The Question

Genealogists and family historians sometimes rely on family and town histories written many years ago. Those histories can contain errors that may or may not be unraveled as time goes by. Y-DNA can sometimes assist in detecting discrepancies in those written histories such as errors and nonpaternal events. Can Y-DNA assist in determining a 350 year old line of descent in an English immigrant family newly arrived in Connecticut in the 1600’s?

Background

Thomas Wright “The Immigrant” from England who settled in Wethersfield Connecticut in about 1640 is the progenitor of the Wright family of Wethersfield. Thomas had four sons, Thomas Jr., Samuel, James and Joseph. The problem posed in this article is, which of those sons did the Josiah Wright of Wethersfield who settled in Williamstown Massachusetts in 1764 descend from? According to multiple family histories written in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s Josiah Wright of Williamstown descended from Thomas Wright’s son Samuel Wright, but is this correct?

Y-DNA Explained

Y-DNA is passed from father to son. It changes slowly, so slowly it is almost unchanging. Because it changes slowly it can be traced far back in time and meaningfully categorized into family tree branches according to its various mutations. 

FamilyTreeDNA.com recently produced its Time Tree as part of its Discover facility for its Y-DNA 700 product. Time Tree produces a male family tree lineage based not on paper records but strictly on Y-DNA. Those Y-DNA results are matched to members of various surname Y-DNA projects and compiled into organized surname lineages extending far back in time. 

Josiah Wright of Williamstown Massachusetts

Josiah Wright, a first settler of Williamstown, can be traced to Thomas Wright, the immigrant, of Wethersfield Connecticut through Y-DNA and paper records. Josiah Wright and his family settled in Williamstown in 1764. “There came to Williamstown in 1764, from Wethersfield, Connecticut, a man by the name of Josiah Wright”.^[1] Josiah died in 1799. He married Abigail Boardman in Wethersfield but the date of their marriage is not in the town records.^[2] Several published town and family histories give his birthdate as 1700. Those histories name his father as Samuel Wright but they provide no support for their conclusions.^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}.

The Crafts Family and Curtis Wright’s Genealogical and Biographical Notices state Josiah and Abigail married In 1735. Abigail was born in 1717 in Wethersfield and died in Williamstown in 1795. Her grave marker in Williamstown states that she died at age 79, that she is the wife of Josiah Wright, and that he died in 1799 at the age of 87. 

At least three facts militate against the Josiah Wright of Wethersfield who was born in 1700 as being the Josiah Wright of Williamstown who died at age 87 in 1799. One, the age discrepancy between Abigail Boardman and the Josiah Wright born in 1700 (17 years difference). Two, the obvious discrepancy in Josiah’s birth year given his age at death on the Williamstown grave marker. Three, Josiah is not mentioned in the will of his purported father Samuel who died in 1734.^[7]

These things are not dispositive and can be explained away. An age discrepancy between spouses is unusual but not unheard of. Dates on grave markers can be erroneous or be misread. An offspring could be left out of a will. On the other hand, the published family histories could be in error.

Ancestors of other Wright Y-DNA Project Members

Josiah Wright of Williamstown was not the only Josiah Wright in the near vicinity of Williamstown in the early 1700’s. Relevant to this story there was another man of that name who was also born in Wethersfield and who lived in nearby Pittsfield Massachusetts, about 20 miles to the south of Williamstown. 

Josiah Wright of Pittsfield is well documented in a sketch appearing in Western Massachusetts Families in 1790.^[8] Among his descendants noted in that genealogical sketch is Enoch Wright, (Enoch,⁶ Josiah,⁵Ebenezer,⁴ Samuel,³ Samuel,² Thomas,¹), who was born in Pittsfield in 1763 and who died in Whitehall New York in 1810.^[9] Josiah Wright of Pittsfield’s family can be traced back to Thomas Wright the immigrant’s son Samuel Wright. 

A descendant of Enoch Wright, son of Josiah Wright of Pittsfield, is a member of the Wright Family Y-DNA project. According to that project’s Y-DNA results, Enoch Wright’s descendant and I descend from different branches of Thomas Wright the immigrant’s family. 

Another member of the Wright Y-DNA Project descends from Enoch’s contemporary, Benjamin Wright, (Benjamin,⁶ Ebenezer,⁵ Ebenezer,⁴ Thomas,³ Joseph,² Thomas,¹). Benjamin, called the father of American civil engineering, was the chief engineer of the construction of the Erie Canal. He was born in Wethersfield Connecticut in 1770.^[10] [11] His father Ebenezer Wright moved with his family from Wethersfield to Rome New York in 1789 and their family tree is well documented.^[12] Benjamin descends from Joseph Wright, one of Thomas Wright’s four sons. Benjamin Wright’s descendant and I share a particular Y-DNA branch, meaning that our Y-DNA is a match and that we descend from a common ancestor.

Analysis

The paper records show that Benjamin Wright’s family descended from Joseph Wright and Enoch Wright’s family descended from Samuel Wright, sons of Thomas the immigrant. Y-DNA validates those conclusions. Enoch Wright and Benjamin Wright both descend from Thomas Wright the immigrant at the first generation but they do not share the same Y-DNA mutation so they must be descended from different sons of Thomas. 

