John Wesley "Devil John" Wright

"Devil John" Wesley Wright Photo Restored by Mary Gillenwater Photo Contributed by Sue Blevins Kovack

L-R: Anderson, Bad John Wright and Unknown Coal Man

Bad John Wright

John Wesley "Devil John" Wright (aka "Bad John") b 17 May 1844 d 30 Jun 1931 Pound Wise Co VA 87 years of age, (See 1860 Letcher Co KY Census), s/o Joel Ellis Wright and Eliza Agnes Bates.  John Wesley "Devil John" Wright m. Alice Lee Harman b 4 Mar 1818 d/o Robert Graham Harman and Isabelle Waddill. John Wesley "Devil John" Wright m. 14 Oct 1866 Cynthiana, KY to Martha 'Mattie' Humphrey  b 12 Mar 1835 Cynthiana, KY d 12 Mar 1924 Jenkins, Letcher Co KY age 89 years, buried Wyatt Cemetery, Dunham KY, d/o Jamisson Humphrey.

John Wesley "Devil John" Wright m. 8 Sept 1924 Water Gap, KY to  Ellen Sanders  b 28 Mar 1863 Pike Co KY, d 10 Mar 1948, Wise Co VA 84 years of age, buried John Wright Cemetery, Pound, Horse Gap VA, d/o Levi Greenville Sanders and Matilda Austin. (Levi Greenville Sanders  s/o Greenville "Granville" Sanders and Rhoda Potter) (Matilda Austin d/o Jesse Austin and Margaret. Douglas). John Wesley "Devil John" Wright m.  Serilda Austin -  Mary Bentley - India Harmon and Margaret J Austin

> More About Devil John Wright
> Devil John as a Pinkerton Agent

John Wesley "Devil John" Wright (aka "Bad John") b 17 May 1844 d 30 Jun 1931 Pound Wise Co VA 87 years of age, s/o Joel Ellis Wright and Eliza Agnes Bates.  John Wesley 'Devil John' Wright m. Serilda Austin b 24 Sept 1837 NC d 17 Feb 1896 Wise Co VA, d/o Jessee Austin and Margaret Douglas. Children of John Wesley "Devil John: Wright and Sarilda Austin:

1. Enoch F. Wright b l7 Feb l869 d 5 Aug l952 m. Louisa Warwick. Child of Enoch F Wright and Louisa Warwick;

I. Stella Ruth Wright (adopted by Myrtle Wright and Charles Meeks). Child; Diana Meeks m. Male Smith.

2. Joel Martin Wright (aka James Martin) b 29 May 1872 d 1 Oct 1950 m. Alice Johnson.

Sarilda Austiin m. Benjamin Wright b 1838 KY (d during the Civil War; killed by Alfred Killen); s/o John Wright and Mary Bentley. Child of Sarilda Austin and Benjamin Wright;

1. Margaret Wright b 1861 KY

John Wesley "Devil John" Wright (aka "Bad John") b 17 May 1844 d 30 Jun 1931 Pound Wise Co VA 87 years of age, s/o Joel Ellis Wright and Eliza Agnes Bates. John Wesley "Devil John" Wright m. Ellen Sanders b 28 Mar 1863 Pike Co KY, d 10 Mar 1948, Wise Co VA 84 years of age, buried John Wright Cemetery, Pound, Horse Gap VA, d/o Levi Greenville Sanders and Matilda Austin. (Levi Greenville Sanders  s/o Greenville "Granville" Sanders and Rhoda Potter) (Matilda Austin d/o Jesse Austin and Margaret Douglas). Children of John Wesley 'Devil John' Wright and Ellen Sanders;

14. Joel Wright b 29 Jun 1883, m. 3 Jan 1907 to Mary C Reynolds, b 15 Jul 1882 d 19 Nov 1961 at age 79 yrs 4 mos 4 days of age, d/o Joseph Coleman Reynolds and Mary Manerva Morgan.

1st Obituary of Mary C Reynolds
REYNOLDS, Mary d/o J. C. and Nerva Reynolds, b: Jul 15 1882 d: at age 79 yrs, 4 mos and 4 days; md: Joel WRIGHT, Jan 3 1907 (d: Nov 19 1961) he was the s/o John Wesley and Ellen (Sanders) Wright; no children. She leaves, two brothers, Billy, Pound, Va, Colman Reynolds, Washington; 3 half sisters, Mrs. George Rogers, Lexington, Ky, Manda Triplet, Washington, and Aggie Potter, Oak Hill, Ohio. Member of the Old Regular Baptist Church. (Source).
2nd Obituary of Mary C Reynolds
REYNOLDS, Mary was b: Jul 15 1882 d: Nov 19 1961; the dau of J. C. and Nerva Reynolds; md: Joel WRIGHT, Jan 3 1907; no children. She leaves 2 brothers, Billey Reynolds of Pound, Va and Coleman Reynolds of state of Washington. Member of the Old Regular Baptist Church.

