In the southern part of Cayuga County near Poplar Ridge, stands the 200-year-old home of Jethro Wood. The house was named to the National Historic Register in 1964. The story of its builder and owner, Jethro Wood, is an exciting tale of his lifelong struggle to develop, perfect, and then promote for general use a greatly improved cast iron plow.

Jethro, born in 1774, emigrated with his wife Sylvia and two little boys from his birthplace in Washington County, to the wilderness of Cayuga County where he cleared some acres of rich soil and completed building his home in 1805. He also built and operated a general store on the southeast corner of Poplar Ridge and Route 34B.

But his great passion was to develop a plow that was better than the “bull plow” then in use. The “bull plow” was expensive, inefficient, and required frequent repairs. It had a V-shaped blade that threw the soil to both sides of the furrow. This made it difficult to follow the furrow and not “cut and cover.” The mouldboard was made of wood partially covered with strips of sheet iron with a pointed edge of raw iron.

Wood's creative genius

Jethro's first task was to improve the shape for the mouldboard. He cut model mouldboards from potatoes and turnips. He then carved those that seemed to be more nearly the correct shape in wood. Next he tested each board for months before he created one that he was willing to cast in iron. He worked at length with a foundry in Montville, east of Moravia, to experiment with early castings. On July 1, 1814, he received his first patent but by that time he had made further improvements.

Wood had great difficulty at first in obtaining the kind of iron that would make the blade strong but not too heavy; and he conducted many experiments with various mixtures before he found one that most nearly suited his purpose.

On Sept. 1, 1819, Jethro was granted a patent for the plow that was the realization of his ideal. The plow threw all of the soil to one side and formed a perpendicular wall of the furrow on the other. The plow blade was made in three separate parts, the “share” that cut the soil, the “mouldboard” that gradually both raised it and pushed it to one side, and the landside that fitted the perpendicular wall of the furrow on the side of the unplowed land. By extensive experimentation, Wood had designed the mouldboard so that all parts of its surface were subjected to the same pressure and therefore to equal wear. Moreover, in addition to their revolutionary shapes, the “share” mouldboard and landside were all made entirely of iron.

There had been attempts to make iron plows before this, one as early as 1797, but Woods' was the very first to be successful chiefly because of the carefully designed shapes of the three parts of the blade.

Also in the Wood plow, it was possible to replace, separately any one of the three parts that had broken or become worn. This was the modern plow. In the past 175 years the blade has been only slightly changed in shape, although the quality of the metal has been greatly improved.

From inventing to manufacturing the plow

Finally the perfected plow began to be manufactured in limited numbers. Wood's problem now was to sell it to the farmers. In addition to the usual resistance to change, many questioned the efficiency of “pot metal mouldboards,” as they were derisively called. Wood himself traveled extensively and his agents to all parts of the country to demonstrate the plow. The experts said, “It is only necessary to plow a few furrows to show its superiority.”

Slocum Howland, Wood's brother-in-law, was closely involved in the manufacturing and marketing of the new plows.

At the Sherwood Stone Store Museum, his remarkable ledger details the early plow business, including who the actual customers were, far and wide. The iron castings were initially made in Montville and Albany. The firm of Elias Rogers and Isaac Skinner in Moravia manufactured and sold many plows. For a time the plows were#“wooded up#” and finished off at a shop in Sherwood. Later on they were made by the firm of Shourds and Mosher in Poplar Ridge, perhaps including the iron castings. Castings were also made by Jonathan Swan of Aurora. One of Wood's plows is owned by the State Museum.

Wood communicates with Thomas Jefferson

Since one of Thomas Jefferson's many inventing interests had been the improvement plow designs, on Oct. 1, 1816, Jethro sent the following letter to the ex-president, modestly refraining from mentioning that he had invented the plow.

Friend Thomas Jefferson

The firm of which I am a partner requests thy acceptance of the plough, as a respectful tribute to thy Ingenuity in improving that important Instrument. We shall feel ourselves amply recompensed by thy approbation; or, additionally obliged by any suggestion which may tend to render it more Complete. By an accident occasioned by the warping of the wooden patern (sic) the edges are raised 1/3 of an Inch to high. The plough is now gone for New York and will be forwarded to thee as soon as possible.

With the greatest Respect

I am thy friend

Jethro Wood

Wood was a lifelong member of the Society of Friends. Below is Jefferson's letter to Jethro.

Monticello Mar. 23, 1817

Sir

I received on the 7th of Nov. your favor of Oct. I am delayed its acknowledgement until the arrival, within this week past, of the plough you have been so kind as to send me on the part of the firm of which you are a member, for this mark of their attention pray them to accept my thanks. I have examined it with care, and think it promises well in all its parts; and shall exhibit it with pleasure to the notice of practical, as well as our theoretical farmers. I have no doubt it would produce many calls were there a deposit within the state from which they could be furnished; as at Richmond, for example. The water communications from thence would place them within the reach of a great part of the state.With the tender of my great respect to your firm, I pray you to accept the same for yourself personally.

Th. Jefferson

Editor's Note: The Jethro Wood story will be concluded Monday, June 2. The Jethro Wood House is included in an historic site tour of the southern portion of Cayuga County to be held Saturday and Sunday, June 7 and 8.