Janet and Robert Wolfe Genealogy --- Go to Genealogy Page for Joshua Wright --- Go to Genealogy Page for Elizabeth Empson

Notes for Joshua Wright and Elizabeth Empson

1633 On 4 October, John, son to Robert Wright of Howden, was baptized [1], possibly a transcription error for Joshua. Two sons listed with name John were born to Robert, so one might be a transcription error for Joshua [named as a son in the will of Robert Wright] [2].

1669 Joshua Wright, of Houldon, married Elizabeth, daughter of William Empson of Gowle field house, ye 10th day of ye 4th month, 1699. Three children were born in England. [3] [4] [5] [6]

1670 Elizabeth Daughter of Joshua & Elizabeth Wright Bron [sic, born] ye 9th day of ye 2 mo 1670. [7] [8]

1672 Joshua Son of Joshua & Elizabeth Wright Born ye 16th day of ye 8 mo 1672. [9] [10] A different transcription of the bible record reports month 3.

1676 On March 3, Joshua Wright, and other "proprieters, freeholders, and inhabitants of the said Province of West New Jersey", signed "In Testimony and Witness of our consent to and affirmation of these present laws, concessions and agreements" [for the government in New Jersey] [11] [12] [13]

1677 15 July, Thomas Hutchinson, Thomas Penson, Joseph Holmsley, George Hutchinson & Mahlon Stacy to Joshua Wright, £25. Signed George Hutchinson & Mahlon Stacy. Wit: Thomas Lambert, William Emley & Peter Fretwell. [14]

1678 Robert Son of Joshua & Elizabeth Wright Born ye 1st of ye 6 mo 1678. [15] [16]

1678 The birth of son Robert was recorded in a family bible and in Quaker meeting records. "Robert Son of Joshua & Elizabeth Wright Born ye 1st of ye 6 mo 1678." On 2 of month 6, Burlington meeting records: "Robert, son of Joshua & ? Wright of ye falls was born ye second of ye sixt (first?) month in ye yeare 1678." [17]

1678-1679 "Joshua Wright and his family took Shiping [at] hull, ye 24th of ye 6 mo and Came to ye falls of Daliware River About ye 10th of 10 mo 1678." [18] [19] Other reports give the year of arrival as 1679. [20] "Joshua Wright with his wife and 3 children came to America, arriving in the Delaware River, 10mo. 20, 1679, and settled near the Falls of Delaware on the New Jersey side." [21]

1680 On 31 August, Mary Scholey married John Rogers at the home of Thomas Lambert, Nottingham. Witnessed by Robert Scholey Junior, Mahlon Stacy, Robert Murfin, John Lambert, Thomas Lambert, William Wood, Willi Billes, Richard Ridgway, Joshua Wright, Peter Frettwell, John Murfine, Katharine Beard, Jo Cooke, and Ann Stancie. [22]

1680 Joshua Wright was named as constable of Burlington County, New Jersey. [23] [24] [25]

1682 On 2 to 6 May and on 26 to 28 September, Thomas Wright and Joshua Wright served in the Second West Jersey Assembly, under Jennings. [26]

1683 On 2 to 15 of month 3 [May], Thomas Wright and Joshua Wright and others were members of the General Assembly of West New Jersey, representing the first Tenth. [27]

1684 Joshua Wright was appointed as assessor from the Falls to Crosswicks Creek. Joshua Wright was on the assessment list for Burlington County, New Jersey as owning 400 acres. [28] [29]

1685 Joshua was appointed trustee of the Chesterfield Monthly Meeting to receive the deed for the burial ground at the Falls. [30]

1688 Joshua Wright was a member of the West Jersey Assembly. [31]

1690 On March 25, 1690, Joshua Wright, of Nottingham, near the Falls (The Falls of the Delaware River, now Trenton), dated his will. Wife Elizabeth. Sons Joshua, Robert, Thomas, Joseph, Samuel, dau. Elizabeth, wife of Peter Frettwell; Mary, widow of brother Samuel Wright, who has son Samuel. Real and personal estate. Executors the wife and son Joshua. Executed Oct. 7, 1695. [32] [33]

1695 On 1 month, day 25, Joshua Wright was listed among the residents of Nottingham Twp, Burlington County. [34]

1695 Joshua Wright died "ye 10 of ye 8th month 1695". [35]

1690 March 25, Joshua Wright, of Nottingham, wrote his will, near the Falls of Daliway River. Wife Elizabeth. Sons Joshua, Robert, Thomas, Joseph, Samuel, dau. Elizabeth, wife of Peter Frettwell; Mary, widow of brother Samuel Wright, who has son Samuel. Real and personal estate. Executors the wife and son Joshua. executed Oct. 7, 1695, Proved May 11, 1696. [36]

1695-6 January 30, Inventory of the estate (171, all personal); made by T. Wright, Peter Frettwell and Wm. Emley. [37]

1696 May 11, Bond of the executors, named in the will. Thomas Wright and William Emley fellow bondsmen. [38]

1696 May 11, Will proved and administration granted to Elizabeth and Joshua Wright. [39]

1695-6 Jan. 30. Inventory of the estate (171 pounds, all personal); made by T. Wright, Peter Frettwell and Wm. Emley. [40]

