WRIGHT CEMETERY

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WRIGHT CEMETERY

This Wright Cemetery’s headstones were recorded two separate times, first in 1968 – 69 by the Wayne Prairie Chapter of the DAR and recorded in a book written by the Illinois Society, DAR which is posted on Heritage Quest. A second reading of the headstones was done in 1971 by Doris Ellen Bland and was published in her Wayne county Cemetery Inscriptions Vol. I

The Wright Cemetery is in Barnhill off the Burnt Prairie blacktop. (SE ¼ NE ¼ Sec. 20, T. 2-3s. –R.SE)

Name	Birth Date	Death Date	Married	Illinois Death Certificate #	Obituary/ Picture	Additional Information
BARKLEY, Eliza A. WRIGHT		Jan 27, 1866 50y 2m	Married Joseph G. Barkley	Biography	Wayne Co., Press Feb 1, 1866	Daughter of D & E Wright
BARKLEY, Joseph G.	May 1, 1804 Mercer County , Penn	Dec 19,1874 70y 7m 18d	Married April 25, 1841 Eliza A. Wright		Biography	Black Hawk War Circuit Clerk, County Clerk, Master in Chancery and Police Magistrate.
BLAND, George (Sr.)		May 23, 1868 73y			Wayne Co., Press May 28, 1868
BLAND, Margaret RAMSEY	Feb 11, 1801 Virginia	Apr 8, 1887 86y 1m 27d	Married age 19 Kentucky George Bland		Wayne Co. Press April 21, 1887 Lg obit	Died in her son James Bland home
BLAND, Sabra		June 27, 1878 46y 16d	Married George M. Bland		Wayne Co. Press July 4, 1878	Leaves husband & children
PICKERING, Henry			Oct 11, 1871 66y 7m 17d
STEWART, Margaret A. WRIGHT	1830	1856	Wife of Dr. H. Stewart			d/o A. C. & M Wright
WATSON, Sarah J.		Mar 4, 1892 62y 7m, 25d	Wife of James Watson		Wayne Co. Press Mar 10, 1892	Died Anna Il. insane Hospital Son James moved to Helena, Montana
WILLIAMS, Frederick		Oct 17, 1852 78y 10m 3d
WRIGHT, Andrew C.		Jan 14, 1861 73y 10m
WRIGHT, Amanda & Samantha		Nov 12, 1859				Daughters of A. C. & J. C. Wright
WRIGHT, Caleb W.	Sept 25, 1832	Dec 21, 1864 Memphis Tn.	Married Martha S.			Killed as a soldier
WRIGHT, Charles		Feb 22, 1861 2y 1m 26d				s/o D & M. B. Wright
WRIGHT, David	Feb 18, 1818	Mar 16, 1868			Wayne Co. Press Mar 26, 1868
WRIGHT, David III	May 1, 1804 New Jersey	Mar 11, 1864	Came to Illinois in 1819		War Democrat Mar 17, 1864 Biography	Died at son-in-laws Joseph G. Barkley
WRIGHT, Elizabeth Curtis		Oct 14, 1866 75y 21d	Wife of David Wright III		Wayne Co Press Oct 18, 1866
WRIGHT, George W.		Aug 21, 1851 6 days				s/o A. C. & J. C. Wright
WRIGHT, Ida		July 13, 1862 1y 3m 11d				d/o D & M. B. Wright
WRIGHT, Margaret		Dec 11, 1863 69y 7m 22d	Wife of Andrew c. Wright
WRIGHT, Martha S.	1837	Apr 20, 1864	Married Caleb Wright
WRIGHT, Mary	1827	1840				d/o A. C. & M. Wright

JOSEPH G. BARKLEY, deceased,, was born in Mercer County , Penn., May 1. 1804, and was of Scotch-Irish ancestry. His parents removed to Clermont County, Ohio, in 1810, where Joseph grew to mature years, residing there until coming to Edgar County, Ill., in 1830. He attended school but six months in his life, and that before reaching the age of ten years. His education, however, was much above an average for his day, but almost wholly acquired by the fireside of his home. He thereby obtained sufficient education to enable him to teach school, which he followed in 1831 in Edgar County. In 1832, he enlisted in the Black Hawk war, serving in the ranks three months. A few years later he was appointed agent for the Commission of Internal Improvements, and in 1838 was Assistant Engineer on the construction of the "Old St. Louis trail," the great ante-thoroughfare between St. Louis and Cincinnati. In 1839, Mr. Barkley removed to Wayne County, where he engaged in merchandising, both on his own account and in partnership with Hon. O. B. Ficklin. He was appointed by Judge Justin Harlan in 1839 to the position of Circuit Clerk of Wayne County; this appointment was renewed by Judge Wilson in 1841. He was then elected by the people to the same office, which he acceptably filled by the suffrage of the people until 1856. He also served the county as County Clerk, and later in life as Master in Chancery and Police Magistrate. He was married, April 25, 1841, to Eliza A. Wright, a daughter of David Wright Sr., a pioneer merchant and miller of Wayne County. Five children was the result of this union-- David W., Carolina R. (wife of R. D. Adams), Orlando F., Joseph L., and Theodosia E. Barkley, the two younger. of whom are deceased. Mr. Barkley died December 19, 1874. He was a quiet, modest, unassuming man, whose correct business habits and unquestioned integrity made him the confidant and the business adviser of many of his fellows. He was a faithful man in all the relations of life, and the memory of his noble life is cherished by hundreds of the pioneers of Wayne County.

David Wright, 4^th (? 3^rd), came from New Jersey to Wayne County in 1819, and settled and improved a farm three miles south of Fairfield. He started the first tan-yard in the county, using a wooden trough, which in time he increased to fourteen vats, in which he did an extensive business for those days --- tanning all kinds of hides, even hog skins. The old family Bible, now in the possession of Charles W. Wright, is covered with fawn skin tanned in his tannery. He soon opened a store and also built a horse mill, each of which were about the first of their kind in the county. People came fifteen and twenty miles to his mill on horseback, often camping to wait for their turn. The product of the mill was bolted by hand. D. W. Barkley, a grandson, says he has both lively and painful recollections of assisting in this part of the business. At least he remembers it was not so agreeable as driving the horses and riding on the beam. Mr. Wright had his merchandise hauled from Shawneetown, Mount Vernon, Ind., and Evansville, and his produce was taken to Beach Bluff and Mill Shoals and shipped to New Orleans by flat-boat. This mostly consisted of venison hams, wild turkey, honey, deer and coon skins, etc. In those days, two-horse wagons, in which were to be seen teams in harness of which not a particle of iron was used --- all home made leather, shuck collars, and hames cut from the root of a tree. When the family first came to the county, as did all others, they pounded meal in a stump mortar. The first meal from a mill was procured at Shawneetown, and until Mr. Wright's mill was put up, the nearest mill was at Carmi. Mr. Wright was a fine specimen of the hardy, thrifty pioneers. His industry never flagged, and his energy was tireless --- all of which were most admirable qualities for aiding in opening up and developing the new country. His other good qualities were only equaled by his widely known integrity, and a morality and uprightness that marked his whole life and drew around him an extended circle of warm friends. “History of Wayne County 1884”

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