The Honorable Jabez Wright Part One: the Firelands and a Cherry Festival

Jabez Wright, my first cousin five times removed, was the son of Captain Freedom Wright, my four times great grand uncle, and Freedom’s first wife, Anna Horton. I am writing about him today because he was a remarkable man in the history of America, and I think I may be one of the first to put the key parts of his biography together in one place. His accomplishments include being a militia captain, a merchant, one of the first surveyors in the firelands of Ohio, a pioneer, a land agent, a judge, a State Senator, and a participant in the Underground Railroad.

He was born on February 6, 1780, in Winchester, Connecticut, the second eldest of Freedom and Anna’s six children. He made the move with his family, including his father, some of his siblings, and his uncle Charles and his family, to the Black River country of upstate New York in 1802. He became the first merchant in the town of Denmark in 1805, and was also a militia captain there.

In 1808, Jabez moved to Ohio, and became the “first white man on the firelands” in the “old county of Huron” according to A standard history of Erie County, Ohio. The “firelands” were lands in what is now Ohio set aside for the residents of specific areas Connecticut who had suffered damage, including fire, to their property due to the actions of the British in the Revolutionary War. These lands were not accessed until many years later due to their being heavily forested and inhospitable. As a surveyor and a land agent for William Winthrop of New York City, who owned a large amount of land in the area, he along with Almon Ruggles were to survey several of the townships in the area, including Huron, Florence, and Oxford. Jabez was to be Winthrop’s agent, and that of his heir until he died, and named one of his sons after him. You can view Jabez's surveyor's compass at the following link: http://cdm16007.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/compoundobject/collection/p267401coll36/id/2530/rec/8.

On May 11, 1811, Jabez married Almon Ruggles’ daughter Tamar, likely in Huron. They had at least five children, Winthrop Horton, Douglass, Lucy, Abigail, and Ruggles. They lived on a farm on the west bank of the Huron River, about two and a half miles from the lake, known later as “Wright’s River Farm”, and later to be owned by his son, Winthrop. There is a charming story of a “sail and a cherry festival” in about 1814 told in A standard history of Erie County, Ohio:

About the year 1814, the pioneers of Huron concluded they would have a sail and a cherry festival. Cherries grew on the peninsula. They were to go on Abbot’s boat and started before daylight; among them were Major Underhill, Judge Everett, Lyman Farwell and others. Lucy Abbot, then a girl of nine years, accompanied her father. As they passed down the Huron River, they took on board Judges Wright and Ruggles with their wives; Messrs. C. Curtis and Daniels with their wives; some young people named Downing Smith, and several others, and started for “Gov.” Wolcott’s on the peninsula. On their arrival in the afternoon, a heavy rain had driven the water out so they could not land near Wolcott’s house. Get cherries they must, and dance they would, so each gallant gentleman took a lady upon his back and struck out into the water for the shore and “didn’t go home until morning”. After a supper of fish, shortcake and cherries, preparations were made for the dance. Tables, beds and chairs disappeared, music being furnished by the worthy host. Dancing was kept up until morning. As there was not room for all to dance at once or even for all to be in the house at the same time, part staid outdoors while part danced. After breakfast, they all went to picking cherries. Having obtained all they wanted, they set sail for the Huron River and arrived there about sunset.

They moved to the lake shore in about 1815, about one mile west of the mouth of the Huron River, where he built the first brick house in the township in 1822. They lived there for the rest of their lives. Also, in about 1815, Jabez was elected Justice of the Peace and a Judge of the Common Pleas Court. (More of his life in the next installment).

Captain Freedom Wright and his Historic Inn

Captain Freedom Wright, my fourth great grand uncle, and brother to Captain Charles Wright, and ten years his junior, was born on July 3, 1749 in Goshen, Connecticut. His biographical details are very similar to those of Charles, as they seem to have done almost everything together. (See my last three blogposts about Charles for more detailed discussion of his life). They both moved with their father to Winsted, Connecticut in 1770, and both fought in the same battles of the Revolutionary War, as part of the Connecticut militia and as part of the Continental Army. He was initially a lieutenant in the the militia, whereas his older brother was a captain, and he was a private in the army while Charles was a sergeant. He was in the first battle of the war, Lexington, with his brother. He also went to Ticonderoga with Charles, their brother David, and their brother-in-law, Ebenezer Shepherd, who was married to their sister Mercy.

