Mother Houston

I told you that that the first wife of James "Big Jim" Wright died in 1903 three months before he married again. I told you that was what I found from some researchers. I don't believe it. I think that Jim Wright married his cousin, Susan Wright, the daughter of Jesse Wright and Mary Brummett.

I had read Susan's obituary naming her parents as Jesse Wright and Mary Venters which caused me to do a search on what happened to Mary after she and Jesse parted. She was Mary Brummet.

I found Susan on every census record except 1900. Jesse was married to Nickotie. Mary was married to John Venters and she was in neither household. Looking closer at the census record for Susan in 1910 it showed she had been married for 10 years, but it was her second marriage. It also said she had had six children and four of them were living.

In the 1900 Census Big Jim and Susan were listed with a daughter, Leda. She reports she has had two children and lost one. In the 1910 census Susan is listed with Aulden G. "Olvin" Houston and children Hargis, Charlie and Anna. She reports that she has had six children, four of whom are living. I believe that the fourth child is Lydia (Leda from 1900) who is living with her father.

Olvin Houston was the son of Nathaniel "Thaney" Houstona and Elizabeth "Betsy" Fleming. He was the brother of Annie Houston who married Joshua Mullins.

Susan and Olvin went on to have Velva, Alvin, Cora, Olvin and James Denton Houston.

This is a picture of Olvin's mother, Elizabeth "Betsy" Fleming Houston, and three of Susan and Olvin's Children: Charley, Velva and Hargis.

Olvin died before 1920. Susan supported the children by running a boarding house.

She married again in 1945 to Noah Burcham.

Susan died August 21, 1978 at the hospital in Hazard.