Stephen Wright
Wife: Methia Dutton Wright
Stephen Wright was a free Black man born around 1769, though his exact origins and parentage remain uncertain. Some speculate that he may have been connected to the Wright family of early Black settlers from Nova Scotia, who arrived in America during the 1790s. If true, this would suggest that he descended from Black Loyalists—formerly enslaved individuals who gained freedom by siding with the British during the American Revolution. Despite the challenges faced by free Black individuals during this time, Stephen Wright became a prominent landowner and businessman in Somerset County, Maryland. His first recorded land transaction occurred on July 9, 1795, when he purchased 12 acres of land, known as "John Hill," from Levin and Eleanor Pollitt in what is now Allen, Maryland. By 1798, tax records listed him as the only free Black head of household in Wetipquin, living with seven other free persons. Over the years, he continued acquiring land, purchasing property in 1801 from his brother-in-law, Belitha Wright, and later selling 101 acres in 1810 to his nephew, Delaney Wright. That same year, he sold an additional 119.5 acres to Ephraim Harris. His success as a landowner and shipbuilder established him as a key figure within the free Black community, further strengthened by his marriage to Methia Dutton Wright, the daughter of David Dutton, a wealthy free Black man with extensive land holdings. By 1823, tax records showed Stephen Wright owned 135 acres of land across multiple tracts, including "Weston," "Hog Quarter," and "Chance," along with livestock and various household possessions. In 1833, he secured a land patent for "Peace is Best," a 111.5-acre property along the Nanticoke River. His efforts contributed to the growth of the free Black population in Wetipquin, as he helped secure land for Black families. Stephen Wright passed away in 1844, leaving a lasting legacy as one of the most successful free Black landowners in the region. His will, recorded on March 12, 1844, divided his estate among his children and grandchildren, including Boyce Wright, Catherine Wright Moore, Eliza Wright, Rachel Wright Chase, and her son, Samuel James Chase. His descendants remained in Wetipquin, continuing to acquire land and shaping the community’s history. Wright’s life stands as a testament to the resilience and determination of free Black individuals in early America, overcoming racial restrictions to build wealth, establish a skilled trade, and expand the free Black community in Somerset County.
Boyce Wright (Born: 1795) Wetipquin Maryland
Wife: Leah Miles Wright (Born: 1804)
Children:
Arnold Wright, Charlotte Wright, Rosetta Wright Whitney, Perry Thomas Wright, Sally Wright, Susan Wright, Michael Wright Born: 5-18-1847
Mary Wright, Sarah Wright
Charlotte Wright (Born: 1835)
Husband: Ephrauinw (Born: 1825)
Children:
Hester A (Born: 1853), Lezzie (Born: 1859), Josephine (Born: 1862), John Conway (Born: 1864), Abraham Conway (Born:1866), Jennie Conway (Born: 1870)
Ephraim Conway (Born:1868), Sherman Conway (Born:1874), Thomas S Conway (Born:1879)
Rosetta Wright Whitney (Born: 1834)
Husband: Daniel Whitney (Born: 1831)
Children:
Allison Wright (Born:1857), Sarah Whitney (Born: 1866), Mary Frances Whitney (Born: 1863), Julia Whitney (Born:1869), Carrie E Whitney (Born:1875), Willis Whitney (Born:1878)
Willis Whitney (Born: 1878)
Husband: harry Kilgo (Born: 1878)
Children:
Maggie m Kilgo (Born:1904), Sharon Gertrude Kilgo (Born:1905) James R Kilgo (Born:1907) Harley A Kilgo (Born:1908)
Mary Frances Whitney Conway (Born: 1863)
Husband: Isaac Conway (Born: 1860)
Children:
Lewis Conway (Born:1880), Danuel Conway (Born:1892), Rosa Conway
Lewis Conway (Born: 1880)
Wife: Julia Seldon Conway (Born: 1884)
Wife Father: George Seldon
Wife Mother: Matilda Hull Seldon
Children:
Isaiah Conway (Born:1902), Robert Conway (Born: 1904), Clifton Conway (Born:1906), Preston Mc Collin Conway (Born:1913), Mary Rosa Conway (Born:1917)
Lewis Conway Jr, Lenwood Conway
Lenwood Conway
Children:
Annette Bailey, Calvin Bailey
Annette Bailey (Born: 1941)
Husband: Joseph Sample (Born: 1941)
Children:
Joseph Sample Jr, Donnie Sample
Daniel Conway (Born: 1892)
Wife: Lillian Dashield Conway
Wife’s Father: Benjamin Dashield
Wife’s Mother: Laura Cook Dashield
Children:
Augustine Conway, Edna Conway, James Elbert Conway
Mary Rosa Conway Stewart
Husband: Carmelites Luis Stewart (Born: 1903)
Children:
Joseph Stewart (Born: 1944), June Stewart (Born:1940), Judith Stewart (Born:1942), Jabmathaw Stewart, Minnie Brooks (Born:1953), Mandy Cornish
June Stewart (Born: 1942)
Husband: Clarence Brown
Children:
