GENEALOGICAL AND BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICES OF DF.SCENDANTS OF Sill JOHN WRIGHT OF llLVEDON HALL, mEX, ENGLAND IN AIIEIICA TIIOMAS WRIGHT, OF WETHERSFIELD, CONN. DEA. SAMUEL WRIGHT, OF NORTIIAMPTON, ~- 1610-1670 1614-1665 COMPILATION AND ANNOTATIONS IT CURTIS WRIGHT CARTHAGE, MISSOURI 1918 To the living and future generations, descendants of Sir John Wright, of Kelvedon Hall, Ess£x, England, this work is dedicated, with the hope that it may be a continued influence to the development of higher character, living and accomplishment in the things fruitful to the good of mankind and the glory of God. Thought only is mental food, we must grow as we think; right thinking must tend to continual proper advancement and right living. In accordance with the natural law of heaven and earth, there can be no limit to the develop­ ment of our being. "Of all the affections of man, those which connect him with the ancestry :ire among the most generous. They enlarge the sphere of his interest, mul­ tiply his motives to virtue, and give intensity to his sense of duty to genera­ tions to come, by the precepts of obligation to those which are pa,rt."-Quincy. "Any people who are indifferent to the noble achievements ;,f remote ances­ tors are not likely to achieve anything worthy to be remembered by their d1;5Cen­ dants."-Macauley. PREF.ACE. A genealogical and biographical work ii worthleu i! not true; eYery effort baa been made to avoid errora. Much research has been made in the arc:hiYea of the Somenet HOIIN and British Museum, in London, and many chmdl and pariah recorda in County Essex; some differences between these recorda and individwal w:il1a have been found. The latter being of unquestionable authority have been preferred. No effort has been made to show the c:ml, religioua and social conditlona a:- 1sting in Ent]and, in the fifteenth and merging into the sixteenth c:entmJea. which should be taken fully into conaideration to appreciate the real manhood, character and worth of our early progenitora. Then feudalism was not entirely extinct and the Chmch of Rome was in the height of its power; ,ir,ithout Bible and almost WOl'le than no religioua inatruction to the masses of the people, they were yet in the "dark ageE," yet the Wright family was so prominent in the affairs of men that we have been able to trace it into these early centuries. While investigating our ancestral lines much •WU found and inclnded herein giving an insight into the life, character and social standing of our anceaton which it is believed will be of interest to posterity, though not neceuary to a genealogical record. By including descendants of various branches, it is hoped others may thereby find assistance in perfecting their own line of anceat:ry. In looking up a line of ancestry find the name in the index and follow by serial number from son to father back to number one. INTRODUCTION. Data have been gathered from the VISitations of Essex, and of London, Old Annals of Connecticut, the Old Northwest Genealogical Quarterly, records of the Prerogative Court of Canterbury, American Biographical CyclopllClia, Savage's Genealogical Dictionary, New England Historical and Genealogical .Register, Morant's and Wright's Histories of Essex, town, church and parilh Registers, family records, and charts, and by direct research in the archives at Somerset House, and British Museum in London. The work was undertaken for family use only. A strictly genealogical work is not attempted, the object being to give as much genealogical and biographical information 11.!1 may be obtained of the Wright family, descendants of Sir John Wright, of Kelvedon Hall, and lord of Kelvedon manor, Essex, England. As it is what a man has accomplished that makes his life of interest and value, and by which he is remembered, biographical sketches, when available, have been given. Of many eminently worthy such could not be obtaincl. In reading these life sketches, it is well to remember 8.?1 individual is but a stanza in the history of the family; from the law of inheritance, it would seem that the Lord used in some families finer clay than in others, certainly in some there is a greater tendency to accomplish along the higher lines of human life. Diligent research has revealed more than was expected, of the life history of our early ancestors. In England, records have been carefully kept, and are available for all proper use; yet many difficulties have been encountered; some questions as to detsil, but we think not of facts, have arisen which have not been altogether satisfacto:ily solved. Our ancestors in America were pioneers in a newly dil=covered country, with few conveniences for the record