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 Replies: 9 / Views: 1,294 |
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Valued Member
United States
109 Posts |
So besides collecting coins I'm a historian and genealogist, and sometimes these hobbies overlap. I was reading an article in Coins Magazine about the history of the large cent and came across the name of one of the early engravers named, Joseph Wright. Quick background, my wife's family (5 Wright brothers) came to settle West New Jersey in the 17th century. They became a mostly prominent family in that area and a very large family as well. I have done some very extensive research on them and rarely have I ever seen the name Wright in the Philadelphia/West New Jersey area in that time that aren't related. So I've been digging through my notes and sure enough there was some information on a Patience Lovell Wright born in Bordentown New Jersey, who had a son Joseph Wright also born in Bordentown. Patience Wright was an artist (and there were quite a few in the family) and after doing some research on her she was quite good and did wax busts of many prominent people at the time. Some of her subjects included the British Royal family, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Penn to name a few. Living in England after she was widowed, gave her extraordinary access to the British elite and so she became a spy for the American Revolution reporting directly to Benjamin Franklin. After the revolution she moved back to the West New Jersey area and had wanted to complete a wax sculptures of the heroes of the American revolution, but past away before she had a chance to complete this work. Unfortunately while I have good information on her I do not have much on her children since this wasn't the direct line to my wife and there are so many branches I haven't been able to research them all. I am fairly confident that I am on the right track and that Joseph Wright is an ancestor of my wife's family, but I need some more sources before I say for sure (I'm picky that way). So now I am back to work to complete the history of this interesting branch. On a side note my son's middle name is Wright, and he is now the 15th generation to carry the name. I guess my next purchase will be to buy the coin to add to the family heirlooms. Edited by ericnh
04/20/2008 3:58 pm
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Pillar of the Community
Australia
2830 Posts |
G'day, I find the overlap between coins & genealogy gives me some themes for collecting.
I collect British coins of 1820: the year my family left there. Only one denomination remainms outstanding (threepence).
One day, I'll start on U.S. coins of 1853: the year that another branch came from Philadelphia to Australia.
Peter
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Pillar of the Community
United States
2443 Posts |
Great story. That would be cool if you could actually prove it.
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Valued Member
 United States
109 Posts |
Peter - Unfortunately this theme is going to cost me. Good thing is though my wife is all for buying one, until I told her some of the recent auction prices. Now to find an affordable example thats gonna be difficult.
Amazon99 - Historically I should be able to prove it as I've already found some solid information. Patience Wright was an important person and there is some information readily available. However, there is no 100% when dealing in this type of history, reliable information is hard to come by. Just like anything else though, unless you've witnessed it first hand you have to rely on someone else's account of things.
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
What a fascinating story...thanks for sharing! Nice how American colonists generally kept decent family records vs. many immigrants who arrived later. quote:
...she became a spy for the American Revolution reporting directly to Benjamin Franklin.
Knowing a little about Franklin, if there is any surviving correspondence, that would sure make interesting reading! Edited by KurtS
04/20/2008 5:17 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
749 Posts |
Wow! Very Cool! Thanks for sharing this info. I have done some genealogy myself and havent found anyone of this kind of significance..yet. Good Luck in your research  |
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Valued Member
United States
109 Posts |
Well after an entire day of research I have more questions than answers. Lots of conflicting information so far, but so many more resources to look at. Kurt - what makes the information from latter immigrants so difficult is the many language barriers that existed and the lack of education. Half of my family were poor immigrants from Eastern Europe, by the time they got here the family name had been changed and virtually no information has been found before their arrival. Many early immigrants were English and the English were good about keeping records. Also they were Quakers who took detailed information on there many meetings and those records survive today. As for correspondence between the two, I doubt any have survived and I haven't come across any. There is quite a bit of family correspondence that exists and is stored in a museum in Delaware. One of the cousins inherited one of the early family homes and the records that were there were donated to that museum. I have visited it several times but there is so much to look at I need a lot more time there. I may find something in all of those letters. Lucky_13 - Most people find very little of any significance in their pasts. I haven't found anything of note in my families history either and really don't expect too. My wife's family has all sorts of interesting bits of history: married into the Burr family, a New Jersey Governor, many different early New Jersey politicians with some being the original founders of the state and a house (mentioned above) that was an early secondary stop on the underground railroad (the person who had built the house was one of the first Quakers in the area to free slaves). Makes me jealous. |
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Valued Member
United States
109 Posts |
Edited by ericnh
04/20/2008 9:18 pm
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Pillar of the Community
United States
5318 Posts |
quote:
Half of my family were poor immigrants from Eastern Europe, by the time they got here the family name had been changed and virtually no information has been found before their arrival.
That sounds familiar. We basically knew nothing until we recently ran gene tests. That's why I find hearing actual family history so fascinating. We came here as farmers and no doubt arrived with little. Edited by KurtS
04/20/2008 11:21 pm
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Valued Member
United States
189 Posts |
How awesome that my 2 favorite hobbies get mentioned on the same post.
I have been working on my genealogy for about as long as I have been collecting coins, switch my time between the two.
I must say the internet has enhanced both endeavors.
I have no family links to numismatics except that the ancesters
whom I discovered used the same type of coins that I collect,
and I like circulated coins,I recently started collecting
ancient Judean coins,thinking that my remote ancestors
might have used them in ancient times.
What a great hobby they both are!
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Replies: 9 / Views: 1,294 |
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Posted 04/20/2008 2:57 pm
