Trigger Warning: Family Violence, Physical/Emotional Abuse, Incest, Childhood Abuse, Domestic Violence, and Sexual Assault. Please do not continue if any of the above topics trigger you.
Trauma Begets Trauma
When I began trying to wrap my head around generational trauma after learning about it in college, I didn’t know it would ultimately lead me into the profession I love, genealogy. Growing up, I was, and still am to some degree, more of an analytical thinker than emotional thinker. I do have feelings and can, at times, feel deeply about something but my need to understand the why of something has always been at my core, sometimes to a fault. At work when there was a policy or rule, I needed to understand why that rule was in place. It didn’t mean I would not follow it, but I needed a logical explanation. “Because we have always done it this way” was my kryptonite and would send me into a spiral anxiety.
My sense of justice in what I saw as right and wrong caused major tension during my childhood years. When my father was being abusive any one in the household, I would instantly go into fight mode as it was not right to abuse and treat another poorly. I was steadfast in this. I was quite young the first time I told my mom she needed to get away, not fully realizing the implications. She always told me I would understand when I was older. Now, that I am older, I can understand the effects of generational trauma and the cycle of abuse on a person but still find it difficult to believe I was wrong as a child. A little bit of black and white thinking that dictates one does no harm to another unless under life threatening circumstances is a personal code I stand by.
This series explores how traumas and abuses from generations past has impacted my generation and beyond. There are individuals who are still living that are impacted by this trauma but no real names of those living will be included unless I have their consent. Their names can then be redacted at any time.
Oral Tradition: Memories from my Grandma Helen
What I originally knew about my Great Grandfather, Vasper Wright, was iterated by my Grandma Helen who married Annibelle Thorn and lived in Rock, West Virginia. She met Vasper a handful of times after marrying Percy Wright, Vasper’s son.
According to Grandma Helen, Vasper was an abusive alcoholic. On multiple occasions she would talk about a time when he drank, lit his house on fire and laughed while it burnt down. I did not think much about this until my mother, and I went to Rock on a Genealogy trip and ran into a person related to the Wrights who told the same story. What was strange is they had never heard the name Vasper. It is not as surprising to me now that I know some of the abuses he inflicted on people.
Vasper and his abuses led to Annie, his wife, being placed in an insane asylum. Grandma Helen did not seem to know what happened to her as she never met Annie.
Another story I heard involved him shooting bullets at one of his grandchild’s feet “for fun, just to scare him.” That was about it from my Grandma Helen.
Oral Tradition: Memories from my mother, Lisa
My mother did not recall much. She was young and did remember going to his house in Rock, WV, which was located at the top of a steep drive. We tried to find it years ago but that description represented a number of houses in Rock. When my mom and I went to visit my Grandma Helen in November 2021, I took the time to take some cell phone photos of some of her pictures and documents. The photo to the left was taken when my mother went to visit Vasper. You can see Vasper holding my mother in this photo. This picture haunts me knowing what I know now.
Early Search
The vital information I knew when I began looking into Vasper Wright was the following:
- Lived in Rock, Mercer County, West Virginia
- Had three sons with Annie: Percy, Leo & George
- Coal Miner
I began my search on Ancestry.com by searching census records that had the names of him, his wife, and his sons that might give me further clues regarding the identity of my Great Grandfather. Who was this man? Who were his parents? Did he have any siblings?
The first document I found that fit the oral tradition of the family relationships was the 1930 U.S. Federal Census, which showed Vasper, as head of household, married to Annie and living with his son Leo. Also in the household are his brother and sister-in-law, Clarence and Ethel Thorn as well as his two nephews, Lawrence and Aubrey.
Analyzing the 1930 U.S. Federal Census
The U.S. Federal Census is completed every 10 years. While the information collected in the census varies slightly decade to decade, all U.S. Federal Census’s since 1850 have collected individual household members information. You can expect to find the names of the residents of a household, age whether directly (26) or indirectly (born in 1900), places of birth, marriage status, location of residence, 0ccupation, and home values. It is important to look further than the name and further even than your ancestor’s household to find information that could clue you in on another possible record.
I learn a lot of information just from this one census. Vasper lives in Rock District, Mercer County, West Virginia on April 16, 1930. Vasper is listed as the head of a household that includes his wife, Annie and son Leo. Also residing with them is his Brother-in-law Clarence Thorn and his wife Ethel along with their two children Lawrence and Aubrey. The monthly rental is listed as $6 and his household does, in fact, have a radio. I see that all the children are male and the two wives are the only females residing in this household. Vasper is 22 years old, which means he was born around 1908 and his place of birth is listed as West Virginia. His wife, Annie was listed as being 20 years old, which means she was born around 1910 in Virginia. I also know her last name is Thorne since her brother resides with them. Vasper and Annie were married around 1927 as it has been three years since they were married based on the age in which they were married compared to the current census [2].
