Thomas Wright Esq. of Wethersfield, Mass. 1610-1670Thomas Wright, Esq., was born at Brook Hall and baptized on Nov. 19, 1610 at St. Peters Church at South Weald in Essex. He came from a well educated family and could read and write. At the age of 16, he was a new freeman and worked for Master Clothmaker Nichas Poultney. Thomas was first married on August 10, 1629 (just shy of his 19th birthday) at Brook Hall at South Weald, to Mary Cranbrook, daughter of William and Mabel Cranbroke of Cranbrook, Kent. The following year Thomas Wright Jr was born, baptized Aug. 13, 1630. A few years later came siblings Lydia (baptized Oct. 27, 1634 in South Weald) and Sam (baptized Sept. 14, 1636 in South Weald).
The following year they made plans to move on to Connecticut, becoming one of the early settlers in Wethersfield, (just south of Hartford on the Connecticut River ) about 1639. The journey was by sea. They followed the coast line south and passed New London and up the Connecticut River. They continued until their ship could no longer navigate the shallow river at the bend in the river, Wethersfield. They were just south of Hartford but also only about 30 miles south of Springfield, Massachusetts where Thomas' cousin John was living and 50 miles from Northampton, Massachusetts where John's son was Deacon. In this romanized painting done by Ralph Nelson in 1935, settlers are traveling overland to Wethersfield from Watertown, MA. Please note these are 20th century depictions of the event. This painting is on display at the Wethersfield Museum. Soon after their arrival saddness struck. His dear wife of 10 years, Mary (Cranbrook) Wright, passed away after the birth of their son Joseph (born Dec 18, 1639). They had moved from a busy sea port to a rural settlement far inland surrounded by the Pequot Tribe who had just wiped out the first round of settlers in 1637. Now Thomas was a single parent to five young children in a hostile land. He bought a homestead and 3 1/2 acers of land on the west side of High Street and built a home near the center of town. Thomas jumped right into politics and it did not take long before he was recognized as a man of influence and high standing. In 1639 Wethersfield adopted the fundamental orders of Connecticut, agreeing to new sturctures and powers of government...contained principles later included in the U.S. Constitution... emphasis on decisions based on the consent of the people. Thomase was Deputy to the General Court of Connecticut in 1643, Selectman (Member of City Council) in 1658, and a Commissioner of Town Line, etc. He was made freeman, May 11, 1654. He and Enoch Buck were Constables and he was on the jury at Hartford in 1668-9. On May 2, 1647, Thomas married the widow Margaret Elson, by whom he had no children. Her husband, Hugh Hillard, had been killed by the Pequot Tribe in 1637 when they wiped out the early settlers. She passed away in Wethersfield sometime between Jan. 19 (date of will) and Apr. 4, 1671 (date of her inventory). Like many generations of Wright men before him, Thomas bought land...lots of land. He bought up many lots and homesteads in town, including a large part of Great Island thereafter known as Wright Island which he gave to his sons Thomas and James. The island eventually ceased to exist when the river changed its course. A part of this island was still owned by the family in 1900. It would later be eroded away, though, and does not exist today. Thomas passed away in Wethersfield, Conn. April 24, 1670. He was undoubtedly interred at the Wethersfield Village Cemetery, the town's only common burying place until the early 1800s. However, by 1899 remnants of his gravestone could not be found. Will of Thomas Wright, Emigrant. "Inventory £101-15/. Taken Apr 29th, 1670, by James Treat--Samuel Boreman--John Ryley. The last will and testament of Thomas Wright, Sen. of Wethersfield, is as followeth: i do give unto my dear wife, Margaret, after my decease, all the provisions (that are for meat and drink) now in my possession. also the use of such movables as she shall think needful for her use during her life. My will is that the Division that I have formerly made of my land unto my sonnes shall stand firm, only in yt my will I give unto my sonn Sam'l but halfe my six acre Lott in ye meadow, together