Freedom, who thereafter was a captain in the militia, married Anna Horton, on September 1, 1777 in Winchester. They had at least six children together, including Asa Douglas, Jabez, Lucy, Abigail, and two sons named Freedom who died in infancy. That year, as well as doing a tour of duty in the northern army, he became a landowner in Winsted, and kept a tavern in his house, which burned down years later, in the same neighbourhood as his father and brothers. Anna died on September 18, 1788, five days after giving birth to her son, Freedom, who died at birth. He married Phebe Turner on August 10, 1789 in Winsted, and had at least three children with her, Anna, another Freedom who died in infancy, and finally a Freedom who lived into adulthood. Freedom’s wife Phebe died in 1793. He then married Jerusha Sheldon on October 31 the same year. In History of the town of Goshen, Connecticut it is stated that he and Jerusha had a “large family” but does not give the names of the children. It says that he had two sons, Hiram and Sheldon, but that it is not clear who the mother was. I would venture to say that their mother was likely Jerusha since “Sheldon” was her maiden name. I have found two more of his children, “Jerusia” and Norman L. Wright. I have discovered a baptism record for a “Jerusia Wright” who was born “November 27, 1801” and who was baptised in 1809 in Fonda, Montgomery, New York in the Reformed Dutch Protestant Church of Caughnawaga, and whose parents were “Friedom Wright” and “Jerusia Sheldon”. Here is the link: https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FDYG-YD4. Norman L. Wright was also baptised in 1809 in the same church, see https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FDYP-HWL with the same parents, having been born on June 4, 1808. Also it is stated in A standard history of Erie County, Ohio, page 488, “Norman L. Wright was a son of Freedom and Jerusha Wright, of New York State, where they lived and died as substantial farming people”.

In 1802, Freedom sold his farm in Winsted, and moved with his family, and his brother Charles and his family, to the Black River country of upstate New York, settling in the village of Denmark. Here he built the first framed house in the village, and became the first innkeeper and tavern owner there, resuming his former occupation while in Winsted. The building still stands to this day. The second part of the first town meeting was held in his house (tavern) in 1803, during which he and his brother Charles were appointed “Overseers of the poor”. A meeting was held at Freedom’s inn on January 3, 1804 to discuss the possible division of Oneida county. Then, historically, the meeting where it was decided to create Lewis and Jefferson counties was held there on November 20, 1804.

Freedom, like his brother Charles, was also involved in other civic and church matters. He, a Republican, was on the committee to elect Lewis Graves to the New York State Assembly in 1809, and was a founding trustee of the Denmark Ecclesiastical Society. He lived out the rest of his days in Denmark, and died  in 1824 or 1825 at the age of seventy-five or seventy-six. His wife, Jerusha, appears to have passed away in about 1840.

Other bloggers have written about Freedom Wright and his inn. These include the blogpost, Freedom Wright’s Wife and Her Spinning Wheel in the blog, One Hundred Acres: http://sharonwue.blogspot.ca/2011/07/freedom-wrights-wife-and-her-spinning.html, where you can see a photograph of the spinning wheel she bought at Freedom’s inn, which was an antique store at the time. I believe the wheel in question was likely that of his first wife, Anna Horton Wright or his daughter Anna. In addition, in the blogpost, New York: Freedom Wright’s Inn, Denmark, in the blog a good Beer Blog, http://beerblog.genx40.com/archive/2012/april/newyorkfreedom, there is a current picture of the inn.

Captain Charles Wright Part Three: The War of 1812

In 1807, at the age of sixty-eight, Charles and his brother Freedom were appointed overseers of the poor for the town of Harrisburg, of which the village of Denmark was a part at the time. This was decided at Freedom’s tavern where the second part of the town meeting was held. Freedom and his tavern will be addressed in a future blogpost.

Charles, in Ancestry, is listed as having been in the New York militia during the War of 1812, Carter’s regiment, the 101^st,  despite his advanced age of seventy-three. His rank is that of a captain at the beginning and the end of his service. This could not have been his son, Charles Jr., as he was listed as being a private in the same regiment. However, Hough reports in History of Lewis County, New York: with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers: “A company of Silver Greys or Exempts, was formed in this town, under Charles Wright, during the war. It never found occasion for service”. Silver Grey companies appear to have been formed of men who were exempt from service, usually due to their age, but who were deemed fit enough to serve. If Charles was also in the 101^st under Colonel Zeboam Carter, then he did see service in the war. Hough describes their participation as follows:

A call en masse was made, and the militia of the county served in one regiment, under Colonel Carter, from July 30th to Aug. 22, 1814, at Sackett's Harbor. General Martin was on duty upon this occasion. The last call en masse was made Oct. 7, 1814, and the militia of Lewis county were comprised in four consolidated companies under Colonel Carter. They served at Sackett's Harbor till Nov. 11, 1814. 

