Robert Wright (1859 - 1886)

Born 1859 in Monmouth, Warren, Illinois, United States

Died 10 May 1886 at about age 27 in Elizabeth, Elbert, Colorado, United States

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Biography

Robert was born in 1859. He died of gunshot wounds 10 May1886 in his blacksmith business in Elizabeth, Colorado. He was murdered by Alice Burns who had given birth to his child 5 weeks prior to murder. She had believed he would marry her.

Siblings / Self (10)

1. John H. or A. Wright 1837–1919 Ohio
2. Sarah Jane Wright 1839–1889 Ohio
3. Hanna Agnes Wright 1841–1916 Ohio
4. William Marion Wright 1843–1908 Ohio
5. Rebecca C Wright 1845–1913 Ohio
6. Simeon Buris Wright 1847–1932 Ohio
7. Henry Lewis Wright 1851–1931 Ohio
8. Anna Elizabeth Lyda Wright 1853–1943 Illinois
9. Emma Alice Wright 1856–1941 Illinois
10. Robert B. D. Wright 1859–1886 Illinois ^[1]

1860 United States Federal Census

Name: Washington Wright Age: 48

Birth Year: abt 1812 Birth Place: Ohio

Home in 1860: Hale, Warren, Illinois

Post Office: Monmouth

Occupation: Farmer

Real Estate Value: 5400

Personal Estate Value: 856

Household Members (Name) Age

Washington Wright 48

Agnes Wright 41

John Wright 21

Marion Wright 17

Adaline Wright 18

Rebecca Wright 15

Simon Wright 12

Lewis Wright 9

Ann E Wright 8

Emma A Wright 5

Robert Wright 1

John Black 70 ^[2]

1870 United States Federal Census

Name: Washington Wright Age in 1870: 58

Birth Date: abt 1812 Birthplace: Ohio

Home in 1870: Hale, Warren, Illinois

Post Office: Monmouth

Occupation: Farmer

Male Citizen Over 21: Yes

Personal Estate Value: 2300

Real Estate Value: 8000

Household Members (Name) Age

Washington Wright 58

Agnes Wright 51

H Lewis Wright 19

Eliza Wright 17

Enma A Wright 14

Robert Wright 11 ^[3]

1878 Marriage

Illinois, U.S., County Marriage Records, 1800-1940

Name: Robert B. D. Wright Age: 20

Birth Year: abt 1858

Marriage Date: 1878

Marriage Place: Warren, Illinois, USA

Father: Washington Wright

Mother: Agnes Black

Spouse: E. Lizzie Downer Age: 19 (Remarries in 1886 to Archie Heberer)

Father: Avery Downer

Mother: Elisabeth A. Webb ^[4]

1880 United States Federal Census

Name: Robert B. D. Wright Age: 21

Birth Date: Abt 1859 Birthplace: Illinois

Home in 1880: Corning, Adams, Iowa, USA

Marital Status: Married

Spouse's Name: Lizzie Wright

Father's Birthplace: Ohio

Mother's Birthplace: Ohio

Occupation: Blacksmith

Household Members (Name) Age Relationship

Robert B. D. Wright 21 Self (Head)

Lizzie Wright 20 Wife ^[5]

1885 Colorado State Census

Name Robert Wright Age 25

Sex Male

Event Place Denver, Arapahoe, Colorado, United States

Enumeration District 11

Birth Year (Estimated) 1860

Occupation: Blacksmith

Schedule Type Population

Record Number 32652

Record Number 32652 ^[6]

1886 Alice Burns found out he had a wife

In 1886, Alice broke into his trunk per an article and found that he had married back east per her statement to sheriff.^[7]

1886 10 May Death

Retributive Justice Visited on the Pell Destroyer, . Robert Wright . A Wronged , Ruined and Outraged Woman Ushers the Author of her Disgrace into the Presence of his Maker.

Robert Wright was the youngest of a family of ten children, being twenty-seven years old. He has one brother, S . B . Wright, stationer, of Fifteenth -and Lawrence streets, Denver, and his parents reside in Monmouth, Illinois. Robert was the first link to be broken . All the other members of that numerous family are industrious and prosperous people. S . B . Wright, brother of the deceased, took the remains to Denver and will have them buried in Riverside cemetery. ^[8]

FindAGrave MEMORIAL ID 168425537

Robert R Wright

BIRTH unknown

DEATH 12 May 1886

BURIAL Riverside Cemetery

Denver, Denver County, Colorado, USA

PLOT Block 10 Lot 189 Section 4- UNMARKED ^[9]:

Interment date listed of 5/12/1886,

Per Robin at Riverside Cemetery, the records state that Robert is 27 years old, white male, interment date of 5/12/1886. Mortuary was listed as Walley. This information is in agreement with the newspaper articles.

The record at Riverside Cemetery shows the middle initial as "R". Other records indicate his middle initials are B. D.

Research Notes

4 Jul1886

A peculiarly sad Fourth of July was that of Alice Burns imprisoned in the county jail for shooting her betrayer Robert Wright. On that day her child to which she is much attached died at the residence of Mrs. Rourke. She will have to remain in jail until December owing to the slowness of Elbert county justice and altogether must have formed a rather hard opinion of humanity as the result of her experience in Colorado. ^[10]

The baby was 5 weeks old when Robert is murdered. She dies July 4, 1886.

24 Jul 1886 Acquitted by Jury

Miss Alice Burns, who has been confined in the Arapahoe county jail for the past six months under charge of having killed Robert Wright, her betrayer has just had her trial at Kiowa which resulted in her prompt acquittal by the jury.^[11]

Alice may have been from Georgetown, Colo.

Sources

1. ↑ Children listed in Familysearch"
2. ↑ familysearch.org "United States Census, 1860", database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MXH1-GGD : 18 February 2021), Robert Wright in entry for Washington Wright, 1860.
3. ↑ "United States Census, 1870", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M6WG-7VJ : 28 May 2021), Robert Wright in entry for Washington Wright, 1870.
4. ↑ Ancestry.com "1878 Marriage"
5. ↑ "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MDK2-2Z8 : 14 January 2022), Robert B. D. Wright, Corning, Adams, Iowa, United States; citing enumeration district , sheet , NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), FHL microfilm .
6. ↑ "Colorado State Census, 1885," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K8W8-L15 : 4 March 2021), Robert Wright, 1885; citing NARA microfilm publication M158 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 498,503.
7. ↑ "Alice Burns"
8. ↑ Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection "The Castle Rock Journal, May 19, 1886"
9. ↑ https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/168425537/robert-r-wright
10. ↑ Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection "The Rocky Mountain News (Daily), Volume 28, July 8, 1886"
11. ↑ Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection Alice Burns Acquitted