with foure Acres in ye swamp, which he now enjoys, all which is in consideration of five Acres of Land which I had purposed to have given him upon the Island. I doe give unto my sonn Joseph, halfe my six Acre Lott in ye meadow, that is to say, the north side of ye Lott, My will is that after all my debts are paid out of my estate, there shall be an equal division made of ye remainder amongst my children. I doe alsoe make my sonn Thomas sole Executor of yt my will, and doe desire my Loving ffriend, Sam'l Hale, Sen'r, to be helpful to him herein. Thomas also gave to his wife Margeret, "All the linen that I have in my possession that was of her own spinning." The documented children of Thomas Wright and Mary Cranbrook, the first three baptized at South Weald, Essex, the others born either at Watertown, Mass. or Wethersfield, Conn., are: 1. Thomas Wright, Jr., (bapt. Aug. 13, 1630 in England, died Aug. 24, 1683 at Wethersfield, Conn., age 54) married June 16, 1657 at Wethersfield, Elizabeth Chittenden, daughter of Major William Chittenden and Joan Sheafe, born circa 1636 likely at Cranbrook in Kent, England. She died at Wethersfield, Conn. Feb. 17, 1675/6. Four children of the family. 2. Lydia Wright, baptized Oct. 27, 1634, died Feb. 15, 1689/90 at Wethersfield, Conn., age 56. First married Joseph Smith, who died before Aug. 1673 possibly at Wright's Island. Four children of the family. Then she married William Harris after Aug. 5, 1685 (death date of Harris' first wife at Middletown, Conn.) by whom she had no known children. 3. Ens. Samuel Wright, bapt. Sept. 14, 1636, d. Feb 13, 1689/90 at Wethersfield, Conn., age 54. He first married an unidentified Mary on Sept. 29, 1659 at Wethersfield. She died Oct. 6, 1659. In 1660 he married Mary Butler, daughter of Deacon Richard Butler and Elizabeth Bigelow. She was born 1639 at Cambridge, Mass. She died Sept. 12, 1689 at Wethersfield, Conn. Their first child was born Jan. 6, 1660/1. There were seven children of the family. 4. James Wright, born 1638, died Dec. 24, 1727 at Middletown, Conn. He first married on Nov. 20, 1660 at Wethersfield, Dorcas Weed, daughter of Jonas of Stamford, Conn., formerly of Wethersfield. She died at Middletown, Conn. Dec. 24, 1692, after 32 years of marriage. Then he married Mary, who died on Oct. 20, 1740 at Wethersfield. James had numerous children, but their identities are not well-proved. 5. Deacon Joseph Wright, born after Dec. 17, 1640 probably at Wethersfield, Conn. and died Dec. 17, 1714 at Wethersfield, age 75. He married Dec. 10, 1663 at Wethersfield, Mary Stoddard, daughter of John Stoddard and Mary Foote, (born Wethersfield, Conn. Mar 12, 1643/4, died at Wethersfield Aug. 23, 1683, age 40). Then he married his deceased wife's unmarried sister Mercy Stoddard, (born Nov. 1652 at Wethersfield. Died Jan. 2, 1714/5). Seven children by first wife Mary and two by second wife Mercy. Artwork by Phil Lohman, you can see all of his History From a Bird's Eyeview maps on the Wethersfield Historical Society website http://wethersfieldhistory.org/ and a wealth of information about the town's beginnings. Fear and InstabilityThose accused of witchcraft were thought to have signed a compact with the devil, choosing him over God and thereby gaining supernatural powers. A person exhibiting pride, discontent, greed, and lying risked being believed a witch.
How could the Puritans, whose culture emphasized education and prudence, have believed such outlandish notions? According to Yale historian John Demos, “Fear was an elemental part of life in all the new settlements.” Wethersfield residents, for their part, had plenty to fear. They could lose their sheep and other farm animals to wolf and bear attacks. The Connecticut River could flood at any time, wiping out crops. Epidemics visited the region in 1647 and1648, killing dozens of townspeople in an already small and unstable population. As well as conflict with local Native Americans tribes. Even the elements of society that were supposed to lend stability to the community were in turmoil. Religious controversy dominated Wethersfield throughout the 1640s and 1650s. While details of the conflict are vague, the seriousness of the strife is suggested by large numbers of settlers fleeing Wethersfield for nearby settlements.
