Wood, Samuel (1), D.D., a Congregational min- ister, was born at ISIansfield, Conn., May 11^ 1752. From an early period he determined to enter the ministry, but it was not till he was twenty-two years old that lie began his preparation for it. Under Rev. Isaiah Potter, of Lebanon, N. H., he prepared to enter Dartmouth Col- lege, from which he graduated in 1779. Seven weeks after his graduation he was licensed to preach. In Oc- tober, 1781, he accepted a call to the Church at Bos- cawen,and here he continued to preach until May, 1802. A new society was formed in the town at that time, and of this, although the smaller parish, he became the pastor. He never fully recovered from an attack of a violent disease in 1828. Rev. Salmon Bennett was installed as colleague pastor with Dr. Wood in December, 1832, but after four years Dr. Wood was again sole pastor. For twenty years he ofiiciatcd gra- tuitously as superintendent of the schools in the town ; and was influential in establishing a library and an academy. He died in Boscawen, N. H., Dec. 24, 1836. He fitted a large number of young men for college. He was an earnest and impressive preacher. See Sprague, Annals of the Amer. Pulpit, ii, 169.
"Woodbridge, Benjamin, D.D., a Congrega- tional minister, brother of Rev. John Woodbridge of Newbury, Mass., was born in Wiltshire, England, in 1622. He removed to America, and was the first grad- uate of Harvard College. Returning to England, he succeeded the famous Dr. Twiss at Newbury, where he gained a great reputation as a preacher, scholar, and casuist. Having been ejected in 1662 on account of his nonconformity, he continued to preach privately; and in 1671 resumed his public labors. He had been min- ister of Newbury nearly forty years, and died at In- • glefield, Berks, Nov. 1, 1684. See Sprague, Annals of the Amer. Pulpit, \, 131,
"Woodbridge, Timothy, D.D., a Presbyterian
WOODFORD
1034
WOODS
tlivine, was born at Stockbridge, ^Mass., Nov. 24, 1784. His maternal graiulfatlier was tlie first president Ed- wards, and his paternal ancestry embraced a long line of venerable ministers, reaching baciv to the very early settlement of New England. lie was educated at Will- iams Collogp, and while there he lost the sight of both eyes, and the remainder of his life was passed in total blindness. In 1809 he entered the Theological Sem- inary at Andover, and in due time was regularly li- censed to preach; in 181G he was ordained pastor of the Church at Green River, Columbia Co., N. Y., where he continued, laboring with great zeal and diligence, twentj--six years; in 181"2 he became pastor of the Church at Spencertown, N. Y., where he remained till 18.il, wliLMi he resigned his pastoral charge; since that time he lived in comparative retirement until his death, Dec. 7, 181)2. Dr. Woodbridge bad an intellect of much more than common vigor, and a memory that hekl ev- erything deposited in it. His preaching was evangel- ical, earnest, impressive. " It may reasonably be doubt- ed wliether, as a 'blind preacher,' he had bis equal since the days of Waddel." lie published The Aiitobioi/ra- phy of a L'lliid Preacher (Boston, 1856, r2mo), includ- ing sketches of the men and events of his time. See Parton, IJfe of Burr, ch. xxxiii ; Sprague, Discourse at the Funeral of Rev. Timothy Woodhridcje, D.l). (Al- bany, 1803, 8vo); Wilson, Presh, Hist, Almanac, 1864, p. o"25; Allibone, Diet, of Brit, and Amer. A uthors, s. v. (J. L. S.)
Woodford, Samuel, D.D., an English divine, was born in London in 163G, and educated at Wadham Col- lege, Oxford. He studied law at the Inner Temple, but entered into holy orders in 1669. He became rector of Hartley-Maudit, Hampshire; prebendary of Chiches- ter ill 1076, and of Winchester in 1680. He died in 1700. He was the author of, A Poem on the Return of King Charles II (1660): — A Paraphrase upon the Psalms of David (1667): — and A Paraphrase upon the Canticles and Some Select Hymns of the New and Old Testaments, with Other Occasional Compositions in Eng- lish Verse (1679). In this last he examines Milton's blank verse and commends his recently published Par- adise Lost, See Wood (Bliss's ed.), A thence Oxoniensis, iv, 731.
Woodhouse, John Chappel, D.D., an English clergyman, was born in 1748, and educated at Christ Church, Oxford, where he graduated A.M. in 1773. He became rector of Donnington in the same year, preben- dary of Rochester in 1797, prebendary of Lichfield and archdeacon of Salop in 1798, dean of Lichfield in 1807, and rector of Stoke-upon-Trcnt in 1814. He died Nov. 17, 1833. He publislied The Apocalypse, or Revelation of St. John, Translated-; icith Notes, Critical, etc. (1805) : — Annotations on the Apocalypse, etc. (1828): — and some Sermons. See Allibone, Diet, of Brit, and A mer. A u- ihors. s. V.
Woodhiill, John, D.D., a Presbyterian divine, was born in Suffolk County, L. I., Jan. 26, 1744. He graduated at the College of New Jersej' in 1766, studied theology privately, was licensed to preach by the Pres- bytery of Newcastle, Aug. 10, 1768, and was ordained and installed pastor of the Leacock congregation, Lan- caster Co., Pa., Aug. 1, 1770. In 1779 he became pas- tor of a congregation in Freehold, N. J., where he re- mained until his death, Nov. 22, 1824. Dr. Woodhull was a popular and useful minister, distinguished for his skill and tact in ecclesiastical bodies. He published a Sei-nion in the Nejo Jersey Preacher (1813). See Sprague, Annals of the Amer. Pulpit, iii, 304; Allibone, Diet, of Brit, and A mer. A uthors, s. v. ; Timlow, Hist. Scrm.