also established a reputation for the manufacture of superior sheet iron, which has ever since been maintained by the concern. About this time he began to experiment upon the manufacture of "imitation Russia sheet iron." He finally succeeded, after many disheartening failures, in producing an article equal in finish to the genuine Russia manufacture, and for which he obtained a patent. Many attempts had been previously made by other manufacturers to imitate it, but without success. Mr. Wood's plan was the only one to compete successfully with the Russian article, and it is now known as "Wood's process." During the Crimean war the firm of J. Wood & Brothers ran four pairs of rolls upon it.

Upon the death of his father, James Wood, in 1851, Mr. W. became senior member of the firm of J. Wood & Brothers. He then erected the large steam mills at Conshohocken, with a capacity of five thousand tons per annum, which have been running almost continuously ever since, employing from one hundred and seventy-five to two hundred hands.

Mr. Wood possesses a large share of inventive genius. He has always taken a great interest in mechanical pursuits, performing in his younger days much of the machine work about his mills himself. He has been all his life an eminently practical and working man, to which fact his successful career is largely due.

In 1858 Mr. Wood reluctantly consented to become a candidate for Congress from the Fifth district, on the "People's ticket," the nomination being almost forced upon him by his friends. After one of the most exciting campaigns in the political history of Montgomery county, he was elected by a majority of two thousand five hundred and sixty-four votes over Hon. Owen Jones, the then Democratic incumbent, who had been elected in 1856 in the same district by over two thousand majority. Mr. Wood's majority in Montgomery county was nine hundred and thirty-eight. This exhibited a change of forty-five hundred votes in the district in two years. This brilliant triumph exceeded the most sanguine expectations of his party and friends, affording the most gratifying evidence of the

high esteem with which he was regarded throughout the district.*

On the assembling of Congress, in December, 1859, neither Republicans nor Democrats had a clear majority, there being a few "Americans" from the North and South who chose to act independently, thus having the balance of power. Accordingly John W. Forney, who was the clerk holding over, called the roll from the first Monday in December till February 2d, about fifty-eight days, the Republicans all the time supporting the caucus nominee, John Sherman, of Ohio, and the opposition Mr. Bocock, of Virginia.

The district that elected Mr. Wood was partly composed of several very conservative wards of Philadelphia, the people of which were too fearful of "abolition" and the "Southern trade" to act squarely against slave propagandism as Republicans did, but called themselves "Unionists," or "the people's party." A large part of the former Whig element of Montgomery county were also of the same sentiment. So when the bootless contest or dead-lock had begun to run into months, and everybody became tired of the rule of faction, five members, Morris, Junken, Scranton, and Wood, of Pennsylvania, with Nixon, of New Jersey, conceived the idea of breaking the dead-lock, and began to vote for Smith (American), of North Carolina. The Democrats or pro-slavery men, supposing they had the enemy at a disadvantage, and a "sure thing," filed in, and began to vote for Smith also, actually electing him. Mr. Wood and some others, suspecting Mr. Smith to be unsound on the tariff, changed their votes before the result was announced. This showed Republicans the danger they incurred in adhering to an extreme man; whereupon a Democrat from New York and the Americans from the South agreed to support Pennington, of New Jersey, a moderate Republican, instead of Sherman, and upon the next trial he was elected by one hun

*While attending a mass meeting during the Congressional campaign in which he was elected, he chanced to stop with a few friends at a blacksmith shop, and while watching the workmen at their anvils, remarked, "I have worked a little at this business my. self." The blacksmith, with an incredulous smile, requested him to exercise himself at the forge a little. Mr. Wood, nothing loth, threw off his coat, and immediately accepted the good-humored challenge, asking the blacksmith to blow for him. In a few minutes he produced a neatly turned horse-shoe, with nails enough to drive it, much to the surprise of the blacksmith and bystanders, who had hardly expected a Congressional candidate to prove such a practical workingman. This little episode made Mr. Wood more votes that day than all the speeches of the occasion.

dred and seventeen against one hundred and sixteen for the Democratic nominee.

Thus after nearly two months, the longest contest in our history, the House was organized by the election of a Speaker.. The Senate had already received the message while the House was unorganized, an unknown thing up to that time. After both were in working order little or nothing was done in the way of legislation while Mr. Wood's two sessions continued, from the conviction that with the Democratic party divided as it was, and the Republican looming up in mighty array, the hour had nearly come for the slaveholders to leave the Union. Both houses were given up, therefore, to profitless wranglings, during which Southern men came into the chambers and made their speeches with loaded pistols in their pockets. Mr. Wood felt that such a bear garden was a very uncomfortable place, and when the next Congressional election came around he refused utterly to consent to a re-election, though importuned to do so. W. Morris Davis was taken up in his place, and elected over Harry Ingersoll, the Democratic nominee. Mr. W. was also led to this decision by extensive business interests that demanded his whole time and attention.

