Samuel Alexander Wright

At first glance, the title may seem misleading—this sketch is not about one individual named Samuel Alexander Wright, but two. In fact, a third person of that name exists in the family’s history, though his story is not told here.

The lives of these two infants begin with their parents, Samuel Wright and Christina Braidwood, who together welcomed eight children: Christina Martin Wright (1891), the two Samuels (1893 and 1894), James Braidwood Wright (1896), Hugh McDougall Wright (1897), Alexander Braidwood Wright (1900), Thomas Wright (1902), and Joseph Wright (1904).

These children are 2nd cousins 2x removed from my husband. Their closest shared ancestors are Andrew Braidwood and Mary Liddell—great-grandparents to the children and third great-grandparents to my husband.

On May 8, 1893, the couple welcomed their second child and first son, Samuel Alexander Wright, born at home at 249 Main Street in the Bridgeton district of Glasgow. In keeping with Scottish naming conventions, they named him after his paternal grandfather, Samuel Alexander Wright, born in 1823 in the Gorbals district of Glasgow.

Birth register for Samuel Alexander Wright (infant number 1)

At the time, Samuel and Christina had been married for two and a half years, with a young daughter already in their home. Father Samuel worked as a coachman, a respected domestic servant who drove horse-drawn carriages for a private employer. 

Tragically, the child’s life was brief. Twelve days after his birth, little Samuel died at home on May 20, the recorded cause being debility—a term often used for failure to thrive.

Death register for Samuel Alexander Wright (infant number 1)

He was laid to rest on May 22 in Lair 4964 at Eastern Necropolis Cemetery. 

Eastern Necropolis Cemetery burial register for infant number 1

Just under 11 months later, on April 8, 1894, Christina gave birth to another son at their new residence: 3 Polmadie Road in Hutchesontown, a densely populated working-class district south of the River Clyde.

To honor their first son and continue traditional naming patterns, they named this child Samuel Alexander Wright—a practice not uncommon in 19th-century Scotland.

Father Samuel had now transitioned to work as a carter, transporting goods by horse-drawn cart. While less prestigious than his earlier coachman role, carters were vital to Glasgow’s industrial economy. Records show that his own father was listed as a master carter in 1881, suggesting this path was a generational trade, likely taught through family instruction.

Birth register for Samuel Alexander Wright (infant number 2)

By 1895, Samuel Wright had advanced again—employed as a bailie’s vanman, likely responsible for moving goods, supplies, or official documents under the direction of a municipal officer or magistrate, known in Scotland as a bailie. This role hints at growing trust and standing within civic circles.

But tragedy returned. The second Samuel died at just 10 months old on February 17, 1895, after a 21-day battle with pneumonia. The death was recorded at 11 Polmadie Road, suggesting the family had moved to a new flat within the same tenement building.

Death register for Samuel Alexander Wright (infant number 2)

He was buried two days later, on February 19, in the same lair as his older brother.

Eastern Necropolis Cemetery burial register for infant number 2

Lair 4964, held by Andrew Braidwood, the infants’ maternal great-grandfather, became a resting place filled with generational connection. Though neither infant appeared in census records—taken in 1891 and 1901, they are preserved in birth, death, and burial registers, so are not forgotten.

Lairs 4963 and 4964, held by Andrew Braidwood,
Eastern Necropolis Cemetery

The Wrights endured further loss when their infant son James died of pneumonia in Bridgeton on September 14, 1896, at just three months old. He was buried the next day in Lair 5045 at Eastern Necropolis Cemetery.

Interestingly, no record so far shows a middle name or initial for the infants’ father, Samuel Wright. One wonders if he, too, bore the full name Samuel Alexander Wright—perhaps tying all four Samuels together in a meaningful tradition.

References

• Alexander Braidwood Wright, Statutory Registers Births 644/2 7, National Records of Scotland, 1901.
• Christina Martin Wright, Statutory Registers Births 644/11 1890, National Records of Scotland, 1891.
• Eastern Necropolis Cemetery Records, Daily Interment Book, Glasgow, Scotland, film no. 008685205, images 499, 625, and 724, FamilySearch.
• Eastern Necropolis Cemetery, Glasgow, Scotland, Burial Records 1893–1897, image 79, FamilySearch. 
• Hugh McDougall Wright, Statutory Registers Births 644/1 961, National Records of Scotland, 1897.
• James Braidwood Wright, Statutory Registers Births 644/11 1123, National Records of Scotland, 1896.
• James Braidwood Wright, Statutory Registers Deaths 644/1 964, National Records of Scotland, 1896.
• Joseph Wright, Statutory Registers Births 644/2 1687, National Records of Scotland, 1904.
• Kreft, Karen, The Coachman, Ticknall Life Community Magazine, February 10, 2021; https://www.ticknalllife.co.uk/the-coachman/. 
• Lair 4964, Glasgow, Burial Records 1800–1970, Eastern Necropolis Cemetery, image 40, FamilySearch.
• Lair 5045, Eastern Necropolis Cemetery, Glasgow, Cemetery Records 1861–1995, image 93, FamilySearch.
• Samuel Alexander Wright, Old Parish Registers Births 644/2 Gorbals, National Records of Scotland, 1823.
• Samuel Alexander Wright, Statutory Registers Births 644/1 658, National Records of Scotland, 1893.
• Samuel Alexander Wright, Statutory Registers Births 644/11 822, National Records of Scotland, 1894.
• Samuel Alexander Wright, Statutory Registers Deaths 644/1 570, National Records of Scotland, 1893.
• Samuel Wright, Govan, Lanark, Scotland census, 1881.
• Samuel Wright, Statutory Registers Deaths 644/11 259, National Records of Scotland, 1895.
• Smith, Sarah, What Is a Carter?, Genealogy, Old Occupations, Scotland, Unlock Your Past, June 21, 2024; https://www.unlockyourpast.co.uk/old-occupation-carter/. 
• Thomas Wright, Statutory Registers Births 644/2 1306, National Records of Scotland, 1902.