WI BIO - Adams Co - WRIGHT, Joel Barrett

Commemorative & Biographical Record of Columbia, Sauk & Adams Counties, 
Wisconsin. Chicago: Ogle, 1901, pp 706-707

Joel Barrett WRIGHT, a pioneer of Adams County who has passed nearly 
forty-five years in that region, was born 08 October 1829 in Mount Holly 
[Rutland County], Vermont, and was the son of Elijah and Lucy (WRIGHT) 
SPAULDING. His father [Elijah SPAULDING] was accidentally killed when our 
subject was but a young boy, and an uncle, Joel WRIGHT, adopted him, and he 
took the uncle's name as his own. Joel WRIGHT [the brother of Lucy (WRIGHT) 
SPAULDING] was a farmer by occupation, and died 14 January 1867 at Chelmsford 
[Middlesex County], Massachusetts.

After her husband's [Elijah SPAULDING's] death, our subject's mother [Lucy 
(WRIGHT) SPAULDING] married Calvin SARGENT [and became Lucy SARGENT], and 
later married a Mr. TAYLOR [and became Lucy TAYLOR]. By the second marriage 
she was the mother of [Calvin and Lucy SARGENT were the parents of] nine 
children. She [Lucy nee WRIGHT] was the daughter of Zacheus WRIGHT, a 
prosperous farmer of Chelmsford [Middlesex County], Massachusetts, probably 
of English descent. [From what has been given, Zacheus WRIGHT had at least 
two children: (1) Joel WRIGHT, the uncle of the subject; and (2) Lucy nee 
WRIGHT, the mother of the subject.] Her death occurred 01 October 1874 in 
Vermont, aged 67 years, 4 months and 27 days [at which time she was probably 
Lucy TAYLOR, since that was her third husband's surname.] 

Our subject's [paternal] grandfather, Zebulon SPAULDING, was a man of great 
physical proportions and strength, and was a farmer by occupation. He 
removed from Chelmsford [Middlesex County], Massachusetts, to Ludlow [Windsor 
County], Vermont, where he resided until his death. Our subject's parents 
had four sons [p 707] and one daughter, as follows: (1) one son died in 
infancy; (2) Calvin W.; (3) Elijah, who afterward took the name of WILDER; 
(4) Joel B., our subject [who was born SPAULDING but took the name WRIGHT]; 
and (5) Abigail, who married a Mr. BIGELOW and died in Connecticut. Our 
subject is the only surviving member of the family. Two of his brothers were 
also adopted by other families whose names they took as their own. 

At two years of age our subject [Joel Barrett SPAULDING, now Joel Barrett 
WRIGHT] removed with his foster father to Chelmsford [Middlesex County], 
Massachusetts, where he spent his boyhood days on a farm. He was employed 
part of the time in a cotton factory at Lowell [Middlesex County, 
Massachusetts], and was also one season in the match factory at Boston 
[Suffolk County, Massachusetts]. He came to Wisconsin in the spring of 1855, 
and located in Adams County. In 1860 he purchased his present homestead in 
New Chester Township, and out of the wild land he then purchased he has made 
a well improved farm. His estate covers eighty acres, sixty acres of which 
is under a high state of cultivation. He has erected commodious and 
convenient farm buildings, and in every manner made it one of the first farms 
of the vicinity. For several years he marketed his produce at Grand Rapids, 
and spent one or two seasons lumbering on the Yellow River.

[Grand Rapids, Wisconsin, is extinct. Grand Rapids and Centralia, on 
opposite banks of the Wisconsin River, merged around 1920 to become the City 
of Wisconsin Rapids, Wood County, Wisconsin. The most likely place where 
Joel B. lumbered on the Yellow River, which has numerous branches, would be 
in Adams County at Germantown, on the Wisconsin River at the mouth of the 
Yellow River. Eight saw mills sent logs to Germantown according to the 1856 
Wisconsin Handbook (p 47). Two of these eight were located at Pittsville, 
which is both on the Yellow River and on the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul 
Railway, in Sections 25 and 34 of Wood Township, eighteen miles northwest of 
Wisconsin Rapids. After the valuable pine was gone, these mills continued by 
manufacturing hardwood lumber and making barrel, wagon, and beer keg stock.]

In October 1861 Mr. [Joel Barrett] WRIGHT enlisted in Company H, Eleventh 
Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, and served nearly four years. Before leaving 
Madison [Dane County], Wisconsin, he suffered an attack of pneumonia, and 
upon his recovery was appointed steward of the field hospital, and was later 
employed in the hospital at Mound City [Pulaski County], Illinois, for two 
months. He then went with his regiment to Texas, where he re-enlisted as a 
veteran in the same company and regiment. From boyhood he was an adept at 
surgery, and was offered the position of assistant surgeon in the service but 
declined. He accompanied his regiment, doing hospital duty at Bayou Cache, 
Port Gibson, Jackson, Champion Hill, Big Black River, siege of Vicksburg, 
Fort Esperanza, Spanish Fort, Blakeley, and Mobile. Most of the time he was 
on the field in charge of the stretcher bearers. 

On 11 April 1850 at Nashua, New Hampshire, Mr. [Joel B.] WRIGHT married 
[Miss] Ann WARE, daughter of Parker and Maria (COWDRY) WARE. Mrs. WRIGHT 
[then Ann WARE] was born in Hillsboro [Hillsborough County], New Hampshire, 
and spent most of her childhood at Billerica [Middlesex County], 
Massachusetts. Her father [Parker WARE] was a native of New Hampshire, and 
served in the War of 1812. Mrs. WRIGHT's [maternal] grandfather, Joseph 
COWDRY, was a farmer, who removed from New Hampshire to Billerica, 
Massachusetts, and his [Joseph COWDRY's] wife, [Mrs. Joel B. WRIGHT's 
maternal grandmother] was Lucy (BROWN) COWDRY, the daughter of Thomas BROWN, 
a farmer of Billerica. [Thomas BROWN was therefore the maternal great 
grandfather of Mrs. Joel B. WRIGHT.]

Two children were born to Mr. and Mrs. WRIGHT [to Joel B. and Ann (WARE) 
WRIGHT], as follows: (1) Joel Jefferson, Postmaster of Oxford [Marquette 
County], Wisconsin; and (2) Annetta S., now Mrs. Hon. Clarence PIERCE, of 
Germania [Marquette County], Wisconsin. Mr. and Mrs. WRIGHT have eight 
grandchildren and one great grandchild. Both our subject [Joel B.] and Mrs. 
WRIGHT are members of the Jonesville Congregational church, which they 
assisted in organizing, and Mr. WRIGHT is a Trustee and Treasurer of the 
church. They were formerly connected with the New Chester Congregational 
church. 

Mr. WRIGHT is a member of J. C. Miller Post, G. A. R., at Oxford [Marquette 
County, Wisconsin], and also the Masonic fraternity. He has been a 
Republican since the organization of that party, but cast his presidential 
vote for Pierce in 1852. Soon after the Adams County poor house was 
established, in 1876, he was appointed Overseer and spent two years in charge 
of the institution. Although he had but few conveniences on which to depend, 
he conducted the place satisfactorily and declined appointment the third 
year. He has filled numerous township offices, and served as [Adams] county 
Superintendent of the Poor for six years. His active public spirit and 
faithful service for the welfare of his community commend him to the respect 
of his many friends.

Submitted by Cathy Kubly