Wright
This page begins with the story of Joshua WRIGHT (1633-1695) and his wife, Elizabeth EMPSON (1650-1705). Both the WRIGHT and EMPSON ancestries can be traced back into medieval England, and those will be discussed on separate pages. Here, I will proceed forward, one generation at a time, following my direct line of ancestry.
Joshua WRIGHT was born 4 Oct 1633 in Howden, East Riding, Yorkshire, England, to Robert Thomas WRIGHT (1604-1651), a butcher, and Alice LAWTIE (1615-?). Joshua was 9 years old when the English Civil War began, and 18 when it ended. He had 11 or 12 siblings, including a twin brother John, who died in 1639. [Some family trees say that Alice died in 1640, but that can't be true, since several of her children were born after that.]
On 10 Jun 1669, Joshua married Elizabeth EMPSON, in East Riding. He was 35 and she had just turned 19.
Elizabeth EMPSON was born 6 Jun 1650, in East Riding. Her father was William EMPSON (1619-1712), and her mother and siblings are not known.
Joshua WRIGHT became a Quaker at some point, but was disowned by the Friends at a meeting in East Riding, on 2 Sep 1669, less than 3 months after his marriage. The charges were that he forsook to cover himself, and was married contrary to discipline, by a drunken priest. I think "contrary to discipline" means that Elizabeth was not a Quaker.
Joshua and Elizabeth had 4 children in East Riding: Elizabeth (1670), Joshua (1672), Alice (1674) and Robert (1678). The third child, Alice, died in infancy.
Many Quakers left England during this period, due to religious persecution. In Dec 1679, Joshua (46), Elizabeth (29), and their children, Elizabeth (9), Joshua (7), and Robert (16 months), left for America, departing from the seaport at Hull. They crossed the ocean and sailed up the Delaware, landing at a place they called the Delaware Falls, and established a Quaker settlement, which later became the city of Trenton, NJ. [One record indicates a Joshua WRIGHT arriving in West New Jersey in 1664. That is probably an error, or perhaps it refers to a different Joshua WRIGHT.]
Joshua's older brother, Thomas WRIGHT (1630-1705), had immigrated two years earlier, on the flie-boat Martha, and his younger brother Samuel WRIGHT (1647-1690) also made the journey in 1679. Thomas WRIGHT was a signer of the Concessions and Agreements of 1677, and both Thomas and Joshua were members of the West Jersey assembly.
While in England, Joshua WRIGHT had acquired several large parcels of land near the Assunpink Creek, which runs from central New Jersey, to join the Delaware River, through what is now the city of Trenton. Once in New Jersey, he added more land to his holdings, a few miles southeast, in Chesterfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, where he made a home. Joshua appears on a tax list for Burlington County in 1684, another for Chesterfield Township in 1687, and he also appears in the 1695 Census, Burlington County.
[By coincidence, I now live in Burlington County, New Jersey, although I was born and raised in the Midwest, and had no knowledge of this possible ancestry until recently.]
The will of Joshua WRIGHT, as it appeared in the Calendar of Wills (see sources at the bottom of the page). The Daliway must be the Delaware River.
Joshua and Elizabeth had several more children in New Jersey. There are some discrepancies regarding the number of children. See Joshua WRIGHT Sr, in On the Trail of Our Ancestors for a more detailed analysis. Below is a list of offspring and their spouses, in my estimation. Shorthand: East Riding is in Yorkshire, England, and Howden is in East Riding, and Chesterfield is in Burlington, NJ.
1 Joshua WRIGHT b: 04 Oct 1633 in Howden, d: 10 Oct 1695 in Falls (Trenton), Nottingham, Burlington, NJ
+ Elizabeth EMPSON b: 06 Jun 1650 in East Riding, m: 10 Jun 1669 in East Riding, d: 12 Jan 1705 in Nottingham, Burlington, NJ
...2 Elizabeth WRIGHT b: 09 Apr 1670 in Derby, Derbyshire, England, d: 17 Jan 1733 in Burlington, NJ
+ Peter FRETTWELL
...2 Joshua WRIGHT b: 16 May 1672 in East Riding, d: 31 Mar 1741 in New Hanover, Burlington, NJ
+ Rebecca STACY b: 08 Apr 1684 in Nottingham, Burlington, NJ, m: 07 Jun 1705 in Chesterfield, d: 02 Feb 1754 in Burlington, Burlington, NJ
...2 Alice WRIGHT b: 1674 in Howden, d: 1674 in Howden
...2 Robert WRIGHT b: 01 Aug 1678 in East Riding, d: 1742 in Chesterfield
+ Elizabeth HYERTON m: 1711
+ Jane WARE m: 1732
...2 Thomas WRIGHT b: 02 Sep 1681 in Chesterfield d: 30 Mar 1769 in New Hanover, Burlington, NJ
+ Elizabeth PARKER b: 10 Apr 1686 in Groton, Middlesex, MA, m: 07 Nov 1706 in Chesterfield, d: 09 Feb 1757 in Chesterfield
...2 Joseph WRIGHT b: 1683 in Yorkshire, England, d: 03 Dec 1713
+ Mary SCHOLEY m: 1710
...2 John WRIGHT b: 08 Oct 1683 in Chesterfield d: 13 Feb 1733 in Wrightstown, Burlington, NJ
+ Abigail CRISPIN b: 20 Jan 1700/01 in Dublin, Bucks, PA, m: 1718 in Springfield, Burlington, NJ, d: Aft. 1736 in Burlington, NJ
...2 Richard WRIGHT b: 1687 in Burlington, Burlington, NJ, d: 1755 in Burlington, Burlington, NJ
...2 Samuel WRIGHT b: 12 Feb 1688 in Chesterfield, d: 28 Dec 1762 in New Hanover, Burlington, NJ
+ Sarah Marie WRIGHT b: 23 Nov 1693 in Freehold, Monmouth, NJ, d: 1745 in Lunenberg, VA
+ Rebecca KIRBY
It appears that Joseph and John were twins. However, John is not mentioned in the father's will, above. Maybe he was estranged from the family. Quaker families were known for ostracizing those who disgraced them. Or maybe Joseph and John are the same person. In that case, did he have two wives?
