HANSEL WRIGHT

The following bio was taken from page 455 of the book entitled " Rusk County History" compiled and edited and used with permission of the Rusk County Historical Commission.

Transcribed by Claudia Schuster

Submitted by Gloria Briley Mayfield, Rusk County TX Coordinator

Hansel Wright was born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia in 1773 of Quaker parentage. The Quakers had come down in 1730 from Pennsylvania and had settled in Maryland and Virginia. Among those making the move were James, Thomas, Robert and William Wright. The Wrights assisted in the formation of a Methodist Church, and almost all of the descendants have been members of this church.

One William Wright could have been the father or grandfather of Hansel since he named his first son William Prichard, (Prichard) being his wife’s family name.

Hansel married Elizabeth Prichard, born in 1774, in North Carolina, and they were parents of two children: Dilly (Deliah), who married Asa Richards; Nancy, who married Robert Stone; a daughter, ?, married Doc Cole; Elizabeth Margaret, who married Miles Yandle; Samuel who married Mahala; William Prichard, who married Mary (Polly) Stone; Thomas Lewis, who married Izetta (or Elizabeth) Merritt; George Hansel, who married Elizabeth Izell Craig; Campbell, who married Janice (Janie) Craig; Catherine never married.

Hansel and Elizabeth made their home in North Carolina for many years and then moved to Tennessee where they lived eighteen miles south of Nashville. Next they made their trek to Calloway County, Kentucky where several of their eighteen children married and where they received land grants.

In 1835 they decided to move again and their caravan of covered wagons headed for Texas with all of their children and grandchildren except William Prichard, who followed three years later with another group.

The family settled in Nacogdoches in 1836 where they were given land grants from the Republic of Texas for coming to the State before 1837. These lands were classified as "Second Class Headright" grants and were listed as follows in the General Land Office of Texas in Austin; Samuel C. Wright received 1280 acres; George H. Wright, 640 acres; Thomas L. Wright, 640 acres.

The Wrights remained in Nacogdoches until 1846 when they moved to Rusk County. Samuel, however, was killed by the Indians before he could claim his Rusk County land. They settled in what was later called the New Prospect Community. At this time Hansel was given deeds to his land, signed by Governor George T. Wood, confirming his grants from the Republic of Texas. This deed was not recorded until May 23, 1906, when John J. Terrell, Commissioner General of Texas Land Office, signed it.

Hansel and his family also established their own cemetery near their church, but some of his descendants are buried in the New Prospect Cemetery. These include William Hansel (Bill) Wright, a grandson, who married Baptist Ellen Ballenger; Joseph Hansel Wright; and other descendants.

Hansel Wright and his son, William Prichard, died in 1856. Elizabeth had preceeded them in death in 1853. They are buried in the Wright Cemetery.

The application for a Texas State Historical marker for the Wright Cemetery has been approved by the Texas Historical Commission.