Mary married Thomas WRIGHT, * on 10 Aug 1629 in South Weald, Essex, England. Thomas (son of Lord Sir John Thomas WRIGHT and Lady Grace Swindles GLASCOCK) was born on 19 Nov 1610 in The Moat House, South Weald, Brentwood Borough, Essex, England; was christened on 19 Nov 1610 in of Wethersfield, Conn; died on 21 Apr 1670 in Weathersfield, Hartford, Connecticut; was buried in Wethersfield, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States of America. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

He arrived from England about 1630 probably in Watertown, Massachusetts. He removed to Westhersfield, CT in 1639 and was a respected citizen there.

Personally I suspect that he is the Thomas Wright who was transported to Virginia by Captain Moore Fauntleroy before May 22, 1650 along with 5 children, a wife and maid. It was the same ship that Thomas Underwood came over on, though the ship is not named in the deed records where their names are included. It appears that at that point in time, the ship's master who transported persons to Virginia received large amounts of land for their efforts and the persons they transported are therefore listed in the deed records of Old Rappahannock Co., VA. If so, he died in 1700 on the Isle of Wight. (C-2394)

There is a William Wright who came to America in 1682 aboard the "Bristol Factor" from Bristol, England. He died in Dorchester Co., MD before June 6, 1686. He had a son named Roger Wright. (C-917) There is a Captain Nathaniel Wright who emigrated to Maryland, and settled in Queen Anne's County, about 1673. He left a recorded Will in which he mentions his brothers, Surgeon and Justice Solomon Wright, 1655-1717 of Kent County, and Charles Wright. All three brothers were born in England. It is not known if any of these are Thomas' relatives or not. (C-708)

Thomas married Elizabeth CHITTENDEN?, * on 16 Jun 1657. Elizabeth (daughter of William CHITTENDEN, * Lieutenant or Major and Joanna SHEAFFE, *) was born in 1638 in Cranbrook, Tunbridge Wells Borough, Kent, England; died on 17 Feb 1676 in Wethersfield, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States of America; was buried in Wethersfield, Hartford County, Connecticut, United States of America. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

It is not known with any certainty whom James Wright's father is. The group I think he is in is haplogroup I-M253, group 1 at the Wright YDNA group. That is a guestimate and not proven.

As for the current theories from research, here are the ones I have found without good support for any of them currently.

1. Tradition says that there were five Wright brothers that settled on the Eastern Shore of Maryland during the Colonial period as professed by several aged persons in THE WRIGHT ANCESTRY by Capt. Charles W. Wright, 1907.

2. Two other brothers settled in Baltimore Co, Maryland according to one of these ancients. Maryland's southern border is on the Atlantic Ocean. The additional 2 brothers that settled in Baltimore would have entered Chesapeake Bay and gone north to Baltimore. Baltimore is about 55 miles south by water from where our James Wright can first be verified as living in East Nottingham, Chester Co., PA (now of Cecil Co., MD) via the same bay that comes in from the southeastern side of Maryland on the Atlantic Ocean.

3. James's father according to Don Wright in the "Footprints Database" is John Wright of Pennsylvania. This probably refers to 13 volumes microfiched and available through Salt Lake City's library: "Footprints of Our Past : Our Ancestors and their Descendants" by Don P. Wright. He edited this publication through 1992 under that name and his main interest was researching the Wright surname.

In any case, this Wright family lived above Noris Ford on Marshy Hope Creek literally at the boundary of Maryland and Delaware. It is near 100 miles by land and across the Chesapeake Bay east of where our James Wright can be verified as living in East Nottingham (Now Cecil Co., MD.) in 1707. It is a creek that runs south into the Nanticoke River which runs into the Chesapeake Bay making it even further by water. John was a possible son of two brothers, William (b. bef. 1658 surmised from the fact that he had 5 sons who were born before he died in 1686) and a James Wright that settled in Dorchester Co., MD about 1682 above Noris Ford (Northwest Fork Ford) of Marshy
Hope Creek. That part of Dorchester Co., MD is now a part of Caroline Co., Maryland due to boundary changes. William and James possibly emigrated on the "Bristol Factor" in that same year with one of William Penn's colonies probably through Bristol, England. (C-951)