All individuals of schooling age and above can read and write, so we know there was some level of education. We do not learn much about Vasper’s parentage as both his parents are listed as being born in the United States but we do learn that both of Annie's parents were born in Virginia. All residents were native born citizens of the United States. Both Vasper and Clarence were Coal Loaders in a Coal Mine and were gainfully employed. We further learn that he was not a veteran[2].
Potential Research Opportunities
Based on the above information, new research opportunities were uncovered. Now that I knew for sure that Vasper lived in Rock, Mercer County, WV as a coal loader, the following questions came to mind:
Now that I could formulate dates of birth and marriage from the Vasper household, the following questions arose?
Birth Information
Based on the 1930 US Federal Census, I knew that Vasper was born around 1908 in West Virginia. A Birth Index for a Vesper Leo Wright who was born in Mercer, West Virginia with a FHL Film Number 804468 caught my eye. While the name is one letter off, the rest of the information conforms to expectations. I saved this record after recording the information and began my pursuit of finding a possible digital copy of the item from which this indexed information came from. Since this source had an FHL Film Number, an image may be available through Family Search, which is a free site that houses records. I was able to locate Vesper but the link to the image did not work initially. The image link from Family Search took me to the West Virginia website that houses vital information, wvculture.org. After reading through the site’s instructions regarding setting the Edge Browser into Internet Explorer Compatibility mode, I was able to secure, download, and read the associated Register of Births. Sure enough, there was Vesper Leo Wright [3].
Vesper Leo Wright was born on 3 July 1907 in Rock, WV to A.F. Wright and Effie with the birth information being given to the transcriber by A.F. Wright, the father [3]. A.F. referred to his father Andrew Frazier Wright and Effie referred to his mother born Mary Effie Hall. Andrew Frazier was born in Mercer Country, WV and lived there until his death in 1968. Per census records, he went through a number of jobs. During Vasper’s formative years, he indicated that he was a farmer in both the 1900 census, which showed him to be a farm worker on his father’s land, which would be Vasper’s grandfather. He appears as a farmer until he becomes a mason builder in 1930 [4]. Of note, the WWI Draft paper describes him as being of medium height, medium build, with gray eyes and blonde hair. He is also missing three fingers on his right hand [5]. It must have been difficult working blue-collar jobs but Andrew does work in his later years as a coal miner for the American Coal Company [6].
His mother, Mary Effie Hall, was born in Sandlick, Mercer County, WV. She married Andrew Frazier Wright on October 7, 1901. She and her husband both reported having a 4th grade education on the 1940 census [7]. Andrew and Effie had a total of 7 children, 3 girls and 5 boys. Vasper was the third oldest, placing him solidly in the middle of the sibling structure [8].
Mercer County was growing in every way in the early 20th century. Rock, West Virginia is a small, unincorporated town located in Mercer County, WV. According to the table titled Population of Counties by Minor Civil Divisions: 1920, 1910, and 1900 obtained from the Fourteenth Census of the United States Department Bulletin from the Department of Commerce, Mercer County, WV saw a steady increase in population, with the largest numerical increase between the 1900 and 1910 census [9]. Rock district followed this trend during this era.
As the table above demonstrates, Mercer county remained mostly rural from 1900 to 1920 but did see urbanization. Why though? Why were people flocking to Mercer Country, West Virginia. Mercer County grew in the early 19th century due to the increased demand for coal during industrialization and the finding of new coal mines. Ease of transportation helped bring individuals and their families to this area due to the N&W railway creating a headquarters in what is now known as Bluefield, closest city in proximity to Rock. Then in 1906, the Virginian Railway chose to locate its regional headquarters in Princeton, WV, the next closest city to Rock [10]. This created infrastructure on both sides of the river. Besides mining, there was also a bottling company that started in 1915. By 1910, Rock had a hospital but house calls were still made on horseback and by foot. Until 1913, a one room school was used. Other early businesses included a general store, feed store, grocery store, lumber mill, tailor, saw mills, amongst others. There were two major places of worship in rock, one being a Baptist Church and the other being Methodist. Based on information gathered about the Wrights, it appears the Wrights were Methodist [11].
In 1913, a two room brick structure was built near the steel bridge in Rock and grades 1 through 8 were taught originally though it would be reduced to 1 through 6 in later years [11]. According to The History of Education in West Virginia, Mercer Couny had 165 furnished public school buildings with over 200 rooms. There was also a “Colored Institute” in Bluefield and the Princeton Collegiate Institute in Princeton. While the author applauds the development, he argues that there needs to be better pay and training for teachers, a sentiment still expressed to this day [12].