15. Daniel S Wright b 23 May 1885 d 23 May 1964 m. Melvenia Mullins d/o Booker Mullins and Charlotte, Charity 'Chat' Wright. 

16. Healthy Wright b 2 May 1887 d 1939 m. John Benjamin Mullins (aka Benjamin Franklin Mullins) b 1883 Beefhide, Letcher Co KY d 1944 buried Devil John Wright Cemetery, Pound, Wise Co VA s/o Booker Mullins and Charlotte, Charity 'Chat' Wright. 

17. Ira Ellis Wright b 12 Jun 1889 Jenkins, KY d 7 Feb 1955 Huntington, WV m. 17 Oct 1917 to Martha Vermillion (divorced 8 Jun 1929). Ira Ellis Wright m. 30 Apr 1945 to 2nd Vianna Early, Ira Ellis Wright and Martha Vermillion had the following children;

i. Roby Raburn Wright

ii. Chester Wright

I. Frank Wampler Wright Jr b 21 Sept 1926 Stormking, Perry Co KY; m. 31 Aug 1947 New Iberia LA to Martha Jean Patterson b 7 Nov 1927 Smackover AR; d/o Joshua Thomas Patterson and Gladys Snider. Children of Frank Wampler Wright Jr and Martha Jean Patterson

i. Frank T Wright

ii. Patty Wright m. Male Ball

iii. Richard Wright

iv. Elizabeth Wright m. Male Brown

v. Virginia Gayle Wright m. Male Weber (Thanks to Gayle for submitting information for this family by email, 9 Oct 2008).

19. Bertha Wright b 26 Jan 1896 d 31 Jan 1974 m. Willie Church

20. William Troy 'Chid' Wright b 5 Aug 1897 d 19 Apr 1985 m. Belle Maggard.

21. Conrad W Wright b 10 Sept 1899 d 1903

22. Mallie Wright b about 1900

23. Elizabeth Wright b 8 Oct 1901 d 1902 age 2 years

24. Clarence Wright b 24 Sept 1903 d 10 Oct 1979 m. Alta Mullins

25. Chester A Wright b 10 Oct 1905 d in infancy

26. Carlous "Carl" Wright b 26 May 1907 m. Ida Rutherford. Child;

i. Terry Wright -  terryw@naxs.com

27. Maudie Belle Wright b 27 Aug 1909 d 1987 m. Orville Bevins (aka Blevins)

28. Charles Roe Wright b 7 Feb 1912 m. Belvia Gibson

29. Kedrick C Wright b 7 Aug 1915 d Jun 1983 m. Eleda Robinette

30. Virgie Wright b Sept l895 d age l4/l5

31. Alma Wright b about l904

32. Jennie Wright

33. Rausy V. Wright b l898

"Devil John" Wright
and Margaret J Austin

John Wesley "Devil John" Wright (aka "Bad John") b 17 May 1844 d 30 Jun 1931 Pound Wise Co VA 87 years of age, s/o Joel Ellis Wright and Eliza Agnes Bates.  John Wesley 'Devil John' Wright m. Margaret J Austin. Children of Devil John Wright and Margaret J Austin;

I. William Harrison Austin (Wright) b 1903 Nicholas Co WV

Mack Jesse Austin (Wright) m. about 1910 to Annie McCutcheon. Children of Mack Jesse Austin (Wright) and Annie McCutcheon;

I. William Austin (Wright)

II. Clifford Austin (Wright)

The Pinkerton Agent

Devil John worked for the Pinkerton Agency. Pinkertons worked for big businesses and coal companies to keep their workers and others in line and to keep unions out.

During the labor unrest of the late 19th century, businessmen hired Pinkerton agents to infiltrate unions and guards to keep strikers and suspected unionists out.

The most notorious example was the Homestead Strike of 1892, in which Pinkerton agents were called in to enforce the strikebreaking measures of Henry Clay Frick, acting on behalf of Andrew Carnegie, who was abroad; the ensuing conflicts between Pinkerton agents and striking workers led to several deaths on both sides. The Pinkertons were also used as guards in coal, iron and lumber disputes in Illinois, Michigan, New York and Pennsylvania, as well as the railroad strikes of 1877.

In 1871, Congress appropriated $50,000 to the new Department of Justice (DOJ) to form a sub-organization devoted to "the detection and prosecution of those guilty of violating federal law." The amount was insufficient for the DOJ to fashion an integral investigating unit, so the DOJ contracted out the services to the Pinkerton National Detective Agency.

However, since passage of the Anti-Pinkerton Act in 1893, federal law has stated that an "individual employed by the Pinkerton Detective Agency, or similar organization, may not be employed by the Government of the United States or the government of the District of Columbia."

The Anti-Pinkerton Act was a law passed by the U.S. Congress in 1893 to limit the government's ability to hire strikebreakers. It is contained within 5 U.S.C. 3108 and specifically restricts the government (and the District of Columbia) from hiring employees of Pinkerton or similar organizations.