Person:Abel Wright (1)

Origins

Several people (who all seem to be copying someone else) believe Abel was son of John Wright and Jane Richall. The one gedcom they all refer to is that of Dick Dutton, but Dick Dutton (now deceased) claims (without source) that Abel was the son of Edward Wright of Lincoln (others who support this, name Agnes Keale as the mother.)

Life in New England

Made Freeman 19 Dec 1690 (NEHGS, 1849, p. 351)

Lieut. Abel Wright was found among the early settlers of Springfield, Massachusetts, in the Connecticut Valley, who spent a mature life of seventy years there, from 1655 to 1725, when he died at the advanced age of ninety-four years. Where he came from or who were his parents, I have been unable to ascertain. There were other Wright settlers in the colonies before him in Eastern Massachusetts-- as Capt. Richard Wright at Lynn in 1630; John Wright, at Woburn in 1641; Robert Wright at Boston in 1643, according to Dr. Savage, in his Genealogical Dictionary... And at Wethersfeld, Conn., below Hartford, there was a Thomas Wright as early as 1639, who had quite a family. Also Dea. Samuel Wright was an early settler of Springfield about the same year, 1639-40, who had a family of eight children, all named; but no Abel among either of these families is given in their records.

... Abel Wright married Dec. 1, 1659 Martha Kitcherel, daughter of Samuel K. of Hartford, Conn., and had a family of thirteen children, of whom ten married (see names below). ...

In 1708, July 26th, Indians came upon the town and despoiled his family, scalping his wife, who died in consequence on the 19th of October following. They also killed an infant of his son Henry and captured his wife who died soon after...

His resid. was on the W. side of the river, at that part of what is now Westfield, then called Skipmuck, much exposed to the invasion of border enemies. His wife was scalped by Indians on 26 July 1708, but she lived until 19 Oct. following; he d. 29 Oct. 1725, when he is called lieut. and said to be 94 yrs. old; but wh. brot. him over the sea is unkn.

Legacy

Children:

1. Joseph, b. 1 Sept. 1660;
2. Martha, 29 Nov. 1662; m. 8 Dec 1681, Thomas Morley
3. Abel Jr, 25 Sept. 1664;
4. Benjamin, 14 Mar. 1667;
5. Hannah, 28 July 1669; m. 1690 Joseph Saxton, both of Westfield;
6. Henry, 23 May 1671, d. young;
7. Sarah, 8 May 1673; m. 1694 Thomas Chapin
8. Mary, 9 Mar. 1676; m. 1698 Nathaniel Bliss
9. Henry, again, 6 Jan. 1677;
10. Samuel, 17 June 1679;
11. Eliz. 18 Aug. 1682, d. June foll.;
12. John, 21 Apr. 1685, d. soon; and
13. Eliz. again, 22 Aug. 1687, m. 1709 Ebenezer Dewey of Lebanon

Of these, ten lived to marry.

1. ↑ NEHGS. New England Historic Genealogical Society Register. (Boston, MA)
   Jan 1881. p. 74-75.

   Gravestone indicates he was 94 years old at time of death.

2. ↑ NEHGS. New England Historic Genealogical Society Register. (Boston, MA)
   1881. p. 75.
3.   Savage, James. A Genealogical Dictionary of the First Settlers of New England: Showing Three Generations of Those Who Came Before May, 1692, on the Basis of Farmer's Register. (Boston: Little, Brown, and Co, 1860-1862)
   4:654.
4.   Wright, Stephen. Genealogy of Lieut. Abel Wright of Springfield, Mass. New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (New England Historical and Genealogical Society, Jan 1881)
   NEHGR 35:74-75, 1881.