The two brothers were Quaker preachers and traveled extensively to preach to Quaker communities. Brother William died in Dorchester before June 5, 1686. He had sons William (who married Sarah Noble), Roger, Edward, Samuel and John. (This is likely the John that Don Wright's "Footprints Database" refers to. His sons Edward, Samuel and John supposedly moved west which at that point in time would have been east of the Allegheny Mountains.) His son, Roger, who lived in Dorchester and had several children including sons named Levin, William and *James.
Many of the Wrights in Maryland and Delaware descend from this William. No descendants lineages were apparently kept for James' children according to "The Wright Ancestry of Caroline, Dorchester, Somerset and Wicomico Counties, Maryland." The two brothers were known as Niccolite or Quaker Wrights because of their strict religious sect. The James Wright who came over with his brother William in 1682, might even be our James or William's grandson at a stretch might be our James.

The births of our James and Mary Wright are recorded with the Niccolite Births (Quaker Record Abstracts) in the Hall of Records at Annapolis, Anne Arundel Co., MD supporting this theory. Their particular group was known as the "Northwest Fork River Niccolite Friends." Of course, if one of these James is our James, it still doesn't tell us who his father is. It might be helpful to note that Dorchester Co., MD is 110 miles south from where we can verify that James Wright first lived which was East Nottingham, Chester Co., PA (Now in Cecil Co., Maryland) via the Chesapeake Bay. They and several generations of their descendants worshipped at the Niccolite Quaker Meeting House Branch near Federalsburg, Maryland and at Piney Grove Monthly after it moved locations.

Of all the theories I'm seeing presented, this one is the one with the greatest hope of including our James' ancestors and I will be studying it with a relish. "The Wright Ancestry of Caroline, Dorchester, Somerset and Wicomico Counties, Maryland" is currently available as a free Ebook on Google Books by the way. *It should be noted if this theory ends up being correct, Naomi Wright is supposed to have been a sister to the above brothers. She lived in Sussex Co., Delaware and married Joseph Atkins shortly after their 2nd declaration of intention to marry on Mar. 30, 1699. (C-258, 259)

However, there was at least one Naomi Wright whom is not the sister of William and James but the daughter of Arthur and Abigall Wright in Dorchester Co., Maryland at the time that possibly is this Naomi Wright. In 19 July 1679, An Account of Arthur Wright's estate is recorded, with payments to 147 people. Abigall Wright is listed as administratrix. (MD Accounts and Inventories Lib. 6 fol. 187) On 29 September 1679, Abigail Wright of Dorchester County, widow, gave to her children, Grace Wright, Absalom Wright, Edward Williams, Arthur Wright and Naomi Wright: Livestock. Witnesses Wm. Stephens, Thomas Taylor, William Smithson Acknowledged September 29, 1679. (Dorchester Land Record 4 old 6)*It should also be noted that I'm simply not finding persons whom are tracing their lineages back through anyone but William's son William whom married Sarah Noble - and their dating estimates are really throwing this lineage off.3. A very common ancestral line in public member trees at Ancestry says James was born in Chester Co., PA and was the son of Thomas Wright and Elizabeth Chittenden.

4. Also often stated is that he is the son of John and Martha Wright of Connecticut and John was the son of the above Thomas Wright and Elizabeth Chittenden. A well researched Wright descendant has Thomas and Elizabeth Chittenden Wright listing totally different children and places of birth at http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~legends/wright.html. They descend through an unrelated Connecticut branch of Wrights that go back through Essex Co, England. Y-DNA supports the fact that the Thomas Wright and Elizabeth Chittenden group descends from the Essex Co., England group. It's a very clear match to that grouping with a haplo group of E-M78 and YDNA shows that match. https://www.familytreedna.com/public/wright/default.aspx?section=yresults4.

5. A book referred to as the "Wright Briscoe Pioneers" believed James's father to be one of three brothers, Joshua, Thomas or Samuel who came from Yorkshire, England to New Jersey in 1677. These were sons of Robert Wright and Alice Lawtie of East Riding, Yorkshire, England. We can rule out Joshua Wright and his wife, Elizabeth Empson. Their son was: Richard Wright 1651.

A clue to this family is where they lived. James and his wife died in Frederick Co., Virginia. People from Pennsylvania and Maryland had first settled it sometime between 1738 and 1743. All we know for certain is that they were there before 1759. From East Nottingham (Chester Co., PA, now Cecil Co., MD) they would possibly have come down the Chesapeake Bay to the Potomac River and then taken the old "Indian Trail" down the Opequon Creek basin 35 miles to the newly formed Frederick Co., Virginia. This trail later became known as the "Great Valley Road". It was a common route of passage for early migrantion into Frederick Co., VA.

