Amos Milton Wright, Sr

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSsr=81&GSmid=4710...

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The Amos Wright family was one of the first to settle here.

By Helen Burgess 2-10-1972

The work of establishing the primitive church in Washington and adjoining counties in Indiana is attributed to the family of Amos Wright, Sr. Among the earliest to settle in Washington County, they are said to be largely responsible for the beginning of the Churches of Christ in this area .

Amos Wright, Sr. son of Richard Wright and Ann, his wife, was born in Rowan County, North Carolina in 1964 [Note: This should be 1764..sg]. Richard Wright was a native of England who first settled in Maryland before migrating to North Carolina [Richard Wright was NOT a native of England, but of MARYLAND, as proved by DNA evidence.]. Amos had brothers, William, Philburt, Richard, Jr. and Hugh – [there was NO HUGH in this family!]

In North Carolina Amos Wright married Elizabeth Low. were John, Anna, Peter, Levi, Joshua, Richard, Rebecca and Amos, Jr., His second marriage was to Margaret Davis in Kentucky. Children by the second marriage were Lizzie, Benjamin, Polly, Sally, Uzziah, Simon and Jane.

Amos and Elizabeth Low Wright migrated to Powell’s Valley, Virginia, where they lived for a few years, before moving to Wayne County, Kentucky. Here Elizabeth died at age 41. In the fall of 1807 Amos and his second wife, Margaret moved to Clark’s Grant in Indiana Territory. From there in 1809, along with son John, brother Philburt and other relatives they settled a short distance east of Beck’s Mill in what was later Washington County.

Brought up among the Quakers, Amos turned away from those who baptized none, to Tunkers or Dunkards who practiced trine baptism (immersion three times). Later he went with the Dependant or ‘Free Will” Baptist.

Amos Wright started his preaching career in the 1790’s in Kentucky and one of his first acts upon reaching the wilderness of Indiana was to establish a church. With his son Rev. John Wright, they started holding services in their homes and the Old Blue River Baptist Church (Later Church of Christ) was started.

The War of 1812 and the unrest among the Indians caused the Wright families to go to live within the fort at Fort Hill. This fort was built by the wrights and their friends and provided living quarters inside for all of them. The walls were bullet proof, built of upright logs, set side by side. The men worked in the fields by day and returned to the fort at night. Lavina, oldest daughter of John Wright was born in the Fort in 1813 and it was feared that her cries might attract the Indians.

Because the Indians here were from scattered tribes, and by nature lazy, they were pacified by gifts of grain and meat and no one in Fort Hill was harmed.

After the war, the Wrights again took up their ministry and soon started organizing branch churches. They kept up their work, organizing and converting numbers until there were ten of these congregations with Amos and John Wright as Elders who ruled over all these different church groups. These ten churches then formed what was called the Blue River association. This group later rejected the name “Baptists” and called themselves Christians individually, with the organization called “Church of Christ”.

Re v. John Wright, the oldest son of Rev. Amos Wright, Sr. will be the subject of next week’s column. Much has been recorded about him, probably the best known of all the “preaching Wrights”.

Anna Wright, daughter of Amos Wright, married Phillip Copple, also a minister. They were active members of the Old Mill Creek Church, which was one of the branches of Old Blue River. This church was located on the northern boundary of Howard township on Mill Creek and was a large church in its day. From this congregation later came Mt. Tabor, Smedley, Kansas and the Fort Hill churches.

El der Peter Wright, son of Amos, was a preacher in his own right. He was married in Harrison County, Indiana in 1812 to Rachel Wood (or Woods) by his brother, John Wright. He is mentioned often as helping his father and brothers with their church organization and was a charter member of the Old Mill Creek church.

An other minister son of Amos Wright was Elder Levi Wright who moved to Putnam County, Indiana. Not much is known about Amos’s son, Rev. Joshua Wright, except he also had a minister son, Rev. Clayborn Wright.

