Generation 1: Nancy Wright was born between 1798-1802 in Kentucky. She became the third (or fourth) wife of John McCorkle on 7 December 1824 in Green County, KY. They named their children Lydia, John, Eliza Ann, William and Eanita "Nettie" McCorkle. Because Nancy was at least 22 years of age at the time of her marriage, there is a chance that she may have been a widow. Following is a lengthy analysis of prospective parents for Nancy Wright.

John McCorkle's bondsman for the marriage was Francis Smith. Francis Smith, female over the age of 45, was enumerated on the 1810 Green County, KY, with a daughter the age to be Nancy. Also, Francis Smith, male, married Elizabeth M. Smith on 29 October 1818 in Green County, KY. Either of these persons named Francis Smith may have been the bondsman. Neither Francis Smith has been located on the 1820 Green County, KY, census, or elsewhere in Kentucky in 1820. There were 19 Smith families in 1820 in Green County. Three had daughters who might have been Nancy: William Smith and two men named Samuel Smith.

James Wright married Nancy Jones on 6 March 1819 in Green County, KY. This couple has not been located in a separate household in 1820 in Green County, but a Larue County, KY, biography of their son, Josiah Wright, accounts for Nancy and James Wright after their marriage. James and Nancy Wright must be eliminated as a potential parents of Nancy Wright.

A brief review of the other wives of John McCorkle may give a clue as to the identity of Nancy Wright. At the risk of providing Wright family information which may be irrelevant, I will nonetheless summarize the data that has been collected.

John McCorkle, Jr., married Ann Spear [daughter of Samuel and Sarah "Sally" Spear, formerly of Augusta and Rockbridge Counties, VA] on 13 June 1805, in Green County, KY. The bondsman was John McCorkle, Sr., and Samuel Speer signed the marriage bond for his daughter. John McCorkle's father, Samuel McCorkle, was still alive at the time of this marriage, so one wonders why Samuel did not serve as bondsman. The designation of "Jr." did not always mean that the man was the son of the "Sr." It could also be used to simply distinguish between the elder and younger men who shared the same given name. Alternately, perhaps Ann Spear was not the wife of this John McCorkle, but he was first married to an unknown woman.

John McCorkle married next Patsy Redman on 2 February 1815, and the bondsman was Thomas Redman. Since Thomas Redman was over the age of 45 on the 1820 census, it is presumed that he was Patsy's father. Redman is the most frequently used spelling in Green County, but Redmond is also found in there, while Redmon and Redmond have both been used as given names for sons of the McCorkles in Missouri.

There were only two Wright families in 1810 in Green County, KY. One was headed by Samuel Wright, age 16-25, who had a daughter the correct age to be Nancy. The other was headed by Richard Wright, with one male over age 45, one male age 26-44, one male under age 10, and five females: one over age 45, one age 26-44, one age 16-25, one age 10-15, and one under age 10. One of these females was also the correct age to be Nancy.

A search of census records for 1820 Green County, KY, has located six Wright families, and barring a census error in 1820, only one had a daughter the correct age to be Nancy. This was Thomas Wright of Campbellsville Township, over age 45. He lived near Thomas Spears, brother of Ann, and John and Samuel Harding.

In 1820, Richard Wright, age 26-44, lived near the McCorkles. In fact, the McCorkles were not listed on the Ancestry.com index, and I found them by accident because they are on the same page as Richard Wright, in Campbellsville Township. However, this Richard Wright family cannot be the same family as enumerated in 1810, unless Richard was the younger male within the 1810 household of Richard Wright [Sr]. This younger Richard Wright's daughter was a bit too young to be Nancy.

There were two more men were named Thomas Wright in 1820 in Green County. Thomas Wright, over age 45, of Summersville Twp., had a daughter a bit too young. A younger Thomas Wright age 16-25, and Sampson Wright, age 26-45, also lived in Summersville Twp. Sampson's oldest daughter was also a bit too young.

Josiah Wright, over age 45, of Greensburgh Twp., had a female in the home the correct age to be Nancy, but since there was another adult male there over age 45, he may have been married to the female age 16-26. There were a total of six children under the age of 16 in this household. Josiah Wright married Elizabeth McCormas in 1803.

This concludes the households with the Wright surname in 1820 Green County, KY. The young Thomas Wright has to be eliminated as a prospect as the father of Nancy Wright because of his youth. He is probably the Thomas Wright who married Lucinda Shofner in 1819.

There are some very intriguing circumstances that need further exploration. The children of Nancy Wright were exceptionally close to the to their half-siblings, children of Patsy Redman. This may be explained because Patsy's children were raised by Nancy Wright. In searching the Redman / Redmond surname for Kentucky, there were none in Green County in 1810, but there were three in Adair County, which adjoins Green County. The 1810 Adair County census has been alphabetized, but the name of Richard Wright has been inserted next to Aaron Redman, and near Thomas Redman and Absolom Redman. This cannot be Richard Wright [Sr.], of the 1810 Green County, KY, but it is a similar match to the younger family within the 1810 Green County household of Richard Wright [Sr.].

This insertion of Wright next to Redman suggests that there may have been a connection between the two families before Patsy Redman and Nancy Wright married John McCorkle.

The 1820 Green County, KY, census has enumerated Thomas Redman, over age 45, of Campbellsville Twp., and Will Redman, age illegible, but he appears to be young. Thomas Redman lived in the vicinity of Thomas Spears and Thomas Wright in Campbellsville Twp. The young family of Will Redman lived next door to John Smith, who appears to have a young wife the correct age to be Nancy.

