BIOS: John Miller WRIGHT, Salisbury, Somerset County, PA

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History of Bedford and Somerset Counties, Pennsylvania; Bedford County by E. 
Howard Blackburn; Somerset County by William H. Welfley; v.3, Pub. The Lewis 
Publishing Company, New York/Chicago 1906, ppg. 433-5.

John Miller WRIGHT

John Miller Wright, a prosperous farmer and business man of Salisbury, is a son 
of John Wright, one of the old veterans of the freighting and stage coach days 
on the National road from Baltimore west, familiarly known as the "Old Pike", 
and grandson of James Wright, a farmer of Somerset county, who died at an 
extremely old age.  James Wright reared a large family, who mostly became 
farmers and farmers' wives and lived, in nearly every instance, to a very old 
age.  His children were: John, see forward; Nancy, James, Rachel, Veach, Susan, 
Betsey, Jerry, Samuel and Martha. 
John Wright was born September, 1808, on the home farm near Confluence, Somerset 
county.  He received such education as the times and place afforded, and until 
reaching his majority was an assistant of his father in farm labor.  He taught 
for a time in the schools during the winter months.  The National road or "pike" 
at that time offered the best opening for employment for men and teams, and 
young Wright was soon engaged as a freighter, driving the great teams with their 
heavy loads of freight from Baltimore west to Cumberland and Wheeling.  This 
occupation he followed for several years, after which he abandoned the road and 
became clerk of the old Howard House in Baltimore.  Here, in 1836, he met and 
married Rebecca Stout, a young lady from Philadelphia.  The young couple removed 
to Maryland, where John began again the life of a farmer, and for forty-five 
years thereafter in Maryland and Pennsylvania this was his principal business.  
For the last thirty-two years he cultivated a farm near Salisbury, and for 
twenty-three years of this period his residence was in Salisbury.  The town of 
Boynton is part of the old farm.  While living in town Mr. Wright worked the 
farm and also conducted a general teaming business.  He was one of the 
supervisors of the township.  For the last thirty years of his life he was a 
member of the German Baptist church.  In politics he was a Democrat. 
The children of John and Rebecca (Stout) Wright are: Mary (Mrs. Alfred Yeast), 
Sarah (Mrs. Alexander Reckner), Cynthia (Mrs. John Koontz), Charles, a farmer 
and lumberman of Greenville township; Elizabeth (Mrs. Silas Wagner), Germanus, a 
farmer of Greenville township; Rebecca (Mrs. Joseph Wagner), John Miller, see 
forward; Abigail, died in infancy; Ruhamah (Mrs. Headley Hoe), who with her 
husband and family were sufferers in the great fire of 1906 that destroyed San 
Francisco, their home; Martha (Mrs. Augustus Winters).  John Wright died in 
1901, after a long and busy life, having attained the great age of ninety-three.  
He was an exceedingly vigerous and active man until three years previous to his 
death, when he was disabled by a fall.  His wife, Rebecca (Stout) Wright, died 
aged eighty-five.
John Miller Wright was born on a farm lying along the National pike near 
Grantsville, Maryland, May 23, 1855.  He attended the public schools until 
fifteen years old, and worked on his father's farm until attaining his majority.  
Until 1876 he worked at farming in Frostburg, Maryland, and then went west and 
located in Marshall county, Iowa, where he remained three years.  Returning to 
Pennsylvania, he worked at mining for two years, and in 1883 married and moved 
on a farm in Greenville.  In 1885 he purchased a large farm near Salisbury, on a 
portion of which purchase he still resides. Mr. Wright is also interested in 
other lines of business besides his land dealings, which have been many and 
varied.  He holds one-third interest in the First National Bank of Boswell, 
Pennsylvania, of which he is a director.  His latest undertaking is in 
connection with the Pennsylvania & Maryland Street Railway Company, of which he 
is a director and assistant general manager.  He is in charge of the 
construction now going on between Salisbury and Meyersdale.  The plans include 
the extension of the road in both ways, ultimately connecting Frostburg, 
Maryland, with Johnstown, Pennsylvania.  Mr. Wright has never accepted public 
office.  He is a member of the Reformed church of Salisbury.  Mr. Wright's life 
has been an active and an arduous one.  The success he has attained is all his 
own, as he has fought the battle of life almost alone, unaided by inherited 
wealth save that of an indomitable spirit, a stout heart and a sound body 
bequeathed to him by his farmer ancestors. 
Mr. Wright married, March 22, 1883, Christena, born 1856, daughter of Henry 
Rembold, a farmer of Greenville township, and four children have been born to 
them, namely: Cynthia, born July 26, 1887, a student at the California State 
Normal School; Edith, who died at the age of ten years; Grace, born September 
23, 1893; Harvey, born September 24, 1900.