Russell County, VA Bits & Pieces

RussellCo Va Birth Records

29 Oct 1853 Martha J Wright, s/o Aaron & Izabel Wright.

26 Jul 1853 Thomas Wright, s/o Caroline & William Wright.

01 Oct 1853 Merith Wright, s/o Robert & Sarah Wright.

Russell Co. Va. Grantee

May 28,1799 Wright, William grantee , William, Shadrach & H grantors BOOK 3 PAGE 33 50 acres

Oct 1804 Wright William grantee-Burgess Timothy&M grantors book 3 page 531 100 acres. Location :Wat B. Cedar Creek

Apr. 6,1819 Wright William grantee-Mungle,Jacob Est. by Ex.grantors book 6 page 200 216 3/4 acres

Feb 20, 1819 Mark M. grantee -Hargis, Samuel & Esther grantors book 6 page 160 50 acres location L. Cedar Creek

Grantors.

1798 Feb. Wright Michael grantor - Crawford Wm. book 2 page 385 112 acres

1803 Sept. Wright Michael&Catherine grantor- Robinson James book 3 page 432 50 acres

1805 Oct. Wright ,Wm.& Peggy grantor ,Gilmore Wm. grantee book3,679 50 acres

1808 Feb. Wright Michael grantor -Nash Wm. grantee book 4 page 146 50 acres

1819 Apr. 6, Wright ,Wm & Annie grantor ,Gilmore,Wm.grantee book 6 page 198 ,100 acres

1822 Aug. 12,Wright, Wm&Annie grantor,Nordike,Abraham & Mungle ,Abraham grantee book 6 page 570 216 3/4 acres

Return to Wright Tidbits

Contributed by Doyle Phillips: <[email protected]>

The Confederado Connection Notes on Exploring the Wright Family Connection to the Confederate Emigration to Brazil

Introduction

About 1949 when I was ten-years-old my mother mentioned that her great-grandmother or great-great-grandmother was a "Black Dutch from Brazil". I think she was referring to her mother's people the Wrights, but it may have been to her father's line, the Reddochs. At first this information was of no importance to me, but especially over the past few years as I've begun researching family history, I've kept my ears and eyes open for any references to these odd descriptions. A multitude of coincidences has occurred during this process. In unexpected places and conditions I have found obscure references to both the Black Dutch and the sojourn of unreconstructed Confederates who moved to Brazil (and in fewer numbers to M‚xico and other countries) after the Civil War. Recently Ozella Long of the Howard County Historical Commission and I talked about this Confederado project, and the term Black Dutch surfaced. Ozella, coincidentally of course, knew of the Black Dutch through her husband's family history. Here is one of the especially interesting explanations she had found for the term: Mostly Sephardic Jews of Spain were coerced by the Inquisition to convert to Christianity and eat pork to prove their change of faith (thus the converts were called Marranas or 'porkers'). But many Spanish Jews managed to escape to Holland and Germany to preserve their religious identity, overtly and covertly. These Sephardics were generally dark of skin and eyes-in contrast to 'Nordic' blondes of the low countries-and were eventually called Black Dutch. It is feasible that some of these people came to the Americas with German and Dutch settlers in the earliest colonial years. Incidentally, some of the forcibly-converted Jews sailed to the New World as Christian soldiers of Spain. I know of indications in New Mexico and Medell¡n, Colombia of a 'Jewish tradition' among Catholics, but this intriguing story merits its own essay.

The Confederado Connection

At the end of the American Civil War, as many as 4,000 unreconstructed Confederates sought refuge in Brazil (a slave-owning country) in preference to staying in the defeated South. Brazilian Emperor Pedro II welcomed these immigrants for their experience at clearing land, farming cotton and food and lumbering. The Emporer "subsidized their voyages, guaranteed freedom of religion, exempted them from the military draft and sold land for 22 cents an acre". Their most successful town, Americana, has a Confederate flag in its coat of arms. As many as 100,000 Brazilians still celebrate their American heritage (reportedly, every Spring). Not all Confederado economic ventures succeeded, and the inability to cope with new diseases combined to impel many Confederados to return to the US. Texas was the new home of choice for some of these people.

