Samuel Wright Sr. (abt. 1600 - 1665)

Born about 1600 in England

Husband of Margaret (Unknown) Wright — married about 1625 in England

Descendants

Died 17 Oct 1665 at about age 65 in Northampton, Hampshire, Massachusetts Bay Colony

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Richard Draper [send private message], Puritan Great Migration Project WikiTree [send private message], Sarah Dittmann [send private message], Malcolm Bliss [send private message], and Bob Fields [send private message]

Samuel Wright Sr. migrated to New England during the Puritan Great Migration (1621-1640). (See The Directory, by R. C. Anderson, p. 387) Join: Puritan Great Migration Project Discuss: pgm

Biography

Emigration

Banks says Samuel Wright emigrated to Springfield and was from Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk.^[1] The Great Migration directory has Samuel Wright emigrating by 1639 from unknown to Springfield Massachusetts when he served on a jury.^[2] Neither source suggests that Samuel was from Wrightsbridge, Essex.

Marriage and Children

Samuel was married in England to his wife Margaret ______ by 1627. Margaret died in 1681 after Samuel.^[3][4][5]

Their children in the order of appearance in "The Wrights of Northhanpton", born in England except where Springfield town records exist as noted:

1. Samuel Wright Jr (1632-1675)
2. James Wright (abt.1639-abt.1723)
3. Mary (Wright) Taylor (1637-1683)
4. Margaret (Wright) Bancroft (abt.1634-aft.1680)
5. Hester (Wright) Marshfield (abt.1631-1664)
6. Lydia (Wright) Colton (1635-1699)
7. Judah Wright Sr. (1642-1725)born in Springfield
8. Helped Wright (1644-1663)born in Springfield

• See Research Notes for disputed children.

Life in Springfield

Samuel Wright is first seen at Agawam Plantation [modern Springfield], part of the Connecticut Colony, that was founded in 1636 by men from Massachusetts, led by William Pynchon. It is unknown exactly when how Samuel Wright came to be in Agawam, but he served on a jury 14 Nov 1639. In 1641, Agawam became Springfield and left the auspices of the Connecticut Colony and become part of Massachusetts.^[6]

Samuel shared in the various Springfield land divisions. In 1647 he was taxed on 41 1/2 acres. He was made a Massachusetts freeman in 1648 and was one of the first deacons of the church in Springfield. After the resignation of the 1st minister, and his return to England in 1652, Deacon Wright, Deacon Chapin, Mr. Holyoke and Henry Burt all conducted religious services on the Sabbath.^[6]

Other Springfield records:

1. Jury Duty; 14 Nov 1639; Springfield, Hampden Co., MA. Served on Jury hearing cases between John Woodcoke & John Cable and between William Pynchon & Thomas Merricke. [This was the first jury noted in the court records; the other jurists were Henry Smyth, Jehew Burr, Henry Gregory, John Searle & Samuell Hubbard]
2. There is another peculiar record concerning Samuel Wright, dated 24 Mar 1654/55 in Springfield: "Provided a bond of £4 for the performance of the order concerning his son Samuel Wright Jr. providing for the illegitimate child he fathered on Mary Burt."
3. He swore the Freeman's before Major John Pynchon - Oath of Freemanship/Allegiance; 14 Apr 1648; Springfield, Hampden Co., MA " Samuell Wright was sworne to be Freeman this day."
4. Jury Duty; 18 Jun 1640; Springfield, Hampden Co., MA Served on jury hearing case beteen William Warriner & Henry Gregory.
5. Jury Duty; 10 Sep 1640; Springfield, Hampden Co., MA Served on jury hearing case between Henry Gregory & John Woodcoke in action of the case for 'fower poundes fowerteene shillings'
6. Fine; 30 May 1649; Springfield, Hampden Co., MA Along with John Herman, ordered to pay 1½ bushels of marsh wheat to Henry Burt for the damage their team of oxen did to his field.
7. Fine; 1 Nov 1653; Springfield, Hampden Co., MA The persons underwritten being presented for breach of the Towne orders^[7]

Move to Northampton

Samuel moved to Northampton as an original settler when it was founded in 1655.^[4]