He concludes his discussion of Lewis County’s participation in the War of 1812 with:

The above comprises the military service of the citizens of Lewis county during the war. The settlements were frequently alarmed by rumors of Indian invasions from Canada. The route through the county became a thoroughfare of armies, and every resource of the valley was called into use to supply the troops passing through, or the garrison on the frontier.

If he did not serve, but only was part of a Silver Grey company which did not see service, then at least several of his sons served in Carter’s 101^st, including Charles Jr. (private), Stephen S. (musician, fifer), Tyrannus Augustus (private), Erastus (private), Chester (sergeant), and Nathan (corporal). (Matthew Miles Wright is not recorded as being part of this regiment, but may have served elsewhere). The sons of Charles’s brother Freedom who served in the same regiment include Asa Douglas (quarter master), and Freedom Jr. (private then sergeant).

(It is a somewhat odd feeling to be a Canadian and have so many relatives who fought against my country during the War of 1812, a war which is credited with helping to forge the nation of Canada. There was no one on any of my direct lines living in Canada at the time, however, to my knowledge).

Captain Charles Wright, one of favourite ancestors, died on July 13, 1820, likely in Copenhagen, Lewis, New York. I have not been able to ascertain where he is buried. He was a family man; a soldier; a military, civic and church leader; a patriot; a pioneer; and last, but not least, a songwriter. He must have had a wonderful sense of humour judging by the circumstances of the writing of The Keg and the Law, discussed in the previous blogpost. He sounds like he must have been “a man’s man”. He is probably among my five top ancestors whom I would like to have met--maybe in the next world.

Captain Charles Wright Part Two: The Keg and the Law

Before the whole family moved to the Black River Country of upstate New York in 1802, Captain Charles Wright’s sons, Charles Wright Jr. aged twenty-six, and Tryrannus Augustus Wright, aged twenty-two, went first the previous year, possibly to scout out a location for the family to live. In History of Lewis County, New York: with illustrations and biographical sketches of some of its prominent men and pioneers by Benjamin F. Hough 1883, page 209, it is stated:

Of these children, Charles Wright Jr., and Tyrannus A. came to the town of Denmark, Lewis County, in May, 1801, from Colebrook, Conn. They came down the Black river from the High falls on a raft, landing at the mouth of Deer river, then followed a line of marked trees through the wilderness to their future home, situated a mile west of what is now the village of Copenhagen. In the autumn of that year, they went back to Connecticut, and in the following spring, with their parents and all of their brothers and sisters, returned again to Denmark. They started from Colebrook about the first of March, making the entire journey in four weeks with a sled drawn by two ox teams. The entire family lived and died in the town of Denmark, with the exception of Chester, who moved to Ohio.

Also accompanying them was Captain Charles’s brother Freedom and many of his family members.

Captain Charles became part of the local militia in his new home. He, and probably some or all of his sons, became embroiled in some trouble with the military authorities. Hough, (pages 178 and 179), describes the situation as follows:

In 1806, most of a militia company at Copenhagen, failed to appear at a training, on account of some grievance at the change of their captain, and were accordingly summoned to a court martial, to be held at the inn of Andrew Mills, half a mile south of the village, in January following. Their numbers inspired confidence in the belief that the proceedings of the Court might be embarrassed or interrupted, and they agreed upon a course of proceeding, perhaps natural, under the circumstances of time and prevailing customs. Procuring a keg of spirits at a distillery, they marched to the court, and then went up for trial, assigned whimsical reasons for delinquency, alleging the want of decent clothing, short funds, the existence of various infirmities, and other frivolous causes, tending to throw ridicule upon the court, and rendering it necessary to order the arrest of the greater number of the party. The prisoners were confined in the room over that in which the court martial was held, and finally by their boisterous conduct, compelled an adjournment without trial.

 Hough continues:

The offending parties were indicted for riot, and their trial came off at Doty’s tavern, in Martinsburgh, but resulted in acquittal. The rioters had in the mean time prepared a song, The Keg and the Law, which recited minutely the transaction, and when the county court had adjourned, after the trial, this song was sung in the court room with great force and effect. The presiding judge is said to have jocosely remarked, that if this had been sung during the trial, witnesses would have been needless, as it embodied every fact in the case. One year after, the anniversary of their acquittal was celebrated, by an address, and the well remembered song was repeated. It was written by Charles Wright, and a friend has furnished us with a written copy, as taken down a half a century after, from the memory of one of the party. It consists of twenty-four stanzas, and is entirely destitute of rhyme, poetical measure or literary merit, although it might appear quite different in its appropriate tune, now forgotten, or so changed as not to be applicable to the subject.

