Individual record

Zenas Hovey Wright

1838–1926 · 88 years

Male Maude Irene Wright line Gen. 1 before Maude Irene Wright

Life

29 Oct 1838Bornnear Fort Defiance, Ohio

19 Apr 1868MarriedtoMary Jane NottNorthfield, Wisconsin

3 Jul 1926Diedin a hospital in Eau Claire, Wisconsin

—Buriedin the family plot in Garden Valley

Notes & Recollections

Their home was on a farm in Garden Valley, Wisconsin, for 34 years, from 1877 to 1911. Then they moved to the City Point area, north of the Bills farm. His early childhood was spent on Beaver Island, Michigan. In September, 1856, his father brought the family to Black River Falls, Wisconsin.

Medical History

He had a tumor on the brain. His head kept increasing in size.

Records & Research

Zenas Hovey Wright (indexed in cemetery and FamilySearch records as "Zenas Harvey Wright") was born 29 October 1838 in Defiance County, Ohio (near Fort Defiance), the son of Phineas Wright (1811-1874) and Amanda Finch (1821-1848), and died 3 July 1926 in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin. On 19 April 1868 he married Mary Jane Nott (1848-1927) at Northfield, Jackson County, Wisconsin; they farmed in the Garden Valley area of Jackson County and had at least eight children, including Maude Irene Wright (1869-1935) and James Leon Wright (1885-1964). He is buried at Mentor Cemetery in Humbird, Clark County, Wisconsin. Identity is confirmed by a multi-anchor Find a Grave memorial whose birth date/place, death date/place, parents, spouse, marriage date/place, and several children all match the family report; the memorial cites a Wisconsin County Marriages record and the 1870 U.S. Census (Lincoln, Trempealeau County).

Zenas (indexed 'Harvey') Wright was born 29 October 1838 in Defiance County, Ohio and died 3 July 1926 in Eau Claire County, Wisconsin; he is buried at Mentor Cemetery, Humbird, Clark County, Wisconsin. The Find a Grave memorial matches the family report on birth date AND place, death date AND place, spouse, marriage, both parents, and several children, making this an unambiguous identity match.

1926-07-03 · Mentor Cemetery, Humbird, Clark County, Wisconsin findagrave ↗
Zenas Wright married Mary Jane Nott on 19 April 1868 in Northfield, Jackson County, Wisconsin. Marriage date and place match the family report exactly, and the match is corroborated by two independent sources.

1868-04-19 · Northfield, Jackson, Wisconsin findagrave ↗familysearch ↗
Zenas's wife Mary Jane Nott was born 22 January 1848 in White Pigeon Township, St. Joseph County, Michigan, and died 30 August 1927 in Altoona, Eau Claire County, Wisconsin; the couple farmed in the Garden Valley area of Jackson County for many years.

1848-01-22 · Garden Valley / Jackson County, Wisconsin familysearch ↗
Children of Zenas and Mary Jane (Nott) Wright include Maude Irene Wright (1869-1935) and James Leon Wright (1885-1964), both matching the report exactly. A Louis Lester Wright (b. 1879) on FamilySearch corresponds to the report's 'Louis L. Wright (1880)'.

· Garden Valley, Jackson, Wisconsin findagrave ↗familysearch ↗
Three early-dying children of the couple are recorded: Philete Wright (1870-1878), Lulie Wright (1874-1879), and Melda Wright (1876-1879). Lulie and Melda likely correspond to the report's 'Lula Wright' and 'Mede Wright'.

findagrave ↗familysearch ↗

Differs from the report

burial place: report says “in the family plot in Garden Valley”, records indicate “Mentor Cemetery, Humbird, Clark County, Wisconsin”. Not a true conflict: 'Garden Valley' is the community; the burial ground of record per Find a Grave is Mentor Cemetery at Humbird, Clark County. The dossier's earlier assertions that this cemetery 'straddles the Jackson/Clark county line' and 'serves the Garden Valley area' were unsourced and have been removed; only the sourced burial location (Mentor Cemetery, Humbird) is retained. findagrave ↗

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

Zenas Hovey Wright was the son of Phineas Wright (1811-1874) and Amanda Finch (1821-1848). His early childhood was reportedly spent on Beaver Island, Michigan, where his father was a follower of the Strangite Mormon prophet James Jesse Strang. likely

1838-10-29 · Fort Defiance, Ohio · Parents (Phineas Wright 1811-1874 + Amanda Finch) and birth date/place are now independently confirmed by the Find a Grave memorial, so the parentage portion is well supported. The distinctive Beaver Island / Strangite-Mormon detail, however, rests only on the uncited GenoPro tree plus the report's own notes (which mention a Beaver Island childhood), so it is rated 'likely' rather than confirmed. findagrave ↗tree ↗

likely name (middle name): report “Zenas Hovey Wright” vs. found “Zenas Harvey Wright”. Find a Grave and FamilySearch both render the middle name as 'Harvey' rather than 'Hovey'. Likely transcription drift between the family report ('Hovey') and indexed records ('Harvey'); all other anchors confirm the same individual. A headstone photo, marriage certificate, or death certificate would settle which form is correct.

likely birth year: report “1838-10-29” vs. found “1840 (in FamilySearch spouse-page summary only)”. The FamilySearch wife-tree summary lists the husband as 'Zenas Harvey Wright 1840-1926'. The Find a Grave memorial (records-based) gives 29 Oct 1838, matching the report; the 1840 figure is an isolated tree error. 1838 is the better-supported year.

likely father birth year: report “Phineas Wright (1812-1874)” vs. found “Phineas Wright (1811-1874)”. Both the Find a Grave memorial and the GenoPro tree give Phineas Wright's birth as 1811 (report says 1812). Minor one-year discrepancy, now seen on two sources rather than one.

unconfirmed mother death year: report “Amanda Finch (1821-1846)” vs. found “Amanda Finch Wright (1821-1848)”. The Find a Grave memorial gives mother Amanda Finch Wright's dates as 1821-1848 (report says 1821-1846). Birth year matches; death year differs by two years. Minor, from a single source.

Open questions (5)

Louis L./Lester Wright (report 1880; FamilySearch 1879) is not listed on the Find a Grave memorial and rests on a single tree source; confirm him as a child via a census or vital record.
Reconcile the full child list: the report names eight children (Maude Irene, Louis L., James Leon, Leslie, '(unknown)', Lula, Mede, Claytus); confirmed-by-record children so far are Maude Irene, James Leon, Philete, Lulie, and Melda. Leslie, Claytus, and the unknown child are not yet matched to any record, and Philete has no clear counterpart in the report.
No standalone person page or obituary for Zenas himself was retrieved; his details come via the Find a Grave memorial (which cites a 1870 census and a marriage record) and his wife's FamilySearch page. A direct Eau Claire July 1926 obituary could confirm cause ('infirmities of age') and the City Point / Bills-farm residence noted in the report.
Confirm the correct middle name ('Hovey' per family report vs 'Harvey' per indexed records) from a primary source such as a headstone photo (the memorial currently has 0 photos), marriage certificate, or death certificate.
Verify mother Amanda Finch's death year (report 1846 vs Find a Grave 1848) against a primary record.

Sources consulted (5)