Edgar James Wood - Musician, Insurance Adjustor, Family Man
Edgar James Wood was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 13, 1903, the oldest of four sons of home builder James Edgar Wood and London native Mary Slatter Wood [source: Cleveland birth record]. Ed had a lifelong love of music, beginning piano lessons at age nine. He attended but didn't graduate from Tufts College in Massachusetts, where he played piano at meals and dances to cover expenses. He also played in jazz bands touring Europe during summer breaks from college [first-person oral history, ship's manifests].
Later in the "Roaring Twenties," Ed moved to New York City to pursue a musical career. However, as the Great Depression took hold, he returned to Cleveland and found a steady job as an insurance adjustor for the Buckeye Union Casualty Co. In 1935, he married Marian J. McClure (1909-1983), and they raised three children in Cleveland Heights, Ohio [Cuyahoga Cty marriage license A23321, US Census].
Ed continued to play piano professionally at nights and on weekends, becoming a proud member of the prestigious Hermit Club. One of his original songs won first prize in a 1934 contest judged by famed composer George Gershwin, who autographed Ed's sheet music [Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 21, 1934].
He was also very active in the local church, St. Paul's Episcopal Church of East Cleveland (now on the National Register of Historic Places). Not only was Ed a member of the vestry, he also led the children's choir for years and occasionally filled in for the organist during services.
In their retirement years, Ed and Marian settled in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to be close to their grandchildren. After Marian's death in 1983, Ed moved to Bronxville, New York, near two of his adult children. He passed away on September 23, 1986 [SSDI].
Contributor: M Wood (47749921)
Edgar James Wood was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 13, 1903, the oldest of four sons of home builder James Edgar Wood and London native Mary Slatter Wood [source: Cleveland birth record]. Ed had a lifelong love of music, beginning piano lessons at age nine. He attended but didn't graduate from Tufts College in Massachusetts, where he played piano at meals and dances to cover expenses. He also played in jazz bands touring Europe during summer breaks from college [first-person oral history, ship's manifests].
Later in the "Roaring Twenties," Ed moved to New York City to pursue a musical career. However, as the Great Depression took hold, he returned to Cleveland and found a steady job as an insurance adjustor for the Buckeye Union Casualty Co. In 1935, he married Marian J. McClure (1909-1983), and they raised three children in Cleveland Heights, Ohio [Cuyahoga Cty marriage license A23321, US Census].
Ed continued to play piano professionally at nights and on weekends, becoming a proud member of the prestigious Hermit Club. One of his original songs won first prize in a 1934 contest judged by famed composer George Gershwin, who autographed Ed's sheet music [Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 21, 1934].
He was also very active in the local church, St. Paul's Episcopal Church of East Cleveland (now on the National Register of Historic Places). Not only was Ed a member of the vestry, he also led the children's choir for years and occasionally filled in for the organist during services.
In their retirement years, Ed and Marian settled in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to be close to their grandchildren. After Marian's death in 1983, Ed moved to Bronxville, New York, near two of his adult children. He passed away on September 23, 1986 [SSDI].
Contributor: M Wood (47749921)
Edgar James Wood - Musician, Insurance Adjustor, Family Man
Edgar James Wood was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 13, 1903, the oldest of four sons of home builder James Edgar Wood and London native Mary Slatter Wood [source: Cleveland birth record]. Ed had a lifelong love of music, beginning piano lessons at age nine. He attended but didn't graduate from Tufts College in Massachusetts, where he played piano at meals and dances to cover expenses. He also played in jazz bands touring Europe during summer breaks from college [first-person oral history, ship's manifests].
Later in the "Roaring Twenties," Ed moved to New York City to pursue a musical career. However, as the Great Depression took hold, he returned to Cleveland and found a steady job as an insurance adjustor for the Buckeye Union Casualty Co. In 1935, he married Marian J. McClure (1909-1983), and they raised three children in Cleveland Heights, Ohio [Cuyahoga Cty marriage license A23321, US Census].
Ed continued to play piano professionally at nights and on weekends, becoming a proud member of the prestigious Hermit Club. One of his original songs won first prize in a 1934 contest judged by famed composer George Gershwin, who autographed Ed's sheet music [Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 21, 1934].
He was also very active in the local church, St. Paul's Episcopal Church of East Cleveland (now on the National Register of Historic Places). Not only was Ed a member of the vestry, he also led the children's choir for years and occasionally filled in for the organist during services.
In their retirement years, Ed and Marian settled in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to be close to their grandchildren. After Marian's death in 1983, Ed moved to Bronxville, New York, near two of his adult children. He passed away on September 23, 1986 [SSDI].
Contributor: M Wood (47749921)
Edgar James Wood was born in Cleveland, Ohio, on August 13, 1903, the oldest of four sons of home builder James Edgar Wood and London native Mary Slatter Wood [source: Cleveland birth record]. Ed had a lifelong love of music, beginning piano lessons at age nine. He attended but didn't graduate from Tufts College in Massachusetts, where he played piano at meals and dances to cover expenses. He also played in jazz bands touring Europe during summer breaks from college [first-person oral history, ship's manifests].
Later in the "Roaring Twenties," Ed moved to New York City to pursue a musical career. However, as the Great Depression took hold, he returned to Cleveland and found a steady job as an insurance adjustor for the Buckeye Union Casualty Co. In 1935, he married Marian J. McClure (1909-1983), and they raised three children in Cleveland Heights, Ohio [Cuyahoga Cty marriage license A23321, US Census].
Ed continued to play piano professionally at nights and on weekends, becoming a proud member of the prestigious Hermit Club. One of his original songs won first prize in a 1934 contest judged by famed composer George Gershwin, who autographed Ed's sheet music [Cleveland Plain Dealer, January 21, 1934].
He was also very active in the local church, St. Paul's Episcopal Church of East Cleveland (now on the National Register of Historic Places). Not only was Ed a member of the vestry, he also led the children's choir for years and occasionally filled in for the organist during services.
In their retirement years, Ed and Marian settled in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, to be close to their grandchildren. After Marian's death in 1983, Ed moved to Bronxville, New York, near two of his adult children. He passed away on September 23, 1986 [SSDI].
Contributor: M Wood (47749921)
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Edgar James Wood, 1903-1986
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