USA > Vermont > Genealogical and family history of the state of Vermont; a record of the achievements of her people in the making of a commonwealth and the founding of a nation, Vol I > Part 127
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The family are descended on the paternal side from Lieutenant Abel Wright, one of the first settlers of Springfield, Massachusetts, who was elected in 1695 a member from that town to the general court. (N. E. Hist. and Gen. Reg., Jan., 1880.) On the maternal side, the family descended from Beriah Murray, of Claremont, New Hampshire, who was of Scotch descent. He served in Colonel Benjamin Bellows' regi- ment of New Hampshire militia in the Revolu- tionary war, and afterwards settled on a farm in Williston, Vermont, where he died in 1820.
Mr. Wright's early educational advantages were limited, and were confined to the common schools and the Williston Academy, then presided over by the Rev. William Arthur, father of ex- President Arthur. At the age of fifteen he left his father's farm and became self-supporting, se- curing employment in a store at Milton Falls kept by Alonzo Noble. At that time it was
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customary for country stores to sell spiritnous liquors and Mr. Noble's store was no exception to the rule. In spite of his surroundings Mr. Wright very early in life became a total ab- stainer from the use of liquors and tobacco and has so continued. In 1835 he went to Burling- ton and was there successively in the employ of D. W. Ingersoll & Company and Noble Lovely, merchants, with the latter of whom he remained for several years and established a good reputa- tion for faithfulness, industry and mercantile ability. In 1845, at the request of Champion Fletcher, a wealthy resident of Orwell, he re- moved to that town and formed a co-partnership with him to continue the business of general merchandising founded by Hon. Apollos Austin and by him successfully conducted for more than . half a century. This firm continued for several years, and thereafter Mr. Wright had as succes- sive partners, Miner B. Catlin, Rollin Gale, Charles E. Wyman, Dorus C. Bascom and finally his son, William B. Wright. His mercantile life at Orwell was continued for forty years, and was prosperous. His credit was uniformly good, and his reputation for just and fair dealing was high. He retired from active business in 1885. Mr. Wright was a representative from Orwell in 1874-5. He held the office of postmaster for many years, was a Whig and has been an carnest Republican since the foundation of the party. He has been a member of the Congregational church since 1841, and was active in church work, being a deacon in the organization.
September 16, 1846, he married Eliza T. Bottum, daughter of Bishop and Zilplia (Con- key) Bottum, of Orwell. She died there August 12, 1903, after nearly fifty-seven years of happy wedded life. She was descended from Daniel Long Bottom, surveyor of Norwich, Connecticut, in 1680. Her grandfather, Jesse Bottom, was one of the first settlers of Orwell, moving there from Norwich in about 1784. Mrs. Wright was a woman of fine taste, well balanced, well trained mind and possessed of the traditional New Eng- land traits and accomplishments, without any harshness or narrowness of character. Three sons were born to them, whose sketches follow.
WILLIAM BOTTUM WRIGHT, eldest son of Ethan M. and Eliza T. Wright, is president of the First National Bank of Orwell, and one of
the formost men of affairs of that town. He was born there June 28, 1847, was educated at Sara- toga Springs, and at the Highland Military Acad- emy, Worcester, Massachusetts. Upon leaving there in 1868 he became his father's partner in the mercantile business at Orwell, succeeding hin in 1885, since which time he has maintained the honorable traditions of the business established by his father. In the panic of 1893, owing to his connection with the firm of Hammond, Bush & Company, he was compelled to make an assign- ment, and his entire fortune was swept away, but his individual creditors were fully paid, and as the failure was honorable and unavoidable, Mr. Wright did not lose the esteem of hi's neigh- bors and friends. He at once set to work to re- pair his fortune with undiminished energy, in- dustry and ability. and has largely succeeded in so doing. He represented his town in the legis- lature in 1886 and was a member of the Republi- can state committee for several years. In 1884 he was appointed upon the staff of Governor Pin- gree with the rank of colonel. He is affiliated with Independence Lodge No. 10, F. & A. M., St. Paul's Chapter, Calvary Commandery, Mt. Sinai Temple, Masonic organization of Vermont ; is a member of the Algonquin Club of Burling- ton and numerous other organizations. Colonel Wright is unmarried.
CHARLES D. WRIGHT, second son of Ethan M. and Eliza T. Wright, was born at Orwell, November 8, 1849, educated at Burr and Burton Seminary, and at the Highland Military Acad- emy, Worcester, Massachusetts, and was for two years at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Troy, New York, class of 1871. Upon leaving the latter institute he went to Minnesota, where he was engaged in surveying and locating lands for two years, then filled the position of chief draughtsman in the surveyor general's office at St. Paul for several years, and in 1877 removed to Fergus Falls, Minnesota, where he has since re- sided, and been continuously in the banking busi- ness, connected with the First National Bank of that city, of which institution he is president. He has served as alderman, treasurer and mayor of Fergus Falls, and was, by appointment of Governor Nelson, one of the trustees of the state insane asylum for seven years. He married Lucy S. Barney, of Malden, Massachusetts, and has
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THE STATE OF VERMONT.
two children surviving, George B., midship- man in the United States Naval Academy, and Murray S., student at the University of Min- nesota.