At the time of the contest for Speaker some of Mr. Wood's extreme Republican constituents questioned the correctness of his course, but the result justified his action. Besides, it is not doubted that the break of the dead-lock met the approval of the mass of those who elected him. During the remainder of his term his votes were acceptable to all, and he left the position with credit as a faithful representative.

Mrs. Elizabeth K. Wood having died five years previously,. Mr. W. was married in January, 1866, to Hettie, daughter of Benjamin Peterman, paper manufacturer, of Elkton, Maryland.

The surviving children of John and Elizabeth K. Wood are the following: Helen, intermarried with Major Mauch, United States Army; James W., married to Josie Hoffman, of Allentown; Clara, wife of D. H. Merriman, of Williamsport; William W.; John, Jr., whose wife was Ada Slingluff, of Norristown; George W.; and Lizzie W., intermarried with William H. Cresson, son of John Cresson, of Conshohocken. The offspring of the second marriage are Mary P. and Walter D.

MORGAN WRIGHT.

Not enjoyment, and not sorrrow,

Is our destined end or way;

But to act that each to-morrow

Finds us farther than to-day.-Longfellow.

Morgan Wright, of Norristown, is the fourth child of Morgan and Charlotte Wright, of what was then Lower Dublin, in Philadelphia county, and was born December 16th, 1823. His brothers and sisters are all living. Their names are as follows: Ellen, intermarried with William Walker, the latter of whom has been many years deceased; Charles W., who resides in Norristown; George N., of Frankford, Philadelphia; Comly, until recently in partnership with Morgan, and who is intermarried with Hannah G., daughter of John Hunt, a pubdic Friend of New Jersey; Harriet, wife of Rev. Joseph Sagebeer, of Chester county; Lydia and Eliza, who reside in Norristown; and J. Jones, who was married to Hannah, daughter of John Cowden.

Morgan Wright, the subject of this notice, received in boyhood a good common school education, which was perfected by a period of higher instruction at Treemount Seminary, under Rev. Samuel Aaron.

About 1840, when a boy of seventeen, he came to Norristown, where he had an uncle (Thomas Scattergood) in the grocery business at Main and Strawberry streets, and for a time he was store assistant with him, after which he held a like position for a year in a grocery store on Market street, Philadelphia. Returning to Norristown in the spring of 1846, he obtained a situation as salesman in the dry goods store of David Sower, where he remained, enjoying the fullest confidence of his employer, till 1849, when he bought out a grocery then carried on in part of the old Rising Sun building, near Main and Swede streets, which he kept one year, and then sold it to Charles G. Cauffman. In the spring of 1850 he purchased the stock and succeeded to the dry goods business of David Sower, where he had been so long employed as assistant.

About this time he married Miss Cecilia Rinehart, who, being in declining health, died within a year of her marriage. On

the 21st of November, 1854, he was married to Rachel W., daughter of Levi and Mary Wells Roberts, of Norristown. The children born of this union were as follows: Walter, who died in infancy; Emma, born in 1856 and died in 1864; Elwood Roberts, born in 1858, and now assisting in the management of his father's business.

Mr. Wright continued to push the dry goods trade at the old stand for sixteen years, having his cousin, D. Jones McVaugh, afterwards William Neiman, and then his own brother, Comly, as assistants, being some part of the time in partnershipwith the last named. In 1866 he bought of his uncle, ThomasScattergood, the store-house, No. 14 East Main street, where he now is. This stand had been well established, first by Thomas Scattergood & Son, afterwards by D. J. McVaugh, and Tatem & Roberts. He has made extensive alterations and improvements to this building, vacating the dwelling attached, and running the store room back one hundred feet to Middle alley. Here for twelve years he has kept one of the heaviest if not the heaviest-stock of dry goods in the bor-ough, and of course has enjoyed a very extensive trade.

Quite early after commencing business, Mr. Wright began to deal in real estate, handling some valuable properties, among which may be named the purchase of the Stinson farm at Jeffersonville in 1855, and the Shepherd property, part of which was bought by the East Pennsylvania Agricultural and Mechanical Society for a fair ground, and the remainder sold to others.

Mr. W. has also been for many years an extensive dealer in town lots, generally managing them with judgment and profit. During a recent period he has been engaged in building the better sort of dwellings for sale. West Norristown is thus largely indebted to his enterprise and public spirit for extensive improvements. In 1870 he erected for his own use a handsome dwelling on DeKalb street near Oak, which he now occupies, and which is fitted up with most of the modern improvements.

Morgan Wright, while devoted to his own business, has been for years a man of genuine public spirit, entering, heartily into,