At Northampton, he and his son Samuel were granted a home lot of 4 1/2 acres on Main Street, between King and Market Streets. He is spoken of as one of the leaders of the town, prominent in local affairs, serving on various committees. They built small huts near each other, and ran a stockade around a number of them for a fort into which they might flee, if attacked.[citation needed]

Deacon Wright moved to Northampton, probably in 1657/58. It was certainly prior to 1659, when he joined a lawsuit filed in the Springfield court: Lawsuit; 29 Mar 1659; Springfield, Hampden Co., MA Brought suit, along with Edward Elmer, Alexander Edwards & John Stebbins, against the town of Northampton "in an action of the case concerninge their turninge out some of the freemen from beine select men to which office they were chosen." Elmer, Edwards & Stebbins were residents of Northampton by 1659.

Samuel Wright Sr. occupied lot #59 in Northampton at the time of his death, and owned several other parcels of land..[citation needed]

Death

He died 17 Oct 1665 at Northampton, "while sleeping in his chair."^[4] HIs children, Samuel, James, Mary, Margaret, Hester, Lydia, and Judah were all named in his will. Helped had died as a child before Samuel.^[4][8]

Legacy

Samuel's descendants occupied the site upon which the family first settled for more than 200 years. Deacon Samuel Wright was a lineal ancestor of Governor Silas Wright, Colonel Ethan Allen or the Revolutionary War, and Wilbur/Orville Wright.^[9]

Discussion of Samuel in England

His estimated date of marriage would suggest he was born about 1600 (assuming age 25 at marriage).

Most sources suggest that we do not know Samuels birth or parentage, but there have been many suggestions:

Various sources have John Wright as possible father to Samuel, his lifespan may have been 1567-1644 but he died in 1632.

John Wright of Wrightsbridge was a relatively notable person. He was the Clerk of the House of Commons from 1612 to 1632, assisted by his son John. It is curious why he would be excluded from the Visitation, which appears to be submitted by the eldest son John, esq, there is a half-brother James but no brother named Samuel.

Nathaniel is mentioned as Samuel's younger half-brother. A different pedigree submitted by Nathaniel for the Visitation of London has his parents as John and Bennett Greene and having an older brother Samuel Wright. But there's no proof that this Samuel is this profile's Samuel, also apparently this was a somewhat political document changing the name of John's 2nd wife from Blesby to Greene.

Wrightsbridge is an interesting estate because it is a copyhold of the manor of Havering. As described by the VCH of Essex, it was not a manor it was just a tenement in Romford, with somewhere between 60 and 80 acres. This is not quite enough property for the holder to be termed "gent", which is why the family is usually described as yeomen.

These locations have been proposed for birth or chistening: Christening: 1614 ST. HELENS, BISHOPGATE, LONDON, ENGLAND or Wrightsbridge Essex or 1606 London christened at St Peter's Church S Wealde Essex England. 29 Jun 1606 in Wrightsbridge, Essex, England.

Samuel Wright is presumed to have been born and raised in Degenham Hall on the Wright family estate known as Wrightsbridge, located a few miles west of St. Peters church, South Weald parish, County Essex, England, which is about 40 miles east of London.

He may have attended Emmanuel College at Cambridge University, like his father and elder brother.

His wife may have been named: Margaret STRATTON.

Research Notes

Disputed parents: Ultimately, Samuel Wright's origins and parents are unknown. There have been many guesses without evidence, the latest is he was the son of John Wright of Wrightsbridge, Essex and Martha Castell.^[4][10] But According to the Visitation of Essex, John Wright of Wrightsbridge and Martha Castell had 3 sons John, Nathaniel and Robert. No son named Samuel.^[11]

Disputed Children: Hannah (Wright) Stebbins (1626-1660) is named by the Stebbins family as a daughter of Samuel Wright but is not mentioned in records connected to Samuel directly.^[12][13] Unfortunately she died before Samuel so the fact that she is not named in his will does not answer the question of her parentage.

Ebenezer Wright (1632-) and Benjamin Wright (1627-1704) have been attached as children but are not mentioned with Samuel's family in the Springfield or Northampton town records.

