“ Edward Nelson Wood, a young man of rare intellect and a brilliant writer, who appreciated her poetic gifts and encouraged her to write for the press, er first poem was published in a Santa Barbara journal in 1872. They established the Santa Barbara "Index" in the fall of 1872, but her husband's health was failing, and he died in 1874. His long illness and unfortunate investments had dissipated her little fortune, and Mrs. Wood found herself face to face with the necessity of making a living for herself and son. ”