The will of Joseph WRIGHT (1683) as it was reprinted in the Calendar of Wills.
Samuel WRIGHT, the youngest, married his first cousin, Sarah Marie WRIGHT.
The Pennsylvania Gazette, 3 Feb 1729, page 3
Samuel WRIGHT (1688) appears to have had Irish servants, which was common at the time. The Irish agreed to serve a number of years in return for payment for their voyage to America. Two of the servants ran away, and Samuel place this ad.
Thomas WRIGHT (1681 - 1769) and Elizabeth PARKER (1686 - 1757)
Thomas WRIGHT was the first in his family to be born in America. He was born on 2 Sep 1681, in Chesterfield Township, Burlington County, New Jersey, to Joshua and Elizabeth WRIGHT. Thomas lived all his life in Burlington County.
For historical context, Pennsylvania was founded in 1681 by William PENN, another Quaker, and the city of Philadelphia was founded in 1682.
Thomas WRIGHT married Elizabeth PARKER, daughter of Humphrey PARKER (1686 - 1757) and Sarah STRAND (1635 - ?). I'm not sure about Sarah's last name or birth date. Humphrey and Sarah lived and died in Middlesex, England. Elizabeth may be the same ELizabeth PARKER who arrived in Virginia in 1705. She married Thomas WRIGHT on 7 Nov 1706, in Chesterfield, Burlington, NJ.
Thomas and Elizabeth had 12 children. The first two, and possibly others, died in early childhood. Here is a list. Shorthand: Chesterfield, Nottingham and New Hanover were Townships in Burlington County, New Jersey. (Nottingham Township later became part of Mercer County.)
1 Elizabeth PARKER b: 02 Mar 1686 in Strand Green,Chestwick Parish,Middlesex,England, d: 09 Feb 1757 in Chesterfield
+ Thomas WRIGHT b: 02 Sep 1681 in Chesterfield, m: 07 Nov 1706 in Chesterfield, d: 30 Mar 1769 in New Hanover
...2 Elizabeth WRIGHT b: 03 Sep 1707 in Chesterfield, d: 1710 in Chesterfield
...2 Sarah WRIGHT b: 03 Sep 1709 in Chesterfield, d: 1710 in Chesterfield
...2 Jacob WRIGHT b: 23 Aug 1711, d: Clearfield, Clearfield, PA
...2 Amos WRIGHT b: 24 May 1713 in Chesterfield, d: 1794 in NJ
+ Ann BLACK b: 09 May 1712 in Chesterfield, m: 1744 in Burlington, NJ, d: Burlington, NJ
...2 Thomas WRIGHT b: 05 Jul 1715 in Chesterfield, d: 1745 in New Hanover
...2 Lydia WRIGHT b: 25 Apr 1717, d: NJ
+ William FRENCH b: Abt. 1717 in NJ, m: 20 Sep 1748 in NJ, d: NJ
...2 Margaret WRIGHT b: 11 Apr 1719 in Chesterfield, d: 11 Sep 1766
+ John BULLOCK b: 08 Sep 1712 in New Hanover, m: 07 Jun 1743, d: 05 Feb 1804 in USA
...2 Deborah WRIGHT b: 08 Sep 1720
...2 Elizabeth WRIGHT b: 1723 in New Hanover, d: 06 Oct 1805 in Springfield, Union, NJ
...2 Jacob WRIGHT b: 10 Jan 1723 in Jacobstown, Burlington, NJ, d: Sep 1840 in Warriors Mark, Huntingdon, PA
...2 Ezekiel WRIGHT b: 24 Jul 1725 in Chesterfield, d: 11 Apr 1771 in Upper Penns Neck, Salem, NJ
+ Mary CUNEY b: Abt. 1729 in Salem Cove, Salem, NJ, m: 1748 in Pilesgrove, Salem, NJ, d: 1769 in Upper Penns Neck, Salem, NJ
...2 Jemina WRIGHT b: 26 Mar 1727 in Chesterfield, d: 1787 in Chesterfield
+ Thomas THORNE b: 17 Sep 1732 in Nottingham, m: 02 Nov 1749 in Chesterfield, d: 25 Jun 1787 in Nottingham
[Note: Penns Neck Township was divided in 1721 into Lower Penns Neck (now Pennsville) and Upper Penns Neck (now Carneys Point) Townships. The New Jersey side of the Delaware Memorial Bridge now lies in Carneys Point.]
[Note: It seems that there was another Thomas WRIGHT, who married another Elizabeth PARKER, in another Quaker Community, in Chelmsford, MA. Several people have mixed records for the two couples.]
Ezekiel WRIGHT (1725 - 1771) and Mary CUNEY (1729 - 1769)
Ezekiel WRIGHT was born in Chesterfield Township, Burlington County, NJ, but moved to Salem County, in southwestern New Jersey, by the time he was 23. There, in 1748 he married 19-year-old Mary CUNEY, daughter of Ebenezer and Deborah CUNEY. They had 9 children, in Upper Penns Neck, Salem, NJ.