Sources

1. ↑ Banks, Charles. Topographical Dictionary of 2885 English Emigrants to New England, 1620-1650 (The Bertram Press, Philadelphia, Pa., 1937) page 197
2. ↑ Anderson, Robert C. The Great Migration Directory: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1640: A Concise Compendium (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Great Migration Study Project, Boston, 2015); Wright, Samuel: Unknown; 1639; Springfield [Pynchon Court 204; SpTR 167; TAG 63:163;]
3. ↑ Torrey’s New England Marriages Prior to 1700. (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2008.) Originally published as: New England Marriages Prior to 1700. (Boston, Mass.: New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2015.) [URL Vol 3 p 1727]
4. ↑ ^{4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4} Wright, Joseph W. "Genealogical Notice of Samuel Wright of Springfield, Mass." New England Historical and Genealogical Register 4:355 (1850)
5. ↑ Wright, William K. "The Wrights of Northampton, Mass." New England Historical and Genealogical Register 40:280-284. (1886)
6. ↑ ^{6.0 6.1} Green, Mason Arnold. Springfield, 1636-1886 : history of town and city : including an account of the quarter-millennial celebration at Springfield, Mass., May 25 and 26, 1886. ([Springfield, Mass.] : C.A. Nichols & Co., 1888) pp. 51, 67-71, 96, 98, 128, 578 https://archive.org/details/springfield1888gree
7. ↑ Colonial justice in western Massachusetts, 1639-1702; the Pynchon court record, an original judges' diary of the administration of justice in the Springfield courts in the Massachusetts Bay Colony; viewed on FS at https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/753123-colonial-justice-in-western-massachusetts-1639-1702-the-pynchon-court-record-an-original-judges-diary-of-the-administration-of-justice-in-the-springfield-courts-in-the-massachusetts-bay-colony?viewer=1&offset=23#page=240&viewer=picture&o=search&n=0&q=Samuel%20Wright
8. ↑ Copy of will in Northampton Probate records: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-C9YY-FSXG-4?i=56&cat=275711
9. ↑ Minnesota Society of the Sons of the American Revolution, Membership Applications, 1889-1970, for Edward Rollins Sanford Jr, St. Paul MN, Nov 21, 1894, lineal descent from Sgt Solomon Wright
10. ↑ The visitation of London, anno domine 1633, 1634, and 1635 … v.17 by Howard, Joseph Jackson, 1827-1902; Chester, Joseph Lemuel, 1821-1882 viewed at https://archive.org/details/visitationoflond17howa/page/n379/mode/2up
11. ↑ The visitations of Essex by Hawley, 1552; Hervey, 1558; Cooke, 1570; Raven, 1612; and Owen and Lilly, 1634 : to which are added miscellaneous Essex pedigrees from various Harleian manuscripts, and an appendix containing Berry's Essex pedigrees v.13 by Metcalfe, Walter C. (Walter Charles) viewed at https://archive.org/details/visitationsofess13metc/page/534
12. ↑ Coddington, John I. The Stebbing Family of Co. Essex England, and Rowland, Martin, Edward and Editha Stebbing or Stebbins of New England in: The American Genealogist, Volume 31: No. 4, New Haven, Connecticut, 1955 p. 197 (Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2009 - .)
13. ↑ Vital Records from the New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Online database. AmericanAncestors.org. New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2014. (Compiled from articles originally published in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register.) https://www.americanancestors.org/DB522/i/21069/352/1426569253

See Also

• Genealogical and personal memoirs relating to the families of Boston and eastern Massachusetts vol 1 by Cutter, William Richard, 1847-1918 Publication date 1908 pg 428
• McCormick, Elizabeth D, and Robert H. McCormick. Mccormick-Hamilton, Lord-Day Ancestral Lines. Place of publication not identified: Privately printed, 1957. pages 1135-36.

DNA Sources

1. Source: DNA Confirmation for Lynden Raber Castle Rodriguez from the line of Henry Wright by Ancestry.com DNA::lynden_us and a triangulation match through DNA of Don Allen, on 30 Jul 2015.