Individual record

Phineas Wright

1812–1874 · 62 years

Male Maude Irene Wright line Gen. 2 before Maude Irene Wright

Life

c. 1812BornCanada

20 Mar 1874DiedCoral City, Wisconsin

—MarriedtoAmanda FinchCanada

Notes & Recollections

He and his brothers came from Michigan to Patosi or Black River Falls, Wisconsin. They set up the Wright mill at Coral City, Wisconsin.

Records & Research

Phineas Wright was born 25 October 1811 in Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario, Canada, son of George Wright and Phoebe Whitley, and died 20-21 March 1874 at Coral City, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, aged 62. He married Amanda Finch (1821-1848) in Ontario in 1836 and later Mary Carpenter; a FindAGrave memorial also documents an intervening wife, Rebecca Wagoner. His eight known children include Zenas Hovey/Harvey Wright (1838-1926), Sarah Adelia, Elizabeth Jane, Phineas, Amanda, Mary, Silas, and Edgar. He was a cooper by trade (per the 1850 census) and one of the old settlers of the Coral City / Wright mill region. A separate claim that he was a Strangite Mormon apostle at Voree rests only on a name-and-place coincidence and is not confirmed for this man.

Phineas Wright was born 25 October 1811 in Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario, Canada (the report's '1812, Canada' is a close approximation; the precise date per FindAGrave is 25 October 1811).

1811-10-25 · Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario, Canada findagrave ↗tree ↗
Phineas Wright died 20-21 March 1874 at Coral City, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, aged 62.

1874-03-21 · Coral City, Trempealeau County, Wisconsin, USA findagrave ↗
Phineas Wright married Amanda Finch in 1836 in Ontario, Canada (Amanda Finch Wright 1821-1848).

1836 · Ontario, Canada findagrave ↗tree ↗
Phineas Wright married Mary Carpenter (Mary Carpenter Wright 1820-1898) in 1855, matching the report's second listed spouse.

1855 findagrave ↗
An additional marriage, to Rebecca Wagoner/Wagner (later 'Rebecca Wagner Mash', 1823-1908), is documented at Voree, Walworth County, Wisconsin, in 1848/1849 (not listed in the family report).

1849-05-05 · Voree, Walworth County, Wisconsin, USA findagrave ↗tree ↗
All eight children named in the report are confirmed on the FindAGrave memorial: Zenas Harvey Wright (1838-1926), Sarah Adelia Wright Wing (1835-1923), Elizabeth Jane Wright Wing (1842-1877), Phineas Finch Wright (1847-1928), Amanda E Wright Comstock (1854-1892), Mary L Wright (1855-1906), Silas Emer Wright (1856-1914), and Edgar B Wright (1865-1920).

findagrave ↗
In the 1850 U.S. Federal Census, Phineas Wright (39, Cooper, born Canada) was enumerated at Alma, Jackson County, Wisconsin, with Rebecca Wright (19, Iowa) and son Zenas (11, Ohio).

1850 · Alma, Jackson County, Wisconsin, USA findagrave ↗

Differs from the report

birth.date: report says “1812”, records indicate “25 October 1811”. FindAGrave (verified) and genopro both give 25 Oct 1811; the report's '1812' is off by about two months. Same event, rounded. findagrave ↗

spouses: report says “(none listed for Rebecca Wagoner)”, records indicate “Rebecca Wagoner/Wagner Mash (1823-1908), m. at Voree, Walworth Co., WI (1848 per FindAGrave family list; 5 May 1849 per transcribed Wisconsin Marriages record)”. A third spouse not in the report, documented by a transcribed Wisconsin Marriages index entry and the 1850 census, both on the verified FindAGrave memorial. Chronologically the middle wife (between Amanda Finch and Mary Carpenter). Note the unresolved 1848-vs-1849 marriage-year inconsistency within FindAGrave itself. findagrave ↗

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

Parents were George Wright (b. 25 May 1788) and Phoebe Whitley (b. 30 Nov 1790), matching the report's George Wright (1788-1839) and Phoebe Whitley (1790). likely

· Only the genopro family tree gives these exact parent dates; it agrees with the trusted report on both parents but is a single, uncited tree source, so this stays at 'likely' rather than 'confirmed'. tree ↗
A Strangite Mormon apostle named Phineas Wright was associated with Voree, Wisconsin; whether he is the same man as this Phineas Wright is NOT established. unconfirmed

· Downgraded from 'likely'. The FindAGrave memorial says nothing about a Strangite/apostle role; the identification rests only on a same-name, same-place (Voree) coincidence plus an uncited genopro detail. Phineas Wright is a common name and the apostle is a notable figure, so this is a classic wrong-person risk. The secondary religious-history source does not supply birth/death dates linking the apostle to this man. Treated as a lead, not a confirmed fact. other ↗tree ↗
Phineas Wright's burial place is recorded as 'Burial Details Unknown' on FindAGrave; a family tree suggests burial at Wrightsville, Jackson County, Wisconsin. unconfirmed

· Wrightsville, Jackson County, Wisconsin, USA (unconfirmed) · Verified on the FindAGrave page: 'Burial Details Unknown'. The genopro tree's claim of burial at Wrightsville, Jackson Co., WI is uncited and not corroborated by any cemetery record. findagrave ↗tree ↗

likely death.date: report “1874-03-20” vs. found “21 March 1874 (FindAGrave); 20 March 1874 (obituary/report)”. FindAGrave lists 21 Mar 1874 vs the report's 20 Mar 1874. A one-day discrepancy, possibly death vs. report/burial date. Place and age (62) agree.

likely spouses: report “Amanda Finch (1821-1846)” vs. found “Amanda Finch Wright (1821-1848)”. Same first wife; FindAGrave gives her death year as 1848 rather than the report's 1846. Marriage year (1836) and birth year (1821) agree.

Open questions (5)

Was the Strangite Mormon apostle Phineas Wright (Voree) the same man as this Phineas Wright? This finding was downgraded to 'unconfirmed' because it rests only on a same-name/same-place coincidence; the FindAGrave memorial does not mention any Strangite role, and no source links the apostle to this man's vital dates. Needs a record tying the apostle to the 1811/1874 dates or to his documented family before it can be published as fact.
Where exactly was Phineas Wright buried? FindAGrave shows 'Burial Details Unknown' (verified); one uncited family tree suggests Wrightsville, Jackson County, Wisconsin. A cemetery record is needed to confirm.
Confirm exact death date: 20 March 1874 (report/obituary) vs 21 March 1874 (FindAGrave). The full text of the 28 March 1874 Banner-Journal obituary could resolve this.
Resolve Rebecca Wagoner's marriage year: FindAGrave's Family Members list says m. 1848, but its transcribed Wisconsin Marriages record says 5 May 1849 (Voree). The original marriage record should be consulted.
Verify the report's claim that Phineas and his brothers came from Michigan to Potosi/Black River Falls and established the Wright mill at Coral City; no independent record was located confirming his role in founding the mill.

Sources consulted (5)