Referenced in the family

Benjamin Gile Wright

b. 1809

Life

1809Born

Records & Research

Benjamin Gile Wright — recorded in genealogical trees as "Benjamin Guyal Wright," an apparent variant transcription of the same middle name — was born 6 March 1809 in Johnstown, Leeds (and Grenville) County, Ontario, Canada, son of George Wright (1788) and Phoebe Whitley (1790). This matches the family report on birth year AND both parents, a strong three-anchor identity match. He married Margaret Finch on 27 February 1831 in Leeds, Ontario. The cited GenoPro tree names one child of this couple (Phoebe); a separate FamilySearch record attributes daughter Amantha (1835-1915) to a "Benjamin Guyal Wright" and Margaret Finch. The family is reported to have later settled in Wrightsville (town of Alma), Jackson County, Wisconsin, where Benjamin is recorded to have died on 25 July 1900, buried at Alma Center. Note: the same GenoPro tree shows George Wright and Phoebe Whitley had a SEPARATE son also named "Benjamin," so identity matching on the name alone is unsafe; the 1809-birth, Margaret-Finch-spouse individual is the person here.

Benjamin Gile/Guyal Wright was born 6 March 1809 in Johnstown, Leeds (and Grenville) County, Ontario, Canada, son of George Wright (b. 1788) and Phoebe Whitley (b. 1790). ('Guyal'/'Gile' appear to be variant transcriptions of the same middle name.)

1809-03-06 · Johnstown, Leeds (and Grenville) County, Ontario, Canada tree ↗tree ↗

Not yet confirmed — probable matches and family lore, shown for research. Treat with caution.

Benjamin Gile/Guyal Wright married Margaret Finch on 27 February 1831 in Leeds, Leeds County, Ontario, Canada. likely

1831-02-27 · Leeds, Leeds County, Ontario, Canada · Stated on the GenoPro 'Azrael' detail page (verified by direct fetch: 'Benjamin Guyal and Margaret were married in a religious ceremony on February 27th, 1831 in Leeds, Leeds, Ontario, Canada'). The spouse Margaret Finch is independently corroborated by the FamilySearch record of daughter Amantha. The date rests on a single underlying tree source file (PhineasWright.FTW), so 'likely' rather than 'confirmed'. tree ↗tree ↗
A daughter Phoebe Wright is named as a child of Benjamin Gile/Guyal Wright and Margaret Finch; daughter Amantha Wright (1835-1915, m. Luther Tupper Prindle) is attributed to the couple by a separate FamilySearch record. unconfirmed

· Leeds and Grenville, Ontario, Canada · DOWNGRADED and trimmed. The GenoPro 'Azrael' detail page (verified by fetch) lists only ONE child of Benjamin Guyal and Margaret Finch: Phoebe. It does NOT list George (1833) or Samuel as their children, so those two names are dropped from the verified statement (moved to openQuestions). Amantha is asserted as their daughter only via the connected FamilySearch tree, not the GenoPro page. Roster is tree-level and incomplete; treat as unconfirmed pending primary records. tree ↗tree ↗
Benjamin Gile/Guyal Wright died 25 July 1900 in Wrightsville, Jackson County, Wisconsin, and was buried at Alma Center, Jackson County, Wisconsin. likely

1900-07-25 · Wrightsville, Jackson County, Wisconsin, United States (buried Alma Center, Jackson County, Wisconsin) · Stated on the GenoPro 'Azrael' detail page (verified by fetch: died at age 91 on 25 July 1900 in Wrightsville, Jackson, Wisconsin; buried Alma Center). A Madison Historical Society death-record transcription cited on the related GenoPro Phineas page also records 'Benjamin Gil Wright' dying 25 July 1900 (age 91y 5m 19d), burial at Wrightsville. Wrightsville is a documented ghost town in the town of Alma, Jackson County, WI, consistent with both place names. Rests on tree-level sources; no primary cemetery or vital record retrieved, hence 'likely'. tree ↗tree ↗reference ↗

likely name (middle name spelling): report “Benjamin Gile Wright” vs. found “Benjamin Guyal Wright”. Genealogical trees consistently record the middle name as 'Guyal' (one death-record transcription renders it 'Gil'). Given that the 1809 birth year and both parents (George Wright 1788, Phoebe Whitley 1790) match the family report exactly, 'Gile' is almost certainly a transcription variant of the same middle name rather than a different person.

