Wood, Jethro

Wood, Jethro, 1774–1834, American inventor, b. either in Dartmouth, Mass., or in Washington co., N.Y. In 1814, while a farmer in Cayuga co., N.Y., he patented a cast-iron plow in which he later embodied improvements (patented 1819). He used in the improved model replaceable cast-iron parts and a curved plate called a moldboard from which the shape of the modern moldboard is derived. Litigation concerning his patent rights impoverished him.