Trigger Warning: Family Violence, Emotional Abuse, Physical Abuse, Mental Abuse, Incest, Childhood Abuse, Sexual Assault, Substance Use and Abuse. Please do not continue if any of the above topics trigger you.
Summary of our Pool of Knowledge
From the thorough search of Vasper’s younger years, we find no evidence of generational trauma from the generation before Vasper, though I do find this hard to believe. While it is possible Vasper and his brother Claude were outliers who started the cycle on this side of the family, it is more probable that aspects of generational trauma appeared in the generation before them. This, at this time, is pure conjecture.
The information below summarizes Vasper’s genealogi
c trail and oral history up to the 1930 U.S. Federal Census and can be found in more detail on Part I of the blog, Trauma Begets Trauma Series: Vasper Wright.
- Born 3 July 1907 to Andrew Frazier Wright and Mary Effie Hall in Rock, Mercer County, WV
- Native Born Citizen
- He could read and write and had an 8th grade education
- Third Oldest of 7 children
- Farmer and then Coal Miner
- Married Annie Thorn around 1927
- Lived in Rock, Mercer County, West Virginia
- Had one son with Annie: Leo Wright
- Religion – probable Methodist
[Sources Found at the end of the blog and on previous Blog & bottom of this page]
Vasper Declares Bunkruptcy
In a “Notice to bankruptcy” article published in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph on July 2, 1931, “Vesper L. Wright” of McComas was “adjudicated a bankrupt” on June 30, 1931 [1]. It becomes quite clear early on that Vasper did not have financial stability. At the young age of 24, Vasper was married with one, possibly 2 children and forced to declare bankruptcy. McComas was the largest coal camp in Mercer County in the early 1900s. The area was quite productive from the 1930s to the 1950s, so it was unlikely Vasper was unable to find work.
In an article written by Bill Archer and published in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph on April 27, 2014, James “Pedro” Spencer recalled his days living at the coal camp.
‘We lived in Red Holla,’ James ‘Pedro’ Spencer said as he pointed to the top of a steep, tree-covered mountain. ‘The families who lived there were separated by how much money they had with the richest ones at the mouth. We lived all the way up in the head of the holla,’ he said, pronouncing the word as though it was spelled ‘haul-ah.’ ‘No one really had a lot of money,’ Spencer continued. ‘It was a close-knit community where everyone got along.’ [2]
After a few more searches about McComas via google, I came across the “Eastern Regional Coal Archives” Accession List. The collection is housed at the Craft Memorial Library in Bluefield, WV and contains a number of records of interest to anyone researching coal in the East. They do allow visitors but request an appointment and a list of which materials you are interested in prior to arriving [3].
Records in this collection, copied directly from the accession list on their website, that may have further information about Vasper is as follows:
86-11 Various donors 3ft Oral History Collection of cassette tapes, collected at various times and locations
86-13 Charles F. Brooks 2 ft. Historical materials, clippings, publications, and photographs of Charles F. Brooks, president of Superior-Sterling Supply Company, and collector of Pocahontas Coalfield memorabilia. Subjects included are Norfolk & Western Railway, Pocahontas Operators Association, Virginian Railroad, Pocahontas, Virginia, and McComas, West Virginia.
86-25 Eugenia Hancock 6 in. Coal company scrip collection, 1919-1951.
87-32 Henry F. Warden 1 ft. Personal papers and photographs of Henry F. Warden, coal operator of Mill Creek Coal & Coke, American Coal Company, Atwater, Pocahontas Fuel Company, and mayor of Bluefield, West Virginia, 1913-1956.
87-39 William Y. Cooper 3 ft. Photographs and memorabilia of John Cooper, and family, coal operators of Mill Creek Coal & Coke Company, Bramwell, West Virginia, and McDowell, West Virginia, 1884- 1930.
92-171 Holly Sphar 6 in. Annual reports, correspondence, clippings, maps, publications, and private papers,
Pocahontas Fuel Company, 1901-1985.
95-234 Margaret Ann Murphy 1 in. Scrapbook, Bluefield, WV, ca: 1930's.
Amongst others. [4]
Statutory Rape and Incest
There was one particular article that jarred me while researching Vasper on newspapers.com. The article below stated that V.L. Wright was charged with contributing to delinquency to a minor, statutory rape and incest [5]. This was an article that led to years of questions that seemingly would never be answered. For this blog, we are going to discuss this information with the knowledge that this is, in fact, my great grandfather Vasper Leo Wright and his daughter Iris. I will be publishing another blog and podcast to go over how I was able to unfurl the truth from genealogical records.
I would like to take a moment to note that Annie, Vasper’s wife, passes away during all this at the young age of 35. Her cause of death was hypostatic pneumonia with Epilepsy marked as another condition she had. Annie’s death certificate says her name was “Anna Wright.” Anna had stayed at Spencer State Hospital for 1 year and 5 months prior to passing away [6].
