Sacramento County
Biographies
ALBERT W. WRIGHT
ALBERT
W. WRIGHT. – The son of one of Sacramento
County’s earliest pioneers, Albert
W. Wright has himself been a resident of this county since 1853, contributing
his share to the development that has taken place here in the intervening
years. A native of Illinois, he was born in Will
County, April 25, 1849, the son of Willis and Angeline (Van Amberg) Wright,
both parents being natives of Vermont.
The father came to Illinois in
the frontier days and was a pioneer farmer there, and
also engaged in carpentering. In 1852 he started across the plains and after a
long journey of six weary months, reached California
in 1853. He settled near the present site of Galt when it was in wild,
uncultivated state, with elk, deer and bear in the timbered regions, and
established himself in ranching and in the stock business, and had hundreds of
acres in Sacramento County and in the mountains. He lived to be seventy-three
years old. Mrs. Wright passing away before him, the mother of seven children:
Frederick, living at Galt; Albert W., of this sketch; James C., Eva and Frank
Milton, deceased; and Edward E. and Hattie M., also residing at Galt.
Albert
W. Wright attended the old Dry Creek school in the
"Pocket" and until he was twenty-six remained on the home place,
assisting his father in the dairy business. Starting out in harvesting, he
later leased land and engaged in grain farming, and for a time was in the general merchandise business at Galt. After two more
years of ranching he went into the well-boring business and has so been engaged
for the past forty years, drilling wells for domestic use and having both a
hand and power rig for this purpose.
Mr.
Wright’s first marriage united him with Miss Mary Goodyear, a native of Benicia,
Cal., and a distant relative of the famous
rubber manufacturers of that name. She lived but a short time after their
marriage, and in 1882 Mr. Wright was married to Miss Alice M. Somers, the
daughter of Daniel B. and Eliza A. (Arnold)
Somers, the father an early settler here, who was extensively engaged in
ranching. Mr. Wright is a Republican in politics and a stanch friend of
education, having served on the school board of Galt for the past twelve years,
and was a trustee at the time the old school was moved and the new one built.
For forty-five years he has been a member of the I. O. O. F., and is a member
of Elk Grove Encampment and past chief patriarch. With his wife he is a member
of the Rebekahs, Mrs. Wright being a past noble grand
of the Galt Lodge, and she was also a charter member and the first president of
the Native Daughters of the Golden West at Galt. They reside in their
comfortable home at Galt and Mr. Wright is also the owner of other property
here.
Transcribed
by Elaine Sturdevant.
Source: Reed, G.
Walter, History of Sacramento County,
California With Biographical Sketches, Pages 596-599. Historic Record Company, Los Angeles, CA. 1923.
© 2007 Elaine Sturdevant.