A recent comment on our blog mentioned the “Ballad of Otto Wood.” Well, we don’t have the sound clip up yet (though the Southern Folklife Collection does have several versions of the ballad in their collection), but the NC Collection does have the Life History of Otto Wood: Inmate, North Carolina State Prison, 1926.
Wood, who had been in and out of jails since he was seven years old and was infamous for his numerous (successful) escape attempts, wrote his life history while serving a thirty-year sentence for killing a man in a pawnshop robbery in 1923. He thought that the book would help “some fallen mortal to a higher life.” Well, it may have helped others to a higher life, but it sure didn’t help him. Over the next four years he escaped from Central Prison, was wounded and arrested again during an attempted burglary in Indiana, returned to Central Prison, escaped again, and was finally killed on December 31, 1930, in a shootout with police in Salisbury.
I can’t wait to hear the ballad.
There are a lot of Wood and Hayes families in Wilkes County but not all Wood families are any kin to Otto Wood. My grandmother had several brothers & sisters and all but one brother moved to Forsyth and DAvidson Counties. Avery HAyes stayed in Wilkes area. My mom told me ran a ‘hotel’ in one of the Wilkesboro’s. I never knew a lot about my grandfather(James) and Otto’s parents. I know there Dad must have died when they were young. I know James was the oldest and tried to help their Mom with his brothers. Otto talks in his book about his brother & also he talks about Rushie( he calls her the girl) that was who he had the 2 children with.
Yes, Otto Wood had two children, Jack Wood and Pearl Wood. Jack had one daughter, Patricia, who is my mother. Jack died of cirrhosis. My mother is 62 and i’m 27. I’m Otto’s great grand-daughter. The only living descendant from his son’s side other than my mother.
Pearl’s side is bigger… but I’d rather not reveal their information without their permission as it seems Otto put us into hiding for a reason.
However, I rather the truth be told if so many are interested in the story. I think perhaps the autobiography being made according to Otto’s own statements ‘ to benefit his two babes ‘ and the fact the money hasn’t gone there is why this element of the story remains such a mystery as well.
Otto Wood had two more children that were twins born in March 28 1930 a boy and girl of which he didn’t know about before his death. The girl is my grandmother Ruby Olivia Wood. Her twin brother Rubin Wood died in the early 1980s. They are originally from the Wilkes county area but raised in high point.
I am also another one of Otto Wood’s great grandchildren. I believe there is more of us, then a lot of us realizes. My name is Maggie Wood, Ruben Dennis Wood is my father. And his father, my grandfather is Ruben Otto Wood (the twin boy that was mentioned in the post above.) I still live in High Point and my father just moved to Kernersville. I have an older sister, Samantha Wood East and the list keeps going on.
My grandfather died in 1981, a year after I was born. I have found internet records that say Otto’s father’s name was Thomas Wood and his mother’s name was Ellen Staley Wood. And Otto’s grandparents names are Ruben Wood and Nellie Johnson Wood. I wish I could find more about the Wood family; like, what country did we come from and when did we arrive in America and does our family history go all the way back to the first known Wood? I heard that we are German, but I really have no idea. I enjoy reading about my great grandfather Otto and see what people have to say about him, even though sometimes it’s not very nice. Maybe, some more of us will be able to shed some more light on the Wood family genealogy.