"An Illustrated history of Union and Wallowa Counties : with a brief outline of 
the early history of the state of Oregon." Western Historical Pub. Co., 1902.
Union County.

JOSEPH G. WOODS. ---Among the leading business men of Lagrande must be put the
name of the gentleman, whose lifeís career it is now our pleasant privilege to
recount, and his well-known energy and enterprise have given him a place which
he fills with commendable ability, while his stanch qualitiesí of moral
excellence have made him to be esteemed among his fellows.

On My 20, 1862, Joseph C. was born in Grant county, Wisconsin, to Hawkins C. and
Julia A. WOODS, and in his native state he lived with his parents, gaining a
good education, until 1880, when he left the home circle and started for
himself.  First he went to the Black Hills of South Dakota, making his
headquarters at Deadwood, and for two years he operated a freighting outfit from
Ft. Pierre to that town; then went to Leadville, Colorado, and engaged to drive
stage from that town to Neosha and Buena Vista, handling the ribbons
successfully until 1885.  In this year he retired to Santa Fe and drove stage
from that city to espanolia; and in 1887, we find him in Allen county, and then
in Colony, in which latter place he was engaged in livery and stage business.
In 1888 he came via San Francisco and Portland to Lagrande, engaging first in
farming and then driving stage from Joseph to Elgin for the M. & M. Company for
four years.  After this he purchased a farm near Elgin, making his home there
until 1900, at which time he sold out and purchased his present stand of livery
and sale stables in Lagrande.  He has centered his energy and time in this
business since that date and he is now the proprietor of as good stables as
there are in eastern Oregon, having first-class rigs and fine horses and
paraphernalia for comfortable and safe transportation of passengers to any
portion of the country.

On July 16, 1889, Mr. WOODS married Miss Lucy C., daughter of John Q. and Eliza
WALLSINGER, at Summerville and they have become the parents of two children,
Clay and Clarence.  Mr. and Mrs. WALLSINGER came with ox teams across the plains
from Buffalo county, Iowa, to this section, in 1862, being among the very first
settlers here, and it was their lot to endure their share of the hardships of
the pioneer in their endeavors to build up this county.  They landed here on the
28th day of August and located near Summerville, and on July 26, 1897, Mr.
WALLSINGER, being in his sixty-third year, was called away by death, while the
mother is living with Mr. WOODS.  The parents of our subject came from Grant
county, Wisconsin to the Grande Ronde valley locating near Elgin, where his
father died in 1883, but the mother is now living in Lagrande.  Mr. WOODS is a
member of the American Order of Protection of Legrande. 

Submitted by: Sandy, scarletgen@comcast.net