Wright Family Gathering

In 2002 a c1922 photo of a collection of individuals including some Tapscotts was loaned to me for scanning by my cousin Dolores (Tingley) Berbaum (daughter of Nellie (Tapscott) Tingley). On Monday, August 29, 2016, I posted the photo, which I labeled “Tapscott Family Gathering,” and attempted to identify some of those present. The posting was only partially correct. The date was indeed 1922 and some Tapscotts are present, but it was brought to my attention by Gail Ann (Reed) Schenck that the gathering was probably initiated by or for Nicholas Reed and his wife Mary Malinda (also “Melinda”) Wright (daughter of Rev Richard Wright, see post of 17 Aug 2017), likely at their home in Auburn Twp, Clark County. Since it now appears that all were Wright descendants or their spouses, I have chosen to label the photo "Wright Family Gathering" Gail believes the purpose may have been to celebrate Mary Malinda and Nick Reed's wedding anniversary.

Since Mary Malinda was the aunt of Edna Earl Wright, who married John Wesley Tapscott, Tapscotts are found in the photo. And since Mary Malinda’s first husband (who died very young, aged 31) was Eli Sylvester Shade, Shades also attended. And, of course, Reeds, who may have hosted the gathering, are there since Mary Melinda's second marriage was with Nicholas Reed. Gail (great granddaughter of Nicholas and Mary Malinda), Patrick (“Pat”) Shade (great grandson of Eli Sylvester and Mary Malinda), and I (grandson of John Wesley and Edna) have identified individuals in the photo about whom we have some certainty and the results are shown below. The earlier, inaccurate, and incomplete posting has been removed.

Wright family gathering, autumn 1922. Where possible, numbers are placed on the person designated. Otherwise, the number is placed immediately above that person. 1. Glenn Daniel Tapscott, 2. Lillie Alice Tapscott, 3. Alta Leona (Tapscott) Hiddle, 4. Edmund Hiddle Jr., 5. Edna Earl (Wright) Tapscott, 6. John Wesley Tapscott, 7. Nicholas Reed, 8. Mary Malinda (Wright) Reed, 9. Lee Arthur Reed, 10. Irene (Leggett) Reed, 11. Clark Nicholas (“Nick”) Reed, 12. Jean Arthur Reed, 13. Agnes Maurine Reed, 14. William Hartford  (“Cap”) Shade, 15. Mariah Mae (Hurst) Shade, 16. Edna’s mother Elizabeth J. (Lowry) Wright, 17. Clifford Lloyd Tapscott, 18. Elizabeth Shade, 19. Burns (“Pat”) Shade, 20. Robert Dean Shade, 21. Sylvester Shade, 22. Anna Mae (Reed) Veach, 23. Ernest Eugene Shade.

Connection between people identified in the photo (in red). Many family members have been omitted.

The photo may have been widely distributed when it was made. Copies have been found in possession of members of the Reed, Shade, and Tapscott families. In 1978, Nellie (Tapscott) Tingley, a daughter of John Wesley and Edna (Wright) Tingley (and my aunt), sent a letter to Sylvester Shade, who appears in the photo. The letter, made available by Pat Shade, mentions the photo:

I also have one of the pictures of the reunion at Uncle Nick Reed's. I wasn't there, but Mother and Father, my oldest sister Alta and her husband Edmund Hiddle, Lillie Kuhn, who was a Tapscott then, Glenn and Lloyd were there in the picture.

Thanks to Gail for bringing the connection to the Reeds to my attention and to both Pat and Gail for helping research this photo. Thanks to Pat's uncles Sylvester Shade, who made a list of everyone present with their photo location, and Edgar ("Ed") Shade, we now have identifications for most or all of the people in the photo. Since they are, indeed, all descendants of Rev. Richard Wright or spouses of those descendants, the photo with everyone identified is being put on a new blog site, the Wrights of the Wabash Valley (http://wabashvalleywrights.blogspot.com/), post of Wednesday May 10, 2017.