My ancestors in this country go back approximately 400 years depending on which way I go. I will start with the two major ones; my mother’s maternal line Wright, and my father’s paternal line Andrews.

My mother had done a lot of initial research in the family history. My grandmother was Mary Elizabeth Wright and the Wrights can trace their history to very prominent families in Bedford County Virginia going back to the 1600’s. There have been several books written about the Wright’s of Bedford County.

The farthest back I have verified on record is Thomas Wright who was born in Virginia in 1695 and died in 1763. He is my 7th great-grandfather. His son, Joseph, born in 1742, furnished supplies to revolutionists in the American Revolutionary War.

Through this line, I and my children are all eligible to join the Sons or Daughters of the American Revolution.

The Andrews side also hails from Virginia, near Petersburg, just south of Richmond in Chesterfield County. My Aunt helped me fill in some missing links and through Ancestry I have traced them back also to the 1600s.

Benjamin Andrews, 5th great-grandfather, was born in 1699 in Henrico Virginia. He died in Chesterfield County in 1778.

Benjamin’s father Thomas was born in Wiltshire England, and he died in Henrico, Virginia in 1731. He had three other sons, and in his will which can been seen online, he left two of his sons one hundred acres of land each. The other son, John, received the plantation and all it’s livestock and goods, but poor Benjamin only got one cow and one calf. However, he fared better than his three sisters that only received one shilling each.

Benjamin’s son, Bullard (4th GGF), would have been of the right age in the American Revolutionary War, but I cannot find any record that he served. Although there is a record that he served in the war of 1812.

After poor Benjamin left with his cow and calf, he must have moved south to Chesterfield County, VA. There the line continues to my grandfather, Aubrey, ancestry records reveal they were all poor country farmers.

The Wright’s were well off middle-class families. During the Civil War, some of the Virginia Wrights, who were abolitionist moved to Ohio. Today, there are tens of thousands of descendants of Thomas Wright (6th GGF) living in the US.

The other two direct lines include my father’s maternal line and my mother’s paternal line.

My Grandmother Alease was a Cole. I trace them as far back as 1775 in Chesterfield County, Virginia. They also were a family of country farmers.

My mother’s paternal line is Van Houten, the farthest I can verify records is the 1850’s in New Jersey. There was a large Dutch settlement there and I can only verify the direct information that my mother had assembled. James Marcus Van Houten (2nd GGF) was born in 1828. He married Lydia Wolf(e), also born in 1828.

I cannot verify any details of Lydia’s family before her marriage to James Marcus. However, there is a short family history written in the late 50’s early 60’s by my grandfather’s sister that states her family tore their clothing and declared her dead when she married him. Many census records show her born in New Jersey or New York but in 1880 it states she was born in Portugal.

After the Civil War the Van Houten’s and their sons moved south to Georgia where my grandfather Wallace Van Houten was born. James and Lydia’s son, William, (b.1855) was once the Mayor of Sycamore, GA. In searching the GA Archives, I found a picture of a cotton gin he designed that won a first prize at the state fair in 1901.

I have found so many stories in researching family history. I have tried to piece together little bits of information I’ve found to see what can tell me about their lives.

Like the history of any place or family there are courageous stories, sad stories, stories that make you proud and stories that leave you feeling remorseful. All in all, it reveals an amazing journey that combines your life with the lives of thousands of others who share these histories as well.

John Peter and Mineta Wright parents of Mary Elizabeth Wright (maternal great-grandparents)

Wallace Van Houten and Mary Elizabeth Wright – my maternal grandparents

Molly Stratton Brown Wright 1858-1930. Mother of John Peter Wright (maternal 2nd GGM)

Robert Ruffin Andrews (1862-1926), father of Aubrey Andrews here with his youngest son, Linwood. (Paternal Great Grandfather)

Aubrey and Alease Andrews (paternal grandparents) with their children Eugene, Marie, and Thelma.

Albert Thomas Cole, and Etta Virginia Butler on their wedding day (abt 1907) – Alease’s parents. (Great Grandparents)

Eliza Jane Crews (1849-1923) – mother of Albert Thomas Cole, wife of William C Cole (Paternal 2nd GGM)

William C Cole (1849-1920) father of Albert Thomas Cole and husband of Eliza Jane Crews (Paternal 2nd GGF)

Ida Florence Fountain Van Houten (1878-1968) taken in Sycamore, GA around 1960, great-grandmother, mother of Wallace Van Houten

William Van Houten (1855-1917) great-grandfather husband to Ida Florence Fountain Van Houten and father of Wallace Van Houten. Former Mayor Sycamore, GA

Lydia Wolf(e) Van Houten (1828 – around 1900) 2nd Great-grandmother born in New York died in Georgia, mother of William Van Houten.

Photo credit: Georgia Virtual Vault