GEORGE MURRAY WRIGHIT, youngest son of Ethan M. and Eliza T. Wright, was born at Orwell, December 3, 1352. He was educated at the Burr and Burton Seminary, Manchester, and at Middlebury College, class of 1874. He studied law in the office of Smith, Bancroft & Moak at Albany, New York, and was admitted to the bar of New York state, at Albany, as an attorney, November 16, 1877, and as counsellor May 26, 1879. He remained with the above named firm until 1880, during which time he was intimately associated with Hon. Henry Smith, then one of the leaders of the bar of northern New York, and he took an active part in the preparation and handling of many important litigations, among which were the proceedings relating to the wind- ing up of the Atlantic Mutual Life Insurance Company, the action brought by the executors of Walton Dwight against some twenty life insur- ance companies, the impeachment proceedings against John F. Smith, superintendent of the New York insurance department, the Sessions bribery case, and many in which the Delaware & Hudson Canal Company was a party defendant. In 1880 he was sent to Florida to reorganize the Sem- Iniole Lumber Company of Pensacola, one of the largest concerns in the south, which he success- fully accomplished. The same year he entered the office of the attorney general of New York, and remained there during the administration of Hon. Leslie W. Russell. In the office he had charge of the affairs of insolvent corporations, at that time a large and important part of the business of the office. In 1884 he was asked to join the office of Hon. Horace Russell, of New York, then one of the receivers of the West Shore Railroad Company, to assist in the legal work arising on the receivership, which he did. He has since remained with Mr. Russell in the active prac- tice of his profession.
Mr. Wright has been associated in New York in the conduct of many notable litigations, among others, Guyot vs. Hilton, the preparation of which took him to France in 1899, in which a new principle of international law was established by the supreme court of the United States. He
has been counsel for the Stewart and Hilton estates in the ejectment suits brought by alleged Irish heirs of A. T. Stewart against his devisees, and was counsel for the receivers of the West Shore Railroad Company ; he also acted as coun- sel for the Manhattan Elevated Railroad in many actions brought to recover damages by abutting owners. In 1896 he was made assignee of the firm of Hilton, Hughes & Company, and successfully administered the affairs of that great trust, in which was included real estate at numerous points in New York, besides the large depart- ment store in New York city now owned by John Wanamaker. There were forty-six fully equipped departments in the main store, employ- ing at times upwards of two thousand persons, and branch offices were maintained at London, Paris, Leipsic, Vienna and Chemnitz. Mr. Wright sold a part of the plant to John Wana- maker, but the open accounts, upwards of twenty- one thousand in number, were collected under his supervision. The affair was entirely closed, satisfactorily to all concerned within three years of its inception. Mr. Wright was admitted to the bar of the circuit court of the United States for the southern district of New York in 1892, and to that of the supreme court of the United States in 1894. He is a member of the Bar Associa- tion of New York city, the New England So- ciety, Kane Lodge, F. & A. M., Vermont Histori- cal Society, National Arts Club, New York Club, New York Athletic Club, Phi Beta Kappa So- ciety, and is a trustee of Middlebury College. He has been its treasurer and is now chairman of its finance committee. He is a Republican and is unmarried.
GEORGE HENRY ELDRIDGE.
One of the prosperous and progressive far- mers of Adison county is George H. Eldredge. who has so ably conducted his business interests that success has crowned his efforts and given him a place among the substantial citizens of his community. A native son of the Green Mountain state, his birth occurred in Middlebury, on the 3rd of June, 1851, and in that locality his father, William H. Eldridge, also had his nativity. The paternal grandfather, Samuel Eldridge, was one of the early pioneers in Addison county, and for
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many years followed the trade of blackksmithing in East Middlebury, his death there occurring in 18.19, when he had reached the age of sixty- four years. By his marriage to Sarah Emery he became the father of two children, Phoebe and Williani H. His wife was called to her final rest at the age of ciglity-eight years. The family was identified with the Universalist church.
William H. Eldridge spent his entire life in East Middlebury, and in early life learned the blacksmith's trade, which continued to be his occupation until failing health compelled hin to give up such heavy work. For three years lie was engaged in the mercantile business, and his death occurred March 26, 1871, at the age of sixty years. During his active career he served his fellow townsmen as a justice of the peace and . as a selectman, ever discharging his public duties with the utmost fidelity and honor. The mother of our subject, who bore the maiden name of Eliza Hendrick, was a native of Weybridge, Ver- mont, and a daughter of Jabez and Sarah Hen- drick, the latter of whom died at the age of ninety- one years. They became the parents of three children. Of the four children born to Mr. and Mrs. Eldridge our subject is now the only sur- vivor, and the mother passed away in death May 27, 1898, at the age of eighty-one years. The family affiliated with the Universalist church, in which the father was much interested, and he was instrumental in the erection of the house of wor- ship of that denomination in East Middlebury.
George H. Eldridge has throughout his entire
business career been engaged in the tilling of the soil, and he now owns and operates a farin of one hundred acres, while in additon lie also rents a tract of eighty-five acres. His energies are devoted to general farming, and in this line of endeavor he lias met with a high degree of success. Ilis first marriage occurred in 1872, when Eliza Judge became his wife. She was born in New Haven, Vermont, and was a daughter of John Judge a farmer of this county, but now deceased. Of his children two reside in East Middlebury, Louise, who married Almon Enos, and Frances, who married M. J. Day, a mer- chant. At her death, which occurred October 7, 1891, at the age of forty-five years, Mrs. El- dridge left one son, Willianı H., who was cdu- cated in the common schools of this locality and in Middlebury College, and is now serving as treasurer of the Proctor Trust Company, in Proc- tor, Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. Eldridge also had one daughter, Mabel, who died March II, 1886, at the age of ten years. For his second wife Mr. Eldridge chose Lucy Allis, a native of Lud- low, this state.
By his ballot Mr. Eldridge supports the men and measures of the Republican party, and in 1901 he was elected to the position of lister, to which he was re-elected in 1902 and again in 1903, while for three years he held the office of selectman. In his fraternal relations he is a member of the Independent Order of Odd Fel- lows, and religiously is affiliated with the Metho- dist Episcopal church.
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