28o
\"IRr.lXIA BIOCiRATHY
erected a theological seminary. He estab-
lished missions at Wytheville, Summers-
ville, Kingwood, and Lynchburg. Jn 1846
hf went to Wheeling, and labored as a
l-riest on this mission. Feeling that his
supervision was needed in building up the
church in western Virginia, he removed
there, and never returned. He built a
cathedral at Wheeling, founded schools, and
opened an ecclesiastical seminary in his own
house, in which he trained young men for
the priesthood. He attended the seventh
provincial council of Baltimore in 1849. In
1850 the bishopric of Wheeling was created,
and he was made its first bishop. His
efforts brought upon him a heavy debt, and
in 1857 he sought assistance in Europe, and
obtained the necessary aid. He began a
college at Wheeling in 1866, and opened
several academies. He was present at the
Vatican council in 1869-70, and opposed the
dogma of papal infallibility, but submitted
to the decision of the council, declaring that
his opposition did not arise from disbelief in
its truth, but that he believed its definition
iiiopportune at that time. At the beginning
of the administration of Bishop Whelan, the
dit)cese of Wheeling contained two churches
and two priests, and was without Roman
Catholic schools or institutions of any kind.
.\t his death there were forty-eight
cluirches, forty stations where religious ser-
vices were held, and twenty-nine priests. It
contained six academies for girls, four con-
vents, a hospital, an orphan asylum, and a
college. The Roman Catholic population
had increased from less than one thou.^and
to eighteen thousand. He died in I'.alti-
more, Maryland. July 7. 1874.
Woods, John Rodes, horn in .Mbemarlc county, Virginia, January 13, 1815; son of
Micajah Woods, and Sarah, his wife,
daughter of John Rodes; graduated in
medicine at the University of Virginia in
1835, I"->t abandoned practice in 1837, to give
his attention to scientific agriculture, and
brought large importations of English stock
to his estate, "Holkham." He was an old-
line Whig, a personal friend of Henry Clay,
and attended many Whig conventions. He
was a director of the Virginia Central (now
Chesapeake and Ohio) Railway Company.
He was a supporter of the University of
Virginia, and a member of its board of visi-
tors from 1S67 till 1872. He died in Albe-
marle county, Virginia, July 9, i88v
Micajah A\'oods lately deceased in Albe-
marle county, for a long time common-
wealth's attorney, was his son.
Wingfield, John Henry Ducachet, born in Portsmouth, Virginia, September 24, 1833. He entered St. Timothy's College, Mary- land, at the age of thirteen, graduated in 1850, and was a tutor there two years. He entered the senior class of William and Mary College, Virginia, in 1852, and grad- uated in 1853. Returning to St. Timothy's, he taught for another year, and in 1854 went to New York and became a tutor in the Churchill Military Academy at Sing Sing. In 1855 he entered the Theological Semi- nary of \'irginia, where he remained a year, then removing to Arkansas, and becoming principal of Ashley Institute, at Little Rock. He was ordained priest in the Protestant Episcopal church, in tlie chaiiel nf the Theo- logical Seminary of \'irginia. Julv 1. 1859. by Bishop Johns. In July, 1858, he became assistant to his father, who was rector of Trinity Church, Portsmouth, Virginia. He was rector of Christ Church, Rock Spring, Harford county. Maryland, in 1864, but re-