1 Ezekiel WRIGHT b: 24 Jul 1725 in Chesterfield, Burlington, NJ, d: 11 Apr 1771 in Upper Penns Neck
+ Mary CUNEY b: 20 Aug 1729 in Salem, Salem, NJ, m: 1748 in Pilesgrove, Salem, NJ, d: 1769 in Upper Penns Neck
...2 Susanna WRIGHT b: 25 Sep 1749 in Pilesgrove, Salem, NJ, d: Jul 1808 in Upper Penns Neck
+ Dean SIMKINS b: 1745 in Salem, NJ, m: 28 Jul 1769 in Upper Penns Neck, d: 24 Apr 1810 in Upper Penns Neck
...2 Edith WRIGHT b: 01 Jan 1750 in Upper Penns Neck, d: 17 May 1787 in Woolwich, Gloucester, NJ
+ Edward BATTEN b: Oct 1743 in Gloucester, NJ, m: 10 Nov 1768 in Penns Neck, Salem, NJ, d: 11 Jun 1787 in Nice, Lake, CA
...2 Jacob Clark WRIGHT b: 10 Jan 1753 in Jacobstown, Burlington, NJ, d: Bet. Sep 1840–Mar 1841 in Warriors Mark, Huntingdon, PA
+ Dorcas HARKER b: 1755 in Woolwich, Gloucester, NJ, m: 1777 in PA, d: 1825 in Salem Cove, Salem, NJ
...2 Catherin WRIGHT b: 14 Jan 1754 in Burlington, NJ
...2 Ezekial WRIGHT b: 24 Nov 1757 in Upper Penns Neck, Salem, NJ
+ Susan
...2 Enoch WRIGHT b: 16 Oct 1758 in Upper Penns Neck, d: Apr 1838 in NJ
+ Sarah Elizabeth RILEY m: 1780 in Upper Penns Neck
...2 Isreal WRIGHT b: 20 Jan 1761 in NJ, d: 1781
...2 Mary WRIGHT b: 06 Sep 1764 in NJ
...2 Jemina WRIGHT b: 02 Feb 1769 in NJ, d: 11 Apr 1771 in Upper Penns Neck
Israel WRIGHT (1761) died at age 19 or 20. Above is his will, as it was reprinted in the Calendar of Wills. It shows that he left behind a wife, Alice, and daughters Elizabeth and Sarah. He already owned a house and some land.
It appears that Enoch WRIGHT (1758) took part in the American Revolutionary War, but was a deserter, possibly because of his Quaker beliefs. He would have been 19 at the time, if I have the right Enoch WRIGHT. This shows he was in the Continental Army, 1oth Pennsylvania Regiment, under Lt. Col. Adam HUBLEY, Jr, and deserted on 1 Nov 1777, after the Battle of Germantown. He must have escaped serious charges, because he was married in 1780, Upper Penns Neck, NJ.
Ezekiel WRIGHT (1757) had the following letter of recommendation, from one Quaker community to another. I don't know why this came in 1764, when he had been living in Salem County at least 16 years.
Letter of Recommendation for Ezekiel WRIGHT
From the Monthly Meeting of friends held at Chesterfield the 3d day of the fifth month 1764
To friends at their Monthly Meeting at Salem.
Dear friends,
Application hath been made at our Monthly Meeting for a few lines by way of Certificate for Ezekiel Wright who is Removed from hence to Settle Within the Virge of your Meeting these are therefore to acquaint you that after the Usual Enquiry We find he Was of an Orderly Life and Conversation Dilligent in attendance of our Religious Meetings for Worship, and is a friend in Unity We therefore Recomend him to your Christian Care and oversight desiring his growth and preservation in the Blessed Truth. We Conclude with the Salutation of Love and Subscribe your friends and Brethren
Signed in and on behalf of our said Meeting by
Abel Middleton Clerk
[Punctuation and spelling as in original.]
The official currency of New Jersey was the English Pound, until 1793. However, New Jersey did mint some 3 million copper coins, from 1786 to 1790. These "New Jersey Coppers" circulated widely throughout the colonies, at a rate of 15 per shilling, or 300 per pound. The Latin name CÆSAREA was the King's name for the Isle of Jersey, in the English Channel, so NOVA CÆSAREA was a fancy name for New Jersey. This was the first time the motto E PLURIBUS UNUM appeared on US or colonial currency.
Ezekiel WRIGHT (1757 - ?) and Susan
1 Ezekial WRIGHT b: 24 Nov 1757 in Upper Penns Neck, Salem, NJ
+ Susan
... 2 William R WRIGHT b: Mar 1775 in Essex, NJ d: 26 May 1850 in La Grange, Cass, MI
+ Sarah "Sally" BALDWIN b: 03 May 1777 in Connecticut Farms, Union, NJ m: 26 Oct 1799 in PA, d: 10 Apr 1868 in La Grange, Cass, MI
This is the weak link. I can't find much information on Ezekiel WRIGHT. I need the one that is the father of William. If you scroll down to the italicized section, you will see what I think is the solution.
William R. WRIGHT (1775 - 1850) and Sarah "Sally" BALDWIN (1777 - 1868)
William R. WRIGHT was born in Essex County, NJ, which is near New York City, and not far from Chesterfield, but quite a distance from Salem County, NJ.
In 1799, William married Sarah "Sally" BALDWIN, daughter of Gabriel BALDWIN and Rachel LITTELL, of Union County, NJ, next to Essex County. Please see the BALDWIN page for her ancestry.
