Name: Martha Morgan
Born: 8 Aug 1768 103
Died: 17 Sep 1834
Place: Washington County, Indiana 103
Buried:
Place: Philburt Wright Cemetery
Martha is often mistakenly referred to as Betsy. In fact, her nickname
was Patsy. This confusion caused Grant Wright to have "Elizabeth" put on the
marker he erected for her.
As far as I can remember, I have never seen primary documentation that
Martha's maiden name was Morgan, let alone that her parents were James
Morgan and Mary Davis. Any such proof would be gladly received.
The following biographies for her son and grandson appear on pages
643-645 of the 1886 History of Jackson County, Indiana by Brant and
Fuller as transcribed at
http://www.jacksoncountyhistory.org/books/index.asp?book=brantfuller&page=643.
WEST LEE WRIGHT, one of the old settlers of Carr Township, and the founder
of the town of Medora, was a son of William Wright, a native of North
Carolina, and was born in Wayne County, Ky., February 14, 1803, and came
with his parents to Washington County, Ind., in 1809, and was married in
Monroe County, Ind., in 1825, to Nancy Wright, who was the daughter of James
Wright, and who lived to the extreme age of one hundred and two years. West
Lee and wife moved to Carr Township, this county, in 1832, locating about
one mile south of where Medora now stands. In 1839 he moved to Pea Ridge,
some two miles west of Medora, where he remained until 1856, when he
returned to Medora, where he remained until his death. His principal pursuit
in life was farming and stock raising, in which he at times engaged
extensively and successfully. He made many trips on horseback to the
land-office at Jeffersonville, where he entered a great many tracts of land.
It is represented (no doubt correctly) that he has owned more land in the
township than any other one person. At the time the Ohio & Mississippi
Railroad was located through the county, he owned a mile square of land, on
the southeast corner of which the town of Medora now stands. At the same
time he owned other bottom land, and probably 400 acres of ridge land in the
township, and at the same time, or soon after, owned various other tracts in
different parts of the county. He was always friendly to the poor, often
sold land and other property to poor men on long credit, and without
security, many of whom took advantage of his confidence and never paid him.
In this way he lost a great deal. While naturally of a mirthful disposition,
he always abhorred lawlessness and rowdyism of every sort, and his
sympathies were easily enlisted in behalf of the down-trodden and oppressed
of every race, "whatever their station might be, whether of high or low
degree". Took great delight in writing poetry and rhyme, in which he gained
considerable notoriety. Being a strong friend to the cause of the Union and
of temperance, wrote a great deal on those subjects. He at one time belonged
to the order of Freemasons, but during the last few years of his life was
very much devoted to the order of Odd Fellows, of which he was a member at
the time of his death, and in the honors of which he was buried in
September, 1876, by the lodge then existing at Medora, there being a great
many members of the order from Seymour and Brownstown in attendance, who
came on a train run especially for the occasion. During his lifetime he
wrote several odes for use in the lodges. His widow, Nancy, is now living at
Medora, and is seventy-six years old. Of their descendants the following are
known to the writer, to-wit: fifteen children, born in the following order:
Elizabeth, Selah, David, James P., Wriley, Sarah, Isaac J., Mary A., Nancy,
Levi C., Franklin, Phebe E., Reason A., Newton, West Lee Worran; forty-one
grandchildren, ?ortyseven great-grandchildren, and one
great-great-grandchild - total, 104, of whom all, except six children, seven
grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren are how living.
LEVI C. WRIGHT belongs to one of the earliest families in Jackson County.
His father was West Lee Wright, a man of marked character, and his mother
was Nancy Wright, to whom were born fifteen children. They settled where the
town of Medora is in Carr Township, of which he was founder; and here Levi
C. was born August 30, 1844, and here he lived until 1861, when he entered
the United States service in that historic organization, the Twenty-fifth
Indiana Volunteer Infantry in Company G, under Capt. John W. Poole. He was
in the service until 1865, and took part in many of the hard fought battles
of that organization. He was in the battle of Fort Donelson, where he was
wounded in the left leg and afterward was wounded in the left thigh, on
account of which he was furloughed home about three months. He again joined
his regiment and remained until the close of the war. After the close of the
war he attended school and followed farm ing until 1867, when he began the
study of law, and in 1871 was admitted to the bar, since which time he has
been a regular practicing attorney in the courts. He is now and has been
several years deputy prosecuting attorney. In 1883 he began the publication
of the Medora Eagle a Republican newspaper, which he edited about one year
and eight months. December 27, 1868, he was married to Miss Lucy A. Day,
daughter of James S. Day, of Hamilton Township, and to them have, been born
three children: Ida, Thomas J., and Anna. Mr. W. is also a farmer. He is one
among the many respected defenders of his country to whom honor is due.
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