Brazil and James Dyer Descendants, including the Wassons, Webbs and Wrights

Much of the following information is based on James Dyer Descendants and Allied Families by Elizabeth Ann Wright (1954). The book was provided by John Webb (1997), Big Spring, Texas

James Harrison Dyer, Judge

He was the ninth child of Wiley and Nancy Woolbright Dyer, born in Kentucky (11/3/1821). Married Amanda Webb (who may be buried in Brazil, 1869) and they had three children: Harriet Ann, Wiley Simpson and James E. James H. Dyer had probably made several trips to Texas, but we know he was with his father Wiley who brought his slaves to build a home in 1847. In 1850 James H. Dyer was listed in the Henderson County census... moved to Hill County shortly.... Wiley may have been the first white child born in Hill County. James Dyer was the first County Judge. In 1854 J. Dyer received a state land grant within limits of Charles Fenton Mercer's Colony. In that same year he and his brother Simpson Cash Dyer were given a permit to build a dam across the Brazos River. In the early 1850s he drove the first herd of cattle from Texas to Chicago. Since this was before the days of a packing house there, he butchered the cattle and sold them to the public. There were 1,800 head of cattle and the job took a year-and-a-half! In 1866 when James H. Dyer's nephew Frank McMullan organized a colony to settle in Brazil, the Judge was one of the most influential men in the group. On April 30, 1868 Judge Dyer's daughter Hattie married Columbus Lee Wasson*, in Brazil. A few years later James H. Dyer returned to Hill County, Texas where he served as United States Marshall and operated ranches in the district. About 1867 (?) he married Evaline Virginia Pierce. They had one son Sledge. Judge Dyer died in 1900. Eva died 1934 and is buried in Dublin, Texas

Nancy Dyer

Nancy Dyer, sixth child of Wiley and Nancy Woolbright Dyer, was born in Virginia on May 20, 1815. About 1834 she married Hugh Milton McMullan, who-according to family tradition-was an Irish baron who had come to the United States on military affairs. They lived for awhile in Georgia and then moved to La Fayette County, Mississippi. In the early 1850s they came to Texas and joined her brothers, James Harrison Dyer and Simpson Cash Dyer, in Hill County. Her husband Hugh died before 1860...

In 1867 Nancy McMullan went with her sons Frank and Ney to Brazil where Frank had bought a home on the beautiful, River Juqui . They boarded the Derbe [or Derby] at Galveston but a terrible storm wrecked the ship off the coast of Cuba. All passengers were saved. Panic among the women was averted by Nancy's reminding them of the Savior's power to care for them and to save their lives, if all would trust in him to do so. After the storm had abated, many things were rescued from the hull of the ship, which held together in parts. Her sons could not understand why Nancy was so upset that they could not find a certain trunk that packed with some old clothes. They did not know that a Colonel McMahon** had asked her to keep a bag of gold for him and that she had hidden it in the trunk! Colonel McMahon accused Nancy of secreting the gold and using the loss of the trunk as a means of protecting herself. Nancy's prayers for vindication were answered when several days later Colonel McMahon himself found the bag of gold lodged in a crevice of rock while he was wading near the wreckage.

A wealthy Cuban named Vermey took the shipwrecked victims to his plantation and gave them shelter while Frank McMullan returned to New York and made arrangements for their passage on the North America, one of the two steamers plying between New York and Rio de Janeiro. The entire group then went to New York where they had to wait a month for their ship. They finally landed in Brazil six months after their start from Galveston! While awaiting transportation to the interior, the colonists were cared for by the government in a beautiful palace. Here the Emperor visited each family and expressed his goodwill and solicitations for their future happiness in his dominion. While Frank remained in Rio for a few weeks longer to settle up details of titles, etc., the others went on to their new home. Shortly after joining them Frank became very ill and died within a few weeks.

Although the mahogany forests offered great wealth, the sandy shores along the river prevented the boats from getting in to load. By 1872 those who were chiefly interested in lumbering gave up and came home. Among these were Judge Dyer, his two sons, his daughter and son-in-law C.L. Wasson, Nancy McMullan, her son Ney, and their son-in-law Dr. W.T. Moore. Nancy died a few years later.

Frank McMullan...and Colonel Bowen had gone to Brazil first in 1865 and made plans for a colony of Americans to move there. His (McMullan's) knowledge of Spanish and his pleasing personality made many friends for him in Rio and among the natives along the river. After selecting their land Frank, leaving Bowen to look after things, came back to Texas and persuaded many of his relatives and friends to join them.... The McMullan Expedition...was not without hardships, and the privations of the trip took their toll. McMullan died within a short time of seeing his people settled in their new homes.

Edwin Ney McMullan

After returning from Brazil he made a home for his mother Nancy at Fowler, Texas. After her death he married and lived at Fowler and Whitney. In 1895 he went to South America on a prospecting trip and spent eight months traveling over the country. In 1897 he took his family there and his descendants are still there. In 1928 one son was a dentist in Sao Paulo.

William R. Wright married Thelma Hightower. They had six children. To date, the only Wrights firmly placed among the Confederados who went to Brazil are William and Thelma's sons: Thomas M., Jesse and his son Ambrose. Jesse and son Ambrose returned to Texas (1868?). Did Ambrose marry a "Black Dutch from Brazil"? I'm still looking for the right Wright. -Doyle Phillips

(Thomas married Julia Ann Story Burgess, daughter of Struther Frogg Burgess and Polly Dyer Burgess. They had at least three children named Tennessee, Alice and Laura L.)