The instability of life in colonial Connecticut created a need for order. A theme that connects those accused of witchcraft is that they each had challenged the social orthodoxies of their communities, thus rocking the boat and making their neighbors uneasy. Many of the accused were economically vulnerable or had been convicted previously of thievery or other similar offenses. All three of Wethersfield’s “witches” who were executed, Mary Johnson and Joan and John Carrington, are notable for their lack of wealth and social standing. Analysis of church and court records reveals that women of the period identified weakness and a proclivity toward sin as chief characteristics of their gender. And historian Elizabeth Reis explains that while men were more confident in their ability to withstand the devil’s temptation, “Women were more likely to interpret their own sin, no matter how ordinary, as a tacit covenant with Satan.” No matter how horrifying the prospect, “A good Puritan woman/witch needed to repent [for her sins]….” Mary Johnson likely was guided by this line of thinking. A house servant, she had two years earlier (first in Hartford and then in Wethersfield) been convicted of thievery and whipped. In her confession, she revealed that she was discontent with her many chores and that “…a devil was wont to do her many services.” To the Puritans the term discontentment meant “thinking oneself above one’s place in the social order,” according to Carol Karlsen in her book The Devil in the Shape of a Woman (Norton, 1998), a sentiment Johnson’s confession clearly reflects. The trial of Katherine Harrison provoked a major revision of Connecticut trial law. According to Connecticut state historian Walter Woodward, Harrison’s was “the pivotal case in the transformation of colonial witch craft prosecution” from reliance on single-witness testimony to requiring multiple and corroborating testimonies. Harrison apparently was known for having difficult relationships with her neighbors, a situation that didn’t help her when she was tried for witchcraft. During her trial, more than 30 witnesses took the stand against her. The evidence presented included fortune telling, maleficium, and taking the form of a ghost. One woman’s suspicions were aroused because Harrison spun “so great a quantity of fine linen yarn… [that she]…did never know nor hear of any other woman that could spin so much.” Harrison also practiced medicine, and many of her former patients came to suspect her of using her knowledge for killing rather than healing. After two years of depositions, Harrison was found guilty of witchcraft in May 1669.
The Harrison case marked a change in Connecticut magistrates’ approach that had been brewing for some time, before deciding Harrison’s fate, Winthrop and his assistants sought clarification of the standard for evidence in witchcraft cases.
Accusations, trials, and even convictions would continue for several more decades, including a second Connecticut panic, in Fairfield, but never again would a witch be executed in the state of Connecticut. Ens. Samuel WrightSamuel was born in the fall of 1636 at Brook Hall in Essex, England. When he was not yet 2, his family set sail for America. He was 3 when they moved to the small settlement of Wethersfield on the banks of the Connecticut River, deep in the heart of the Connecticut Colony. His mother died just months later. (Father 29, Thomas Jr 9, Lydia 5, Samuel 3, James 1 and Joesph an infant.) It was an exciting time to grow up in Wethersfield. It was a major transfer point on the Connecticut River because north of town the river was too shallow for ships. In 1649 when Sam was about 10 years old, Connecticut Colony's first vessel "The Tryall" was built here in the new shipyard. Over the next several decades six warehouse, ropewalks, wharves and shipyards were constructed. The Wethersfield ships sailed to Atlantic Ports, the West Indies and Europe carrying farm products, livestock, barrel staves and stalked fish...returning with salt, sugar, molasses, slaves and household goods for a