This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: MichaelCharlesWight Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.wright/6416.1.1.1.1.1.2.1.3.1.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Melanie, The Samuel, James, Samuel progression of given names is pandemic for that era (1500 - 1800). They were so popular as given names that, along with John/Jonathan, Thomas, Joseph and other disciple names their occurance within a family more often means nothing rather than something you can hang your hat on in later generations. Having said that, it is interesting to note that prior to Deacon Samuel Wright naming his second-to-youngest son James, it was a rare given name in that Wright family. In fact the only James Wright in the lineage of the Wrights of Kelvedon Hall prior to the birth of Samuel's son was Samuel's half brother, James, born in London in 1622 to his father's second marriage (1618 to Fortune [nee Garaway] Blount, the widow of Sir Edmund Blount). Samuel's James was born in Springfield, MA in 1639 and the very next year Samuel's cousin, Thomas Wright of Wethersfield, CT had a son he named James. After that time, the given name James got used a lot in the following generations of both these related immigrant father's families. The given name Samuel first appears in this Wright line in 1570/71 with the birth to Lord John Wright of Wrightsbridge and his wife Elizabeth Lindsell. This Samuel was the brother of our Deacon Samuel's father, John Wright, Esq., and died only a month before our Deacon Samuel Wrigh was born to John and Martha (nee Castell) Wright in 1606. It was a given name that became very common in this line and related lines of Wrights from that point on. I think from the point of Deacon Samuel's record, the Footprints website has a pretty good rendition of this line of Wrights for several geneartions including all those leading to Orville and Wilbur Wright. You should also consider the fact that many Wrights who were not related to Orville and Wilber ended up having had their photographs taken with the Wright brothers, just because they had the same last name. By 1910, it had gotten easier for the layman to take pictures and it was a curiosity thing, too. The Wright brothers traveled extensively and met a lot of different people in those years. They were famous, visible and accessable. My own grandfather's folks lived just about a day's travel from them and saw one or the other of them a few times when they were in the Dayton-Columbus area. My great grandfather was a master carpenter and house builder and had a keen interest in how they were building their flying machines, but he never met them personally. Had he had a good excuse to have his picture taken with them, he would have certainly gone for it. During his entire life (1851 - 1937), he had no idea he was related to them. He just admired what those fellow Buckeye'! s were doing in crafting a machine that would fly and would go a little out of his way to see them if he heard they were in the area visiting or giving a talk or whatever. Anyway, I have run out of time for further discussion for now. Let me know what specifics about Samuel, James and Samuel you are thinking about and maybe I can be more specific in my comments. Take care, Mike Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.