Family Names and Brazil

Following is an incomplete (and unguaranteed) list of additional family names and individuals that may be found among the Confederados, most of whom went to Brazil, and a few to M‚xico:

Andrew

Bagby Bailey Baird Bankston Barnsley Barr Blackford Blue Bookwalter Brannon Buford

Calhoun Carlton Carr Carter Chamberlain Cole Cook Costarelli Crawley Cullen Cunningham

Dabney Daniel Davis Dawson, John (in 1992 an anthropologist at the University of Sao Paolo) Demaret Dobbins, General Durr Dodson Dunn

Easton Edmonds Eliason Emerson

Feagin Fenley Fletcher Ferguson (In 1992 Charles Ferguson still lived in Americana.) Forrest

Gaston Grady Green Grier Grigss, W.C. Guilhon Gunter

Hall Hampton Harter Hastings Hawthorne Hayes Heidegger Hill Holland

Jefferson Jones

Hunt, Roberta MacKnight (or McKnight)

Jefferson Jennings, "Clem" George Jones, Judith MacKnight (author of a book about the Confederados, Soldado Descansa) Judkins

Kelly Kennedy Keyes, Alonso Kidder Knapp Koger

Knapp Krapp Lane

Magruder Massey Matthews Maury McCord McDavid McFadden McFerrin McIntyre McKnight McTyeire Meriwether Miller Montgomery Mills, Sydney Moore Morton

Nathan Newman Norris, Colonel William (led prosperous group near Santa Barbara, which became Americana) Nunn

O'Cain Oliver Parsons Perkins Pitts Porter Pyles, Noemia (descendant of a Texan from Waco)

Quillin

Ransom Ratcliff Redford Reily Riker Rolle Rutherford

Vaughn, Rose Lene (pediatrician)

Sales Searight Shaw Shippey Simonton Simmons Smith Spaulding Steagall Sutherland

Tarver Thomas Tucker

Watts Weaver Whitaker Wilmot W.S. Wise (great-uncle of Rosalynn Carter) Wood

Yancey

Jesse R. Wright and Elizabeth Crawford

Names of their fathers have not been traced. Jesse R. and Elizabeth were married in 1799, Franklin County, Virginia. Jesse had a brother George (others not found) and Elizabeth had a sister Nancy (others not found) who married John Radford in 1799.

Their known offspring:

1. WILLIAM R. WRIGHT m. Thelma Hightower They had six children including Thomas, Lewis and Jesse who went to Brazil. Jesse’s son was named Ambrose.

To date the only Wrights located in Brazil are Jesse and Ambrose. Did Ambrose marry a Black Dutch from Brazil?

THOMAS M. WRIGHT m. Julia Ann Story Burgess, daughter of Struther Frogg Burgess and Polly Dyer Burgess. At least three children named Tennessee, Alice and Laura L.

2. LUCY WRIGHT m. Mr. Mahaffey

3. NANCY WRIGHT may be a daughter m. another Mr. Mahaffey

4. WOODS WRIGHT m. Sally ?

5. JOHN WRIGHT may be a son who had a son named Asa Upton Wright

6. JAMES N. WRIGHT m. Martha ? Their children were Thomas, Amanda, Cynia, Hugh, Seaborn and Joseph

7. MALINDA WRIGHT m. J.T. Couch

8. CRAWFORD WRIGHT

From Llano Estacado by S.R. Simpson Mr. Simpson may have been kin to the Dyer descendants but I have yet to verify it; Simpson is a name associated with the Dyers.

“Columbus Lee Wasson, who joined the Second Texas Regiment along with my father, and his father-in- law, J. H. Dyer, refused to be reconstructed when the war was over and moved to the State of Brazil, South America. They located on the Iguape River [in the São Paulo area] , which was on the frontier, as we call it in this country. He told me that he walked about ten miles from their first camp and purchased a yoke of oxen with which they started their farming. Wasson’s two oldest sons, Arthur and Claude, were born in Brazil. In the year 1878, he returned to the U.S.A., and was, in 1891, one of the organizers and the first county judge of Borden County, Texas. When my father moved to Borden County in 1893, they were soon visiting each other. I have known the family since that time, and Arthur and Ira are now living at Big Spring, Texas, and another brother, Jim, is living in one of the northwestern states.”

Return to Wright Tidbits

From: Cindy in Texas [email protected]

From: Cindy in Texas [email protected]

From: Cindy in Texas [email protected]

From: Cindy in Texas [email protected]

From: Cindy in Texas [email protected]