likely birth date / birthplace (conflicting source): report “1809 (place unknown)” vs. found “Most sources: 6 March 1809, Johnstown, Leeds, Ontario. BUT one death-record transcription (Madison Historical Society, cited on the GenoPro Phineas page) implies birth c.1798 and birthplace Toronto.”. The c.1798/Toronto figures derive from an age-at-death calculation (91y 5m 19d back from 25 July 1900) on a single death record and conflict with the detailed 1809 Johnstown birth that agrees with the family report and FamilySearch. Treating 1809/Johnstown as correct and the 1798/Toronto reading as a transcription inconsistency.

likely children roster (overclaim removed): report “Children incl. George (1833), Amantha, Samuel, Phoebe” vs. found “GenoPro detail page lists only ONE child of Benjamin Guyal + Margaret Finch: Phoebe. George (1833) and Samuel are not named as their children on the verified page.”. Added during audit. The verified GenoPro page lists only Phoebe; 'George 1833' and 'Samuel' were not supported by any cited source, so they were removed from the verified children statement and the finding downgraded to unconfirmed.

Open questions (7)

IDENTITY CAUTION: the verified GenoPro 'Azrael' detail page states Benjamin Guyal Wright (I2152, b.1809) had a brother also named 'Benjamin' (the second 'Benjamin Wright,' I2002), both sons of George Wright and Phoebe Whitley. Two same-parent brothers named Benjamin means name-only matching is unsafe; the 1809-birth, Margaret-Finch-spouse individual is the person in this dossier. Details of the second 'Benjamin' (I2002) were not researched and any future record must be disambiguated by birth year and spouse.
Children George Wright (1833) and Samuel were claimed in the original draft but are NOT named as children of Benjamin Guyal and Margaret Finch on the verified GenoPro page (which lists only Phoebe). These two names were removed; they need a citable source before being attributed to this couple.
Daughter Amantha (1835-1915) is attributed to the couple only via the connected FamilySearch tree, not the GenoPro detail page; the linkage was not confirmed against a primary record.
No FindAGrave or BillionGraves memorial was located for Benjamin at Alma Center / Wrightsville, Jackson County, Wisconsin; a headstone/cemetery record would upgrade the death and burial finding from 'likely' to 'confirmed'.
A direct, primary-citable record (census, vital, or church) naming Benjamin himself (rather than via daughter Amantha or tree files) was not retrieved; his own FamilySearch person ID was not captured. US census records (Wisconsin, 1860-1900) and the original Madison Historical Society death entry would strengthen confirmation.
Reported religious history (Strangite/LDS connection at Wrightsville) and the Leeds/Grenville, Ontario to Jackson County, Wisconsin migration (via Racine) were not verified for Benjamin specifically.
Spouse Margaret Finch's death year (trees suggest c.1884) and the full, individually-verified roster of children remain unconfirmed against primary records.

Sources consulted (5)

Ancestry

Four generations back. Tap any name to recenter the chart, or open the full family tree.

Benjamin Gile Wright b. 1809

father George Wright 1788–1839

father Phineas Wright 1752–1822

mother Zilpha Downer

mother Phoebe Whitley b. 1790

father John Whitley 1761–1838

father John Whitley b. 1740

mother Mary Tucker

mother Margaret Hagerman 1771–1845

father John Sr. Hagerman 1725–1813

mother Phoebe Ferguson b. 1730