prospering village. In the fall of 1659, Sam married Mary on Sept. 29. She tragically died one week later on Oct. 6, 1659. It did not take long before he married again! A couple of months later, in early 1660, he married Mary Butler, daughter of Deacon Richard Butler and Elizabeth Bigelow. Their first child was born a year later on Jan. 6, 1660/1. Ens. Samuel Wright and Mary Butler had the following children of record at Wethersfield: 1. Sgt. Samuel Wright II (1660-1734) married Rebecca Craft and Abigail Butler 2. Mary Wright (1662 - after 1690) married James Treat b. circa 1662 and living at the time of her father's Jan. 1689/90 will. Stile's (Ancient Wethersfield) erroneously claims the two husbands (Daniel Boardman and James Treat) of sister Hannah were Mary's husbands. In context in the order in which Mary is named in her father's will: "I give to my son Samuel a small parcel of Money made up in a Bag marked S. W.; to my daughter Mary another parcel of Money marked M. F.; to my daughter Hannah another parcel of Money marked H. B. [i.e., Hannah Boardman]." At his death, the Feb. 27, 1689/90 inventory of Mary's father includes "The children: 3 of them married; David Wright, almost 13 years of age." Mary was married by January 1689/90, but what was her married surname beginning with the letter "F," if in fact Manwaring transcribed it correctly? 3. Hannah Wright (1663 - 1747 Wethersfield) married Daniel Boardman b. circa 1663-1664, d. Feb. 25, 1746/7 at Wethersfield, age 83 (g.s.); m. 1) June 8, 1683 at Wethersfield, Daniel Boardman, s. of Samuel Boardman and Mary Betts, b. Aug. 4, 1658 at Wethersfield. He d. testate at Wethersfield Feb. 20, 1724/5, age 67. Twelve children of the family, ten who lived to maturity. Hannah m. 2) after May 1727 as his 2nd wife, James Treat, Jr., s. of Lieut. James Treat & Rebecca Latimer, b. Apr. 1, 1666 at Wethersfield. He d. testate Feb. 18, 1742/3, age 76 (g.s.). There were no children by this second marriage. By his 1st wife Prudence Chester, James Treat had seven children. 4. Mabel Wright b. circa 1666, d. young as she is not included in her father's Jan. 1689/90 will; her older brother Samuel named his first child Mabel, b. at Wethersfield Jan. 16, 1686/7. 5. Sarah Wright b. circa 1670, d. young as she is not included in her father's Jan. 1689/90 will; her older brother Samuel named his second child Sarah, b. at Wethersfield Mar. 5, 1687/8. 6. Sgt. David Wright b. July 12, 1677, d. Sept. 6, 1752 at Wethersfield, Æ 76; m. 1) Dec. 28, 1699, Rebecca Goodrich, dau. of John Goodrich & Rebecca Allen, b. Nov. 11, 1680 at Wethersfield. She d. Apr. 10, 1703, Æ 23. David m. 2) June 8, 1710 at Wethersfield, Mary Belden, dau. of Dea. Joseph Belden & Mary Wright, b. Sept. 11, 1687 at Wethersfield. She d. Jan. 9, 1769, Æ 82 (g.s.). Two children by wife Rebecca and seven by wife Mary. On Feb. 13, 1681 in a confusing record at Wethersfield, Ens. Samuel Wright married for the 3rd time, to an unidentified Mary, who died of record at Wethersfield Sept. 12, 1689. They had the following child born per the record three days before the parents married: Eunice Wright, b. Feb. 10, 1681, died young as she is not included in her father's Jan. 1689/90 will. Will dated 17 Jan 1689/90: "I Samuel Wright sen. of Wethersfield doe make this my last Will & Testament in manner following: I give to my Eldest son Samuel Wright that Homelott where his present Dwelling house now stands, and all my Land adjoining to the Same that I purchased of Jonathan Smith. I give unto my son David Wright my present dwelling house and Homelott with the Appurtenances and Buildings thereunto belonging. I give to my son Samuel a small parcel of Money made up in a Bag marked S. W. To my daughter Mary another parcel of Money marked M.F. to my daughter Hannah another parcel of Money marked H. B. I give to my [sister-in-law] Kinswoman Hope Butler, that sometime dwelt with me, a Heifer 2 years old. I make my son Samuel Wright and my son-in-law Daniel Boreman, Executors. I desire my Brother Joseph Wright and my Brother-in-Law Samuel Butler to be