Grandfather Jack Woods Story

Jack was raised and went to school in the little town of Santa Anna. Being adventurous and ambitious, he soon tired of formal education and went to seek his fortune in the various oil field booms, which were starting in Texas.

After a particularly successful trip, he returned home with a flashy new buggy and a beautiful horse. He swept my grandmother off her feet. They were married there in Santa Anna and for the next four years, made that town their permanent home. Jack was gone most of the time working in the oil fields. My father and LJ were born there.

Lena & Jack first settled in Theba, AZ after leaving Texas.

My great aunt Virgie (Lena's Sister) said, " Jack was a very generous man. He helped out many of the family members as they moved from Texas to settle in Arizona." She also remembered that Jack had a friend that was staying with he and Lena at Mid Way that tied the train signal down to try and wreck the train so he could rob it. He was caught a few weeks later and sent to the Florence Prison for seven years for attempting to wreck the train and attempted robbery.

They then moved to Old Mexico where "C. O." Jack worked in the oil fields in San Louis Potosi. He built Oil Well Derricks and other installations, despite a small Mexican Revolution. When the Revolution got too rough, they moved back to Texas, then to Gila Bend, Arizona.
Jack fled to Texas after a scandal over a woman he was rumored to have gotten pregnant and she died as a result of an abortion. He and worked in an oil field somewhere in East Texas. While working as Forman, at night he and a friend took the pipe that his company was laying in the day and sold them. When he got caught, they sent him to Huntsville Prison. Lena traveled to Austin, Texas and managed an appointment with the Governor. She also managed to get Jack out on parole. Jack was supposed to stay in the state of Texas until he served out his parole time. But he then fled back down into Old Mexico to work once again in the Oil field industry.

After Jack left the family, the boys had to do all the hard work. Lena ran the old Cactus Lodge during the time of the depression. Jack would return occasionally to visit. I found a letter he wrote to Lena once when he was traveling through Phoenix. He evidently was staying over for a few days and wanted to see her but it didn't sound as though he had much hope of that.

When Jack was on his deathbed, Dad drove Mom's gold and white Chrysler to Texas & got to visit his Dad. Three of Jacks wives were there beside him (Lena not One of them) . Dad said Jack must have been quite the Ladies man. Dad wrecked the car on his way home. Mom had a vision one afternoon and saw the accident. Dad did not call home (No Phones anyway) to let her know. But the Holy Spirit told her most things of that nature when they happened. For one at the time as dad visited with each of them, they all confessed they KNEW that they were Jacks favorite love. Jack was thought to have had as many as 8 wives in his lifetime. He re-Married Lydia of Utah before he died so she could receive his Social Security benefits and Life Insurance.

The only memories I have of Jack were at a time in his later years when he stayed at our home for several weeks after some sort of surgery. He didn't shave much and he seemed to be grouchy. That could have been because he didn't feel well, but that is the impression he left with me. He loved to play cards and played solitaire for hours. Isn’t that sad that’s all I can remember about my grandfather? I wish now that I had drilled some good old stories out of him.