John H. Wright Biography


	This biography is from "Memorial and biographical record; an illustrated
 	compendium of biography, containing a compendium of local biography,
	including biographical sketches of prominent old settlers and 
	representative citizens of South Dakota..." Published by G. A. Ogle & 
	Co., Chicago, 1899. Pages 735-736

	Scan, OCR and editing by Maurice Krueger,mkrueger@iw.net, 1998. 

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JOHN H. WRIGHT, living on section 27, Wilbur township, is one of the 
pioneers of Brule county, and by his industry, honesty and zeal for 
what he believes to be the best interests, of the community, has won 
the respect and good will of all who know him. 

For many generations the ancestors of our subject have been born and 
bred on American soil. His great-great-grandfather was born in 
Massachusetts, whither his parents had moved from Canada at an early 
day in our history. O. S. and Emelia (Durham) Wright, the parents of 
our subject, had a family of eight children, of whom John H. was the 
second in order of birth. He was born in Erie county, New York, May 4, 
1832. Longevity is a characteristic of this family. His grandfather 
attained the goodly age of ninety years, and the mother of our subject, 
born in 1803, is still living and makes her home in Wisconsin. Our 
subject, now in his sixty-seventh year, is active and energetic, hale 
and hearty, and works almost continuously at his trade, that of 
carpenter, and few men of half his years can turn off an equal quantity 
or quality of work in his line. He learned his trade in Wisconsin, 
beginning when he was nineteen years of age, and in the good old 
fashioned way when a tradesman was required to understand his art, and 
could not start out as a mechanic after two weeks apprenticeship. His 
habits of thoroughness remain with him, and characterize all he 
undertakes, with a finished workmanship and completeness that gains at 
once the honest admiration of all. 

In 1862 our subject enlisted in Company H, Thirty-third Wisconsin 
Volunteer Infantry, but within about one hundred days thereafter, while 
yet in camp and before leaving the state, he received an injury that 
made necessary his discharge on account of disability. After recovering 
his health he removed to Jasper county, Iowa, and there worked at his 
trade until 1883. In the spring of that year he went to Dakota, taking 
with him a team, a plow and about fifty dollars in money. His services 
as a mechanic were in great demand, and he in this way provided for his 
family, secured a homestead, and erected a house, 14 x 16 feet, and 
placed his sons in charge of the farm, three lads, aged respectively 
fifteen, nine and six years. While the father worked at his trade, the 
sons, though ignorant of farm work, managed to develop a farm of one 
hundred and sixty acres. As they were attempting to raise small grain, 
they met with the same disastrous results as did other farmers in that 
locality, and continued to lose money, until, in 1897, they took a 
flock of three hundred sheep on shares, and from that time on the 
outlook has been bright. For years they were compelled to haul water 
several miles for their stock, but the profits on their new venture has 
enabled them to sink an artesian well, which furnishes an abundant 
supply of water for all purposes, and this, with the fine pasturage, 
makes their farm one of the most valuable in eastern Brule county. 

Mr. Wright was married, February 1, 1867, to Mrs. Martha J. (Hadley) 
Burrow, and to their union three children were born, namely: Orlan H., 
who is farming in Wilbur township; John E., who is in charge of the 
home farm, and a young man of much practical experience in Dakota 
farming, and whose opinions and judgment are based upon the solid 
ground of experiment and personal observation. He is an enthusiastic 
student of agriculture, and his success is assured. Roy A., the 
youngest son of this family, was married to Miss Josephine Horton, in 
1896. His farm adjoins that of his father, and he is also engaged in 
sheep raising and farming 

John H. Wright is a member of the Masonic fraternity, and of the I. O. 
O. F., and worships with the Methodist denomination. He is a Republican 
in politics, and takes an active interest in public affairs. He 
advocates prohibition and equal suffrage, and the liberality and broad-
minded independence of this intelligent family is manifest in the fact 
that his son, John F., while: an ardent Republican like his {ether, 
advocates high license, and is an anti-suffragist.