Rev. Amos Wright, Jr, married Jane Gross in Washington County in 1822, and when their daughter Lavina was one year old, he moved to Sullivan County, Indiana where he lived until 1860 when he moved to Knox County near Edwardsport. Rev Amos Wright, Jr., once wrote, “I was immersed in the Christ by my father, he being a Christian preacher who in the year 1819 threw off the yoke and with his sons John and Peter, laid aside the name Free Will or Dependant Baptist and took the Bible alone for both Faith and Practice and instead of Baptist Church, the Church of Christ and the members called Christians”. He preached this doctrine in Knox and Sullivan counties.

Another son-in-law, Nathan Buchanon was also a minister, as was Rev. Jacob Wright, a grandson of Rev. John Wright.

Receiving very little or no remuneration for their preaching efforts, the Wrights engaged in farming and other pursuits such as carpentry. The wives, brothers and sisters and children were all zealous in the work of their churches.

Amos Wright, Sr. died in 1846 and his wife Margaret in 1842. His son John wrote in his obituary, “He was one of the meek of the earth and without an enemy in the world. He has finished his course on earth in the assurance of triumphant faith, having spent between 50 and 70 years in the house of God and more than 40 years of that time, he was a public teacher of Christianity and contended faithfully for the faith of the gospel. He has left behind five sons earnestly contending for the faith, with one grandson, Jacob Wright, now of Decatur, Indiana and one son-in-law, Nathan Buchanan, called a strong man in the gospel, now of Missouri.”

Amos and Margaret Wright lie buried in the Old Mill Creek Cemetery along with a daughter and son-in-law, Anna and Phillip Copple. Very little trace is left of this old cemetery today, atop a wooded knoll above Mill Creek on the north edge of Howard Township. Only two legible stones are left and no trace of any marker for any member of the Wright family can be found. However, it takes little imagination to stand there and visualize the Old Mill Creek Church standing nearby and the crowds who came there to hear the “Preaching Wrights”. Then we can understand, as someone has said of them, “Surely the footsteps of the good are ordered by the Lord”.

Note: Data for this article was obtained from the files of the Washington County Historical Society.

[Transcription source: http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/11540201/person/-440001788/story/310... ]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Amos Wright and his family resided in Powell's Valley Virginia for a few years, prior to moving to Wayne Co KY where Elizabeth (Lowe) WRIGHT died at age 41;

Amos and 2nd wife Margaret moved to Clark's Grant in Indiana Territory in 1807, and in 1809 settled just east of Beck's Mills in what became Washington County Indiana.

Amos Sr's brother Philbert and eldest son John and families joined Amos in settling this region of Indiana about 1808-09.

During the War of 1812, fear of Indian raids caused the Wright families to temporarily live within Fort Hill (which they built with other nearby families), where Rev. John Wright's eldest daughter, Lavina was born in 1813.

(Source: LDS Microfilm #1036598, "Pioneers in Area" by Helen Burgess, extracted by Ellie Stites Swanger)

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@R-794360899@ Family Data Collection - Individual Records Edmund West, comp. Ancestry.com Operations Inc 1,4725::0

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Birth year: 1764; Birth city: Rowan Co; Birth state: NC 1,4725::5047718

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Birth year: 1764; Birth city: Rowan Co; Birth state: NC 1,4725::5047718

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@R-794360899@ Family Data Collection - Individual Records Edmund West, comp. Ancestry.com Operations Inc 1,4725::0

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Birth year: 1764; Birth city: Rowan Co; Birth state: NC 1,4725::5047718

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@R-794360899@ U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 Yates Publishing Ancestry.com Operations Inc 1,7836::0

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The information regarding Amos Wright and 2nd wife, Margaret, on the adjacent headstone is wrong.

Amos was the 7th of 8 sons born to Richard Wright, Sr. and ‘Ann’ [her surname is still unknown]. Amos was born in 1762 in Orange County, NC based on find documentation that the family was there in early 4 MAY 1762 in Orange County, NC [Doc found show the VERY FIRST 700 acres acquired by RW, Sr., "in the fork of the north fork of Caine [Cane] Creek the waters of Hico [now HYCO]including his own improvements." Thanks, CATHY B for sharing the doc!]

