Kansas Family History

WRIGHT in Pittsburg, KS

From: Alan R. Harker, arharker@gmail.com; updated 18 Feb 2009:

An update – since the original posting in 1995, there have been significant and wonderful contacts made. A woman from Pittsburg, KS wrote to let me know that she lived in the house originally built by Sylvester Wright. On taking possession of the house she cleaned a great deal of trash out of the basement. In that pile was a marble plaque given to Sylvester on his 83rd birthday in 1912. We went to Pittsburg to pick it up and it is a cherished possession. We spent several days in Pittsburg, finding additional information about the family history. We especially thank the Methodist church in Pittsburg for their generosity and helpfulness.

We were recently contacted by a person who was briefly married into this family. She sent a picture of my wife’s aunt. My wife had never met this aunt and we had no pictures later than her early 20’s. The picture is a valued addition to our history.

Date: Tue, 20 Jun 1995

I am looking for living descendents of the sons of Thomas Wright who lived in Pittsburg, Crawford Co., KS. Two sons that I am aware of were Sylvester Wright and Benjamin Franklin Wright. Sylvester was a dry goods merchant and moved to Pittsburg in 1879. He and many of his family members are buried in the Mt. Olive Cemetary in Pittsburg. The following are my descendants charts for the two brothers:

1-      Sylvester WRIGHT (1829)
 sp-    Cynthia Ann BROCKWAY (1833)
        2-      Samuel B. WRIGHT (1853)
        2-      Theodore Josephus WRIGHT (1855)
         sp-    Juliet Esther FOSTER (1857)
                3-      Pluma Lou WRIGHT (1878)
                 sp-    McADOO
                3-      Eva H. WRIGHT (1886)
                 sp-    BUCKNER
                3-      Florence L. WRIGHT (1889)
                3-      James B. WRIGHT (1895)
                 sp-    Nina LANEY
                        4-      Esther Laney WRIGHT
                         sp-    Smith
                        4-      Patricia Nan WRIGHT
                         sp-    Terry
                        4-      Viriginia Maude WRIGHT
                        4-      Theodora Joan WRIGHT
                         sp-    SHEPARD
         sp-    Mary Etta REYNOLDS (1858)
        2-      Evangeline M. WRIGHT (1859)
        2-      Franklin Eugene WRIGHT (1866)
         sp-    Julia RAMSEY (1870)
                3-      Helen Francis WRIGHT (1894)
                 sp-    Merwin Hammond SOYSTER
                        4-      Merwin Eugene SOYSTER (1916)
                         sp-    Diane FORDELL
                        4-      Julia Eleanor SOYSTER (1917)
                         sp-    Walter James MORRIS (1915)
                        4-      Charles Hammond SOYSTER (1919)
                         sp-    Claire
                3-      Fredrick Eugene WRIGHT (1898)
                 sp-    Dorothy
                        4-      Jewel Lenore WRIGHT
                         sp-    Jake REED
                         sp-    George LEWIS
                 sp-    Louise
                        4-      Fred Jr. WRIGHT
                        4-      Christina WRIGHT
                         sp-    FRASER
                        4-      Teresa WRIGHT
                         sp-    Mike BLANFORD
                        4-      Avis WRIGHT
                         sp-    GRIFFIS
                3-      Theodore Ramsey WRIGHT (1901)
                 sp-    Margaret Ruth BROWN (1914)
                        4-      Susan WRIGHT
                         sp-    Jack KAROW
                        4-      Christine WRIGHT
                         sp-    Donald D. BODE
                        4-      Stephanie WRIGHT
                         sp-    Alan Reed HARKER
         sp-    Lita Martha ROSS (1877)
                3-      Thomas Eugene WRIGHT (1913)
                 sp-    Helena
                3-      Martha Ann WRIGHT (1917)
                 sp-    Lawrence SMITH

1-      Benjamin Franklin WRIGHT (1846)
 sp-    Emma HART (1846)
        2-      Estelle WRIGHT
         sp-    Benjamin P. WHITE
                3-      Dorothy WHITE
                3-      Marjory WHITE
        2-      Winifred WRIGHT (1874)
        2-      Beulah WRIGHT (1876)
        2-      Eperva WRIGHT (1878)
        2-      Feral WRIGHT (1877)

        If anyone out there in cyberland has any information on current
descendants and their whereabouts, I would be grateful for any leads,
clues, or trivia.  I have probate information that indicates that Theodore
Josephus WRIGHT had a nursery business in Pittsburg.  He left the business
to his daughter Eva.  I have been told that the Wright Greenhouses were
still in business through the 1970's.  Thanks to all!



Alan R. Harker
arharker@gmail.com

1249 Hobble Creek Drive
Springville, UT  84663
(801) 319-4158

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