John Woodcock was born in Lowell, MI on August 17, 1868. In 1886, at the age of 18, he came to Dakota Territory. He lived with his sister, Hattie (Mrs. Nell Carr), who lived south of Leal. Another sister, Mary Ann Woodcock, also lived there and taught school in the Booth School in Edna township. John attended school there. Later he went to Colorado. While there he drove horse drawn wagons in the mountains hauling freight to the miners.
During this time he met Ella Doyle in Denver, Colorado. She had been born in Quincy, Illinois on December 28, 1869. She had moved to Denver with her parents, John and Margaret Doyle, in 1887. Her father was in the transfer business in Denver for 35 years.
John and Ella were married in Denver on May 20, 1891. Two years later in the summer of 1893 they started for North Dakota in a covered wagon. They had three horses and a top buggy. The trip to Leal, North Dakota took 6 weeks and they camped all the way. They arrived in North Dakota in the fall. During October and November he found work with the threshing crews. During the winter they lived with his sister and family.
In the spring of 1894 they moved to Anderson township, 7 miles north of Sanborn where they bought a homestead right, later buying more land to enlarge their farm.
At the time they homesteaded there was a small town on the Northern Pacific Railroad just south of Rogers called O€™Dell, also a small town on the Soo Line Railroad just west of Rogers called Clive. About 1897 the 2 towns moved together where the 2 railroads crossed and it was named Rogers.
In 1916 they bought a home in Valley City. John continued to farm until 1923 when he retired and rented his land.
On May 20, 1941 they celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary at the community hall in Rogers. They were married 60 years but due to poor health had only a family gathering at that occasion.
They had two daughters: Thelma (Carl) Benzinger born July 3, 1901 and still living in Valley City. Vera (Arnold) Harstad born August 21, 1903 and died in Valley City in 1945.
Source: Barnes County History 1976 Page 274