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| Center: James Monroe Wright, Left: his Grandson, Robert Burns Wright and Right: his Son Traverse Rock Wright. About 1910, Aledo, Mercer County, Illinois. This was taken the same day as the Family Photo below-Grandpa Robert B. is wearing the same suit, minus the hat (his bow tie is still askew) |
He was the youngest of 13 children. He first shows up on the Federal Census and the age of 17, on the 1850 Census working as a carpenter. He is residing with a man named William White, also a Carpenter and William's wife Mary. One could assume that this is like an Apprenticeship for James.
On the 1860, he is living with his parents. He is married and his son, Traverse Wright age 1 are also there as well as his 37 year old widowed sister Christianna Wright Cummings and her two teenage daughters, Melissa (which is what James named his only daughter) and Mary. James is here listed as a Farmer so I assume he was helping his Father farm.
On 3 April 1863, James' wife, Maria Watson died from causes unknown to us. (Possibly childbirth complications, but I really have no idea) Then, on November 20, 1863, James' Father Joshua died.
According to James' Obituary, he came to Mercer County, Illinois in 1864. He had a nephew, Garrett VanSant Wright (who, in 1870, married the sister of James' 2nd wife), a brother, Lewis Rue Wright and an Aunt Elizabeth Penelope Wright Cabeen already residing in Mercer County, IL with their respective families. James remarried on 31 August 1864 to Virginia Elizabeth Hanby of Iowa. They must have then returned to Pennsylvania at least for a short time as the couple's 1st child together, Thaddeus Hanby Wright was born in Bristol, Bucks County, PA in 1865. They had a second child together Melissa Gazelle Wright who was born in Mercer County, IL in 1870.
I do not have any Service records for James; I do not know if he served in the Army during the Civil War. There were many James Wrights serving both in PA and Illinois but without birth dates or even County of Service on many of them, it is impossible to know if our James was one of them. There is however, a list of the men in Bucks available for the Draft and there is a good candidate on there. A James Wright, listed directly below George W. Watson, Blacksmith. George was our James' brother-in-law, brother of his 1st wife Maria Watson. This James is listed as single, which James was as Maria had died 3 April 1863 and this list is dated June 1863. The 2 men are listed as living in Bristol Township which is where the Wright's farm was. Also the man listed after James, Abner Wiley, married James niece Caroline Blackwood, the daughter of his older sister Mary Wright and Philip Blackwood. I cannot find that James ever served , however. In 1864, he removed to Illinois.
James is listed above as a Laborer (Lab), I believe.
James remarried in 1864. Virginia Hanby, his second wife was from Iowa City-her sister married James nephew, Garrett Wright, son of his eldest brother Charles Rhodes Wright.
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| I think that this young James looks very much like my Father, his Great Grandson. |
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| L-R, Robert Burns Wright, Kate Pattison Wright, Melissa Gazelle Wright Duvall, James Monroe Wright, Louise Gazelle Wright, Marian Kate Wright (Jarman), Virginia Hanby Wright. About 1910-photo taken by TR Wright. |
On the 1870 Mercer County Census we have the 2 families living together (Virginia) Jane and her sister Mary with their husbands Garrett VanSant Wright and James Monroe Wright, Traverse (our Great Grandfather) and his half brother Thad.
James was apparently and according to his Obituary, a retiring man. He does not appear often in the Public Record and because of this, it has been difficult to piece together his later years.
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| James Monroe Wright abt. 1910, taken by his son TR Wright |
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| Obituary James Monroe Wright |
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| Death Certificate of James Monroe Wright, signed by his nephew Dr. Lewis W. Wright Cause of Death "Cirrhosis of the stomach" ; Contributory "Old age and vitality wore out" |
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| Aledo Cemetery |
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