Overseers. I doe hereby request and impower my sd. Overseers to place and bind out my son David in a convenient time to some honest Master, that he may learn some useful trade." Inventory taken 27 Feb 1689/90 Sgt. Samuel Wright II, 1660 - 1734Sgt. Samuel Wright II, son of Sam and Mary was born 1660 in Wethersfield, CT. He grew up in the middle of town on Rose Lane (now roughly 212 Main Street) just half a block from the Meeting House (church). May 12, 1686 he married Moses Crafts' daughter Rebecca. They had twelve children. He was Constable (keeping the peace and collecting local taxes) in 1691 and Selectman (town council) in 1704. His wife died on March 14, 1711. Twelve years later he remarried. On August 1, 1723, he married Abigail Butler (his half 1st cousin), widow of Samuel Walter of Stratford. They did not have any additional children. My the fall of 1723 they had a combined family (Sam's 13 children and Abigail's 6 from her two previous marriages) of 21! Samuel passed away October 12, 1734 at the age 75 in Wethersfield, CT. Six years later she followed him January 1, 1740. Children:
Will of Samuel Wright II, “Sergeant,” Wethersfield, CT. Died Oct 12, 1734; wife, Abigail; is in part: “I give to Samuel Wright [IV], the eldest son of my son Samuel Wright [III], lately deceased, the northeast part of my home lott. I give to Moses Wright, the youngest son of my son Samuel Wright the other part of my house lott, etc. Gives to son Ebenezer; to son Thomas; to son Timothy; to daughter Mary Stanley; to daughter Abigail Miller; to children of son Crafts; viz. Cally and Martha; to son Stephen; to daughter Mabel Belding; to daughter Sarah Flower; and to widow Abigail. Inventory, £1845-12-10” Captain Samuel Wright 1692 - 1732
From the diary of Joshua Hempstead of New London, CT, covering a period of 47 years. September, 1711 to November, 1758: “June 1st, Thursday, Fair. June the 7th, Wednesday, Received a letter from my son Stephen, by Captain ----- from Barbados. Samuel Wright who was----- belonging to Wethersfield, brought in dead, June 6th, 1732.” He is mentioned in his father’s will, made April 8, 1734, as having lately died. His inventory was taken June 28, 1732 by Daniel Wright and Jonathan Belding, and administration was granted to the window the day before. Goshen, CT After the death of the captain the family split. The widow (Abigail Goodrich) married Noahdiah Dickinson, made her exhibit and Noahdiah moved the court that her right of dowry might be set out to her, all before August 13, 1741. Moses, age 10 and his sister Rebcecca, age 14 chose their step-father Dickenson as their guardian and went with their mother to live in Goshen, CT. But Samuel was 19 and chose his grandfather, Johnathan Goodrich as his guardian. It is presumed that Abigail and Lucy had passed away at some point prior to this split. There were Wright cousins living in Goshen they might not have known well but were family. In the 1740's, Goshen was just beginning to be settled and established. But is was in a beautiful part of the state. Only four years after their move, Noahdiah Dickinson died in the summer of 1745. An Inventory of the estate of Noahdiah Dickinson, £2200-9/03d, was taken July 11, 1745. Administration was given to widow Abigail, who gave bond with Samuel Wright (son), in £800 old tenor. The next spring, March 4, 1746, Benoni Hills of Goshen was interrogated before the court with respect to withholding and concealing some of the movable estate of Noahdiah Dickinson. Four years after her second husband's death, April 5, 1748, Mrs. Abigail Wright Dickinson cashed out (sold all of her property) and moved to Lenox, Mass. with her son Samuel and daughter Rebecca. Abigail lived another 41 years before her death July 10, 1777 in Lenox, Mass. LENGEND:
Captain Samuel was born at sea and died at sea. The night he died, his wife Abigail had a vision or dream of a fierce storm, she saw him sailing very fast but got lost in the night. This body was sent to New London, CT where he is buried. Children:
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