Blog 8 – Trauma Begets Trauma: Percy’s Early Years

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.

Methodology: I relied mostly on Newspaper Articles, Oral Interviews from his living children, Ancestry.com and Family Search to piece together Percy's early life.

Percy Roger Wright Born

Percy Roger Wright was born to Vasper and Annie Wright in Mercer County, West Virginia. In the realm of records and corroboration, Percy’s date of birth is mirky at best. The BIRLS indexed death file, and U.S. Social Security Death Index as well as the US Social Security Applications and Claims Index list the same social security number with varying dates of birth. According to the Michigan Death Index [2] and the Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File [3], he was born on the 29 July 1932. The U.S. Social Security Death Index lists his date of birth as 9 Feb 1937 (same as his wife's date of birth) [4]. His birth information does not appear in the indexed West Virginia Births Index, 1804 - 1938 on ancestry.com. The date of death remains consistent. He was the third eldest of 4 children, 3 boys and 1 girl.    

Percy’s Early Life

Percy’s early life was plagued with poverty, orphanages, the poor farm, and a lack of a good education. He and his brother Leo, who he had the closest relationship to, were born into a family that was financially struggling. According to a notice published in the Bluefield Daily Telegraph on July 2, 1931, Percy’s father was adjudicated Bankrupt [6]. At this time Leo was about 3 and a half with a baby sister and Percy would be born just a year after this declaration in 1932. Percy was listed in the 1940 U.S. Federal Census as an inmate at the “County Farm Inst[statute] For Needy” located in Mercer County, Rock District, WV. He was not only listed as an “inmate,” but they have him recorded as being 5 years old. If we are to trust the 1932 date, which has more collaborative evidence, he would have been 8. This could, of course, have been a typo but may further show the lack of care for children at the Mercer County Poor Farm. He is listed next to his 9 year old brother Leo. Their parents did not accompany them to the poor farm [7]. According to the 1940 census, Percy’s sister Iris was living with family members, the Bailey’s [8]. We can also note that George is not listed as being at the poor farm, because he has since been adopted.

During Percy’s father’s incest trial with Iris, the Mercer county department of public assistance testified that Vasper’s children had to be taken from him [9]. It appears Percy and Leo grew up together despite the circumstances and had a relationship. Being born amidst the Great Depression did not do the boys any favors. Due to the Great Depression coupled with a drop in the prices of coal, a coal loader who might have been making $1200 in 1929 was making only an average of $557 a year by 1933 [10]. Leo and Percy were born in a time that saw many wage workers having to choose between feeding their families, having a house, or otherwise trying to find new methods of making money, something Vasper was ill-equipped to accomplish.

Leo’s Crime Sprees : A Brother to look up to

According to three of Percy’s children, Percy did not discuss much about his childhood or time in the orphanages, but it was clear he did not look upon his childhood fondly. Leo did not appear to fair well with his childhood experiences either as he took to substance abuse and crime early on. Leo turned 18 on 2 Dec 1945, which means he would have aged out of many of the services that would have been allotted to him as a child. We also know that Leo stated that he was living with Percy and Iris around this time from his testimony in court [9]. Upon leaving the custody of the Department of Public Assistance, he went on a crime spree with two friends. According to an article from the Raleigh Register dated 21 July 1946, Leo, 19, and two of his friends were originally charged with stealing 3 vehicles in the Rhodell area. Ultimately, Leo pled guilty to stealing one car and was remanded to jail to await a grand jury decision on his grand larceny charge [12].

Later, that same year, Leo received a number of charges on 12 November 1946 to include trespass x3, grand larceny, auto theft [13]. He did not stop there and just two years later, another article appears titled, “Leo Wright Jailed in Wyoming; Also Wanted in Mercer, Raleigh.” According to the information presented in this article, Leo was wanted in three separate counties and was currently being held in the Pineville Jail. His probation officer indicated that Leo had not reported to probation since last May as was required for his two-year term of probation[14]. Mind you, Leo was only 21 years old at this time and had racked up a number of charges\convictions.

He picked up even more charges in 1949 when he escaped police custody from the Wyoming County Jail, WV as he was awaiting transfer to the penitentiary, only to later be apprehended in Illinois. During his time away with fellow escapee Raymond Crist, they decided to go the extra mile and accrue some new charges by stealing three cars and robbing at least two establishments [15]. Clicking on the article below will take you to the full story.