1 William R WRIGHT b: Mar 1775 in Essex, NJ, d: 26 May 1850 in La Grange, Cass, MI
+ Sarah "Sally" BALDWIN b: 03 May 1777 in Connecticut Farms, Union, NJ m: 26 Oct 1799 in PA, d: 10 Apr 1868 in La Grange, Cass, MI
...2 Susanna WRIGHT b: 05 Mar 1800 in Sussex, Sussex, NJ, d: 17 Jul 1890 in Calhoun, Harrison, IA
+ Amos WEBSTER b: 02 Feb 1792 in VT, m: 12 Feb 1817 in Hamilton, Butler, OH, d: 09 Feb 1847 in Waterford, Fulton, IL
+ Abraham VAIL b: 1795 in PA, m: 24 Feb 1848 in Washington, PA, d: 21 Aug 1874 in IL
...2 Mary "Polly" WRIGHT b: 11 Jun 1801 in NJ, d: 05 Jan 1892 in La Grange, Cass, MI
+ Isaac SHURTE b: 11 Jul 1796 in Bergen, NJ, m: 24 Dec 1818 in Butler, OH, d: 02 Mar 1886 in LaGrange, Cass, MI
...2 Dennis WRIGHT b: 29 Sep 1803, d: 10 Jun 1850
...2 David L. WRIGHT b: 10 Nov 1805, d: 20 Dec 1828 in La Grange, Cass, MI
...2 Elizabeth WRIGHT b: 01 Mar 1808 in OH, d: 1881 in La Grange, Cass, MI
+ Eli Phillips BONNELL b: 05 Nov 1801 in New Providence, NJ, m: 19 Oct 1826 in Butler, OH, d: 07 Nov 1856
...2 Lucinda WRIGHT b: 01 Apr 1810, d: 18 Jan 1872 in La Grange, Cass, MI
+ LORD
...2 Stephen D. WRIGHT b: 04 Apr 1816 in Miltonville, Butler, OH, d: 25 Apr 1898 in La Grange, Cass, MI
+ Martha WHEELER b: 1831, m: 1854 in Cass, MI, d: 03 Aug 1856 in Cass, MI
+ Clarissa WHEELER b: 1821, m: 30 Jun 1842 in Cass, MI, d: 08 Aug 1842 in Cass, MI
+ Louisa Sophonia MOSHER b: 29 Sep 1838 in Perry, NY, m: 1858 in Cass, MI, d: 31 Jan 1927 in Kalamazoo, MI
...2 Clarissa WRIGHT b: 20 Jun 1817, d: 18 May 1841
+ Israel Stephen BALL b: 02 Oct 1814 in Butler, OH, m: 09 Mar 1837 in Cass, MI, d: 30 Apr 1887 in Marion, Waupaca, WI
...2 John Miller WRIGHT b: 14 Nov 1819, d: Cass, MI
...2 Rachel WRIGHT
The family traveled from Essex County, NJ to Butler County, Ohio in 1808, and then on to Cass County, Michigan Territory in 1828, so the first 4 children, Susanna (1800), Mary (1801), Dennis (1803) and David (1805), were born in NJ.
The trip across the frontier must have been a rough one, and if it took place in 1808, and Elizabeth was born 1 Mar 1808, then Sally must have been very pregnant, or else traveling with an infant.
Susanna (WRIGHT) WEBSTER (1800-1890)
Mary "Polly" (WRIGHT) SHURTE (1801-1892)
Stephen D. WRIGHT (1816-1898)
Stephen D. WRIGHT
Stephen D. Wright was born in Butler County, Ohio, in a little hamlet called Miltonville, April 4, 1816. He was the son of William R. and Sarah Wright; both were natives of New Jersey, where the former was born in March of 1775, the latter in May of 1877, they were prominent among the pioneers of La Grange Township, where they settled in 1828. William [should be Stephen] was a lad of twelve years at the time of family's emigration to Michigan, and is a pioneer in the strictest sense of the term. He has witnessed the transition of a wilderness to a fertile and productive region of a thin settlement to a busy and prosperous community and in his own person typifies many of the agencies that have wrought these changes. His life has been comparatively uneventful and marked but by few changes, save such as occur in the lives of most people. His life has been devoted to agricultural pursuits, in which he has been successful. His home, a view of which is presented on another page, is the result of his own industry, and attests his thrift and enterprise. He has been three times married; first, to Miss Clarissa Wheeler, in 1842, who died the same year. His second marriage was to Martha Wheeler, in 1854. She died in 1856, and in 1858 he was married to Miss Louisa S., daughter of Jackson Mosher. By his second marriage there was one child which reached maturity-William, deceased; by the third two-Clara A. and Charles E. Mr. Wright is now in his sixty-sixth year, well preserved and enjoying the reward of a well-spent life. The elder Wright died in 1850, aged seventy-five years. His wife lived to the remarkable age of ninety years.
History of Cass County, Michigan pp 239-240
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/micounty/BAD0870.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext
Stephen D. WRIGHT inherited the family farm, and became a very prosperous farmer. The farm can be found in sections 21 and 22 in this 1860 map of La Grange Township. By 1872, the farm included another 160 acres in section 16, as shown in this 1872 map.
This is a sketch of the WRIGHT family farm, in Lagrange, Cass, Michigan. Date unknown.
The 1820 US Census has the family in Madison Township, Butler County, Ohio. Below is a transcription of the record. There were no slaves, so I have deleted the "Free White Persons" description. Unfortunately, the names of individuals are not provided, so I have put my best guesses in parentheses.
Name William R Wright
Home in 1820 (City, County, State) Madison, Butler, Ohio
Enumeration Date August 7, 1820
Males - Under 10 2 [Stephen (6) and John (9 mos)]
Males - 10 thru 15 1 [David (14 and 9 mos)]
Males - 16 thru 18 1 [Dennis (almost 17) ]
Males - 16 thru 25 1 [Dennis is in both categories - is this supposed to be 19 thru 25?]
Males - 45 and over 1 [William (45)]
Females - Under 10 3 [Lucinda (10), Clarissa (3), Rachel (?)]
Females - 10 thru 15 1 [Elizabeth (12)]
Females - 26 thru 44 1 [Sally (43)]
Engaged in Agriculture 2
Under 16 7
Over 25 2
Total 10
The two older children, Susan and Mary, are both married and raising their own families. Next to this listing is another WRIGHT family:
Name: Ezekiel Wright Junior
Home in 1820 (City, County, State): Madison, Butler, Ohio
Enumeration Date: August 7, 1820
Males - Under 10: 3
Males - 10 thru 15: 2
Males - 16 thru 18: 1
Males - 16 thru 25: 2 [Again, this should probably be 19 thru 25.]
