He was the son of James and Deborah (Cornell) Wood. [Deborah was the sister of Ezra Cornell, who founded Cornell University.] They were of Quaker descent.

When Corydon was 2 1/2 years old the family moved to Gratiot County, Michigan where his family homesteaded. He lived there until his marriage. He attended district schools in MI, high school at the Academy of Cornell University, and honorary Doctor of Divinity from Edwards College.

He was converted to Christianity when 24 or 25 in Gratiot County, under the preaching of N.N. Maynard. In 1878 he received a license to preach. He became a member of North Michigan Conference of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ, at its third annual session, in 1879 and soon became a leader.

He was ordainded in 1882 by Bishop Weaver. He became a presiding elder in 1885. "I had no thought of being a canidate for presidng elder when I came to the session, It was my bold stand for the law, and the Church against the liberal forces that brought my canididacy to the front". He stood with Bishop Wright in 1889 at the split in the church.

He was the one who rented the place, for the "old constitution" church to meet. E.C. Clapp wrote, "Those were stirring times and Brother Wood was an important and active participant. His firm stand for the right, and his wise counsel kept many preachers and laymen true to the Church. He was an able preacher, a good executive and he stood firmly for the doctrines of the Church. He was sometimes blunt in his statements, but he was kindhearted. A gruff exterior hid the kindness of his heart. He would show leniency when the occasion demanded it."

There is a story of Bishop Wood buying a new overcoat for himself, and giving his old one (which was getting a little tight) to a young pastor, who was in need of a warmer coat.

Corydon served 20 years as North Michigan Conference superintendant. He was Secretary of North Michigan Annual Conference for more than 20 years. He was a member of the Board of Education. He was elected Bishop in
1905, 1909, 1913, and 1917.

But Bishop Wood wrestled with some inner demons. While presiding at an Indiana Annual Conference in 1920, Bishop Wood was asked to leave the conference immediately. He had been accused of immoral acts involving young boys. He went to the house where he was staying and found his packed bags sitting on the porch.

The next month, Wood’s home conference, North Michigan, suspended him for a year. Conference records said he had “confessed his faults along the line of complaints made” and had asked forgiveness. The word “faults,” of course, is a serious understatement. Today, it seems incredible that the Church would deal internally with this criminal offense But that was a different time in American society.

In 1923, Corydon Wood was arrested for molesting boys in a park and given a sentence of up to five years for crimes against five boys who had come under his influence. A newspaper reported that if he hadn’t been arrested, he might have been lynched.

Wood entered Jackson State prison on July 24, 1923, and died there 15 months later at age 72. He is buried near Alma, Michigan.

Some of this information came from the U.B. magazine called "CONTACT" and the drawing was the work of Marjorie Cook.