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of Col. Philip Henry Feddeman and his wife Mar-
garet Earle; William Henry DeCoursey (1795-
1864), U.S. consul to Brazil in 1825, who married
Eliza Lea Warner of Delaware; Gustavus William
Tidmarsh (1784-1823), who married Eliza Ann
Clayland, daughter of Susanna Clayland Watson;
and Clinton. DAUGHTERS: Caroline Augusta (ca.
1782-?), who married Samuel Anderson of Ches-
tertown, Kent County; Victoria Louisa. PRIVATE
CAREER. EDUCATION: graduated from Kent County
school, the forerunner of Washington College;
studied law. RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION: Anglican,
St. Luke's Parish, Queen Anne's County; Chester
Parish, Kent County. SOCIAL STATUS AND ACTIV-
ITIES: Esq., by 1787; enthusiastic supporter of horse
racing and a breeder of fine horses at ''Blake-
ford;" active in promoting agricultural improve-
ment in Queen Anne's County; chosen as a Mary-
land member of the committee of correspondence
of the American Board of Agriculture, ca. 1803.
OCCUPATIONAL PROFILE: lawyer, admitted to the
bar in 1773; possessed excellent oratorical skills.
PUBLIC CAREER. LEGISLATIVE SERVICE: Lower
House, Queen Anne's County, 1777, 1777-1778
(resigned on February 28, 1778, prior to the 2nd
session), 1780 (resigned on December 23, 1780,
during the 1st session of the 1780-1781 Assem-
bly), 1784 (Elections), Kent County, 1786-1787,
Queen Anne's County, 1791-1792; Senate, East-
ern Shore, Term of 1801-1806; 1801 (resigned
on November 14, 1801, after election to the U.S.
Senate). OTHER STATE OFFICE: governor, 1806-
1809 (elected on November 10, 1806; resigned on
May 6, 1809, in anticipation of being appointed
a justice of the Court of Appeals to replace James
Tilghman (1743-1809), deceased, but the ap-
pointment went to Richard Tilghman Earle (1767-
1843) instead); associate justice, Second District,
appointed May 5, 1823, and served until his death
in 1826. LOCAL OFFICES: St. Luke's Parish Vestry,
Queen Anne's County, 1792-1794; Chester Par-
ish Vestry, Kent County, 1798-1801; clerk, Queen
Anne's County, 1810. MILITARY SERVICE: pri-
vate, Capt. James Kent's Militia Company, 1776;
captain, Col. William Richardson's battalion of
the Maryland Line, commissioned July 7, 1777,
mustered out in October 1777. OUT OF STATE
SERVICE: senator, U.S. Congress, 1801-1803
(elected to fill vacancy; seated on December 7,
1801), 1803-1805, 1805-1806 (resigned to run for
governor); representative, U.S. Congress, 1810-
1811 (elected to fill vacancy; seated on December
3, 1810), 1811-1813, 1813-1815, 1815-1817, 1821-
1823. STANDS ON PUBLIC/PRIVATE ISSUES: Dem-
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ocrat; staunch supporter of Jefferson. WEALTH
DURING LIFETIME. PERSONAL PROPERTY: assessed
value £743.0.0, including 14 slaves and 24 oz.
plate, 1783. LAND AT FIRST ELECTION: 312 acres
in Queen Anne's County (all received by deed of
gift from his father). SIGNIFICANT CHANGES IN
LAND BETWEEN FIRST ELECTION AND DEATH: pur-
chased 1,568 acres in Queen Anne's and Kent
counties (including the 475-acre estate "Blake-
ford," his residence until his death); probably
inherited about 250 acres and a lot in Chester-
town, Kent County, from his brother William,
1783; inherited at least 337 acres of land in Queen
Anne's County and Kent and New Castle coun-
ties. Delaware, from his father, 1792; purchased
6 lots in Chestertown, Kent County, between 1783
and 1801; sold 1,663 acres of land in Queen Anne's
and Kent counties, including the lots in Chester-
town, between 1786 and 1818. In 1802 Wright
exchanged 320 acres of the land he inherited from
his father for 320 acres of Richard Tilghman's
land located in Kent County, Delaware. WEALTH
AT DEATH. DIED: September 7, 1826, at "Blake-
ford,"Queen Anne's County; buried at "Ches-
ton-on-Wye" in the DeCoursey family cemetery.
Queen Anne's County. PERSONAL PROPERTY:
TEV, at least $6,788.19 (including 27 slaves, 21
horses, a law library, and sundry other books);
FB, $618.26. LAND: at least 759 acres of land in
Queen Anne's and Kent counties and Kent and
New Castle counties, Delaware. ADDITIONAL
COMMENTS: In 1824 "Blakeford," Wright's es-
tate, was seized by the sheriff of Queen Anne's
County and sold in order to satisfy his creditors.
The sale was completed in 1826, the year he died.
In 1833 the estate was repurchased by his son,
William H. DeCoursey Wright.
WRIGHT, ROBERT NORREST (?-ca. 1746/47)
BORN: in Queen Anne's County; eldest son. NA-
TIVE: third generation. RESIDED: in Queen Anne's
County. FAMILY BACKGROUND. FATHER: Charles
Wright (?-1720), son of Solomon Wright (ca. 1655-
1717). MOTHER: Katherine Norrest. BROTHERS:
Charles; Jonathan (?-1740); and Nathan (?-1767).
SISTER: Mary. FIRST COUSINS: Thomas Wright (?-
ca. 1784); Mary Ann Wright (?-1747), who mar-
ried William Hopper (1707-1772); and Anne Wright
(?-by 1754), who married Edward OIdham (1709-
1773). NEPHEW: Turbutt Wright (ca. 1741-1790).
NIECE: Catherine Wright (1743-?), who married
William Bruff (ca. 1741-1802). PRIVATE CAREER.
EDUCATION: literate. RELIGIOUS AFFILIATION:
Anglican, Old Chester Church, St. Paul's Parish,
921
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