Males - 26 thru 44: 1
Females - Under 10: 1
Females - 26 thru 44: 1
Engaged in Agriculture: 2
Engaged in Manufactures: 1
Under 16: 6
Over 25: 2
Total: 10
Note: The "16 thru 25" may have been a mistake on the form, but perhaps it was filled out with 16 thru 18 counting twice, because the count adds up to 11 instead of 10, in both cases. Maybe someone more familiar with the 1820 Census can help me with this.
This is another family of 10, seeming to consist of a couple between 26 and 44, and 7 children, 6 of them boys. Ezekiel WRIGHT Jr might be a younger brother of William. The fact that they appear consecutively suggests that the two families lived near each other, and having the same surname, they were likely related in some way. This family was still in Ohio in 1830, in Trenton Township, also close to Cincinnati.
Name: Ezekiel Wright
Home in 1830 (City, County, State): Trenton, Butler, Ohio
Males - 10 thru 14: 1
Males - 50 thru 59: 1
Females - 5 thru 9: 1
Females - 15 thru 19: 2
Females - 50 thru 59: 1
Under 20: 4
Total: 6
If this is the same couple, they were both born between 1775 and 1780. Of their 4 children who were under 10 in 1820, 3 are still at home, and one younger child has joined the family.
The grave of Ezekiel WRIGHT has more information:
Ezekiel Wright on Findagrave in Cass MI
Ezekiel Wright
Birth: 1778
Death: Jun. 19, 1836
husband of Phebe
SOURCE: Cass County, MI, Cemetery Records
Children: Squire L. Wright (1815 - 1835)
Burial: Crane Cemetery, Volinia, Cass County, Michigan
Created by: Susan Pratt Habermann
Record added: Jan 09, 2013
Find A Grave Memorial# 103308338
I think that William (1775) and Ezekiel (1778) were first cousins, both grandsons of Ezekiel (1725). I am working on verifying all of this, but it makes sense. Here is the lineage, with a few siblings left out:
1 Ezekiel WRIGHT b: 24 Jul 1725 in Chesterfield, Burlington, NJ, d: 11 Apr 1771 in Upper Penns Neck, Salem, NJ
+ Mary CUNEY b: 20 Aug 1729 in Salem, Salem, NJ, m: 1748 in Pilesgrove, Salem, NJ, d: 1769 in Upper Penns Neck, Salem, NJ
...2 Jacob Clark WRIGHT b: 10 Jan 1753 in Jacobstown, Burlington, NJ, d: 17 Oct 1835 in Warriors Mark, Huntingdon, PA
+ Dorcas HARKER b: 1755 in Woolwich, Gloucester, NJ, m: 1777 in PA, d: 1825 in Salem Cove, Salem, NJ
......3 Ezekiel WRIGHT b: 1778 in Upper Penns Neck, Salem County, NJ, d: 19 Jun 1836 in Cass, MI
+ Phebe D. POTTER b: 20 Nov 1775 in New Providence, Essex, NJ, m: 14 Nov 1799 in Morristown, NJ
.........4 Elijah W WRIGHT b: 17 Aug 1801 in NJ, d: 10 Mar 1865 in Bloomington, McLean, IL
.........4 Joel Canada WRIGHT b: Abt. 1806 in OH, d: Sep 1860 in Union City, Laclede, MO
.........4 Squire L WRIGHT b: 1815, d: Dec 1935 in Cass, MI
...2 Ezekial WRIGHT b: 24 Nov 1757 in Upper Penns Neck, Salem, New Jersey, USA
+ Susan
......3 William R WRIGHT b: Mar 1775 in Essex, NJ, d: 26 May 1850 in La Grange, Cass, MI
Please note that the list above is only CONJECTURE that I am using as a working hypothesis.
Butler County, Ohio in 1807
The nearby city of Cincinnati grew rapidly in the first half of the 19th Century, as these population figures show.
1800 - 850
1810 - 2,540
1820 - 9,642
1830 - 24,831
1840 - 46,338
1850 - 115,435
The first steamboats operated on the Ohio River in 1811, and this opened up trade with St. Louis, New Orleans, and other trading centers. The area was changing fast, and perhaps the WRIGHTs preferred frontier life.
Isaac SHURTE (1797-1886), husband of Mary WRIGHT
MR AND MRS. ISAAC SHURTE
There is on earth no spectacle more beautiful than that of two old people who have passed with honor through storm and contest and retain to the last the freshness of feeling which adorned their youth. Such is a true green old age, and such are a pleasure to know. There is a Southern winter in declining years when the sunlight warms although the heat is gone. There are still living in La Grange two of the township's first settlers. For over a half century they have observed the momentous changes which have culminated in the present stage of advancement. When they came to Cass County they found a wilderness, with here and there a clearing. Detroit had hardly reached the distinction of a village, and Cassopolis and Dowagiac had not an existence. Beneath their observation in a grand life panorama, Cass County has been organized and developed into one of the foremost agricultural regions in Michigan. It is in keeping with the self-abnegation of such people that they have retired to the background and quietly look on as the great and varied interests of which they helped lay the foundation are seen to rise and extend in prominence and utility. The father of Isaac Shurte was of Dutch descent, and a soldier of the Revolution. He was a staid and industrious man, and reared a large family, Isaac being one of the younger members. At the time of Isaac's birth (July 11, 1796), the family were living in New Jersey. When a young man, he emigrated to Butler County, Ohio, where he married Miss Mary Wright. She was born in New Jersey, about thirty miles from New York City, June 11, 1801; her father was a farmer and soldier in the war of 1812. From Ohio Mr. and Mrs. Shurte came to Cass County, where they have since resided. By reference to history of La Grange, it will be seen that Mr. Shurte took a conspicuous part in the early affairs of the county; the first town meeting in La Grange was held at his house. When the little settlement had reason to believe their hom es were to be despoiled and the lives of there families placed in jeopardy by the Indians, Mr. Shurte took command of a company of men and reported for duty. Mr. and Mrs. Shurte have had ten children-Sally M. Mary A., Elizabeth, Margaret, Francis M., Susan, William, Sarepta, Henry and Cynthia E. Of the above Sarepta (now Mrs. Fletcher), Margaret (Mrs. Hardenbrook), Francis M., William and Henry are now living, the latter on the old homestead. It is questioned what recourse is left to the aged when no longer able to pursue an accustomed round of labor. Mr. and Mrs. Shurte are qualified to reply. They have led a quite home life. They have marked out and pursued a line of action whose goal has proved a satisfaction. They have enjoyed the quiet of home and the retirement of the farm, and their long lives affords a marked contrast to the brief existence of the votaries of pleasure.
