Plum twsp special - Warren Edwin Wright

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WHO WAS WHO in PLUM TOWNSHIP
~ Titusville Herald ~
June 6, 1960
By H. W. Strawbridge

Warren Edwin Wright

This biological sketch concerns a young Diamond man who, by being ambitious and industrious, seemed to have been well started on the road of successful business back in the 1890�s. He owned a business establishment, two houses and a few acres surrounding both when his life span was tragically ended at the age of 24.

This young fellow�s name was Warren Edwin Wright, born on the present H. D. Shriver property in Diamond on Aug. 27, 1871. His parents were Rev. John and Mary Ann Wildey Wright, both of pure English descent. His parents came to America about 1842, though that was eight or nine years prior to their marriage.

Rev. Wright, a Wesleyan Methodist minister, had belonged to a military order in England as a young man. In fact he witnessed a historical spectacle in 1837 that he would never forget--the coronation of Queen Victoria!

Mary Ann Wildey, a native of Oldham, England, was of some relationship to Thomas Wildey, internationally known for his founding of the Independent Order of Odd Fellows in 1819.

John and Mary Ann Wright were married probably in Mount Vernon, Ind., then shortly afterwards moved to Vinton, Ia., where they lived 13 years. They then moved to Pennsylvania, settling in Diamond about 1867. It was in Diamond where the last four or five children were born. There were eleven altogether, four daughters and seven sons.

Warren Edwin was the ninth child. Throughout his short life he was always known as �Ed� Wright. He received the common elementary education in the Diamond school. His last attendance at school was 1889 or 90, when A. W. Goodwin Sr. was teacher. This is remembered by a younger pupil at the time, Mrs. Goda Sterling Rose, now of Rouseville.

Young Ed spent a great deal of his time in his father�s stave mill. When old enough to do light work, he helped his father and older brothers in the mill. He was remembered as helping Charles and Stanton Strawbridge of near Fairview during one haying season. Ed once got in a wrestling match with Stanton during that season.

A Tussle Among Stumps

At another time Ed and a half dozen or so other young lads got into quite a tussle and wrestling affair in a stumpy field located directly across the road from the former Diamond Free Methodist Church. This affair was remembered for years afterward by ones who were in it. One young lad got knocked out when his head hit a stump. One day Ed was walking to Troy Center. When he had approached a certain residence about half a mile from the village, he heard the owner giving a tongue-lashing to his sons for leaving work to go to a ball game. When Ed walked by he shouted in: �Aw, don�t be so cranky, uncle!� This only infuriated the old fellow all the more, and Ed kept hustling by--that was the safest thing to do.

Ed once helped the late Albert J. Morse of Chapmanville to pull a well on the place of Albert�s father-in-law, Shubeal Proper, of Fauncetown. Mr. Proper�s daughter, Mrs. Evadne Smith, now of Black Ash, recalls that Ed once gave her a sack of mixed nuts.

The late Jared Kightlinger of Diamond used to relate several instances about Ed. They were quite good friends.

Wrapped Feet in Burlap

About 1894 Ed and the late Ben Strawbridge cut logs on the old Jared B.Welsh place northwest of Diamond. It was wintertime and Ed wrapped several thicknesses of burlap or cloth around his feet instead of wearing shoes. He claimed his feet were comfortable and warm that way rather than having shoes or boots on.

As one may detect Ed was active and kept busy at something all the time. His main interest was in the mill, however. His older brother, Elmer, had a portable sawmill and the Wrights sawed lumber in many localities, such as Newtonton, Coal Hill, etc.

The father, John, had what might be termed a �silent� partner in his stave mill. The partner was William Doe. Wright was the actual operator.

In 1889 Elmer Wright bought out Doe�s interest. During that same summer Elmer erected a large three-story building, purposely for a cider, chopping and lumber mill. He also rebuilt and enlarged the mill dam to suffice for the enlarged business. Then the next March he purchased machinery for a first-class flouring mill. Hence Elmer and his father operated this joint cider, jelly, lumber, shingle and flouring mill for three years.