1696 May 11. Bond of the executors, Elizabeth Wright and Joshua Wright. Thomas Wright and William Emley fellow bondsmen. Burlington Wills. 1696 May 11. Will proved and administration granted to Elizabeth and Joshua Wright. [41] [42]

1697 Joshua Wright, perhaps the son, was a resident of Nottingham Twp. Son Joshua was 27 at this time. [43]

1703 Joshua Wright, perhaps the son, owned 600 acres in Nottingham Twp. [44]

1705 Elizabeth Wright died month 1, day 12. [45] [46]

1705 Joshua's brother, Thomas, died and left considerable inheritance to Joshua's children. [47]

1717 Thomas, Samuel, and John Wright, perhaps sons of Joshua, and others, signed a letter to the King of England complaining about the appointment of governor Hunter of New Jersey. [48]

Research Notes:

"Joshua Wright, Sr. was born in East Riding, Yorkshire, England and baptized 4 October, 1633. He married Elizabeth Empson, daughter of William Empson of Gowlefield House on the 10 day of ye four month 1669. The marriage was contrary to discipline of the Quaker faith. Joshua Wright died ye 10th of ye 8 mo. 1695 and Elizabeth Wright died the 12th day of 1 mo. 1705/06.

In England in 1677 he acquired a one-sixth share of the Province of West Jersey. He was one of three brothers who emigrated to West Jersey from England. The family, including daughter Elizabeth and sons Robert and Joshua, left their home in Ashford-in-the-Water, Blakewell Parish, Derbyshire. They sailed from Hull ye 24 day of ye 6 mo. And came to ye fall of the Delaware River about ye 20 day of ye 10 mo. 1679. They settled on a tract of 400 acres in Nottingham Township, Burlington County (now Hamilton Township, Mercer County). Three sons were born in West Jersey: Thomas, Joseph and Sam'll. There may also have been a fourth son, Richard.

Joshua Wright was one of the five original owners of the Trenton Area. He was a member of the West Jersey General Assembly from 1683 to 1685 and was a signer of the Concessions and Agreements of Proprietors, Freeholders and Inhabitants of the Province of West Jersey in 1676. This document, executed in London and attributed to William Penn, predates the Bill of Rights by 113 years. According to former Governor Edward C. Stokes, Neither the Great Charter of Virginia nor the Mayflower Compact compare with them in liberality, tolerance and protection of individual rights" [49]

Woodward, Francis Bazley Lee, and Jordan summarized some history of the Wright family in New Jersey, perhaps with some errors. [50] [51] [52] [53]


Footnotes:

[1] G. E. Wedall, The Registers of the Parish of Howden, Co. York, Vol. 1 (1542-1649) (1904), 257, [HathiTrust].

[2] G. E. Wedall, The Registers of the Parish of Howden, Co. York, Vol. 1 (1542-1649) (1904), 271, [HathiTrust].

[3] Donald G. Armstrong, New Jersey Pioneers: Twenty-Four Families (Marco Island, Florida: Penobscot Press, 2014), 3, citing "Wright Family" in GMNJ.

[4] "Wright Family," The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey 35 (1960), 10 Not yet seen.

[5] John W. Jordan, Colonial Families of Philadelphia, Vol. 1 (New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1911), 711, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].

[6] Major E. M. Woodward and John Hageman, History of Burlington and Mercer Counties, New Jersey (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1883), 276, [HathiTrust].

[7] Donald G. Armstrong, New Jersey Pioneers: Twenty-Four Families (Marco Island, Florida: Penobscot Press, 2014), 3, citing "Wright Family" in GMNJ.

[8] "Wright Family," The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey 35 (1960), 10 Not yet seen.

[9] Donald G. Armstrong, New Jersey Pioneers: Twenty-Four Families (Marco Island, Florida: Penobscot Press, 2014), 3, citing "Wright Family" in GMNJ.

[10] "Wright Family," The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey 35 (1960), 10 Not yet seen.

[11] Aaron Leaming and Jacob Spicer, The Grants, Concessions, and original constitutions of the province of New Jersey (1881), 408, of 408-10, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].

[12] William A. Whitehead, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 1. (Administration 1631-1687) (1880), 268, right column, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks].

[13] Samuel Smith, The History of the Colony of Nova-Caesaria, or New Jersey (1890), 538, [InternetArchive], [Google].

[14] John David Davis, West Jersey New Jersey Deed records 1676-1721 (2005), 4, [FHLBook].

[15] Donald G. Armstrong, New Jersey Pioneers: Twenty-Four Families (Marco Island, Florida: Penobscot Press, 2014), 3, citing "Wright Family" in GMNJ.

[16] "Wright Family," The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey 35 (1960), 10 Not yet seen.

[17] Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935, Burlington Monthly Meeting, Minutes, 1677-1777 (includes many different types of records), [AncestryRecord], [AncestryImage].

