Mr James Thomas Wood was born at London Road in Crayford, Kent, England on 20 January 1863.
He was the son of John Wood (b. 1835), an iron turner and fitter, and Ruth Thorn (b. 1837), natives of Hertfordshire and Berkshire respectively. The couple initially settled in Tring, Hertfordshire where their first three children were born before moving to Crayford.
James' known siblings were: Albert Howes (1856-1937), John William (b. 1858), Jonathan Edward (1861-1930), George Thorn (b. 1864), Edwin Blanch (b. 1870) and Oliver Joseph (1871-1950). His brother John later served as the postmaster of Hythe, Kent.
James appears with his family on the 1871 census living on London Road, Crayford and on the 1881 census on the Main Dover Road, also in Crayford. By the time of the latter record he was aged 18 and described as a tailor's apprentice, a profession he would later leave behind.
By the early 1890s James wound up living, for reasons uncertain, in South Australia. He was married in Trinity Church, Adelaide on 4 March 1890 to Sarah Wisdom (b. 6 November 1864), a school teacher also originally from Crayford. She was the daughter of cobbler George Wisdom and the former Elizabeth Barton.
During 1891 Wood worked as a storekeeper in Booleroo Centre, South Australia; it was there that year that his daughter Grace Wisdom was welcomed on 12 June 1891; she would be followed by another daughter named Adelaide Ruth (b. 25 February 1894).
When Wood and his family returned to England is not clear but by the time of the 1901 census they were living at 91 Edwin Street, Gravesend, Kent and James was described as a ship's steward. By the time of the 1911 census James was absent, presumably at sea, whilst his wife and daughter Adelaide are listed as living at 14 Cumberland Avenue, Milton Road, Gravesend. The family later moved to Clapton, London.
After serving for several years aboard Oceanic, James was reportedly persuaded to join Titanic for her maiden voyage. He signed-on to the Titanic on 4 April 1912 and gave his address as 7 Narford Road, Upper Clapton, London and his previous ship as the Oceanic. As a second class steward he received monthly wages of £3, 15s.
James Thomas Wood died in the sinking and his body, if recovered, was never identified. His widow was later assisted financially by the Titanic Relief Fund as a class E dependent.
By 1921 James' widow Sarah was living in Gravesend, Kent with her daughter Adelaide, who was then unmarried. By 1939 she was boarding at an address in Bexley, Kent, the home of a retired coachman Henry Allen. She died in Compton, Surrey on 29 June 1943 aged 78.1
His daughter Grace, who in 1912 was training to become a teacher, was married in 1915 to engineer James Blum Homewood (1891-1977) and raised two children, Louise and James. She died in Bath on 24 October 1970.
Daughter Adelaide was married in 1922 to civil servant Charles Ernest Maher (1896-1961) and had a daughter the following year, Maureen. She died in Ealing, London in 1954.
Comment and discuss
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Hi - I don't see a thread about this man, but please inform me if there is one. James Thomas Wood born 1863, steward. steward Wood has turned up in my extended family tree and I agree with all the details about him and his family as written up in the Encylopedia Titanica. However there are two small discrepancies which make me wonder whether this is actually the correct man. The encyclopedia correctly gives his year of birth as 1863 but in the Titanic death records on the genealogy website Ancestry his estimated death age is 40 which is 9 years astray. Secondly the encyclopedia links to a Folkestone newspaper article which refers to a brother of James called "Mr W R Wood" but I'm not aware that he had a brother with those initials and no brother with those initials is listed amongst his siblings in the Encyclopedia. any thoughts on this please ? the Titanic deaths file on Ancestry is Registry of Shipping and Seamen: Agreements and Crew Lists, Series III: Titanic. BT 100/259...
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I've just noticed that the Folkestone newspaper article does give J T Wood's age as 49 which would be correct for an 1863 birth, but I'm no nearer discovering who "W R Wood" is. As far as I am aware James Thomas Wood was one of 7 brothers, the other's initials are AH, JW, JE, GT, EB and OJ. Their mother's maiden name was Thorn.
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I think I've now worked this out. James Thomas Wood was 49 years old not 40 when he died, so that is a mistake in the Titanic death records. Secondly he did have a brother who was a postmaster in Hythe, Kent, as referred to in the newspaper article, but his name was John William Wood, so "Mr W R Wood" is a mistake by the newspaper.
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Hi Andrew....I've just been reading the entry for James Thomas Wood...fascinating stuff! He was my Great great grandfather through his daughter Grace...who was training to be a teacher at the time of the disaster. We must be distant relatives! : )
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Hi Lavender well the genealogical website Ancestry says that James Thomas Wood was a first cousin three times removed from me. His mother Ruth Thorn was an older sister of my great-grandmother Rebekah Thorn (or Thorne).
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Does that make us 7 times removed? I'm not very knowledgeable about genealogy but love the history of it.
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I'm not sure what that makes us. Can I ask, did Grace and her husband have just one child, or more than one ?
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Two. James and Louisa.
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Thank you.
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Hi Lavender 136, James Wood was also my great great grandfather, Grace was my great grandmother and her son James (Jim) my grandfather so I guess there is a very good chance we know each other! I went to Booleroo Centre (South Australia) a few years ago, it's a bit out of the way but I went to the church where Grace was christened. I might get the chance to go back there this year.
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