The mill building was approximately 60 feet long and 30 feet wide. The shingle and lumber mill was on the north end and the cider mill on the south end. Not much activity took place in the basement. The mills were situated on the first floor and the second floor was used for drying and the manufacture of apple jelly and preservatives. The building was torn down by H. D. Shriver about 1932. Only the big stone base on which the press was forced is still standing in its original place. In 1888 or 89 the Wright family home burned down. Then Rev. Wright bought the J. G. Proper property across the road and the family lived there afterwards. However, Elmer did build a new house on the site of the burned one, and also built a house on the bank west of the mill. The one on the bank was generally rented.

On Aug. 21, 1890, Elmer�s and Ed�s mother died from a brief illness. Sometime afterward, Rev Wright married Mrs. Mary Mallory, a widow.

In December 1892, Ed bought out Elmer�s share of the mill and property, and the next month bought out his father�s share. Thus Ed became sole owner of the mill property.

During the same fall that Ed bought the mill they did quite a fair business, despite the fact that there was a light crop of apples.

100,000 Gallons of Cider

However, the next fall, 1893, was an entirely different story. In October Ed was running the cider and jelly factory day and night. He hired men to help him. In December he shut down for the season, having manufactured in round numbers, 100,000 gallons of cider and an immense number of quarts of jelly - up to that time the largest amount ever made there in a single season.

The late Clyde M. Proper, formerly of Chapmanville but lastly of Madison, O., once wrote the following about his Uncle Ed Wright and his mill in 1955: �And Uncle Ed Wright�s mill - how I used to love to watch him make boiled cider in a large vat. He used to give us apple jelly and apple butter which I did not like and got so tired of on our table. He also owned the house where Dean Shriver resides now, so he had done real well for a man of his age, and wages at 75c to $1 a day.�

Ed was not very tall and was stockily built. That is about all the description that is available about his physical appearance. His photograph shows him to have been a nice looking young fellow.

He was a charter member of the now defunct Diamond IOOF Lodge which was instituted on Feb. 12, 1895. There were 25 charter members. However, four were unable to be present for the institution ceremony. Two of these were Ed Wright and Bert Brown, both of whom had gone to Fostoria, O., for a few weeks.

During his last winters after the cider business shut down, Ed generally went away for employment -- another example of his ambition.

On Jan. 2, 1896, Ed left Diamond to seek employment in the southwestern Pennsylvania Oil fields. For a time he had been engaged in various occupations on leases. During the week of Feb. 9 to 16 he secured a job as tool dresser for the Philadelphia Oil Company on the Marin Clever Farm at Cliff Mine, Stowe Township, Allegheny County.

On Saturday morning, Feb. 12, the men were about to raise a large smoke stack for the boiler which had just been set up. In order to place a stack in its proper place, it was the custom to run a line over the high derrick from the stack to the bull wheels, by aid of which the work was easily and expeditiously done. Ed carried the end of the line to the top of the derrick, 82 feet high, and was about to put it down through the crown block and over the crown pulley.

Fell 82 Feet to Platform

Somehow he lost his balance and started falling over backwards. As he fell he grasped at the pulley, a cast iron wheel weighing about 65 pounds. Had it not been for the fact that the crown block tipped up and allowed the wheel to slip out of its bearings, Ed�s life would probably have been saved. But he hurtled the 82 feet onto the derrick platform with such force as to break through the inch boards into a ditch below. He was picked up unconscious and death took him 5 or 6 hours later.

An inquest was held at which it was learned that Ed had about two weeks beforehand been struck on the back of his head by a brake lever of a band wheel at an oil well. Since that time he had complained of dizziness. This may have accounted for his losing his balance at the top of the derrick.

His body was placed aboard the train on Sunday night and his brothers, Will and Charles Wright, who were also employed by the Philadelphia Oil Company, accompanied it to Titusville where they were met on Monday forenoon by 33 Diamond Odd Fellows, plus a delegation from the Queen city lodge.

They escorted the remains to Diamond where on that afternoon the United Brethren Church was unable to hold the great gathering of people present for the funeral. Nearly half of the throng had to remain outside. It was bitter cold that afternoon, so cold in fact that a lady who is living today nearly caught her death of pneumonia which she contracted there. She is Mrs. Carrie Lonctat Peebles, now of Titusville, RD 3. She had attended the service with her father�s family, and while the cemetery service was being held she remained in the sleigh because of the cold. She later became bedfast with pneumonia and had quite a time recovering from it.