James married Mary BOWATER or DAVIS, * on 26 Feb 1707 in East Nottingham, Chester, PA, USA. Mary (daughter of John BOWATER, * and Mary MAUNDER) was born on 2 Dec 1689 in London, City of London, Greater London, England; died before 6 Mar 1764 in , Frederick, Virginia, USA; was buried before 6 Mar 1764 in Clear Brook, Frederick County, Virginia, United States of America. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Hannah Wright and husband Henry Ballinger moved to Cane Creek, New Garden MM, NC probably by 1751 and definitely by 1754. She was a minister at the New Gardens Meeting. (C-624,259,759)

Hannah married Henry J. BALLINGER on 18 Jun 1726 in Nottingham M.M., Chester, PA, USA. Henry (son of Henry BALLENGER and Mary HARDING) was born in May 1695 in , , NJ, USA; died in Apr 1774 in , , NC. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Anne married James Adams MCCOOL in 1742. James was born about 1709; died in 1751 in Back Creek, Frederick, VA, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Anne married Thomas PUGH in 1753 in Hopewell (Pughtown), Frederick, VA, USA. Thomas (son of Jesse PUGH and Alice MALIN) was born on 16 Nov 1731 in , Augusta, VA; died in 1798 in , Frederick, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Mary is singled out in her mother's will as her beloved daughter who was chosen one of her mother's three executors. She and her husband were among the 70 families that started the Opequon Settlement in 1735. They were granted 500 acres adjoining the Hollingsworths near what is now Winchester. (C-696) She was about a decade younger than her husband and he died young. Braddock's army under the command of Co. Dunbar stayed at Widow Ballinger's on May 3, 1755. (C-1991)

Mary married Josiah BALLINGER on 30 Jun 1727 in , Burlington, New Jersey, USA. Josiah (son of Henry BALLENGER and Mary HARDING) was born in 1697 in , Burlington, New Jersey, USA; died in Sep 1748 in Hopewell M.M., Frederick, VA, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Thomas married Esther HIATT before 1748. Esther was born on 1 Apr 1731; died in 1778. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Martha was a Quaker Minister for 62 years. Her son John Mendenhall III followed in her footsteps and became a minister also. (C-624,759)

Martha married John MENDENHALL on 4 Apr 1731. John died in 1771 in , Frederick, Virginia, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Elizabeth was located in New Garden MM, NC part of her life. (C-624)

Family/Spouse: George MATTHEWS. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

Much information can be gleaned about this family from a book by Algie I. Newlin entitled CHARITY COOK, A LIBERATED WOMAN, (Friends United Press, 1981). It is a biography of their daughter, Charity Cook, written and researched by a history professor.

Around 1725, he and his family moved to the northern part of Maryland, Prince Georges Co., MD possibly living at Goose Creek MM, Cecil Co., MD first. Rachel's family lived in Prince George's County and they probably met there. John's only wife was Rachel Wells. Some sources list a second wife named Susannah but this has been disproven. The first half of John and Rachel's children were born in Prince George's County Maryland according to Newlin's book: [UL:Charity Cook, A Liberated Woman:UL].

John's family moved from 1733-35 to Frederick Co., VA and became members of the Friends Hopewell Monthly Meeting according to Lewis Wright. (C-588, 610) Possibly the confusion here comes from the changing names of territories. They lived near Monacacy River a few miles south of Frederick which could have been Prince George's Co., Maryland at the time, but is now known as Frederick Co., Maryland. The marriage records of John and Rachel Wells Wright can not be located, and it is thought by some that they were burned with the Hopewell meeting records. Marriage is therefore approximated as 1737, a year before their first child's birth.

Both John and Rachel were appointed overseers of their respective male and female Monthly Meetings in Monocacy in 1745. They were charter members of the Fairfax MM.

Rachel Wells Wright is a very interesting person of her own right. She was a Quaker minister. This involved travel and stamina on her part. She was a very sturdy woman attested by the trials she endured plus the fact that she had three of her children in just a two year period.

