(John?) WRIGHT
HUSBAND:
[F4496]. (John?) WRIGHT.
Who was the father of Deacon Samuel WRIGHT [F2248]?
It is now thought that his parents are probably John WRIGHT and Martha CASTELL. This is not definitely proven yet, but until indicated otherwise, we will follow him here. In this case, we follow the ancestry further because we feel fairly certain that it will be proven that this John is the father of Samuel.
John WRIGHT:
Son of (Lord) John WRIGHT [F8992] of Wrightsbridge, Essex, England; and the grandson of (Myddle) John Wright. He was christened in 1569 at South Weald, Essex, England. John's hereditary estate was that of his father, Lord John Wright, and was called Wrightsbridge. It was located west a few miles from St. Peters church, the parish church for South Weald parish, Co. Essex.
He attended Emmanuel College at Cambridge University in 1585 (a college started in 1583 specifically for the purpose of educating Puritan ministers). He was admitted to Grays Inn (practice/reading of the Law) in (1587)(1588). John Wright, Esq. was an influential London barrister. He lived in Romford, just west down the road from the Wrightsbridge estate during the lifetime of his father. He later served as sub-clerk of the Puritain leaning House of Commons, being first appointed on 17 NOV 1612. He came to some note in 1612 due to his authorizing signature being affixed to certain publications of the House of Commons that railed against fiscal and religious policies of James I, no doubt part of the Puritan leaning House leadership who were such a problem for James I.
He married Martha CASTELL [F4497].
When Martha Castell, died in (1610)(1611), John Wright Esquire was left with five children ages 1 1/2 to 10 years old to care for. Yet, he waited until about 1618 to marry Fortune Garaway, widow of Edward Blount. Edward was one of John Wright's colleagues in Parliament, so, he knew her long before they married. However, it appears they wasted very little time in marrying following Edward's death. They soon had a son, James, shortly after marrying.
NOTE: It has been proven that Nathaniel WRIGHT and Lydia JAMES are not the parents of (Deacon) Samuel WRIGHT.
Many early researchers believed that Nathaniel (b. 1581), who married Lydia James in 1612, was the father of the Deacon Samuel Wright, because their eldest son (christened in 1614) was named Samuel, and it was reported by some researchers that there were documents in the English ship archives that stated that "brother Nathaniel" had vouched for the Samuel Wright's good character in the allegience papers. The term "brother" was more or less discounted by these early researchers as meaning only that Nathaniel was a brother of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and that he was, in fact, vouching for the character of his own son. However, recent research has found that though Nathaniel's son, Samuel, did leave his father's business after the collapse of the textile markets in the late 1630s, instead of going to New England, he entered Cambridge University, matriculating in 1644 at the age of 29 with the intent to earn a living as a Puritan minister. Later he attended Oxford University where he recieved his DD. He spent the rest of his days in England as a minister and, therefore, could not have been the Deacon Samuel Wright who migrated to New England.
WIFE (1) of John WRIGHT:
Martha CASTELL
Martha Castell, died in (1610)(1611).
CHILDREN of John WRIGHT [F4496] and Martha CASTELL [F4497]:
- 1. John WRIGHT. Christened in 1599. Also became a lawyer and clerk of House of Commons in the 1640's.
- 2. Nathaniel WRIGHT. Christened in 1604 (who we believe is the brother who vouched for the Deacon's character in the allegience papers).
- 3. (Deacon) Samuel WRIGHT [F2248]. The parish register of South Weald contains a baptismal notice for "Samuel, son of John Wright of the Bridge..." (meaning Wrightsbridge). This son was born either June 29th or June 30th (depending on how you read the nearly illegible Roman date script in the parish register) in the year 1606. The "John Wright of the Bridge" referred to in the register is presumed to be John Wright, barrister and his wife Martha Castell. Christened on 20 JUN (July?) 1606. He attended Emmanuel College at Cambridge University, like his father, but was more interested in the ministry focus of the college than his father and elder brother had been.
- 4. Robert WRIGHT. Born (christened?) in 1609.
WIFE (2) of John WRIGHT:
Fortune Garaway, widow Blount
She was the widow of Sir Edward Blount.
CHILDREN of John WRIGHT and Fortune (Garaway) BLOUNT:
SOURCES:
- [S1]. Mike Wright Research. Mike Wright correspondence with Ellen Baker, who served as family contact point to distribute his research. His research cited:
- 1.) Genealogical and Biographical Notices of Descendants of Sir John Wright of Kelvedon Hall, Essex, England in America; Thomas Wright, of Wethersfield, Conn., 1610-1670; Dea. Samuel Wright of Northampton, Mass., 1614 - 1665" by Curtis Wright of Carthage, MO, 1915.
- 2.) "The Place at Brook Steet; A History of Marygreen Manor Hotel" by George Lloyd 1997, Publisher, Marygreen books, 130 London Road, Brentwood, Essex CM14 4NR United Kingdom.
- 3.) St. Peter's Church Register, Wealdside parish, South Weald, Essex; Society of Geneologist Library, London, England.
- 4.) My reference linking Margaret to marriages to T. Bancroft and T. Bliss, came from a footnote at the bottom of page 151 of "Genealogical and Biographical Notices of Descendants to Sir John Wright of Kelvedon Hall, Essex, England; In America Thomas Wright of Wethersfield, Conn., Dea. Samuel Wright, of Northampton, Mass., 1610-1670, 1614-1665" by Curtis Wright (1915), reprinted by Higginson Book Co., Salem, MA. In that footnote, Curtis Wright references the NEHGR vol. IX, p 200 and I had not yet gotten around to checking his reported source.
- [S2]. Stebbins in America, Vol 1, Ralph Stebbins Greenlee, 1904
- [S3]. The Wright-Chamberlin Genealogy by Eunice M Barker, 1914
- [S4]. Genealogical & Biographical Sketches of the Bartlett Family by Levi Bartlett, 1876 193.
- [S5]. History of Northfield by J. H. Temple & George Sheldon, 1875 272.
- [S6]. Judd Manuscript of Genealogies of Northampton, Massachusetts 557.
- [S7]. The Strong Family History Update, vol III. 568. The First Century of Springfield.
- [S8]. Barr, John L. THE GENEALOGY OF ETHAN ALLEN AND HIS BROTHERS AND SISTERS (Burlington: Ethan Allen Homestead, 2nd ed. 1993) (Available from the Ethan Allen Homestead Trust, 1 Ethan Allen Homestead, Burlington VT 05401; 802 865 4556).
- [S9]. Spargo, John, NOTES ON THE ANCESTORS AND IMMEDIATE DESCENDANTS OF ETHAN AND IRA ALLEN (Bennington, 1948)
- [S10]. THE COMPENDIUM OF AMERICAN GENEALOGY 1600's - 1800s Volume VII, Immigrant Ancestors (Biographies), Page 895
- [S11]. Research of Mabry Benson.