Subject: Re: [TNFENTRE-L] Samuel Wright and Naomi Choate >I have Samuel Winfield Wright as the child of Mathias Austin Wright >(1815-1899) and Elizabeth Jane Wright ( 1817-1898). Mathias Austin Wright >was the son of Mathew W. Wright (1789-1865) and Margaret Ann Ritchie >(1790-1882). Elizabeth Jane Wright was the daughter of John Wright and >Elizabeth Lindley. It is so easy to get all of these Wrights tangled up, >especially since they married cousins. Can anyone help with documents? >Thanks, Sarah

Sarah Beale et al, Here some more info about: Mathias Austin "Matthew" Wright by Wilma Reagan Pinckley John Taylor Wright and Elizabeth Ann King, were first cousins. They grew up and married in Fentress County, and all their children were born there. Betsy and Mathias came into the Little Crab area about 1840 as a young couple where they built a log residence on the old Livingston-Jamestown road. Mathias became a big land owner. He operated a sawmill near his home on Crab Creek. At this mill, lumber was sawed and shipped by water routes to Nashville, Tennessee where it was used in the construction of our state capitol building. In the early 1870s, in the days before banks were established in our county, Mathias was Trustee of the county. He would come to Jamestown, ten miles away, on certain days to pay county bills and to receive monies due for taxes, etc. As was necessary, he kept funds at home. Late one afternoon two or three robbers appeared at Mathias' home and demanded the money in his possession. He refused to reveal where the funds were. After searching the home diligently, the robbers found $400 which they kept. Not satisfied with this amount, the robbers insisted on the hiding place of other monies. Mathias continued to refuse the revelation of other funds. In anger and in haste, the robbers hanged Mathias to a cedar tree in his yard. History does not tell us why the robbers became nervous, and mounted their horses and rode away. Hastily, Betsy rushed to the tree with her long-bladed butcher knife and cut Mathias down. He suffered no ill effects from the ordeal. He told his friends that the major portion of the funds were buried near the spring in a coffee pot. The robbers were never identified or caught. On the third Saturday in May, 1876, Mathias and Betsy, with twelve other people, met and organized the United Cedar Grove Baptist Church at Little Crab. Mathias was elected as a Deacon and the church clerk. He served in these positions until ill health forced him to retire only a few months before his death in 1899. Mathias was appointed as the first postmaster at Little Crab, Tenn. on January 18, 1871, and he served there until January 2, 1894, when he was succeeded by L.B. Chism. Mathias also operated a mercantile business near his home until 1888, which he sold to the same L.B. Chism. Mathias and Betsy are buried in the Bailey Bowden Cemetery at Little Crab. The land for this cemetery was given by Mathias years previous to their deaths. Recently, a nice granite marker was placed at their graves by a great grandson, Roscoe H. Wright, of Liberty, Kentucky. Hope this helped, Fabian Doles Cologne, Germany Sarah Beale schrieb: > > > Subject: Re: [TNFENTRE-L] Samuel Wright and Naomi Choate > > >> I have Samuel Winfield Wright as the child of Mathias Austin Wright >> (1815-1899) and Elizabeth Jane Wright ( 1817-1898). Mathias Austin >> Wright was the son of Mathew W. Wright (1789-1865) and Margaret Ann >> Ritchie (1790-1882). Elizabeth Jane Wright was the daughter of John >> Wright and Elizabeth Lindley. It is so easy to get all of these >> Wrights tangled up, especially since they married cousins. Can anyone >> help with documents? Thanks, Sarah > > > > > ==== TNFENTRE Mailing List ==== > Don't Forget To Check The Courthouse & Bible Records For Pre 1865 > Overton and Fentress Marriages.Also, Look For Recorded Wills. > >