. Theresa ,Ward. Allison Koebig, Michelle Moore. Kristy Quinn. Andrew Brannen. and James Arsenault. SECOND HONORS Patricia ("anally. Megan Gallagher, Susan Grayson. Nancy Haig. Helm Karavangelas. Renee Monti. Elizabeth Buchanan. Thomas Gallagher. Nicole Helverson. Theresa VanOsten. Karyn Straw ley. Stacey Carter Keith Crafton, Anne Gallactttrr*— Rosea nn McDevitt Kathleen Ward. Nancy Ann Beiseigel, Karen Gray. Monica Guidetti. Geoffrey Lewbs. Ralph Petrella, Sheila DiMarco, Kelley Greenwood. Peter Gallaccio

o * M . of Ocean City, who eom- \ pleted his term on (he counYiy .Municipal Utilities Authority Feb. I. was cited for serving "faithfully, diligently, and competently" by the MUA board recently.

Fellowship Supper Set ^ WILDWOOD CREST - A fellowship supper will be held at the Crest Community Church 6 p.m. Sunday, with the under-40s of the congregation serving the over 40s It will be held in the Social Hall. Sunday worship service with Rev Charles L. Rowe. pastor, leading are at ll a.m. Sunday School is 9:45 am and the Time Machine, for Kindergarten through third grades, is in operation during service. AN EASTER EGG hunt for Sunday School children will be 10 a. m -noon Saturday. March 22. and the children will dis' ibute palms at the worst, p service March 23. Good Friday services will be held noon-l p.m. March 28. Lunch with the Easter -^unny will be staged M a.m.-l p.m. in the Social (Hall Saturday. March 29. For reservations, call Deborah Rogers. 729-0755.