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The Wood Drug Company , located in Bristol,VA. , is also connected to Ernest Linwood Andrews...re...Andrews
Manufacturing Co.
 The WOOD DRUG COMPANY began in 1888 as Hagan & Wood Manufacturing Druggists,
( Charles F. Hagan and Jonathan Logan Wood), located at 515 Cumberland St. in Bristol,VA. At some point in time, Wood's
brother-in-law, G.E.Nickels became Secretary/Treasurer of the Company and C.F. Hagan left and began his own "patent medicine"
business, possibly about 1892 or 1893. Although the bottles and labels do note Tenn., it was mainly because the Post Office
was located in Bristol,Tenn. and it would appear most everyone addressed their business there.
Late in 1895 or in early 1896, J.L.Wood & G.E.Nickels ( already the owners of the Globe Nurseries
in Bristol and Roanoke, Va.), formed the Farmer's Protective Union Co-Op with Nickels as President and Wood as Vice President..
A few years later the two men sold their interests in the Wood Drug Co. to Ernest Linwood Andrews, (re:
Andrews Manufacturing Co.), including the rights to some product names,ingredients, labels, and a small printing press for
labels and almanacs.
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Although Wood was no doctor, it was typical for the medicine makers of those times to concoct a fictitious
doctor title , add it to their products, and market them as a more legitimate product. Thus, Dr. J.L Sparks...and previously,
Wood had used a Dr.J.L.Wood, but dropped it, possibly because those that did know him, knew well he was not a doctor
and he was "stretching things a bit" by claiming to be such on his products.
The Wood Drug Company put out a variety of Patent Medicines in their short tenure:
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| Wood's Female Medicine Wood Drug Co. Bristol,Tenn. |
Dr.J.L. Spark's Quick Relief
Dr.J.L. Spark's Eye Water
Dr.J.L. Spark's Cough Syrup
Dr.J.L. Spark's Corn Cure
Dr.J.L. Spark's Soothing Syrup
Dr.J.L. Spark's White Cream Vermifuge
Dr.J.L. Wood's Tasteless Chill Cure
Dr.J.L. Spar's Nerve & Bone Liniment (no space on the bottle for
the "K")
Wood's Female Medicine, (two variants)
Farrar's Sarsaparilla,
(two known variants).
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| Farrar's Sarsaparilla Wood Drug Co Bristol,Tenn. |
There is possibly a third Wood sarsaparilla
bottle- aqua, with a long neck & reportedly embossed: Wood Drug Co. Sarsaparilla/Bristol,Tenn.
(per Dallas Bridgeman)
WHO WAS FARRAR?
All I could discover about a Farrar in Bristol was:
In 1890, a local druggist, Cam Anderson, sold his druggist business to Messrs. Stark & Cochran.
Following the notice of this sale was another notice:.."Mr.George M.Farrar will continue to stay with Stark & Cochran,
successors to Cam Anderson."
I have surmised the following:
Farrar was evidently a pharmacist employed by Anderson. And, as pharmacists were
known to create their own medicinal formulas in those days, perhaps Farrar had concocted his own sarsaparilla. Perhaps,
in anticipation of being out of a job when Anderson sold out, he sold the formula to J.L.Wood or C.F.Hagan, stipulating that
it bear his name. Stark and Cochran, upon hearing about this, realized what a valuable asset Farrar would be for their newly
formed company - The City Drug Store - , so they retained him as their own pharmacist.
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As For J.L.Wood...
Evidently Patent Medicine remained in his blood long after selling
his company, for throughout the years he continued to dabble in various preparations and enterprises. In 1904 he formed the
Wood Food Company with his brother, Patrick H.Wood as Proprietor. Only one product is known from this company...Nerve &
Bone Liniment- For Man or Beast...with a wrap-around paper label.
It's much later when J.L.Wood surfaces again, this time as Manager of The New Era Company
in 1923. New Era was to have represented a whole new line of medicinal products. No known products have survived. Both
New Era and the Wood Food Co. were short lived...
Wood, on the other hand, lived a long life. He died Feb. 9, 1942 in Alexandria,N.C.
at the age of 75. He was laid to rest in East Hill Cemetery, Bristol,Tenn-Va.
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