Since I descend from Josiah Wright of Williamstown and I share the same Y-DNA mutations as a descendant of Benjamin Wright who was a descendant of Joseph Wright then Josiah Wright of Williamstown must also descend from Joseph Wright, son of Thomas the Immigrant.

The Wethersfield town records support this conclusion. According to Wethersfield town records there is only one recorded Josiah Wright in Wethersfield besides the Josiah who was born in 1700 that was of suitable age to have married Abigail Boardman. That Josiah, born in 1714, was the son of Jonathan Wright who was a son of Joseph Wright.^[13]

Jonathan Wright’s will was probated in 1740. It refers to his son Josiah and refers in the same sentence to his minor grandsons Jonathan and Josiah, leaving money to the eldest when he came of age. ^[14] In 1740 Josiah Wright of Williamstown had an eldest son Jonathan who was four years old and a two year old son named Josiah, clearly in accord with Jonathan’s will.^[15]

Conclusion

Contrary to published town and family histories, Josiah Wright of Williamstown’s father is Jonathan Wright, and his grandfather is Joseph Wright, son of Thomas Wright the immigrant. Jonathan’s will mentions Josiah and two of Josiah’s sons that were living at the time of Jonathan’s death. Josiah’s birthdate is only three years different than his wife Abigail’s birthdate. Josiah’s age given on Abigail’s grave marker is only two years off of his birthdate. 

Two members of the Wright Y-DNA project share similar Y-DNA mutations. One is a descendant of Benjamin Wright the Civil Engineer who was a descendant of Joseph Wright, and the other is the author of this article. Neither share the same Y-DNA mutations with other members of that Y-DNA project. The paper records combined with Y-DNA results lead to the conclusion that Josiah Wright of Williamstown descends from Thomas Wright’s son Joseph Wright, not his son Samuel Wright.

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^[1] Arthur L. Perry, LLD., Origins in Williamstown, p. 612, by the author, 1894. https://archive.org/details/originsinwilliam00perrrich/page/612/mode/1up?view=theater

^[2] Wethersfield Vital Records, Barbour Collection Pre-1870, p.338. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1062/images/vbmdusact1634_0052-0346?usePUB=true&_phsrc=zYU9

^[3] Henry R. Stiles, A.M., M.D. The History of Ancient Wethersfield Connecticut, v. 2, p. 864, Grafton, NY, 1904.

^[4] Curtis Wright, Genealogical and Biographical Notices of Descendants of Sir John Wright of Kelvedon Hall, p. 81, Carthage, 1915. https://archive.org/details/genealogicalbiog00wrig/page/80/mode/2up?q=%22josiah+wright%22

^[5] James and William Crafts, The Crafts Family, v. 1, p. 63, Gazette, Northhampton, 1893. https://archive.org/details/craftsfamilygene01craf/page/n135/mode/2up?q=%22josiah+wright%22

^[6] William F. J. Boardman and Charlotte Goldthwaite, Boardman Family, p. 256 , Case, Lockwood & Brainard, Hartford, 1895. https://archive.org/details/boardmangenealog00gold/page/256/mode/1up?view=theater&q=72

^[7] Will of Samuel Wright, Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/9049/images/007627232_00390?pId=315918

^[8]  Western Massachusetts Families in 1790, p. 1 of 17, (From various authors, Helen S. Ullmann, FASG, ed.), New England Historic Genealogical Society, 2016. https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/western-massachusetts-families-in-1790/image?volumeId=48625&pageName=147209283&rId=0

^[9] Id., p. 11 of 17, https://www.americanancestors.org/databases/western-massachusetts-families-in-1790/image?volumeId=48625&pageName=11&rId=68982320

^[10] Benjamin Wright, Wikipedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Benjamin_Wright_(civil_engineer)

^[11] S.V. Talcott, Genealogical Notes of New York and New England Families, p.736, Weed Parsons, Abany NY, 1883. https://archive.org/details/genealogicalnote00talc/page/736/mode/2up?

^[12]  S.V. Talcott, Genealogical Notes of New York and New England Families, p.736, Weed Parsons, Abany NY, 1883. https://archive.org/details/genealogicalnote00talc/page/732/mode/2up?

^[13] Wethersfield Vital Records, Barbour Collection Pre-1870, p.338 https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1062/images/vbmdusact1634_0052-0346?usePUB=true&_phsrc=zYU9

^[14]  Will of Jonathan Wright, Connecticut, U.S., Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999 on  Ancestry.com.  https://www.ancestry.com/search/collections/9049/records/1143935?tid=54170672&pid=26042558096&ssrc=pt

^[15] Wethersfield Vital Records, Barbour Collection Pre-1870, p.338. Wethersfield Vital Records, Barbour Collection Pre-1870, p.338. https://www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/1062/images/vbmdusact1634_0052-0346?usePUB=true&_phsrc=zYU9

© Bruce A. Wright, Esq. – Copyright, 2025