Emma Wright, née Smith (1844-1916) was born at Stourton, Warwickshire, in 1844, the fourth of five children of Joseph Smith, a farmer, and his wife, Sarah. The family moved several times during her childhood. They were at Little Compton in 1851, at Little Dorsington near Welford-on-Avon in 1861 and had moved to Badsey by 1871.
On 3rd January 1871 Emma married Adolphus Careless Wright at St Luke’s Church, Leicester. Adolphus, although born in London, had spent most of his childhood in his mother’s native Worcestershire. The couple settled in Badsey where, by then, both their families were living. They lived with Emma’s parents in the house which is now No 18 High Street. Emma’s father, Joseph Smith, was described as an “occupier of land”, and Adolphus was acting as farm bailiff, presumably for the Byrd family who owned the property. Adolphus’ mother, Fanny Wright, lived nearby at The Wheatsheaf where she ran a grocery business.
Adolphus and Emma had two sons and three daughters, all born at Badsey: Frederick William (1871-1951), Gertrude Emma (1873-1914), Kate (1874-1926), Edith Melinda (1878-1912) and Edgar Adolphus (1881-1960). Emma’s father died in 1877 and her mother had moved from Badsey by 1881. At the time of the 1881 census, Adolphus and Emma had moved next-door to the building which is now occupied by The Spar Shop.
In 1883, the family left Badsey in order to seek a new life overseas. Their destination was Geauga County, Ohio, where several Badsey families had emigrated to in the 1870s. A passenger list for 1899 reveals that Adolphus and Emma returned to England for a visit in 1899. They embarked at New York on “Servia” and arrived at the port of Liverpool on 21st September 1899. They left Liverpool on 28th October 1899. Adolphus’ mother died just six days later, so perhaps they had returned home to England for a final visit if they knew that Fanny was ailing.
At the time of the 1900 census, Adolphus and Emma and two of their children were living in Bainbridge Township, Geauga County. By 1910 they were living in Auburn Township, fairly close to Oliver and Ruth Rogers who had emigrated from Badsey in 1873 (they were in the same enumeration district, the Rogers living at house No 121 and the Wrights living at house No 185).
Adolphus died at Auburn in 1914 and Emma died in 1916. They were both and buried at Maple Shade Cemetery, Auburn.