The History of The Coy Wright Family

Coy Wright was born on April 15, 1905 to Martha Jane Hampton Wright and Luther Wright in Letcher County, Kentucky.He only attended school part way through the first grade, and before he was married, he worked in the Norfolk and Western Car Shops.On September of 1926 he married Eula Horsley in Vanceburg, Kentucky.Eula was born on April 6, 1903.

After their wedding, Coy and Eula traveled to Huntington, WV where Coy worked at the Pen Table Factory.While in Huntington the Wrights' two oldest children were born.George Melwood was born on July 10, 1927, and Audrey Beatrice was born approximately a year later.The Wrights moved back to Kentucky and stayed a while before the third child, Margie Hazel was born.They first moved to Morton Hill in South Shore, but before Margie Hazel was born, they moved to Jackson Street in Portsmouth.Margie Hazel was then born on February 27, 1929.Coy Wright got a job at Detroit Steel in 1928 or 1929, and worked there until he was 61 except for 18 months that he was laid off during the Great Depression.While he was laid off at the steel mill, Coy hoboed a train to Northern Ohio where he cut corn to support his family.

The Wrights stayed a short while on Jackson Street before moving back to Kentucky to a farm on Tar Camp.There the fourth child Tony Edwin was born in approximately 1930.He died when he was only 13 months old.This occurred 17 days before Claude Wright was born on December 12, 1932.Eula was so far along in her pregnancy when Tony died that she could not even go to the gravesite during the burial.Coy followed along behind the wagon that carried his child's coffin, a rugged homemade wooden box.He described his own apparel as being patched bibbed overalls.

The Wrights next moved to North Moreland near New Boston, Ohio.They stayed there for a short while before moving to Beaver, Ohio and on to Rubyville, Ohio in 1934.Luther Odel Wright was born in Rubyville, and Betty Lou Wright was also born in Rubyville on August 19, 1936.Coy Wright soon built a house in Rubyville which is still standing next to the Rubyville Community Church.The family moved there when Betty Lou was about a year old.Five years later on April 15, 1941 Ronald Coy, the last of the eight children, was born.

All seven of the surviving Wright children graduated from Clay High School, and Ronald Coy was one of the first to graduate from the "new" Clay High School on Clay High Street near Portsmouth, Ohio.Coy Wright remained at the home place in Rubyville until Eula died on February 28, 1970 of pneumonia.He sold the home and moved into a trailer near his daughter Hazel and her husband Paul Montgomery on Blue Run Road near Minford, Ohio.Four years later he married Edna Jenkins and moved to Bahner Road in Sciotoville, Ohio.He lived with Edna until his death from cancer on September 3, 1993.Edna died in 2005.

George Melwood served in the army during World War II.During this time he worked as a weather observer at the Capitol building in Washington, D. C.He then married Alma Rose Howard, and they had three children. Their children are Michael Lane who married Diane Hilliard, Sherri Lynn who married Tom Allbritain, and Robin who married William Lavendar.Throughout the years when his children were growing up, George traveled around Ohio following construction.As a result, the family spent many years living in mobile homes.George and Alma finally moved to Quaker City, Ohio.George worked on construction until his retirement in 1988.Later he and Alma sold their home in Quaker City and bought a house in Hanover, Ohio near Newark.They lived there until the 2010's when both passed away within a couple years of one another.

Sherri Allbritain and her two children Melany and Stephan all worked for the Longaberger Basket Company before later pursuing other careers after to company's closure.George and Alma's son Michael followed in his father's footsteps taking a job in construction.When Michael was in his forties, he was laid off work.At this time he decided to "undertake" a new career, and he went to school to become a funeral director.As for their youngest Robin, she and her husband Bill Lavendar live in Granville, Ohio.Robin is a full time mother and wife, and Bill drove a milk truck for Kroger.

The second of Coy and Eula Wright's children, Audrey Beatrice, married James Moultin, and their children are Marcia Sue who married Dan Jones, and Danny Jo who married Dia Pepa.Audrey and James (Jim) resided in Marblehead, Ohio where Audrey ran a beauty salon.It was here they raised their two children.Audrey and Jim divorced in, and Jim moved to Florida.Danny graduated from Ohio State University and later became an engineer for General Motors.His sister Marcia also graduated college with her masters degree and became a social worker.

Margie Hazel married Paul Montgomery and had no children.They spent most of their life in Southern Ohio until his death in October of 1987.Hazel remarried on July 3, 1989 to Clyde Lester and moved to Marion, Ohio.She remained there until his death in November 1989 upon which she moved back to Scioto County.For a few years she resided with her sister Betty Lou in Minford, Ohio.Then she remarried to Carl Adkins from Defiance, Ohio in June 2003 and moved into his house. To the right is a photograph of Hazel Wright and Paul Montgomery taken on their wedding day April 1, 1950. Below is a photo of Hazel and Paul Montgomery's farm on Back Run Road.

Claude Wright, the fifth of Coy and Eula's children, served in the army during the Korean Conflict and was stationed in Korea when the peace was signed.Claude married Shirley Adkins, and they had one son Claude Anthony.Claude and Shirley lived in several places including Minford, Ohio and South Shore, Kentucky.Claude and his brother Ronald opened Wright's Auto Sales, a successful used car business, in South Shore, Kentucky.Currently Claude and Shirley reside in South Shore.Claude's son Tony is the owner of Wright Care Medical Supply.

Luther Wright also served in the army and spent some time in Germany.He married Janice Fannin and had two children Andrew and Stacy Ann.Luther and Janice resided in Rubyville, Ohio until the mid 1980's when they moved to nearby Lucasville, Ohio.Luther is the owner of Wright's Chain Link Fence, and he also opened Luke's Auto Sales after moving to the Lucasville area.

Betty married Gene Burns and had one daughter Donna Jean.They lived in Minford, Ohio.Currently Betty resides in Minford, Ohio near Donna and her husband Gene Dietrich. Ron married Julia Pollock and had three children Ronald David, Beth Ann, and Joseph Matthew.Ronald along with his brother Claude owns Wright Brother's Auto Sales.Ronald's son Joe owns Wright Pharmacy in South Shore, Kentucky.

The following are the spouses and children of the Wright grandchildren.

Sherri (Wright) and Tom Albretten's children are Melanie Rose who married Mark Brucklemeyer and Stephen who married Jeanna Wallace. Melany and Mark divorced and Melany married Mike Duffy.

Mike and Diane HilliardWright's children are Amy Joelle who is married to Jeff Merhige. They have two children Luke and Sydney. Mike and Diane's second daughter Rebecca Lynn and her husband have two children Belle and Sutton, and Mike and Diane's son Timothy Coy and his wife Amber have a son named Zane Coy.

Robin (Wright) and William Lavender's children are Joseph Blake, Amanda Jo, and Haley Ann.

Danny Joe and Dia PepaMoulton's children are Meredith, Carter, and McKenna. Marcia Sue (Moulton) and Danny Jone's children are Brook Daniel and Kirsten.

Tony and Vickie Wright's have two children John Anthony and Justin Michael. John is married and has one child. Justin is not married and has no children.

n Stacy Ann (Wright) and Tony Hempill's children Emily Ruth, Katie Elaine, Holly Gail, and Grant David Emily is a teacher at Bloom Vernon Schools and is now very active in church. Katie attended Marshall University on a scholarship that led to her getting many opportunities to travel the world. She worked as a teacher for three years in China and eventually met David Brewer from New Zealand. The two married and currently live in Melbourne, Australia where Katie is a travel agent. Holly is working and attending college and Grant is still in high school.