of events; however the fanu1y has been ao prominent in affairs of public interest, that records of it are found in all gen• erations reaching back over four hundred years. Our first certainly kuowu ancestor was Sir John Wright, lord of Kelvedon manor, Essex, England. He was born and grew to manhood in the fifteenth century, before America was discovered, and before feudalism was extinct. He possessed a large area of land, was subject to knight service to the king. In feudal times such had their tenants and villains, made their own local laws. held their own courts of which they were both judge and j1J1'Y. The f"irst English Bible was printed but sixteen yea.rs before his death. It was seventy-six yea.rs later that the King James version was printed-it was the "rough and ready" age of chivalry before literary and religious awakening. 9 10 In 1496, in ecclesiastical convocation. John Colet declared "My faith stands on ;i. vivid realization of the person of Christ as revealed in the Gospels." At t.'-is then boldness of expression the convocation went into convulsions of fury and confusion. It was the dawn of modern civilization and learning, and of prac­ tical moral, spiritual religion. The reformation renewed its energy and tur­ bulence reigned, which tried out the men of the time. Only those of much abil­ ity, strong character and iron nerve could become prominent in shaping the af­ fairs of the nation, and such were our ancestora, loyal to the king, yet of the moral stamina which suffered imprisonment for conscience's sake; some were Puritans, such as later stamped the seal of righteollBneaa on our beloved America, baaed its civil law upon the law of God, and made it the cynosure of the world. The first act in America of our Pilgrim fathers was, to kneel on the Plymouth shore, offer to God thanksgiving and praise, to pray for wisdom and divine guidance, and to dedicate the new country and their lives to Him. As certainly as his promise came to the Jews of old, "So long as ye will be my people I will be your God," it there came to them, and has been verified by unprecedented national prosperity and growth, until it hp.& indeed become in righteollBness, wealth and individnal freedom, the first nation of the world. Sir John Wright was poaaeaaed of much land, having in his will dispoaed of four manors and much other property; his benefice to the church was 2070 acres. Many of his descendants were, in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, men of note in public affairs. His grandson. John Wright, was granted a peerage in 1590, whose son was clerk of parliament in 1642. Another was imprisoned for two years for non-conformity. His great grandson, Nathan Wright, waa Lord Keeper of the Great Seal in 1700. Another was counsel to the crown, and another a charter member of Wjnthrop's Colony, 1630-32. There were numerous baronets and knights as will appear later. His great great grandsons, Thomas, Anthony, Samuel and J:lichard came to America 1630-1640. It is fitting that we who have their blood in our veins, do them honor by keeping their names and deeds in our family record. Note:-"lUehard Wrlslht, of L7m>. ._ came from Emrland bi 1632:.,... bi Booton In 113C. The llnaa-e of hla pootmlt7 la traced back 1'> 1509, to Wrlslht of Wrlslhtabrlcl--. Born cbardl. Daa,m11ama, Enalancl." (Nati. EnQc. Blos-. p. 191.) The Wright family in America, of whom Thomas, who came :from England in 1635, and Dea Samuel, who came about 1638, were proeenitora, descended :from Jolm Wright, lord of Kelvedon manor in "Ongar Hundred" pariah of Kelvedon Hatch, County Essex, England. In his will he is called "Yeoman," yet was granted "arms" June 20, 1509, (Burke's Gen'l. .Armory, p. 1139) and was said to have been a baron or baronet when the grant was made. The rank of baronet proper was not created until a hundred years later (1611); however the title was applied to leaser barons prior to that date. (Enc. Brit. VoL m, p. 388) Spencer says: "The title and rank of baronet ..,._, originally applied to gentlemen. not II barons by tenure, summoned by the king to service in the house af lords.'" In 1509, (the year of the grant) Henry VIII ascended the throne and "swnmoned many gentlemen, whom he will, to serve in his parliament." His grandson, John, was granted a peerage, "The 32 of Elizabeth." Another grandson, Robert of Dennington, was an instructor in Oxford, tutor to the Earl of Essex, preached seven years in the University of Cambridge, of whom the Eng. Nat. Biog. Die. says: "An eminent divine, reformer, a member of an old and distinguished house." His great grat?dson, John, was clerk of parliament; another, Sir Nathan of Cranham Hall, was Lord Keeper of the great seal.