Queenie Brown, Vertis L Brown, Clarence CJ Brown
Judith Stewart (Born: 1942)
Husband: Jraral Nutter
Children:
Dewitt Stewart
Preston Conway (Born: 1913)
Wife: Mary Frances Wright
Wife’s Father: Anthony Wright (Born: 1879)
Wife’s Mother: Elizabeth Cook Wright (Born: 1886)
Children:
Darlene Conway (Born:1935)
Perry Thomas Wright (Born: 1874)
Wife: Sarah Jane Robinson (Born: 1881)
Wife’s Father: Edward Robinson
Wife’s Mother: Mary Lucinda
Children:
Levi Edward Robinson, Ira Samuel Wright, Sidney V Wright, Alma Naomi Wright, Samuel Benjamin Wright, Bernard Calvin Wright, Sylvia Wright
Charles Willis Wright, Thomas Edward Wright, Theodore Wright, Dorine Wright (Born 1914), Perry Wright, Oliver Wright
Levi Edward Robinson (Born: May 1891)
Wife: Arelia Stewart Robinson
Children:
Carrie Louise Robinson. Roberta Ethel Robinson, Louise Robinson, William Robinson, Thelma Robinson, McKinley Robinson,
Corinda Mae Robinson - Moore
Carrie Louise Robinson
Husband: James Handy Nichols
Children:
James Nichols, Robert Nichols, Eric Nichols, David Nichols, Vincent Nichols, Michelle Nichols, Linda Nichols, Yvette Nichols, Angela Nichols
Roberta Ethel Robinson (Born: July 22, 1934)
Husband: Perceval George Noble
Children:
Percy Jr Noble, Lionel Noble, Allen Noble, Vieira Noble, Phyllis Noble
Corinda Mae Robinson – Moore Born: 1923
Husband: John Emory Moore (Born: 1921)
Children:
Levi Moore, Milton Moore, Vera Moore
Ira Samuel Wright (Born: 1902)
Wife: Lillian Virginia Hull Wright Born: 1900
Children:
Sinclair Wright (Born: 1929), Iris Willa Mae Warren (Born: 1933), Juanita Mona Joy Hall (Born:1937), Ira Franklin (Born: 1938), Venetta Wright Born:
Timothy Smith (Adopted), Lucy Irby Wright Cornish (Adopted) (Born: 1955), Tyrone Leo Smith (Adopted) (Born: 1951)
Iris Willa Mae Warren (Born: 1933)
Children:
Theodore Warren, William Warren
Ira Franklin (Born: 1938)
Wife: Peggy Ann Jackson Wright (Born: 1939)
Children:
Sandra Wright, Iris Wright, Donald Wright, Ira Franklin Wright II, Gwendolyn Wright, Leslie Wright
Sidney V Wright (Born: 1908)
Wife: Betty Turner
Children:
Joan Wright
Alma Naomi Wright (Born: 1905)
Husband: William David Camper Sr (Born: December, 20, 1900)
Children:
Marguerite Alma Camper (Born:1928), William David Camper, Clinton C Camper, Cynthia Camper, Carol Camper
Marguerite Alma Camper (Born:1928)
1st Marriage: James Bryant
Children:
Lareon Bryant
2nd Marriage: Charles A Perry (Born 1921)
Children:
Charles Perry, Adrian Perry Vincent Perry, Darryl Perry, Benjamin (Benny) Perry
William David Camper II (Born: 1931)
Wife: Myrtle Elizabeth Price (Born: 1931)
Children:
Janet Camper, Russell Camper, William David Camper III, Darrell Camper, Wanda Camper, Vannett Mann
Clinton C Camper Born: July 12, 1934
1st Wife: Mable Showell
2nd Wife: Dorothy Smith Camper
Children:
Clinton Russell Camper Jr, Amelia Handy, Linette Camper, Annette Charles, Naomi Camper, Yolanda Camper
Cynthia Camper
Children:
Megale Fauntleroy
Carroll Camper
Children:
Carol Camper
Samuel Benjamin Wright (Born: 1915)
Wife: Millie Elizabeth Kemmy (Born: 1916)
Children:
Theodore B Wright, Gloria W Wright, Dixie Evert
Bernard Calvin Wright
Wife: Adele Moore
Children:
Kathieen Wright, Lovester Wright, Marion Wright, Alonzo Wright, Egaline Wright
Kathieen Wright
Wife: Ralph White
Children:
Valarie White, Ralph white Jr, Gregory White, Dalphie White, Adele White,
Charles Willis Wright (Born:1900)
Wife: Mary Amelia (Born: 1906)
Children:
Charles Willis Wright, Russell Wright, Sarah Elizabeth Wright, Joan Blondel Wright, Homer Reynolds Wright, Lybrant Milton Wright, Gilbert Reed Wright, Wanda Lee Wright, Howard Wright
Charles Willis Wright
Wife: Thelma Beatrice
Children:
Theresa Wright, Mildred Wright, Shirley Wright
Sarah Elizabeth Wright
Children:
Micheal Wright, Shell Wright
Joan Wright
Children:
Keith Keenan
Lybrant Blondel Milton Wright (Born: 1938)
Children:
Ernestine Cook Born: 1960
Homer Reynolds Wright
1st Wife: Lorraine Furtell
2nd Wife: Marion Morris Nutter
3rd Wife: Dollie Clairborne
Children:
Lisa Wright, Valarie Wright, Homer Wright Jr
Gilbert Reed Wright
Wife: Gayle
Children:
Gilbert Wright Jr, Terry Wright, Stephanie Wright
Howard Wright
Children:
Asha Wright, Aneila Wright, Raini Wright, Howard Wright, Rashmi Wright, Kyal Wright, Prokash Wright, Somila Wright
Thomas Edward Wright (Born: 1904)
1st Wife: Pearl Perry Wright
2nd Wife: Mahali Wright
Children:
Perry Wright (Born: June 8, 1929), Frances Wright, Cheryl Ann Wright, Andre Paxton, Dawn Celeste Wright
Oliver Wright (Born: 1911)
Wife: Ida Mae
Children:
Oliver Wright Jr, Daughter
Eliza Wright
Husband: James Byard Cook (Born: 1816)
Husband Mother: Nancy Cook (Born: 1792)
Children:
Stephen Cook (Born: 1843)