We know Vasper was literate due to the 1930 Census [1], so he had some education. We also know Rock had a public school. While I can not be certain, Vasper probably had an 8th grade education as this seems to have been standard when looking at his siblings. Being the son of a farmer, manual labor would have been routine as he would have had chores and farm work to complete. His father did own a house and the land that his was on but he appeared to be a subsistance level farmer that made just enough to get by. With his father working on his father’s land, during his early years, Vasper grew up with family around him. Vasper grew up with both parents who lived into their 80s and remained married, dying within a month of one another.
I completed searches on newspapers.com, ancestry.com, family search, google, genealogy bank and chronicling america and found no evidence to support a claim of abuse occuring between Andrew Frazier Wright and his wife Effie or any of their children. There is evidence to substantiate abuse at the hands of Vasper and his brother Claude later in life. The West Virginia State Archives does have a number of interesting collections that would allow an even deeper dive but this will have to wait. For now, the childhood being illustrated by the historical and genealogical sources is not one of abuse and trauma, but rather, stability and normalcy.
Sources
[1] Unknown Photographer. Personal Photograph. Image of Lisa with her Grandfather Vasper Wright at his home in Rock, WV. Dated about 1968. Photo taken by cell phone from original photo that Grandma Helen had. Copy taken November 2020.
[2] Ancestry.com. 1930 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Accessed 24 September 2023; Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.
[3] "West Virginia Births Index, 1853-1930," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:NMMD-NTT : 10 February 2018), Vesper Leo Wright, 1907; citing Mercer, West Virginia, United States, county courthouses, West Virginia; FHL microfilm 804,468. Accessed on 26 September 2023. Copy of Original Image obtained from West Virginia Archives and History. West Virginia Births, 1852 – 1930 [database on-line]. West Virginia Department of Arts, Culture and History 2021. http://archive.wvculture. org/vrr/ Accessed on: 26 September 2023.
[4] Year: 1900; Census Place: Rock, Mercer, West Virginia; Roll: T623_1766; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 86.; Year: 1920; Census Place: Rock, Mercer, West Virginia; Roll: T625_1963; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 99; Image:; Year: 1930; Census Place: Rock,
Mercer, West Virginia; Roll: 2545; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 33; Image: 1057.0.
[5] Ancestry.com, U.S., World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005), Ancestry.com, Registration Location: Mercer County, West Virginia; Roll: 1992861; Draft Board: 2. Birth date: 13 Feb 1880 Birth place: Residence date: Residence place: Mercer, West Virginia.
[6] Ancestry.com, U.S., World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010), Ancestry.com, Roll: WW2_2240330; Local board: Mercer , West Virginia. Birth date: 13 Feb 1880 Birth place: West Virginia Residence date: Residence place: Mercer, West Virginia.
[7] Ancestry.com, 1940 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012), Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com, Year: 1940; Census Place: Rock, Mercer, West Virginia; Roll: m-t0627-04429; Page: 15B; Enumeration District: 28-50.
[8] Ancestry.com, 1900 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004), Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com, Year: 1900; Census Place: Rock, Mercer, West Virginia; Roll: T623_1766; Page: 14A; Enumeration District: 86. Birth date: Feb 1880 Birth place: West Virginia Residence date: 1900 Residence place: Rock, Mercer, West Virginia.; Ancestry.com, 1920 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010), Ancestry.com, Year: 1920; Census Place: Rock, Mercer, West Virginia; Roll: T625_1963; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 99; Image:. Birth date: abt 1881 Birth place: West Virginia Residence date: 1920 Residence place: Rock, Mercer, West Virginia.; Ancestry.com, 1930 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002), Ancestry.com, http://www.Ancestry.com, Year: 1930; Census Place: Rock, Mercer, West Virginia; Roll: 2545; Page: 13A; Enumeration District: 33; Image: 1057.0. Birth date: abt 1880 Birth place: West Virginia Residence date: 1930 Residence place: Rock, Mercer, West Virginia.
[9] United States Bureau Of The Census. Fourteenth census of the United States: 1920 Bulletin. Population: West Virginia. Department of Commerce. Digital Pdf. https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1920/bulletins/demographics/population-wv-number-of-inhabitants.pdf.
[10] McGehee, C. Stuart "Mercer County." e-WV: The West Virginia Encyclopedia. 09 January 2023. Web. 04 October 2023.
[11] Bailey, Jim & Bailey, Nancy. About Rock. Rockwva.com 2023. Accessed 5 Oct. 2023. https://rockwestvirginia.com/tag/past/ 2023.
[12] The history of education in West Virginia. Charleston Tribune Printing Company 1907. Prepared under direction of the State Superintendent of Schools. Obtained from Western Virginia Department of Education. http://wvde.state.wv.us /downloads/2013/150/History%20of%20Education%20WV%201907.pdf. Accessed on 5 Oct 2023.
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