Figure 4: Leo Wright escaped Jail [15}

The person Percy was most familiar with in his family growing up would have been Leo, his older brother who entered an early life of crime and would ultimately be in and out of jail/prison in his late teens and early twenties. His mother would die in 1946 when he was only 14 and his father would end up incarcerated that very same year. Like many children who are forcibly removed from a parent’s custody, it is believed Percy felt abandoned and neglected early in life as he was cast from one orphanage to the next. While this can only come with conjecture, there are moment’s in Percy’s adult life, as expressed by his children, that will validate such claims.

Percy and early criminality

Percy either does not lean into Leo’s criminality or he just manages to not get caught as we do not see any criminal behavior expressly shown prior to a charge in October 1953 for gambling [16]. What is much different in his life at this time is he already found his life partner, Helen Duncan, and married her on June 14, 1952 at the age of 20. She was 16, so they eloped in Johnson County, TN with her lying about her age, telling the court she was 18 [17]. According to Grandma Helen, she married him because he was gorgeous, and she wanted to escape her living situation [18].

Figure 5: Marriage Certificate for Helen Duncan and Percy Wright[17].

Early Adulthood - Military Enlistment

Percy enlisted in the Army on the 7 May 1953 and was discharged on 7 May 1955 [19]. According to an interview with Rick, Percy and Helen's 4th oldest son, Percy relayed that he enlisted in the military when he was 16 as a means to escape his life [20]. After doing the math, I am finding the age conversions impossible to corroborate his story. If Percy was indeed16 when he entered the military, this would place his date of birth in 1937 and not 1932. The Michigan, Deaths, 1971 – 1996 on Ancestry lists his Date of Birth as 29 July 1932 as does the US Department of Veteran Affairs BIRLS Death File on Fold 3, which would mean he would have been able to enlist as early as 1950, as soon as the war began. It was only one year after his marriage, and one month before the birth of his oldest son that he either enlisted or was drafted. While the draft was utilized to enlist troops during the Korean War, it is unclear whether he voluntarily enlisted or was forcibly drafted. Either way, he did fulfill the two year term draftees were obligated to.

Trouble while Enlisted

It is interesting to note that the earliest article pertaining to Percy being arrested, was a 1953 newspaper article detailing the criminal court docket, listing Percy as being charged with gambling[21]. He was 21 by this time and in the military. Percy chose alcohol as his vice early on and was convicted of drunk driving in 1956, also while in the military [22]. The description of his arrest would be amusing if drunk driving was not so dangerous.

Figure 6 : Percy Wright Arrested for Drunk Driving [22]

His woes in early adulthood would not stop there. Helen, his wife, would seek a divorce with Percy in October 1956 for "alleged cruelty and non-support" [23]. At this time she had two children with Percy, Roger and Paul. Her decision to divorce Percy just a year after he was discharged from the military and their second year living together was a difficult decision but according to Helen he continued to live in West Virginia despite having moved her to Michigan, a foreign location to her. Mind you, at this time, she would have just turned 20, with 2 children and a husband who was in the military from 1953 to 1955. It hadn't been an easy road for either of them and would only get rockier.

Sources

[1] Percy Wright,  photograph, location and date unknown; privately held by Helen Duncan, 27 Dec 2023.  Nicole Joseph took a digital image of this photo from Helen Duncan's private photo collection in November 2022.

[2] Michigan Department of Vital and Health Records, Michigan, U.S., Death Index, 1971-1996 [database on-line], Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1998, Original data: Michigan Department of Vital and Health Record, Michigan Death Index, Lansing, MI, USA.

[3] Ancestry.com. U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010 [database on-line]. Record for Percy Wright, Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011, Original data: Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File, Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

[4] Ancestry.com, U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2014, Original data: Social Security Administration, Social Security Death Index, Master File, Social Security Administration.

[5] Descendant Chart for Vasper Leo Wright, Created by Nicole Joseph in Family Tree Maker, 3 January 2024.

[6] “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.

[7] Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Year: 1940; Census Place: Rock, Mercer, West Virginia; Roll: m-t0627-04429; Page: 8A; Enumeration District: 28-51, Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Original data: United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls, Subject Percy Wright.

[8] Ancestry.com. 1940 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012. Year: 1940; Census Place: Beaver Pond, Mercer, West Virginia; Roll: m-t0627-04428; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 28-23. Original data:  United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1940. T627, 4,643 rolls.

[9] Westlaw. State v. Wright, 130 W. Va. 336, 43 S.E.2d 295 (1947). Digital Copy. Accessed 5 September 2023.

[10] U.S. Congress Senate Committee on Interstate Commerce. 1936. "Vol. 4 Hearings: Seventy-fourth Congress Second Session 1936." Washington, DC: Congress.

[11] "Mercer County Poor Farm Cabins," Image publication, Archer, William, Images of America Forestry Sciences Lab in Mercer County," (Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina: 2021; imaged at "Mercer County Poor Farm Cabins," Mercer County Gardner Center Website (https://www.gardnercenter.org/farm.html : viewed on 20 Dec 2023).