History of Cass County, Michigan
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/micounty/BAD0870.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext
Several families had arrived in Butler County, Ohio from the northeast. In 1817, Susanna WRIGHT married Amos WEBSTER, whose family had come from Connecticut. In 1818, Mary WRIGHT married Isaac SHURTE, whose family had come from Bergern County, in northeastern New Jersey. Then in 1826, Elizabeth WRIGHT married Eli Phillips BONNELL, whose family had come from Union County, New Jersey. When William WRIGHT moved his family to Michigan in 1828, the 3 married daughters stayed behind, but eventually joined the others in Michigan.
The journey to Michigan in 1828 and the first experiences of the WRIGHTs in Michigan is well documented in the History of Cass County, Michigan. Cass County was created in 1829, so I suppose at the time they would have simply said they were going to the southwestern corner of the Michigan Territory.
The WRIGHT family moves to Michigan in 1828
In the month of October, the Wright family arrived, and located on Section 21, where Stephen D. Wright now lives; and about the same time came Eli P. Bonnell and his wife (Elizabeth Wright). William R. Wright and his wife Sarah (Baldwin) were from Butler County, Ohio, and had come there in 1808, from New Jersey. They came across the country from Southwestern Ohio in wagons, and had a dreary ride, which, perhaps, prepared them for a season full of trials in their new abiding-place. After leaving Fort Wayne, Ind., they saw no human beings, until they arrived at Edwardsburg; but encamped nights in the most favorable places they could find in the dreary woods. On arriving at their destination, they bought two acres of standing corn from Abraham Loux, and this was all they had with which to feed five horses and twelve head of cattle they had brought with them. Mr. Wright had made a trip to the scene of his settlement in the summer, and cut twelve acres of hay, but that gave out, and they were obliged to browse their stock on the sweet inner bark of the hackberry trees which chanced to be quite abundant in the vicinity. They cut the trees down and split them into rails for convenience in carrying and removing them to their cabin, hewed the rough bark from them, and then stripped off the spongy nether layer, which was usually half an inch thick, and fed it to the hungry horses. In the absence of better food it was readily eaten both by cattle and horses, and it proved sufficiently nourishing to keep them alive through the winter, though they were much reduced. During a large part of the season, the ground was thickly covered with snow, and Mr. Wright and his sons had to break paths through it for the weakened cattle. Some of the animals were so weak that when they got down it was impossible for them to arise, and they required constant watching and tending.
The family fared during this first winter almost as poorly as did their stock. It was very difficult to procure breadstuffs. Corn meal and potatoes were more easily obtainable, and were the principal supporters of life.
Spring brought relief and a vast burden of labor. The prairie lands had to be prepared for planting. Joining forces, the few families of pioneers, with huge teams attached to rough, strong plows, broke up the soil, which was held together by the rope-like "red root." In later years, this plant gave less trouble, as the plows which came into use cut the roots off farther below the surface, where they were, of course much smaller, but to the early settlers upon La Grange and most of the other prairies, it was a very serious annoyance. In 1829, the settlement was increased by the arrival of the Lybrooks, Isaac Shurte's family, the Ritters, the Simpsons, Robert Wilson, Thomas Vander hoof, David Brady and Abram Tietsort, Sr.
The History of Cass County, Michigan p 225
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/micounty/BAD0870.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext
William R. Wright was appointed Justice of the Peace in Cass County, 1831.
Democratic Free Press, Detroit, Michigan, 5 May 1831, page 4
Children of William and Sarah (BALDWIN) WRIGHT
William R. Wright and his wife, Sarah (Baldwin), both lived to a good old age, and ended their days on the place where they originally settled, the former in the summer of 1850 and the latter in 1868. The dates of their births were, respectively, 1755 and 1777. Their eldest daughter, Susan (who was married first to a Webster, and after his death to a Mr. Vail), did not come to Michigan when her parents did, but emigrated in later years. The next oldest was Mary (wife of Isaac Shurte), who still resides in the township, and is one of the oldest persons in it, having been born in 1801. The other children were Dennis, David L., Elizabeth (wife of Eli P. Bonnell), Lucinda, Rachel, Stephen D., Clarissa (wife of Stephen Ball) and John Miller. Of these all are deceased, save Stephen D., who lives upon the old homestead. David Bonnell died in 1857, and his wife in 1881. They had five children-Mary, Sarah, Angeline, Emma and David. All are deceased but the last named, and he is a resident of Kansas.
The History of Cass County, Michigan p 228
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/micounty/BAD0870.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext
So we have a complete list of William and Sarah's 10 children: Susanna, Mary, Dennis, David L., Elizabeth, Lucinda, Rachel, Stephen D., Clarissa and John Miller WRIGHT. They didn't name any children after themselves! The only one still living in 1882, when this was written, was Stephen D. WRIGHT.
The move from southwestern Ohio to southwestern Michigan was a large operation. Other members of the WRIGHT family were included, although I don't know if they all traveled together. The following excerpt mentions Joel C. and Elijah W. WRIGHT, but their relationship to William is unclear.
