Memorable Manitobans: David Wright (1848-1917)

Building contractor, municipal official.

Born in New York City, New York on 16 October 1848, he came to Canada in 1855 where he lived in Ontario for a time before moving to Manitoba, where he lived at Emerson for nearly 40 years by the time of his death. He worked as a building contractor, Receiver for Emerson (1895-1901), Mayor of Emerson (1908-1910), and Registrar. He and wife Mary Ann Genoa (1846-1939) had six children: Samuel Newton Wright (1873-?), Dr. David J. Wright (1874-?), William E. Wright (1877-?), Herbert H. Wright (1879-?), and Weston Wilmot Wright (1882-1971), and daughter Alice Ethel Wright (1886-1894), and an adopted daughter, Edna F. Wright (b 1897). He died in his office on 24 December 1917 and was buried in the Emerson Cemetery.

Some of his construction works in Manitoba included:

Building

Location

Year

Status

Casselman House

Park Street, Emerson, Municipality of Emerson-Franklin

1905

 

Emerson Baptist Church

Third Street, Emerson, Municipality of Emerson-Franklin

1905

 

Emerson Presbyterian Church Manse

129 Park Street, Emerson, Municipality of Emerson-Franklin

1905

 

Sources:

Ontario birth registrations, Ancestry.

Birth and death registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

1891 Canada census, Ancestry.

1901 Canada census, Automated Genealogy.

“David Wright, Emerson, found dead,” Manitoba Free Press, 25 December 1917, page 1.

“Funeral David Wright, Friday,” Manitoba Free Press, 27 December 1917, page 7.

We thank Roger Currie for providing additional information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 19 March 2022

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

Search the collection by word or phrase, name, place, occupation or other text:

Custom Search

Browse surnames beginning with:
A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Z

Browse deaths occurring in:
1978 | 1979 | 1980 | 1981 | 1982 | 1983 | 1984 | 1985 | 1986 | 1987 | 1988 | 1989 | 1990 | 1991 | 1992 | 1993 | 1994 | 1995 | 1996 | 1997 | 1998 | 1999 | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024


Send corrections and additions to this page
to the Memorable Manitobans Administrator at biographies@mhs.mb.ca

Criteria for Memorable Manitobans | Suggest a Memorable Manitoban | Firsts | Acknowledgements

Help us keep
history alive!