Thomas Love Wright was born about 1800 in Tennessee according to responses given on the 1850 US census. The Family Data Collection at ancestry.com lists a Thomas L Wright born 1800 in Tennessee to Robert Wright and Kesiah/Keziah Bibb. Several family trees at rootsweb.com repeat this data (Katharine Baker, Stella Byrd. and others), but Richard McDonald’s Family Tree seems to have the most complete documentation. The birth order of the youngest three children of Robert and Keziah does vary in the trees. Richard McDonald has Thomas as the youngest, born 11/21/1802, but he also shows a sibling, James, born 1802. Thomas was probably born in Jefferson County since his siblings who were born in Tennessee are shown as born in Jefferson County.

Thomas’ father Robert was a veteran of the Revolutionary War from Amherst County, Virginia.* He brought his family west about the time the state of Tennessee was formed, sometime between 1795 and 1800. In 1808, Madison County was created by the governor of the Mississippi territory and land sales in the northern part of Alabama Territory began almost immediately. The Robert Wright family moved on to Madison County, Alabama in 1808.* Thomas would be one of the six males under the age of 21 in the household of Robert Wright on the 1809 Census of Madison County enumerated January, 1809. (http://co.madison.al.us/mcrc/1809census.html). Robert Wright obtained land patent #198 for 320 acres on Alfreds Creek, township 5 South range 1 East, section 9, dated 08 February 1809. Robert Right is on the lists of taxable property in Madison County, Mississippi Territory for 19 July 1810, 1811 (160 acres, near Indian Creek), 1812, and 1816. (http://co.madison.al.us/mcrc/)

The name of Thomas Wright appears in the records of land purchases in Alabama several times in the 1830s and 1840s. I’m fairly sure that one of these purchases is by this Thomas Wright because of the nearness to the land of his father. Thomas Love Wright purchased land for cash re the Act of 1820 at the Huntsville land office as recorded in Document: 454: Acres: 40.07; Aloquot: NESE; Meridian: Huntsville; Township: 5 South; Range 2 East; Section 17. (BLM General Land Office Records) With his knowledge of the geography of the area, Richard Smith states, “This is basically Owens Crossroads area and fits nicely with other Kerr / McMillian land records.“

A marriage license issued 05 July 1841 to Thomas L. Wright and Richard [sic] Carr is recorded in the Madison County, Alabama Marriage Licenses. Vol 4, page 581. Thomas and Rachel Kerr were married the following day. I have not accounted for Thomas on the 1840 census, and do not know if he was married previously. A son, William Z T Wright, was born to Thomas and Rachel about 1847 in Alabama.

At the 1850 US census, Thomas is a 50-year-old carpenter living in District 35, Madison County, Alabama with Rachel and William. He is not shown as owning any real estate. A 13-year-old Caroline Samens could be a daughter from a previous marriage, or Samens could be a surname of a girl they are raising. A daughter, Susan Jane Wright, is born to Thomas and Rachel in July 1852.

According to Rick McDonald, Thomas Wright died 15 November 1850 in Tishomingo County, Mississippi. He was buried there in Bethany Cemetery, which is north of Belmont, Mississippi.

The 1850 census data and the 1850 reported death data are in conflict, since the census was enumerated on November 16, 1850. As Richard Smith comments, "It seems more than odd to me that "our" Thomas Wright would be enumerated on Nov.16, 1850 in Madison Co. AL and die the previous day in Tishomingo Co. MS. That’s quite a trick but there is a definite connection of Tishomingo Co, MS and our Kerrs. Arcane, yet definite." There is a Thomas L Wright in Tishomingo County on the 1845 MS state census, page 025, but I don’t find his name on the 1850 US census for Tishomingo County.

* Obituary of Robert Wright from The Huntsville Democrat, March 1847.

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