[12] "3 Youths Accused of Stealing Cars," The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, 21 July 1946, News, Digital Images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-raleigh-register-leo-crime-18/137498673/ : accessed 27 Dec 2023), citing original p.9.

[13]  "116 Cases Docketed for Criminal Court," Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia, 24 Oct 1946, News, Digital Images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/beckley-post-herald/137912452/: accessed 27 Dec 2023), citing original p.9.

[14] "Leo Wright Jailed in Wyoming; Also Wanted in Mercer, Raleigh," Beckley, West Virginia, 14 November 1948, News, Digital Images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-raleigh-register/137913844/ : accessed 2 Jan. 2024), citing original p. 9.

[15] "Police Believe Escaped Fugitives Traveling in Stolen Automobile," The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, 10 January 1949, News, Digital Images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-raleigh-register/137914456/ : accessed 2 Jan 2024), citing original p. 2.

[16] "Criminal Court Docket Readied, Percy Wright," The Raleigh Register, Beckley, WV, 7 Oct 1953, News. Digital Images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-raleigh-register-criminal-court-dock/136658888/ : Accessed 11 Dec. 2023).

[17] "Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5HZ-TDY : Accessed 3 Jan. 2024), Entry for Percy Roger Wright and Helen Carol Duncan, 14 Jun 1952, citing original p. 191, marriage entry 1232 in Johnson County, Tennesse from County Court Marriages Vol - T, 6/1950 - 4/1957.

[18] Interview with Lisa Wright by Nicole Joseph via telephone on 24 December 2023. No recording available. Conversation with Helen Duncan’s daughter.

[19] "U.S., Department of Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010," indexed database, Fold3, Fold3.com (https://www.fold3.com/record/619830411/percy-wright-1932-us-veterans-affairs-birls-death-file-1850-2010 : accessed 4 Jan 2024), entry for Percy Wright (1932-1972), SSN 236487817; citing Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem (BIRLS) Death File. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.

[20] Interview with Rick Wright and Lisa Wright conducted by Nicole Joseph and Melody Colter via Microsoft Teams on 23 December 2023. Automatic Transcript saved via Teams and Sound Recording of Interview with Nicole Joseph.

[21] "Criminal Court Docket Readied, Percy Wright," The Raleigh Register, Beckley, WV, 7 Oct 1953, News. Digital Images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-raleigh-register-criminal-court-dock/136658888/ : Accessed 11 Dec. 2023).

[22] "Tinsel-Covered Motorist Nabbed for Being Drunk," Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, WV, 13 Jan 1956, News. Digital Images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/beckley-post-herald-tinsel-covered-motor/136656203/), citing original p. 1.

[23] "Divorces Sought", The News-Palladium, Benton Harbor, Michigan, 4 October 1956, News, Digital Images, Newspapers.com, (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-herald-palladium-divorces-sought/136771613/), citing original p. 6.

Figures

Figure 1: Percy Wright,  photograph, location and date unknown; privately held by Helen Duncan, 27 Dec 2023.  Nicole Joseph took a digital image of this photo from Helen Duncan's private photo collection in November 2022.

Figure 2: Descendant Chart for Vasper Leo Wright, Created by Nicole Joseph in Family Tree Maker, 3 January 2024.

Figure 3: Figure 3 "Mercer County Poor Farm Cabins," Image publication, Archer, William, Images of America Forestry Sciences Lab in Mercer County," (Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina: 2021; imaged at "Mercer County Poor Farm Cabins," Mercer County Gardner Center Website (https://www.gardnercenter.org/farm.html : viewed on 20 Dec 2023).

Figure 4: "Police Believe Escaped Fugitives Traveling in Stolen Automobile," The Raleigh Register, Beckley, West Virginia, 10 January 1949, News, Digital Images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-raleigh-register/137914456/ : accessed 2 Jan 2024), citing original p. 2.

Figure 5:  "Tennessee, County Marriages, 1790-1950", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:V5HZ-TDY : Accessed 3 Jan. 2024), Entry for Percy Roger Wright and Helen Carol Duncan, 14 Jun 1952, citing original p. 191, marriage entry 1232 in Johnson County, Tennesse from County Court Marriages Vol - T, 6/1950 - 4/1957.

Figure 6: "Tinsel-Covered Motorist Nabbed for Being Drunk," Beckley Post-Herald, Beckley, WV, 13 Jan 1956, News. Digital Images, Newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/article/beckley-post-herald-tinsel-covered-motor/136656203/), citing original p. 1.