I have heard that my grandmother (Cora Jane Wright-Autry) always told that her father (Grant Wright) was the son of Jane Wright and a Caucasian named Lloyd Smith who was of the Colly and/or Elizabethtown townships. There could very well be truth to this and I am not surprised about it at all because at that time it was a common practice. The Caucasian of the 1860’s and 70’s anywhere, USA had their way with any African American woman they wanted and due to fear there was nothing said or done about it. Sometime in the future I am going to research Lloyd Smith to find his marital descendants and all of this will be mentioned on some other page some other day.
On the other hand I have heard my elder uncles and their first cousins say that they knew Grant’s father was a Caucasian because of his (Grant’s) Caucasian features. I have often thought and have mentioned to them that Joseph Wright or his wife Jane could have also been part Caucasian and African (mulattos). Either of their parents could have been caught up in the “slave master trap” and had those same Caucasian features in them that were eventually passed on to Grant.
Grant who was born in 1868 was found in 1870 and 1880 living with Joseph and Jane Wright and was listed as their oldest child. Sometime in the mid 1880’s he met and married Mary Catherine Sutton, who was born in 1869. Mary was the daughter of William Riley and LaNora Sutton who was also of Bladen County. Grant and Mary’s home was located on what was and still is called the Sugar Loaf. The Sugar Loaf is a place that is located on the northern banks of the Cape Fear River and is within the Colly township. They continued to live there for the remainder of their natural lives. They both died sometime after 1930 and are buried on the Sugar Loaf. I have been to their grave sites many times.
Mary and Grant had many children that were born and raised on the Sugar Loaf here in the Colly township. Three of his daughters would eventually marry into Ned Edmund Autry’s large family of Johnson’s and Autrys. They were Desi, Cora and Nollie. Their youngest daughter Alice Wright-Smith is still alive and well, what a blessing! Click here to view Grant’s family of Wrights.
I did not know Grant or any of his brothers and sisters but I have had the pleasure to meet and know some of his children. Excluding my grandmother Cora, I have met personally Nollie, Avant, John William, Isabell, Dessie, Alice and have heard much talk about Hezikia.
Listed below are the descendants of Grant Wright.
1 Grant Wright 1868 – 1930
.. +Mary Catherine Sutton 1869 – 1930
….. 2 Cora Jane Wright 1893 – 1983
……… +Oscar Autry 1885 – 1976
….. 2 Rena Wright-Shirley 1889 –
….. 2 Nollie Wright 1896 –
……… +Johnny Johnson 1888 –
….. 2 General Grant Wright 1897 –
….. 2 Avant Wright 1899 – 1980
….. 2 John William Wright 1892 –
……… +Rebecca 1898 –
….. 2 Levi Wright 1901 –
….. 2 Isabelle Wright-McLaurin 1903 – 1991
….. 2 Hezeki Wright 1905 –
……… +Mary L. 1907 –
….. 2 Odessa Dessie Wright 1908 – 1966
……… +James Lonzy Autry 1905 – 1974
….. 2 Alice Wright-Smith
Grant was the son of Joseph and Jane Wright. Click here for information about Joseph and Jane.