By Beverly Belcher Woody
Did you know that a tombstone in Patrick County was once featured on Ripley’s Believe it or Not?
The monument belongs to Richard “Dickey” Wood and his four wives. When Dickey’s first wife, Rachel Cockram passed away in 1823, she was buried at their homeplace near the Floyd-Patrick line. This area would later be known as Wood’s Gap in honor of Dickey Wood and his family. Dickey married Nancy “Fannie” Brammer in 1828 and sadly, she died two years later. Dickey was a forward-thinking man, so when she was buried, he left a spot for a grave between Rachel and the new grave for Fannie. Dickey wed again in 1831 to Elizabeth “Betsy” DeHart and they were married for twelve years before she passed in 1843. Betsy was laid to rest at the head of the empty spot above Rachel and Fannie. Dickey married the following year to Lucinda “Lucy” Via. He was seventy-two and she was thirty-five. They were married for eleven years before she passed away in 1855. Lucy was buried at the foot of the empty spot below Rachel and Fannie. Dickey lived four more years, passing away in 1859 at the age of 87. He was buried in the empty space left for himself in the middle.
Now, that we have the timeline established for Dickey Wood and his wives, let’s go back and find out about their children. Dickey and Rachel had eight children, Henry, John, German, Jeremiah, Alexander, Peter, Anna, and Edward. Sadly, Dickey and Fannie had no children in the brief time they were married. Dickey and Betsy had four children, Preston, Andrew, Dollie, and Lucinda. Dickey and Lucy had six children, Frederick, Byrdine, George, Nancy, Ruth, and Laura. Each one of the eighteen children’s names is listed on the monument above their respective mother’s grave. While many of Dickey’s children remained in Patrick County to raise large families, several of the children moved to West Virginia and one moved to Indiana. What is quite remarkable (in an era known for short lifespans) is that at least fifteen of these children lived long enough to see their own grandchildren!
In 1935, the first reunion of the descendants of Richard (Dickey) Wood was held on Memorial Day at the old Dickey Wood farm, nine miles south of Floyd in Patrick County. According to the Raleigh (WV) Register, 2,500 people attended the event. The paper reported that a unique ceremony was observed at the monument; hundreds of descendants marched to the graves and sprinkled soil from their own homeplaces. Great grandchildren from as far away as Colorado sent dirt for this purpose. Program booklets were distributed to the attendees, along with ribbon badges printed with the name “Wood.” The reunion closed with the singing of “God Be With You Till We Meet Again.” The following year, the Wood family met at Lover’s Leap on Memorial Day.
In 1938, the Stuart Enterprise published a poem by D. H. Wood, who was looking forward to attending the reunion: “The Wood Reunion is going back, To the Blue Ridge mountains home, Where sleeps our Grandfather Dickey, From whence we all come from. On the noted Woods Gap Road, This historic mountain pass, O’er looking Smith River’s fertile farms, With cattle herds on grass. On this high and sunny plateau, Grandfather Dickey pitched his tent, And like an old country gentleman, His honorable life he spent. He dug his living from the hills, The price of honest toil, None dared molest or make afraid, Or plunder after spoils. With pleasure we chronicle a life like this, A devout Christian believer, A member of Primitive Baptist faith, Baptized in the old Smith River.”
As you can imagine, a monument and cemetery this old and unique needs repairs. Garland Wood reported that cemetery restoration is currently underway. For more photos and information, you can find Woods Gap Cemetery Inc on Facebook or if you would like to help, you may send your tax-deductible donations payable to Woods Gap Cemetery, Inc., and mailed to Post Office Box 2, Floyd, VA 24091.