The next article I found was “Two More Writs,” published 23 Aug 1946 in the Raleigh Register. The article gave me more information about the case as it specified that Wright’s petition for a writ of error was denied by the Circuit Court Judge. Now though, I knew there was a verdict, and he was sentenced to five to 10 years for incest of his daughter…. [7]. As annoyed as I was that no article spelled his name out, I was even more troubled when I found the victim’s name in the next newspaper article I found.
A “Writ of Error in Criminal Course Granted” was published in the Beckley Post Herald on 22 Nov. 1946 The victim, Iris was publicly identified in this document. Vasper’s attorneys were finally able to get his appeal heard by the higher court [8].
A few years after stopping and starting this particular research again, I took the time to complete a google search and there was a hit. I learned through the process that every writ of error that is granted goes through the appellate court’s process. I was able to find a document on the Westlaw database through
my local library. The document
explained each argument in the writ of error and why it was not substantial enough to overturn the guilty conviction. It also gave some insight into the case itself [8].
From this document, we learn that Susie Wright, Vasper’s sister-in-law, writes a letter to the police department alleging V.L. Wright was having intercourse with his daughter, Iris Wright [8].
The infographic below organizes the information found in this document as it pertains to the case. Iris testified that on the day of questioning, she was 15 years old. She further testified that her father had sexual intercourse several times with her over a period of approximately 2 years. It appears that they did not have stable living conditions as they had lived in Fayette County, McDowell County, Mercer County and Raleigh County during this period. The two advocates in Iris’s corner were her Aunt Susie Wright, Vasper’s sister-in-law, and Mrs. Wood who owned a boarding house in Kaymoor where Vasper and Iris stayed for a month in 1944. Mrs, Wood testified that Vasper and Iris roomed together and one of the “beds would be wet and that ‘the doors were locked.’” After Susie received a summons from the state, Claude asked who she would be swearing for and stated he would burn the summons. He then burnt the summons and proceeded to beat her. According to the summary, there were a number of witnesses who testified to the good character of Iris [9].
As for the arguments on behalf of the defendant, Maude Rierson, Vasper’s sister, and Leo Wright, his son, testified that on the night Mrs. Wood testified to the wet beds, Maude was sleeping in the bed with Iris and Leo was in bed with Vasper. The defense also had a number of people testify on the defendant’s behalf [9].
Understanding the Appeal
When I first began reading about the Writ of Error and Appeal, the language in the articles led me to believe, in my plebian eyes, that his case was overturned. Verbage like granted and affirmed out of the context of the documents were positive in nature. However, after reading through all the documents, I realized the original conviction was upheld and V.L. Wright was guilty of incest [8]. V.L. Wright was to complete his time in the W.V. State Penitentiary for no less than 5 and no more than 10 years.
I will post a copy of this document HERE and to the bottom of this webpage if you would like to read through the arguments in the appellate case [9].
Vasper’s Troubles in the 1950s
Vasper can be seen in the 1950 U.S. Federal Census as a prisoner at the West Virginia Penitentairy State Prison in Marshall, Moundsville, VA. His name is listed as Vesher L Wright, which is misspelled. He is listed as a widow and 43 years of age, which are both true of Vasper. Vasper’s name has a tendency to be misspelled. Most legal documents list him as Vesper, his family pronounced his name Vasper and this is more than likely a typo by the person recording the names though it cannot be proven conclusively [10].
The paper trail goes cold on Ancestry.com until Vesper Leo Wright is located in a Tulare County California Jail Registry under the charge 213 CO. He is listed as a white male from West Virginia whose occupation is laborer. He is stated to reside in Pacoma, California and is sentenced to pay $30 or stay in jail for 6 days. It notes that he served the time [11].
While I was unable to find the code for that particular case, I did find a newspaper article from the Van Nuys News and Valley Green Street dated, Thursday, January 16, 1958 that described another incident in which Vasper was involved in a drunk driving accident where Vesper was thrown through the window of the vehicle, sustaining a cut scalp, forehead and bruised head. Based on the article, Vesper was booked on a drunk charge while the driver, William Marion Gaylor was booked on a “suspicion of drunk driving felony” [12]. It does not appear California was that great for him as he moved back to Rock, WV.
Oral Tradition: Memories from my Uncle Tony - mid to late 1960s -
On the evening of October 7, 2023, my sister Melody and I had a conversation with our maternal Uncle Tony who is Vasper’s grandson. He is older than my mother, so he could better recall memories he had of Vasper and his brother Claude. As we dive deeper into generational trauma and how it trickled down generations, it becomes apparent that nobody was fully armored against its insipid nature. Uncle Tony recalls a much younger version of himself using drugs and alcohol to cope with the abuses of a homelife in turmoil. He was already using LSD and Heroin at 11 and could down a 5th of whiskey by 13. His anger led to many physical fights in his youth.
