Chester Arthur Wright & Virgil Lee Wright postcard

This photo postcard shows brothers Chester Arthur and Virgil Lee Wright, sons of John William and Ellen (King) Wright. The postcard appears to have been sent by their cousin Fred Wright. Unfortunately, I cannot make out the postmark to get the exact date.

Fred Wright was the son of Charles Riggs and Bertha (Leonard) Wright. He was a first cousin of Virgil and Chester.

Lawrence & Jessie Spence with Charles High - 1947

This January 1947 photograph is of Jessie (Pennisten) Spence and husband Lawrence Spence, with great-grandnephew Charles High.

On the back of the photo is written "Aunt Jessie died Feb. 27 1948. Uncle Lawrence died Mar. 28 1961. This was 14 yrs. after this picture taken."

Jessie Pennisten was the daughter of John and Jane Ann (Alderman) Pennisten. Lawrence Spence was the son of Thomas and Suzan (Berry) Spence. Charles was the son of John and Clara Ellen (Wright) High.

Wedding Day : Clara Ellen Wright & John High (December 8, 1945)

This photograph is of John High and Clara Ellen Wright's wedding, taken December 8, 1945. Standing with them is Bonnie (Lambertson) Wright, Clara Ellen's sister-in-law.

Barbara Wright & horse

This undated photograph shows my maternal greataunt, Barbara Wright, on her horse, which appears to be named "Babe", from the writing on the top of the photograph.

Barbara was the daughter of Virgil Lee and Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright.

Virgil Lee Wright

This undated photograph of my maternal great-grandfather Virgil Lee Wright shows him looking his best. The film appears to be from the same roll as the photos at his wife's funeral, so I wonder if that is when this photo was taken.

Wright Family Gathering

This undated photograph shows a Wright family gathering. In the front row, kneeling are Barbara Wright and Terry Wright. In the second row are Edna (Pierce) Wright, Bonnie (Lambertson) Wright, Clara (Wright) High and John High. In the third row are Virgil Wright and William Wright.

Edna Muriel "Peach" (Pierce) Wright

This undated photograph is of my maternal great-grandmother, Edna Muriel "Peach" (Pierce) Wright (1897-1968).

Edna was the daughter of William Francis and Clara (Pennisten) Pierce.

Virgil Lee Wright (b. 1894)

These undated photographs are of my maternal great-grandfather, Virgil Lee Wright, born July 6, 1894 in Madison Co., IN, the son of John William and Ellen (King) Wright.

50th Wedding Anniversary - Virgil & Edna Wright

This photograph was taken in June 1965 at a celebration honoring the 50th wedding anniversary of Virgil Lee and Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright. They are pictured here with their children.

(L-R) Clara Ellen (Wright) High, Virgil Lee Wright, William Lee Wright, Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright, Barbara Lou (Wright) Webster.

Virgil Lee Wright and Edna Muriel Pierce were married on June 19, 1915 in Alexandria, Madison Co., IN.

Terry Wright, Gloria Wright & Charlie High photo

This undated photograph is of Terry Wright, holding sister Gloria Wright, along with cousin Charlie High. With the Christmas tree in the background, this photo must be taken around December 1947.

Wright and High Family photo

This undated photograph at a family gathering shows John High, Clara Ellen (Wright) High, Bonnie (Lambertson) Wright, William Wright. Clara Ellen is holding son, Charlie High, and Bonnie is holding daughter Gloria Wright. In the front is Terry Wright.

Virgil Wright and Melissa High

This undated photograph is of my maternal great-grandfather, Virgil Lee Wright, along with his granddaughter, Melissa Sue High.

Birthday Party : Clara Ellen (Wright) High

This undated photograph appears to be a birthday celebration for Clara Ellen (Wright) High. If you look closely at the cake, you can make out "Happy Birthday Clara Ellen."



In the photo, from back row, left to right, are Virgil Wright, Clara Ellen High, Edna Wright. In the front are Clara Ellen's children, Charlie and Phil High.

Virgil Lee Wright & Barbara Lou Wright photo

This undated photograph is of Virgil Lee Wright and daughter, Barbara Lou Wright, next to the family car.

Clara Ellen Wright & Barbara Lou Wright

This undated photo is of sisters Clara Ellen Wright and Barbara Lou Wright. Just after the tear, you can make out the word "church", and it does appear to be a Sunday morning "going to church"-type of photograph.

Clara Ellen and Barbara Lou were my maternal great-aunts, the daughters of Virgil Lee and Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright.

Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright (1897-1968) Funeral Photos

Funeral photos of my maternal great-grandmother, Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright. The photos are undated, but her she passed away on March 3, 1968, a Sunday, and the funeral was held on Wednesday, according to her obituary in the Alexandria Times-Tribune.

Certificate of Promotion - Virgil Wright (1912)

Above is the certificate of promotion to high school of my maternal great-grandfather, Virgil Lee Wright (1894-1972) from the Monroe Township Public Schools of Madison County, Indiana.

Virgil was the son of John William and Ellen (King) Wright.

Muriel Wright Photo - Alexandria, IN

My great-grandmother, Edna Muriel (Pierce) Wright appears in this undated photograph, along with several other ladies. The photo does not indicate where it was taken or what they were doing. Those identified are from left-to-right : Maude Clevenger, Mrs. Thurston, Muriel Wright, Gert Cooper, and Tillie Hughes.

Computer Crash of 2008

Well, my PC has crashed over the weekend, and I don't know if it was fatal yet as far as genealogy was concerned.

If you've ever had a crash, you understand the sinking feeling in my gut right now. Even with backups, you never can recover everything.

About 5-6 years ago, I had a crash and lost quite a bit of pictures and a couple of months of data that I had input into FamilyTree Maker. After that experience, I became more diligent about backing up my family data.

I love the benefits of technology and computers to organize and disseminate information, but hate the reality that data can be lost. The same could happen to paper files in a flood or a fire. I'm convinced more than ever that I need to share more data, make more copies and send to libraries, etc. so that in the event of a catastrophe, all is not lost.

Update 7/1/08 : My hard drive lost its' partition, so it was a total loss. Fortunately, my database files were backed up at WorldConnect and I had burned CDs of most of the family pictures, etc. You can believe that I will be even more diligent about backing up my data in the future.

Lawrence Spence household - Madison Co., IN

The Lawrence SPENCE household appears in the 1930 census of Alexandria, Madison Co., IN. Lawrence was my maternal 2nd-great granduncle, husband of Jessie PENNISTEN, and the son of Thomas and Suzan (BERRY) SPENCE.

In 1930, Lawrenece was aged 67 with no occupation, and owned his home that was valued at $2200. He was married at age 56, was born in Indiana, and both of his parents were born in Delaware. His wife, Jessie, was aged 59, born in Indiana, with both parents born in Indiana. She was married at age 49.

Lawrence was retired from a long career in the military. They had no children.

Lawrence SPENCE b. January 18, 1863 Madison Co., IN., d. March 29, 1961 Indianapolis, Marion Co., IN., m. September 24, 1920 Anderson, Madison Co., IN., to Jessie PENNISTEN, daughter of John and Jane Ann (ALDERMAN) PENNISTEN. Jessie b. September 9, 1870 Madison Co., IN., d. February 27, 1948 Alexandria, Madison Co., IN.