What is even more astounding is that during this same two year period, John and Rachel Wright with 7 young children, William through John Jr. moved to the Cane Creek frontier, soon to become Orange County, North Carolina, which was over a distance of 300 miles. They received their letter to go to what was then Carvers Creek MM on 29-5-1749. They were charter members of of Cane Creek Monthly Meeting in Alamance Co., North Carolina when it was established 10m-1751. (C-575) Six more children were born to them in the Cane Creek area. All thirteen are listed in the Cane Creek records.

John and Rachel often lived in new, rather unsecured settlement areas. It appears that they moved near Camden, Kershaw Co., South Carolina in 1761/1762 to the Wateree Meeting in Camden, South Carolina, later to become the Bush River Monthly Meeting area that they helped establish. (C-250) He sought a land patent for land on Beaverdam on Sep 17, 1769 with an addition joining it in 1786. Parts of both of this land he granted to his son in law Big John. Later, Big John and Rachel then sold it to their son, Wright Coate.

According to Lewis Wright, John was a Ship Captain by trade. (C-610, 615) However, in his will, he bequeathed his shoemaking tools. Medlin's "Quaker Families of South Carolina and Georgia also states that John was a shoemaker by trade. He never tended to live on the ocean either, so I'd say the Ship Captain must apply to some other John Wright. (C-265, 866) John was also a member of the first and second Provincial Congress of S.C. (C-588)

At an ederly age, he lived with his daughter, Susannah. He used to walk to and from the Quaker meetings. The family reunion in 1908 recalled that his daughter prevailed on him to take her horse on one occasion. When the meeting was over, he walked home. When he got there she asked him where the horse was and he replied "Dad, me Sue, I forgot her."

According to this same family reunion provided by Julia Henry, it states that he and his wife had seven sons and ten daughters, 4 of whom apparently aren't in the Quaker records. He attended his grand-daughter, Sarah Cook's wedding in 1785.

He wrote his will on 9/17/1789. He named his wife, his deceased son, Joseph and Joseph's son, John; John and his son; Jesse; Nathan and his son William; his son-in-law, Isaac Hollingsworth which he left his shoe-maker tools, cow and calf; Joab Brooks, son of James Brooks; Joseph Cook, his grandson and son of Isaac Cook; William Hollingsworth, grandson and son of Isaac Hollingsworth; son-in-law Isaac Cook and Isaac's daughter Rachel. The witnesses were Isaac Hollingsworth, John Coate and Charity Cook. His Executor was his son Joseph Wright. His will was written in Newberry Co., South Carolina. (C-866, 2082)

His death was about 1790. He was living with his son-in-law, Isaac Hollingsworth's family, in the 1790 census. Before he died, he supposedly gathered all of his descendants which numbered 144 persons at the time. (C-945)

John married Rachel WELLS, Minister about 1737 in Hopewell M.M., Frederick, VA, USA. Rachel (daughter of Joseph WELLS and Rachel MARSH) was born on 3 May 1720 in All Hallows Parish, Anne Arundel, MD, USA; was christened on 12 Jul 1721 in Davidsonville, Anne Arundel, MD, US; died on 23 Dec 1771 in Bush River, Newberry County, South Carolina, USA; was buried in Newberry, Newberry County, South Carolina, United States of America. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

James Jr. bought 194 acres from Josiah Ballinger in Frederick Co., VA, a son of Henry Ballinger Sr. about 1750. James moved across the Blue Ridge mountains during the French and Indian Wars to Guilford Co., NC and were members of the New Gardens MM. They moved back to Frederick Co., VA in 1762. He and his wife had 9 children. (C-624,759,956) It is often listed that he had a second wife named Pheobe, but this is an error. It's his son, James that married Pheobe Parkins. (C-2034, E)

Family/Spouse: Lucy UNKOWN. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

An E-Mail letter from Lewis Wright gives Isaac's wife's name as Sidney George. They had two sons. (C-610)

Family/Spouse: Sidney Ann RODGERS. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Family/Spouse: William PICKERING. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

She was the only unmarried daughter at the time of her father's will, Oct. 14, 1751. Farmer says her husbands were a Mathews and a Rogers. Other sources have listed her with a first husband named Evan Rogers. However, in the Quaker marriage records to her husband Owen, she is listed by her maiden name, and not named widow. (C-696, 956, 2034) She and Owen had a son John listed in Quaker records in 1757.

Lydia married Owen ROGERS about 1756. Owen died after 1780. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]