My great grandfather, Oscar Wright was born on December 25, 1864 in Mississippi to Joseph and Virginia Wright. He was the husband of Nona Skipper Wright and the father of twelve children. He was a member of Mt. Pisgah Baptist Church in Patterson, Arkansas. He lived in Woodruff county, Arkansas where he devoted his life to farming the land until his death on April 2, 1943.

Oscar Wright was the oldest of all my great grandparents. He was born during the last year of slavery. Since he was born in Mississippi, I am inclined to believe he spent his first year of life enslaved. He’s the only great grandparent that I don’t have a photo of. He died before my mother was born, and I didn’t start this research until after my MaDear had passed away. So I often refer to Oscar Wright as my mystery man because I know so little about him. I have heard bits and pieces of information about him. But the majority of information I know about him is from his death certificate and census records. I also learned that he was a part of the Southern Tenant Farmers Union in Woodruff county that fought for equal rights and pay for sharecroppers and tenant farmers. I’m excited to know that my family has a history of fighting for equal rights.