Would that I had a copy of The Keg and the Law! I would like to be the judge of its “literary merit”. If you, gentle reader, have any idea if it is extant somewhere, I would be grateful for this information.

Captain Charles Wright: Revolutionary War Patriot, Part One

Charles Wright, my four times great grandfather on my father’s paternal line, was born September 7, 1739 in Wethersfield, Connecticut, the son of Lieutenant John Wright and Prudence Deming. His father had earned the title “Lieutenant” in the French and Indian War, the main conflict in the colonies prior to the American Revolution. (Men in colonial times and early America tended to keep their military titles for the rest of their lives). 

Charles was the fourth of nine children, the others being Dorcas, Asaph, Jabez, John, David, Freedom, Mercy and Lucia. It appears that around 1740, the family moved from Wethersfield to Goshen, Connecticut. Charles married Ruth Smith here on November 11, 1767 when he was twenty-eight and she was seventeen. She was the daughter of John Smith, the first merchant in Goshen. John also kept a tavern, which prospered until he took to “intemperate” behaviour.

Charles and Ruth had twelve children: Tyrannus, Sarah, Lydia, Charles Jr., Stephen S., Tyrannus Augustus, Ruth, Erastus, Erastus, Chester, Nathan M., and Matthew Miles. At least two of their children died in infancy—the first Tyrannus and the first Erastus. The first two children were born when the couple was still living in Goshen, and the rest after they moved to Winsted, Connecticut in 1770. They lived and farmed there, close to Charles’s father, Lieutenant John, until after his death and their “removal” to the Black River country of upstate New York.

Around the time of his arrival in Goshen, Charles became a captain in the 26^th Connecticut Militia. By 1775, he was in the Continental Army as a private in Captain Seth Smith’s Company. Charles, and his company, marched from New Hartford in April 1775 for the relief of Boston, in the “Lexington Alarm”, the first battle of the Revolutionary War. In June 1775, he was a sergeant in Captain John Sedgwick’s company in Colonel Hinman’s 4^th Connecticut Continental Regiment, and went to Ticonderoga, Crown Point and other areas of conflict with them. He was accompanied in this by his brothers Freedom and David. The company suffered severely in their march through the wilderness to the point of being reduced to “roasting old shoes” to survive. It appears that David may have died in Massachusetts on this “march to the northern frontier”, or on another, of “camp distemper”, which appears to have been a violent form of dystentery. He was about twenty-nine years old and unmarried. Charles Wright may also have participated, as part of the Connecticut militia, in fighting against the British in “Tyron’s Invasion of Connecticut”, also known as “Tyron’s raid”.

Captain Charles also seems to have been very much involved in the civic and church life of Winsted. He was elected in 1781 as a town “Selectman” (one of the town’s board of officials). In this same year, he was one of the signers, along with his brothers Freedom and John, of a successful petition to reduce taxes. Also in 1781, he voted to procure soldiers for service in the Continental Army, as part of a committee to help fill the town’s deficiency of military men. In 1799, he “pitched a stake” for the building of a new church meeting house. Some of his sons were to follow in his footsteps in civic and church involvement after the move to upstate New York, such as Charles Jr. and Tyrannus Augustus.

In 1802 he sold his farm in Winsted in preparation for the move of his family, and that of his brother Freedom, to “The Black River Country” in New York State. More of this in the next installment.eHe

Lydia Wright and William Merriam

At last, I get to talk about my favourite family on my tree so far, the Wrights. Sally Wright Merriam, about whom I have already written, was the mother of Melvin J. Hart, my civil war veteran paternal great grandfather. Her parents, and my three times great grandparents, were William Merriam and Lydia Wright.

William was born in Meriden, which was part of  Wallingford, Connecticut, on June 8, 1768, the son of William Merriam and Mary Austin.  He appears to have been the youngest of seven children, the others being Phoebe, Amasa, Asaph, Chloe, Esther and Joel. Lydia was daughter of Captain Charles Wright, who fought in the Revolutionary War, and Ruth Smith. Lydia was born on March 12, 1772  likely in Winsted, Connecticut, and was the third eldest in a family of twelve children, the others being Tyrannus, Sarah, Charles Jr., Stephen S., Tyrannus Augustus, Ruth, Erastus, Erastus, Chester, Nathan M., and Matthew Miles. (At least two of the children had died in infancy—the first Tyrannus and the first Erastus).