Joel C. and Elijah W. WRIGHT
EARLY SETTLEMENT. The first settlements in what is now Wayne Township were, from all accounts, made in 1833. It is difficult to accord precedence to any one, though at the present time the location of the Wrights on Section 24 is believed to be prior to that of any other settler. Joel C. and Elijah W. Wright, with their families, came from Butler County, Ohio. They settled first in La Grange, then moved into Volinia, and finally settled in Wayne, on Section 24, on land entered by Joel C. Wright. The first election held in the township was at his house. Elijah W. Wright possessed the first brick-yard. Both families moved to Missouri, where Joel C. died. Elijah W. moved afterward to Iowa; his son Milton is living in the northern part of La Grange.
History of Cass County, Michigan p 318
As nearly as it is possible to ascertain, the first marriage was that in which Elijah W. Wright and Mary Johnson were the contracting parties, and August 11, 1836, the date of the wedding. ... Perhaps the first adult who died in Wayne, was Mrs. Elijah W. Wright, whose death occurred in March, 1835.
History of Cass County, Michigan p 326
[The rest of the chapter includes mention of various offices held by Joel and Elijah.]
The Wright saw-mill, located about two miles east of Dowagiac, on the South Branch of the Dowagiac Creek, was the first mill of any description in the township of Wayne. It was built by Dennis Wright, in 1834, on land bought of Government in 1831, and located on Section 33. It changed hands several times, and only stood about fifteen years.
Brick-making was commenced by Elijah W. and Joel C. Wright, about two years after they came into the township, on the east end of the south half of the northeast quarter of Section 24. They only continued in this business about three years.
History of Cass County, Michigan p 331
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/micounty/BAD0870.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext
Map of present-day Michigan, showing the location of Cass County.
Cass County, showing townships, from the 1873 Michigan Atlas. Click to enlarge.
Death of David L. WRIGHT
The first sad event-and a very sad one it was, too, -was the death of David L. Wright, son of William R. Wright, upon the 30th of December, 1828. He was a young man-twenty-three years of age-born November 10, 1805. He was the first person who was laid to rest in the little burying-ground on the farm of Isaac Shurte.
The History of Cass County, Michigan p 227
http://quod.lib.umich.edu/m/micounty/BAD0870.0001.001?rgn=main;view=fulltext
In 1829, Dennis WRIGHT made an entry of land in Section 21, and Isaac SHURTE, husband of Mary WRIGHT, in Section 15, La Grange Township, Cass County, MI. In April 1830, Eli P. BONNELL, husband of Elizabeth WRIGHT, was elected Collector for La Grange Township, and in 1831, he began production of pottery. He was Treasurer for La Grange Township 1831-3 and Supervisor 1843-6. (History of Cass County, from 1825 to 1875, pp 188-193)
The 1830 US Census has the family of 7:
Name: William R Wright
Home in 1830 (City, County, State): La Grange, Cass, Michigan Territory
Males - 5 thru 9: 1
Males - 15 thru 19: 1
Males - 20 thru 29: 1 [Could be Dennis (27)]
Males - 50 thru 59: 1 [William (55)]
Females - 10 thru 14: 1
Females - 20 thru 29: 1
Females - 50 thru 59: 1 [Sarah (53)]
Under 20: 3
20 thru 49: 2
Total: 7
The children are undoubtedly grandchildren of William and Sarah. The SHURTE and BONNELL families are also on the same page. Also on the same page is a young couple, both in the 20 t0 30 category, under the name Jobe WRIGHT Junior.
There are still 7 in 1840:
Name: William R Wright
Home in 1840 (City, County, State): La Grange, Cass, Michigan
Males - 20 thru 29: 2
Males - 30 thru 39: 1
Males - 60 thru 69: 1 [William (65)]
Females - 15 thru 19: 1
Females - 20 thru 29: 1
Females - 60 thru 69: 1 [Sarah (63)]
Persons Employed in Agriculture: 3
Under 20: 1
20 thru 49: 4
Total: 7
There are also 3 WRIGHT families in Porter Township, Cass County, MI, in the 1840 Census. The heads of these households are Abijah, Daniel A. and Jacob Wright. I don't know if they are related to William R. WRIGHT.
The 1850 US Census for La Grange, Cass, MI has the following family [my comments in brackets]:
Family surname name age birth gender birthplace
944 Wright Sarah 75 1775 Female New Jersey [Widow of William, who had died that year.]
944 Wright Stephen 35 1815 Male Ohio [Son of William and Sarah.]
944 Wright Luanda 28 1822 Female Ohio
944 Wright Jno M 32 1818 Male Ohio [Son of William and Sarah.]
944 Wright Lucy A 24 1826 Female New York
944 Webster Jno M 28 1822 Male Ohio [Son of Susanna (WRIGHT) WEBSTER.]
944 Webster Mary 20 1830 Female Michigan [Daughter of Susanna (WRIGHT) WEBSTER, or wife of Jno M WEBSTER?]
944 Wright Dennis 46 1804 Male New Jersey [Son of William and Sarah.]
I don't know who Luanda or Lucy A are. Since Dennis is still with his parents, I suspect he is the 30 thru 39 in 1840 and the 20 thru 29 in 1830. Maybe he is an invalid, since younger brother Stephen inherited the farm. If he is the Dennis WRIGHT who built the saw mill, then I guess he was doing fine in 1834. No sign of Rachel.
The families of Joel C. and Elijah W. WRIGHT are found in Wayne Township, Cass County, MI in 1850.
