WRIGHT, Dr William S., b 1849; 1905 Bio, Montrose County, Colorado http://files.usgwarchives.net/co/montrose/bios/wrightws.txt --------------------------------------- Donated September 10, 2001 Transcribed by Judy Crook from the book: Progressive Men of Western Colorado Published 1905, A.W. Bowen & Co., Chicago, Ill. --------------------------------------- Dr. William S. Wright The late Dr. William S. Wright, of Olathe, who departed this life on February 10, 1902, in the midst of his usefulness, but after many years of successful and serviceable practice of his profession, was born in Jefferson county, Iowa, on September 20, 1840, and was the son of Alfred and Nancy (Gabbert) Wright, natives of Kentucky, the father born in 1807 and the mother in 1809. The moved to Iowa in 1830, and there they passed the remainder of their lives successfully engaged in farming. Their family comprised four sons and six daughters, six of the number being now alive. William started out in life for himself in 1855 at the age of fifteen. He went to Missouri where he taught school and began the study of medicine. Two years were passed in that state and in these employments, then in 1857 he returned to his native state, where he remained until 1885, actively engaged in the practice of medicine from the time when he was twenty-three years of age. In 1863 he established an office in Glasgo, Jefferson county, Iowa, and there he practiced until 1882. He then moved to Lockridge, in the same state, and during the next three years he practiced there. From that city he moved to Kansas in 1885, locating at Dodge City for a short time and then moving to Jetmore. The next year he came to Colorado and took up his residence at Montrose. At the same time he pre-empted a claim to a tract of land on which he lived until June, 1892. At that time he changed his base of operations to Olathe, where he practiced his profession until his death. He was the first physician in this section of the county, and while he had the field to himself for years, he also found his duties very arduous and exacting, requiring long rides in all sorts of weather and at all hours of the day or night. He was one of the first settlers in the town, there being only ten houses there at the time of his arrival, and he aided largely in its subsequent growth and development. The Doctor was first married in 1857 to Miss Martha Gregg, a native of Iowa and the daughter of James and Margaret Gregg. The fruit of their union was seven children, of whom but three are living. He was divorced from this wife in 1883, and on October 15, 1885, he was married to a second wife, Mrs. Nellie A. (Pratt) Scott, a widow with three children, William E., Sumner and Winfield Scott. She is the daughter of Jefferson and Jane (Wightington) Pratt, the former born in Massachusetts and the latter in Jefferson county, Tennessee. The father enlisted in the Union army for the Civil war as member of Company C, Eleventh Illinois Infantry, and served through the contest. After being discharged he was obliged to go to a hospital and there he died. By his second marriage Dr. Wright became the father of five children, of whom Nellie, Earl and Frances W. are living. Ruth died at the age of seven months and the fifth died in infancy. He belonged to the Masonic order fraternally, was an earnest Republican politically, and held membership in the Methodist church religiously. Mrs. Wright is a faithful and consistent member of the Presbyterian church. =================================================== Contributed for use by the USGenWeb Archive Project (http://www.usgenweb.org) and by the COGenWeb Archive Project USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. The submitter has given permission to the USGenWeb Archives to store the file permanently for free access.