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Thanks for stopping by and visiting our site. Please explore and see if you find any connections to your ancestors. If you do, I would enjoy hearing from you. I have been involved in our family’s genealogy for about 15 years by following up on the extensive work my father, Mervel Wood, developed. I'm also indebted to many others who have provided key information and family stories.
The Wood ancestors are a mix of mostly English and German with a little French tossed in. Our earliest Wood ancestor was Henry Wood (Atwood) and he arrived in Plymouth, Massachusetts about 1635. His three brothers also immigrated at about the same time. I participate in the Atwood DNA family group and my DNA lines up nicely with many others who are descendants of the four brothers.
The Ritts line is a mix of English, Irish, and Swiss. The earliest Ritts ancestor was possibly Elias Ritz who immigrated to Philadelphia from Switzerland in about 1764. He may have travelled with his father Christian Ritz and two brothers.
The pictures to the left are my grandparents: Leonard “Chess” Wood, his wife Clara Myrtle Bredenkamp, Charles Lawrence Ritts and his wife Alice Juanita Stephenson. I have invested a fair amount of time in building “histories” of each of my grandparents – check it out with the Histories link.
In the upper right corner is a picture of Chess' five sisters: L to R: Carrie, Mary, Luella, Bessie, Susie. Taken Dec 29, 1902.
Let us know what you think of our site and how I can help you!
Doug and Mervel Wood (Aug 2013)
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