When asked about what he knew about Vasper, he recalled a few incidents. His family went to visit his grandfather Vasper in Rock in the mid to late 1960s as he was about 10 years old. Vasper was living in his garage that had been redone since his house had previously burnt down. It was known to the family that the house was burnt down in an effort to obtain insurance money. He recalls Vasper owning approximately 10 firearms that were kept in his residence. Uncle Tony recounted an incident where Claude, Vasper’s brother, thought it would be funny to shoot at the children’s feet and make them dance while Vasper laughed at the children’s fear. To this day Uncle Tony does not know if they were shooting blanks or not but as the incident was happening, those bullets were very real.
Vasper would also wrestle all his grandchildren, some of which were teenagers at the time, and would win every time despite being around 60 years old. Uncle Tony recalls the physical strength the man had from years of hard, manual labor. If Vasper had one good virtue, it was his work ethic. Nobody could outwork him and this would be passed through the generations.
Vasper lived on a very mountainous road in Rock, WV and would drive around at fast speeds having already imbibed on libations and would terrify anybody sober enough to be terrified that rode with him.
Both Vasper and Claude were physically, emotionally and mentally abusive towards their kin. They were both heavy drinkers and inebriated during this period of time. If Claude ever broke the “generational curse,” I am not sure. Vasper passes away in 1975, a few years following these incidents [13].
Sources
[1] “Notice of Bankruptcy,” Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 2 July 1931, News. Digital images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/clip/13103070/bluefield_daily_telegraph/?xid=637), citing original p. 10.
[2] “Former neighbors, friends gather for fifth annual McComas Memory Walk,” Bluefield Daily Telegraph, 27 April 2014, News, Digital Paper, Bluefield Daily Telegraph E-Paper (https://www.bdtonline.com/news/local_news/former-neighbors-friends-gather-for-fifth-annual-mccomas-memory-walk/article_0d156d16-e526-5839-876e-0492e2d14c8f.html), citing digital publication.
[3] “Eastern Regional Coal Archives.” Craft Memorial Library. Accessed October 18, 2023. https://craftmemorial.lib.wv.us/index.php/ eastern-regional-coal-archives/.
[4] “Eastern Regional Coal Archives Accession List.” Craft Memorial Library. Accessed October 18, 2023. https://craftmemorial.lib. wv.us/ wp- content/ uploads/ 2022/10/ERCA-v1022.pdf.
[5]“Vasper Indictment,” The Raleigh Register, Beckley, WV, 20 Jan 1946, News. Digital Images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-raleigh-register/6779362/">https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-raleigh-register/6779362/), citing original p. 5.
[6] Ancestry.com. West Virginia, U.S., Deaths Index, 1853-1973 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: "West Virginia Deaths, 1853–1970." Index. FamilySearch, Salt Lake City, Utah. From originals housed in county courthouses throughout West Virginia. "Death Records." Anna Wright.
[7] “Two More Writs,” The Raleigh Register, Beckley, WV, 23 Aug 1946, News. Digital Images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-raleigh-register/25686749/), citing original p. 2.
[8] “Writ of Error in Criminal Court Case Is Granted,” Beckley Post Herald, 22 Nov 1946, News. Digital Images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/beckley-post-herald-iris-wright/38862045/), citing original p. 1.
[9] Westlaw. State v. Wright, 130 W. Va. 336, 43 S.E.2d 295 (1947). Digital Copy. Accessed 5 September 2023.
[10] Ancestry.com. 1950 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2022. National Archives at Washington, DC; Washington, D.C.; Seventeenth Census of the United States, 1950; Year: 1950; Census Place: Marshall, West Virginia; Roll: 2051; Page: 3; Enumeration District: 26-8, Original data: Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. 1913-1/1/1972. Population Schedules for the 1950 Census, 1950 - 1950. Washington, DC: National Archives at Washington, DC.
[11] Ancestry.com. Tulare County, California, U.S., Sheriff's Office and Jail Records, 1874-1963 [database on-line]. Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2015. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors. Original data: Sheriff's Records. Textual records. Tulare County Sheriff's Office, Visalia, California, USA.
[12] “Two Men Injured In Crash; Booked on Drunk Charges.” The Van Nuya and Valley Green Sheet, Van Nuys, California, 16 Jan 1958, News. Digital Images, Newspapers.com. (https://www.newspapers.com/image/701130963), citing original p. 15.
[13] "Oral interview with Tony Wright," 7 Oct. 2023 by Nicole Joseph & Melody Colter, owned by Nicole Joseph & Melody Colter, East Hartford, Connecticut, no notes taken; oral information on Vasper Wright.
Sources used from Part I in alphabetical order
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Document with the Appellate Court's Rulings Located below as a .pdf.
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