Funeral services for Hosea W. Rood, who died in his home in Milton Sunday, Nov. 5, were held Wednesday afternoon. Following the service at the house, Rev. Carroll L. Hill, assisted by Dr. Edwin Shaw, officiated at the services in the Congregational church.
Two tributes were read, one from a comrade, E. B. Heinstreet. Lake Mills; and the other from J. F. Shaw, state supervisor of rural schools, who commended Mr. Rood for his work as custodian of G. A. R. headquarters in the capital at Madison.
Kenneth Babcock sang two selections accompanied by Mrs. Kathryn Rogers at the piano.
Burial was in Milton cemetery, the pallbearers, nephews of the deceased who had been selected by him, were Byron Rood, Geo. H. Crandall, D. N. Inglis and Merrill Bingham of Milton, Martin Nelson of Walworth and Leman Rood of Edgerton.
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Hosea W. Rood, oldest of nine children born to Charles P. and Marianne Thorngate Rood, was born in Persia, Cattaraugus county, New York on May 30, 1845. In the autumn of the same year the family moved to Wisconsin, locating on Rock Prairie. Three years later they moved to Waushara County, near the town of Dakota. A Seventh Day Baptist Church was organized in time, nearby, and Elder J. M. Todd used to preach there occasionally.
In the fall of 1861, when sixteen years of age, Mr. Rood enlisted in Company E of the twelfth Wisconsin and was honorably discharged at the close of the war, together with his father and two brothers.
He began teaching the next year in Waushara County. October 13, 1866, he was married to Elizabeth Monroe, and they began housekeeping near Dakota. To them were born four children: Louis, now living in Racine, Wis.; Minnie May who died in infancy; Lillian, now Mrs. John Wheeler of Boulder, Colo., and Grace, now Mrs. Norton Lowther of Milton.
Mr. Rood's father's family removed to North Loup, Nebraska in 1873 and 1874.
In 1876 Mr. Rood became principal of schools at Sun Prairie, Wis. Feeling the need of further education, Mr. Rood moved his family to Milton in the summer of 1877 and entered Milton College that fall. He taught several classes during the year and in the spring of 1878 he was graduated from the college. After this graduation he served as principal of schools at Pewaukee, Omro, Cadott, Washburn, Palmyra, and Shawano. After teaching from 1866 to 1900, a period of thirty-four years, Mr. Rood resigned his position at Shawano and accepted the position of assistant postmaster of the Senate at Madison.
During the year 1901 he was instrumental in having a bill introduced in the legislature, providing for a Memorial hall in the Capitol building, where war relics, books and pictures might be collected and preserved to show what Wisconsin had done toward the preservation of the Federal Union. The bill was passed and shortly afterward Governor Robert LaFollette appointed Mr. Rood custodian of the Memorial hall. A fine room was fitted up for his use, and during the following two years he got together a large collection of relics, books and pictures. The hall had an average of 800 visitors a month.
February 27, 1904 the Capitol was partially destroyed by fire and everything in the Memorial hall was burned. Immediately Mr. Rood went about making a new collection and in time was established in a fine new suite of rooms at the Capitol. For twenty years he served as custodian.
In 1906 he was appointed department patriotic instructor of the G. A. R.. a position which brought him into contact with thousands of school children. He spoke in hundreds of schools on the meaning of the flag and other patriotic subjects.
Mr. Rood served as an adjutant of the Madison post for twenty years. Since 1916 to the time of his death he has served as state patriotic instructor.
In 1920 he became a member of the board of managers of the Wisconsin Veterans' Home at Waupaca, and for several years attended board meetings, which were held once a month. During this time he wrote an extensive report of the home for the state.
Mr. Rood wrote many other books, most of them of an historical nature.
During all his busy life, Mr. Rood was a staunch Seventh Day Baptist. He took part in religious and church work in every community in which he lived. But everyone knew why he could not become a member of the Churches in which he took such an active part.
During the years in Madison Mr. and Mrs. Rood were much associated with the numerous Seventh Day Baptist young men and women who, at various times, were in the city doing work in the university. A Sabbath school was maintained and social gatherings were held at various homes. The friendships thus made were much cherished in later life by both Mr. and Mrs. Rood.
For some years Mr. Rood served as associate editor of The Helping Hand and furnished contributions of an inspired nature for The Sabbath Recorder under the name of 'Uncle Oliver.'
In April, 1923, Mr. Rood met with an accident in which a leg was broken. The bones did not knit and so in 1924 he resigned his place at the Capitol, and he and Mrs. Rood moved to Milton to make their home. Here Mrs. Rood passed away on March 25, 1931. After the death of Mrs. Rood, 'Uncle Hosea' as he has been familiarly known by all, remained in his own home, receiving most devoted care from his daughter and family, Mr. and Mrs. Norton Lowther, and from Mrs. Sylvia Lanphere, his nurse and housekeeper.