[18] Donald G. Armstrong, New Jersey Pioneers: Twenty-Four Families (Marco Island, Florida: Penobscot Press, 2014), 3, citing "Wright Family" in GMNJ.

[19] "Wright Family," The Genealogical Magazine of New Jersey 35 (1960), 10 Not yet seen.

[20] Donald G. Armstrong, New Jersey Pioneers: Twenty-Four Families (Marco Island, Florida: Penobscot Press, 2014), 3, citing the Dornan Collection, Rutgers.

[21] John W. Jordan, Colonial Families of Philadelphia, Vol. 1 (New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1911), 711, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].

[22] Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935, Burlington Monthly Meeting, Minutes, 1677-1777 (includes many different types of records), [AncestryRecord], [AncestryImage].

[23] H. Clay Reed and George J. Miller, The Burlington Court Book. A Record of Quaker Jurisprudence in West New Jersey 1680-1709, Vol. 5 (1944), 2.

[24] John E. Stillwell, Historical and Genealogical Miscellany, Vol. 2 (1906), 1, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].

[25] Francis Bazley Lee, ed., Genealogical and Personal Memorial of Mercer County, New Jersey, Vol. 1 (1907), 7, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks].

[26] Aaron Leaming and Jacob Spicer, The Grants, Concessions, and original constitutions of the province of New Jersey (1881), 442, 453, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].

[27] Aaron Leaming and Jacob Spicer, The Grants, Concessions, and original constitutions of the province of New Jersey (1881), 456, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].

[28] H. Clay Reed and George J. Miller, The Burlington Court Book. A Record of Quaker Jurisprudence in West New Jersey 1680-1709, Vol. 5 (1944), 32.

[29] John J. Thompson, "A Burlington County, New Jersey Assessment List, 1684," The Pennsylvania Magazine of History and Biography 15 (1891), 346-349, at 348, [HathiTrust].

[30] John W. Jordan, Colonial Families of Philadelphia, Vol. 1 (New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1911), 711, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].

[31] John W. Jordan, Colonial Families of Philadelphia, Vol. 1 (New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1911), 711, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].

[32] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 23. (Wills and Administrations 1, 1670-1730) (1901), 527, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].

[33] John W. Jordan, Colonial Families of Philadelphia, Vol. 1 (New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1911), 811, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].

[34] Trenton Historical Society, Nottingham Township, New Jersey Minute Book 1692-1710; 1752-1772 (1940), 3, [World_Cat], [GoogleBooks], [FHLFilmCatalog].

[35] Major E. M. Woodward and John Hageman, History of Burlington and Mercer Counties, New Jersey (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1883), 276, [HathiTrust].

[36] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 23. (Wills and Administrations 1, 1670-1730) (1901), 527, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].

[37] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 23. (Wills and Administrations 1, 1670-1730) (1901), 527, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].

[38] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 23. (Wills and Administrations 1, 1670-1730) (1901), 527, citing Burlington Wills, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].

[39] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 23. (Wills and Administrations 1, 1670-1730) (1901), 527, citing Burlington Records, p. 27, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].

[40] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 23. (Wills and Administrations 1, 1670-1730) (1901), 527, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].

[41] William Nelson, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 23. (Wills and Administrations 1, 1670-1730) (1901), 527, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].

[42] John E. Stillwell, Historical and Genealogical Miscellany, Vol. 2 (1906), 26, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].

[43] Trenton Historical Society, Nottingham Township, New Jersey Minute Book 1692-1710; 1752-1772 (1940), 6, [World_Cat], [GoogleBooks], [FHLFilmCatalog].

[44] Trenton Historical Society, Nottingham Township, New Jersey Minute Book 1692-1710; 1752-1772 (1940), 10, [World_Cat], [GoogleBooks], [FHLFilmCatalog].

[45] John W. Jordan, Colonial Families of Philadelphia, Vol. 1 (New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1911), 711, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].

[46] Major E. M. Woodward and John Hageman, History of Burlington and Mercer Counties, New Jersey (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1883), 276, [HathiTrust].

[47] John W. Jordan, Colonial Families of Philadelphia, Vol. 1 (New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1911), 711, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].

[48] William A. Whitehead, Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey. Archives Vol. 4. (Administration 1709-1720) (1882), 306, of 306-10, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks], [InternetArchive].

[49] Guy Franklin Leighton, "Joshua Wright", Founders of New Jersey, Brief Biographies by Descendants (2011), 100, [GoogleBooks].

[50] Major E. M. Woodward and John Hageman, History of Burlington and Mercer Counties, New Jersey (Philadelphia: Everts & Peck, 1883), 276, [HathiTrust].

[51] Francis Bazley Lee, ed., Genealogical and Memorial History of the State of New Jersey, Vol. 4 (1910), 1546, [HathiTrust], [GoogleBooks].

[52] John W. Jordan, Colonial Families of Philadelphia, Vol. 1 (New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1911), 711, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].

[53] John W. Jordan, Colonial Families of Philadelphia, Vol. 1 (New York: Lewis Publishing Company, 1911), 811, [HathiTrust], [InternetArchive].