Lydia and William were married on August 8, 1793 in Winchester, Litchfield, Connecticut. William’s occupation was that of a joiner, and he purchased “the farm on Wallen’s Hill”, “near the schoolhouse”, in Winsted the year of their marriage, which he sold to Samuel and Moses Camp in 1797. William and Lydia continued to reside in Winsted, until they moved with Lydia’s extended family, including her father Charles, her uncle Freedom, and most of her siblings, to the “Black River Country” of upstate New York. They brought their first four children, William, Sally Wright, Sophronia and Lorenzo, ages two to eight, with them when they set out from Colebrook, Connecticut on March 1, 1802. It took the travellers four weeks to arrive at their destination with a sled drawn by two ox teams. Their last three children, Louisa, Lydia and Joel, were born in New York.

It appears that William died in 1834, and that Lydia passed away in August 1839. I have not been able to find a reference as to where they were buried. Next time, I will discuss Lydia’s father, Captain Charles Wright, one of my favourite ancestors.

Happy New Year! And a look ahead

Happy New Year, everyone! Today, I’d like to share what My Descent into Descent will bring in 2013.

First of all, there is the Wright family of Connecticut and New York on my father’s side. Boyd states in his Annals of Winchester, “The Wrights were a highly intelligent, studious family; supporters of religion and good order, and earnest patriots in the revolutionary struggle”. They also appear to have been descended from minor nobility in England. In the beginning of my research, I spent most of my time on my American lines, as I was not able to make very much progress on all the others. A great deal of American genealogy and history has been documented, so it was relatively easy to start by following the bread crumb trail left by others. This does not mean that the American side of my tree has not been a fascinating puzzle, because it has. I had to break new ground on the more recent generations on Melvin J. Hart’s lines, particularly as his father John Hart did not get as much “ink” as his forebears. In the process, I discovered the Wright family, my favourite family on my tree so far. They are Melvin’s mother’s mother’s family, and I hope to share more about them in the New Year. They participated in history, such as the first battle of the Revolutionary War and Ticonderoga, the creation of counties in New York, invading Canada and being transported to Australia for the trouble of it, being elected to a State legislature, general pioneering, and being part of the Underground Railroad. I am excited to tell their stories.

I also hope to share with you the process of exploring my German roots. As I have said before, other researchers have done much work on these lines before me, but I still need to sort out the data for myself and learn more about German genealogy. My Hessian soldier four times great grandfather awaits—Johannes Carl Muenck, also known as John Monk. I also hope to find out more about my Irish/Manx/Scottish folks. They are the most challenging people on my tree due to the apparent lack of data. I am also likely to share what I know and what I will find out about the French Huguenots on my mother’s side. My sisters and I have shared an interest in France and the French language, so it has been wonderful to confirm that we indeed have our own French lineage, as my grandfather William Sanderson always claimed. In fact, I have neglected his mother’s side so far, so maybe I will do some blogging about it soon.

I have several other items on my family history “to do list” for this year, and I hope to share the process of exploration with you more. For instance, I have got to get to the local cemeteries to take some pictures of grave sites. My initial few stabs at exploring the Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver has turned up nothing, so I am hoping to use the iPhone app to find those elusive graves. In addition, there may be a “family history road trip” or two in my future, and if there is, I intend to blog from the road. I am also in the midst of trying to prove my lineage from Jeremiah Hart, one of my Revolutionary War patriot ancestors, to the satisfaction of the Daughters of the American Revolution. This is proving more challenging than I expected, i.e. needing to find those primary documents. I hope to share the process of this with you, too.

I am sure many of the new records I obtain will find their way here. I do make small changes in my blogposts as new information comes to light, so it is worthwhile to re-read posts you like from the past. If a large amount of new data or something more significant comes my way, I am more likely to do a new posting on the subject. It pays to use the “search” feature to find material on subjects or people of interest. Remember, if you are interested in my sources, check out my public tree on Ancestry if you have subscription, or ask me for them. I feel that including extensive source citations would preclude me from writing an almost daily blog.

These are but some of the topics I hope to write about in the coming year. If you have a request, let me know. I have already made some decisions about the content of my blogposts based on the level of interest shown in this blog. I was very pleased to hear that some of my father’s mother’s descendants were enjoying what I was writing about their side of the family, and therefore I wrote more about it. I also included some of the material they provided. I hope to write more about the Marlows, Bosomworths, and Smiths due to the interest shown.

An important goal of mine is also to connect with more living relatives, near and far. If you are reading this, are related to me, and have not yet connected with me, please feel free to use the contact information provided, and I will be sure to reply. Maybe we can help with each other’s genealogical puzzles, share information, or just help each other to learn more. I would also love to hear from my non-related readers. Please email me or leave a comment if you would like.

All the best for accomplishing your own goals in 2013, and for a happy and prosperous New Year, as we step out beyond the end of Mayan Calendar!