Amos Wright married Elizabeth Lowe in 1782 in Rowan County, NC. Specific day/month is unknown. What is known is that in Amos is in the 1790 [1st] census with 5 members in his family – 2 adults and 3 children. Based on later analysis and findings, the three children would be John, 1785; Anna Patsy, 1787; and Peter, 1789.

Amos became a preacher [often called an Elder] in the 1790’s. He was about 28 years of age.

Based on a much later ‘bio’ [that has been found to be a bit faulty, but not totally] source “The Amos Wright family was one of the first to settle here. By Helen Burgess 2-10-1972 - Amos, Elizabeth and children lived in Powell’s Valley, Virginia for a few years before moving on to Wayne County, KY where Elizabeth died at age 41 [this puts her death abt 1806– shortly after the birth of her last child, Amos, Jr., in 1805]. No actual burial site for her has been found.

In the fall of 1807, Amos married Margaret ‘Peggy’ Davis in 22 Jan 1807, according to ‘Kentucky Marriages, 1802-1850’. In the Fall of that year, Amos and family, along with his brother, Philbert [b. 1768] the entourage moved first to Clark’s Grant in the Indiana Territory with other relatives. They settled in what later became Washington Co.

His son, Elder John Wright wrote in his obituary, "He was one of the meek of the earth and without an enemy in the world. He has finished his course on earth in the assurance of triumphant faith, having spent between 50 and 70 years in the house of God and more than 40 years of that time, he was a public teacher of Christianity and contended faithfully for the faith of the gospel. He has left behind five sons earnestly contending for the faith, with one grandson, Jacob Wright, now of Decatur, Indiana and one son-in-law, Nathan Buchanan, called a strong man in the gospel, now of Missouri."

It is noted here that - although well-meaning - through additional research, some information was found to be incorrect.

Elder John Wright wrote in the Christian Record published December 1846 that his father "Departed this life on the 14th Oct 1846, Amos Wright, Sr. of Washington County in the 84th year of his age." This would make Amos being born in 1762. No specific date was found, but believed to be in late '62.

Amos Wright, at his death, had five sons, one son-in-law and one grandson, who were preachers in the Church of Christ.

Elder John Wright's Diary was penned between 1844-1850, in which he identifies his stepmother's death as "Then Saturday Night as B. S. - [Bluff Springs, Orange Co.] - and the fifth Lords Day at Jefferson School House on the funeral farewell of our step mother. This was truly a tender meeting."

This indicates Margaret Davis Wright's death on 29 Sep 1844.]

Amos Wright's two families are as follows:
First spouse and children: Elizabeth Lowe -- 1765–1806 ELDER John Wright -- 1785–1851 Anna Patsy Wright -- 1787–1833 ELDER Peter Wright -- 1789–1852 ELDER Levi Wright -- 1792–1860 ELDER Joshua Wright -- 1795–1863 Richard Wright -- 1798–1833 Rebecca Wright -- 1801–1892 ELDER Amos Wright, Jr. -- 1805–1880

2nd spouse and children: Margaret 'Peggy' Davis -- 1766–1844 Elizabeth Wright 1808– Benjamin Wright 1809– Polly Wright 1810– Sally Wright 1811– Keziah Wright 1813– [for years thought to be Uzziah until deed by Amos was found] Simeon Wright 1815– Jane Wright 1817–

NOTE: ANYONE with knowledge [proof] of this 2nd family, PLEASE contact gragg02@comcast.net with the information. Little is known of this line.

The cemetery was over the line in Howard Twp. across the creek from the church. In 1826 was located in sec. 34,t2n, r3e.

In 1983 the Washington County Cemetery Association placed there a marker as follows - "Mill Creek Church of Christ Cemetery in Memory of Pioneer Preacher Amos Wright 1768-1846: Margaret Wright D. 1842. Rev. War Soldiers: Wm. Grace [1758%E2%80%931824]; Nicholas Porter [1763%E2%80%931835], and others buried here erected by Washington County Cemetery Ass'n, 1983."

The memorial placed in the cemetery in 1983 was established 142 years after Amos' death.* Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: May 19 2020, 22:28:02 UTC