Although John and Nancy McCorkle married in 1824, they have not been located on the 1830 census. By 1840, they had moved to Clinton County, MO, with their five children and two from his marriage to Patsy Redman. Three of his assumed children by Ann Spear were also there, but married during the 1830's so they were not in the 1840 household.

There were numerous Wright families in three-county area in Missouri where the McCorkles moved. One strong possibility for a relationship was Thomas Q. Wright, born ca. 1795, and his wife, Lucinda Shofner, who had married in Green County, KY, in 1819. In 1850, Thomas and Lucinda lived in Clay County, MO, two households away from the Clevenger family, into which one of Patsy Redman's step-daughters had married. This Wright family traces its' roots from Thomas Wright, b. ca. 1733 in Orange County, VA, then Thomas Green Wright, born 1754 in Culpepper County, VA. Lucinda Shofner's mother was Elizabeth STONE, and there were several Stones living in the vicinity of the McCorkles in Missouri. By 1860, Thomas Wright had died, but Lucinda still lived in Clay County near the Clevengers.

The scant evidence that has been located concerning the Richard Wright who lived in Green County suggests that he was linked to the Wrights of Culpepper County, VA.

Another Wright family on the 1860 Clay County, MO, census, was that Francis Wright, age 37, born in KY. He lived two doors from John and Robert McCorkle, first cousins of John McCorkle who married Nancy Wright. I do not know the pedigree of this Francis Wright, but there is a Wright family from Amherst and Lancaster Counties, VA, headed by Francis E. Wright who made his will in 1767. His son, Moses Wright, died in 1833 in Adair County, KY. This Moses Wright married second Nancy Jefferson, and had five children. One was a Nancy Wright and another was James Wright, mentioned above, born 1798 in Harden County, KY, who married Nancy Jones in 1819 in Green County, KY. There are several descendents of the elder Francis E. Wright with the given name of Francis, and with Francis Wright of 1860 Clay County, MO, being so near the McCorkles, this suggests that further research into the family of Francis Wright of Clay County might be helpful.

The Harding family is mentioned above because Lydia Harding married John Wright in 1800 in Green County, KY. This is the earliest Wright marriage listed in Green County. In 1820, Lydia's alleged father, Capt. John Harding who married Sarah Mary Moss, lived very near Samuel Harding, Thomas Spear and Thomas Wright in Campbellsville Twp., Green County, KY. [The Harding family sometimes used the spelling of Hardin]. Lydia Harding was allegedly born in 1762 in Providence, RI, but this date of birth makes Lydia about age 38 at the time of her 1800 marriage. Nancy Wright McCorkle named her first daughter "Lydia," and her first son "John."

At the present time, it is not possible to identify Nancy Wright's family of origin. However, the following are offered as suggestions for further research:

1. Daughter of Samuel Wright or Richard Wright of 1810 Green County, KY
2. Daughter of Thomas Wright of 1820 Green County, KY
3. Daughter of John Wright who married Lydia Harding in 1802 in Green County, KY
4. Daughter of Josiah Wright in 1820 Green County, KY [less likely]
5. Daughter of Mrs. Francis Smith of 1810 Green County, KY
6. Sister of Francis Smith who md. Elizabeth M. Smith in 1818 Green County, KY
7. Daughter of John Smith or two men named Samuel Smith of 1820 Green County, KY

John McCorkle died between 1850-1854, but Nancy Wright lived until after 1870. In 1870, she lived next door to Andrew and Nancy McCorkle Clevinger, her step-daughter. In the Clevenger household were five orphan children of Andrew's daughter, Nancy Clevenger, by his first wife, Dorcus Garner. Nancy Clevenger had married William J. McCorkle, son of Robert McCorkle and Lydia Tyler Forest. Nancy Wright McCorkle herself raised several natural grandchildren born to her two daughters, Eliza Ann and Eanita McCorkle. They each had three natural children.

Generation 2: Eliza Ann McCorkle, daughter of John and Nancy Wright McCorkle, was born ca. 1832 in MO. Eliza had her first of three natural children when she was about 15 years of age. She had two daughters and one son before marrying the recently immigrated Charles Davis, born 1836 in Yorkshire, England. The marriage occurred in 1856 in Clinton County, MO, when Eliza was about 24 years old and Charles was about 20 years old. (Charles served in the Union Army in the Civil War and his pension application gives pertinent family information).

Generation 3: Elizabeth "Bettie" McCorkle was born 1 March 1853 near Smithville in Platte County, MO, and died 31 July 1904 in Kansas City. She married Thomas Johnson Brooks on 4 December 1970, and they were the parents of nine children.

I am deeply indebted to the following persons who have collaborated with me during the past two decades: Rev. Louis McCorkle, Joyce T. Colwell, Marie Lewis, Fannie McCorkle Wagner, Katherine Edwards, Opal Armstrong, Josephine Tell, Joe and Mary McMillen, Mrs. John (Dana) Waldron, Roberta Hesterberg, Gue Ellen Grippando, John Hale Stutesman, Jr., Dave Woody, Roger and Sherry McCorkle, Clarence McCorkle, Cynthia Lucy Beach, Rev. Darrell McCorkell, Charles D. Musser, Jimmie L. Courtney, Juanita R. Peterson, Nancy L. Smith, Jack McCorkell, Linda Hardwicke, Inez Line Wharf, Mrs. George (Jane) Lederman, Mrs. Jewell (Virginia) Mills, Sibil Barnes Coke, Katherine Cummins, Ben Alburtis, Robert P. Addleman, and Barbara Wright.

Participant # 1965 is a member of Haplogroup H, the most common one in Western Europe. At the present time she does not have a large number of matches, however.

Matches as of July 2007:

• HVR1 = 26
• HVR2 = 2