Family surname name age birth gender birthplace
1726 Wright Joel C 44 1806 Male Ohio
1726 Wright Margaret 36 1814 Female Ohio
1726 Wright Mary 17 1833 Female Michigan
1726 Wright David 12 1838 Male Michigan
1726 Wright Synire 9 1841 Male Michigan
1726 Wright Martha 14 1836 Female Michigan
1726 ? Frederic 6 1844 Male Michigan
1726 ? Blinda 6 1844 Female Michigan
1728 Wright Elijah W 49 1801 Male New Jersey
1728 Wright Mary 31 1819 Female Ohio
1728 Wright John 20 1830 Male Ohio
1728 Wright Joel 19 1831 Male Ohio
1728 Wright Melton 17 1833 Male Michigan
1728 Wright Elinora 16 1834 Female Michigan
1728 Wright Ellen 12 1838 Female Michigan
1728 Wright Tresa 11 1839 Female Michigan
1728 Wright Marant 7 1843 Female Michigan
1728 Wright Eliza 5 1845 Female Michigan
1728 Wright Eli 3 1847 Male Michigan
1728 Wright Sarah 2 1848 Female Michigan
Both these families moved from Ohio to Michigan, as we know from other records, mentioned above. All of Joel C. and Margaret's children were born in Michigan, so this family moved before 1833. Elijah W. and Mary's first two children were born in Ohio, which dates their move between 1831 and 1833. Recall that the William R. WRIGHT family moved around 1828.
Also note that Joel C. WRIGHT was born in Ohio, 1806, but Elijah W. Wright was born in New Jersey, 1801. So if they are brothers, then this family moved from New Jersey to Ohio between 1801 and 1806. At any rate, Joel C. WRIGHT was born in Ohio at least two years before the William R. WRIGHT family moved there, if these records are accurate.
I don't know who the two six-year-olds are, staying with the Joel C. WRIGHT family. The entry in the census is not clear, as shown above. The last name starts with H or K.
The 1860 Census has Sarah still in La Grange Township.
Family surname name age birth gender birthplace
210 Wright S D 45 1815 Male Ohio [Stephen D. WRIGHT]
210 Wright Louisa S 21 1839 Female New York [Third wife of Stephen]
210 Wright Wm 3 1857 Male Michigan [son of Stephen]
210 Wright Clara 9/12 1859 Female Michigan [daughter of Stephen]
210 Lord Lucinda 50 1810 Female Ohio [older sister of Stephen]
210 Wright Sarah 84 1776 Female New Jersey [mother of Stephen]
210 Coats Solomon 22 1838 Male [domestic]
210 Bang Andrew 19 1841 Male Ohio [domestic]
S D Wright is a farmer, with real estate valued at $15,000 and other property $5,000. Solomon Coats and Andrew Bang are listed as "domestic" but I think they are probably farmhands.
Some of the WRIGHT properties can be found near the center of this 1860 map of La Grange Township.
By 1860, Elijah W. WRIGHT had moved to Missouri. He is found is the 1860 US Census for Washington Township, Dallas County, MO, beside another WRIGHT family.
73 Wright John L 30 1830 Male Ohio
73 Wright Barbary A 34 1826 Female Germany
73 Murphy William H 15 1845 Male Michigan
74 Wright E W 57 1803 Male New Jersey
74 Wright Mary 42 1818 Female Ohio
74 Wright Tursy 21 1839 Female Michigan
74 Wright Margaret A 17 1843 Female
74 Wright Eliza I 15 1845 Female
74 Wright Elie B 13 1847 Male
74 Wright Sarah J 12 1848 Female
74 Wright Johnson J 10 1850 Male
74 Wright Allis R 8 1852 Female
74 Wright Pheby W 6 1854 Female
74 Wright Olive L 4 1856 Female Missouri
74 Wright Benjamin 2 1858 Male
74 Peachey William 23 1837 Male Indiana
I'm pretty sure this is the same E.W. WRIGHT as we have seen in Michigan, since the wife and children match up pretty well. Also, the record mentioned above said he had moved to Missouri. Again, we find that Elijah was born in New Jersey. William PEACHEY is probably a farmhand. John L. WRIGHT in family 73 is undoubtedly the son of Elijah, who appeared in the 1850 Census. He is now married and has one child.
Joel WRIGHT died in Sep 1860, at age 53, according to the Federal Census Mortality Schedules Index. The cause of death was cramps.
This record also verifies that he was born in Ohio, between Sep 1806 and Sep 1807. Joel was absent for the 1860 Census, when his wife and children were found in Union, Laclede, MO. The census was taken on 26 Jul 1860.
1 Wright Margarett 45 1815 Female Ohio
1 Wright Squire 19 1841 Male Michigan
1 Wright Malinda 16 1844 Female Michigan
1 Wright Louis 4 1856 Male Missouri
Malinda could be Blinda from the 1850 census, in which case she has taken the WRIGHT name.
Sarah (BALDWIN) WRIGHT died on 10 Apr 1868, according to her gravestone in Schurte Cemetery, Cassopolis, Cass, MI. Several WEBSTER graves can be found in this cemetery. The grave of William R. WEBSTER shows that he died on 26 Apr 1850, at age 75, and that he was a veteran of the War of 1812.
Susanna WRIGHT (1800 - 1890) and Amos WEBSTER (1792 - 1847)
DNA results show that these are probably by ancestors. This is claimed by AncestryDNA, and is supported by the fact that several of my close matches have them as ancestors. They must be about 4g-grandparents. So their ancestors are also my ancestors. I don't know the exact lineage from Susanna and Amos to me. More information is on the WEBSTER page.
Susanna met Amos WEBSTER in Ohio, and they were married in 1817.
Sources:
Joshua WRIGHT Sr, in On the Trail of Our Ancestors
New Jersey History at SonoftheSouth
Calendar of New Jersey wills, administrations, etc.
Portrait and biographical record of Berrien and Cass counties, Michigan (1893)
A twentieth century history of Cass County, Michigan, L.H. Glover (1906)
History of Cass County, Michigan (images available here), Alfred Mathews (1882)
History of Cass County, from 1825 to 1875, Howard S. Rogers (1875)
William R. WRIGHT and the journey from Ohio to Michigan in 1828, by Jody Glynn Patrick.
Cass County, Michigan on Wikipedia
Explanation of the fraudulent biography of Frank Ball.
Last updated 13 Sep 2020 by William Haloupek. Contact haloupek at gmail dot com.