The Wright Brothers: A Centennial Tribute

by Dr. Bob Gardner
Department of Mathematics
Department of Physics, Astronomy and Geology
Institute of Mathematical and Physical Sciences
East Tennessee State University

BACKGROUND

The Wright Brothers were of English, German, Swiss, and Dutch ancestry.

Milton Wright Their father, Milton Wright, was born in a log cabin in Rush county Indiana in 1828. At the age of 18, he joined the United Brethren Church. He attended a small college in Hartsville, Indiana and at the age of 22 received his church certificate which entitled him to preach.

Susan Wright In 1859 he married Susan Koerner and the couple lived in several different places in Indiana.

Reuchlin Wright In March 1861, their first child, a son named Reuchlin, was born.

Lorin Wright Their second son, Lorin, was born in 1863.

Wilbur Wright On April 16, 1867 their third son, Wilbur Wright, was born on a small farm near Millville and New Castle, Indiana. Wilbur was named for Wilbur Fiske, a churchman whom his father admired. In 1869, the Wrights moved to Dayton, Ohio where Reverend Milton Wright became editor of a United Brethren newspaper, the Religious Telescope.

7 Hawthorne Street The Wrights bought a house in Dayton at 7 Hawthorne Street. It was here on August 19, 1871 that Orville Wright was born.

Orville Wright He was named for Orville Dewey, a Unitarian minister. A final child was born to the Wright family in 1874 --- a daughter named Katharine.

Katharine Wright

The Wrights traveled around somewhat and Wilbur Wright attended high shool in Richmond, Indiana. The family returned to Dayton a few days before he was to graduate. Wilbur did not return to Richmond to receive his diploma and therefore technically did not graduate from high school. Wilbur and his family felt that the actual education was much more important and the receiving of the diploma was ceremonial.

The following year, Wilbur decided to take a special course at the Dayton high school on trigonometry. This knowledge of trigonometry would prove useful in later years when the brothers were studying the forces on an airfoil.

Orville was occasionally involved in mischief in the classroom, but he proved to be a resourceful student overall, though he did not formally graduate high school either. The older brothers, Reuchlin and Lorin, attended college in Iowa and Indiana, and sister Katharine received a degree from Oberlin College. In latter years, it was suggested that "college might have ruined the Wright brothers." Orville objected to this claim, though, believing that they could have done their scientific work more easily had they the benefit of a college education.

Inventiveness and mechanical ability was often a presence in the Wright household. Older brother Lorin improved a hay baling machine and Wilbur built a device for folding papers while he was responsible for folding a church publication. The strongest mechanical aptitude, however, was demonstrated by the mother, Susan Wright.

Susan Wright She was resourceful in adapting household tools or utensils to unexpected uses. She designed clothes, built a sled for her children, and her family said that she "could mend anything." Sadly, in 1889 when Wilbur was 22 and Orville was 17, their mother died. The Wright children credited their parents with providing an environment which fostered their curiosity and intellectual growth. Orville is quoted as saying "...we were lucky enough to grow up in a home environment where there was always much encouragement to children to pursue intellectual interests; to investigate whatever aroused curiosity. In a different kind of environment our curiosity might have been nipped long before it could have borne fruit."

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