Virgil Lee Wright (1894-1972)

Virgil Lee WRIGHT was my maternal great-grandfather. He died when I was young, and I have no memories of him. I need to interview my mother and other relatives that might have 'family stories' about him. I know that he was a farmer and that he worked for the county highway department. The farmhouse where he raised his family in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana is where I grew up as a boy.

The following facts about Virgil's life are known:

• Birth: He was born July 6, 1894 in Orestes, Madison County, Indiana, son of John William & Ellen (KING) WRIGHT
• Census: 1900 - appears in the household of John W. WRIGHT in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana
• Census: 1910 - appears in the household of John W. WRIGHT in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana
• Graduation: 1912 - graduated April 16th from Monroe Township Public Schools (8th grade) in Madison County, Indiana. He was aged 17 at the time.
  
• Marriage: He married Edna Muriel PIERCE on June 19, 1915 in Alexandria, Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana. I will be posting a copy of his marriage license application later.
  
• Census: 1920 - appears as head of household in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana
• Census: 1930 - appears as head of household in Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana
• Death: He died March 25, 1972 of hypostatic pneumonia in Alexandria, Monroe Township, Madison County, Indiana. See the link to a copy of his death certificate below.
  

The following facts need further research and/or documentation to complete my research:

• Birth: Need to obtain a copy of Virgil's birth certificate from the Madison County Health Department. Though I have the date of his birth from other sources, for some reason I have failed to collect an official record of his birth.
• Draft Records: With my new access to Ancestry.com databases, I hope to locate draft board records for Virgil.
• Obituary: Somewhere in my files I have his obituary from the Anderson and Alexandria newspapers, but in my database have only sourced one from the Elwood newspaper. Need to fix this.
  

Ancestry of Virgil Lee Wright (1894-1972), Ahnentafel # 12 in my ancestry :

Ahnentafel # 24: John William WRIGHT (1860-1945); Brown Co., OH>Madison Co., IN

Ahnentafel # 48: Joseph W. WRIGHT (1838-1919); Brown Co., OH>Madison Co., IN

Ahnentafel # 96: John WRIGHT (1814-1890); Brown Co., OH

Ahnentafel # 192: George WRIGHT (1780-1853); Pennsylvania>Brown Co., OH

Ahnentafel # 384: John WRIGHT (1755-1810); Middlesex Co.,MA>Brown Co., OH

Ahnentafel # 768: Deacon John WRIGHT (1727-1772); the immigrant; Fife, Scotland to Cambridge, MA

Related blog posts:

• Tombstone Tuesday: Virgil Lee & Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright

• Virgil Lee & Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright Death Certificates

• Certificate of Promotion - Virgil Wright (1912)

• Virgil Wright & Lawrence Spence

• Chester Arthur Wright & Virgil Lee Wright postcard

• Find A Grave Memorial: Virgil Lee Wright (1894-1972)

• 50th Wedding Anniversary: Virgil & Edna Wright (1965)

• 50th Wedding Anniversary: Virgil & Edna Wright

• Virgil Wright's Country School

• Today in my database: Virgil Lee Wright (b. July 6, 1894)

• Virgil Lee & Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright - 1960

• Virgil Wright and Melissa High photo

• Virgil Lee Wright and Barbara Lou Wright photo

• Virgil Lee Wright

• Virgil & Edna Wright with Barbara

• Virgil Lee & Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright - 1962

• Virgil Lee & Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright - 1960

• Virgil Lee Wright (b. 1894)

• Wright home - Orestes, Indiana
  

Tombstone Tuesday: Luman Walker and Nancy (Young) Lemasters

My paternal 3rd-great grandparents, Luman Walker and Nancy (YOUNG) LEMASTERS, are buried in the Salamonia Cemetery, Jay County, Indiana.

Luman was born March 11, 1808 in Mason County, Virginia (now West Virginia), the son of Jacob and Hannah (________) LEMASTERS.

Nancy was born August 26, 1904 in Pickaway County, Ohio, the daughter of Philip and Nancy Ann (McLANE) YOUNG.

Luman and Nancy were married on January 19, 1832 in Shelby County, Ohio. They lived in Shelby County, Ohio until around 1854 when they purchased land in Madison Township, Jay County, Indiana and settled there. Luman was a farmer and a Methodist Episcopal minister.

Luman died on April 15, 1888 in Jay County, Indiana and Nancy followed him on August 26, 1904 in Salamonia, Jay County, Indiana.

Luman and Nancy were the parents of the following children, all but John were born in Shelby County, Ohio:

• Hannah Lemasters (1832-1838)
• Nancy Ann Lemasters (1834-1838)
• Philip Lemasters (1836-1915) married Elizabeth C. HOOVER; 1 child
• Rachel Lemasters (1838-1913) married William E. CUNNINGHAM; 6 children
• Catherine E. Lemasters (1840-1911) married John P. WEHRLY; 8 children
• Luman Walker Lemasters (1842-1931) married Mary K. CHEW; 11 children
• Jacob Lemasters (1845-1922) married Sarah A. HALFHILL; 10 children
• Phebe Jane Lemasters (1847-aft1873) married William R. WILSON
• Mary Lemasters (1849-1929) married John PETRY; 2 children
• Martha Julesa Lemasters (1852-1936) married William W. LOOFBOURROW; 5 children
• John Stevens Lemasters (1855-aft1920) married Sarah I. WILSON; 7 children

Begin at the beginning...

Begin at the beginning and go on till you come to the end; then stop. - said by the King to the White Rabbit, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll.

I've been tempted with my new birthday present - a subscription to Ancestry.com - to do the "shotgun" approach to my genealogy, grabbing something here, something there, until I lose myself in the euphoria of discovery. So far, just within the first 24 hours, I've been plugging in the names of my brickwalls and finding bits and pieces for further research.

I need to refocus not only my research but this blog as well. Who is my audience? Hopefully, other researchers who share my surnames. Maybe someday my kids will be interested and these postings will get them started. Perhaps some far-flung cousin will stumble across these pages and find a new connection.

My new resolution - it's never too early or late to start one - is to stay more focused on my research by beginning with what I know and working backwards on just a few lines at a time. I intend to participate more in the daily blogging memes and blog carnivals. Already I've created some future posts for Surname Saturday and Tombstone Tuesday in order to get me going. I need to stay focused and try to write a bit every day on this blog.

The continued success of my research will depend on my ability to stay focused and organized. I have a great software program, Rootsmagic, that offers me the ability to make 'to do' lists. I have not used those to the fullest, and have spent too much time re-discovering information that I already have! I have a research trip planned in a couple of weeks that I need to prepare for as well.

I say all of this with great intentions....only time will tell how well I do. Stay tuned.