Wilbur and Orville are the famous Wright Brothers who invented the plane. They are the pioneers of aviation!
Wilbur Wright was born on April 16, 1867. His younger brother Orville was born in 1871. Do you know that Wilbur was the middle child in a family of five children?
The father of the family was Milton Wright, a bishop in the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. Milton was married to Susan Catherine Koerner Wright in 1859.
Bishop Milton Wright (1828 1917). Born in Indiana, Milton devoted his life to the Church of the United Brethren in Christ in 1846. A teacher, preacher, church newspaper editor, and bishop, Milton was an important if not controversial figure in the church. When the church split in 1889, Milton became head of the conservative sect known as Church of the United Brethren, Old Constitution. Much of what we know about the Wright family comes from the journals and letters that he kept throughout his life.
Susan Koerner Wright (1831 – 1889). Born in Hillsboro, Virginia and raised on her family’s 170-acre farm in Union County, Indiana, Susan attended Hartsville College where she excelled in literature, science, and mathematics. Mechanically gifted, she often made household gadgets and toys. It is often said that the Wright brothers picked up their mechanical aptitude from their mother. Susan Wright died of tuberculosis at age 58.
Reuchlin Wright (1861 – 1920). The oldest of the Wright children, Reuchlin (pronounced “Roosh-lin”) married when he was 25 years old and later moved to Kansas to raise his family. After trying his hand at a number of jobs moved to a farm and raised cattle and seed corn. He remained distanced from the Wright family for much of his adult life.
Lorin Wright (1862 – 1939). In 1886, the Wright’s second son Lorin left home for the adventure of the Kansas frontier. He soon returned to settle in Dayton. Over the years, he helped his two younger brothers with their printing and bicycling businesses and their experiments with flight. Later in life, he became a Dayton City Commissioner.
Wilbur Wright (1867 – 1912). Wilbur had dreams of attending Yale University, but when he was around age 18, injuries from an ice skating accident caused him to change his plans. He stayed in Dayton, devoting himself to reading and caring for his ill mother until her death in 1889. Soon after Susan Wright’s passing, he joined Orville’s printing business and began the historic partnership that led to the invention of the airplane. Wilbur died of typhoid in 1912. He was 45 years old.
Orville Wright (1871 – 1948). Although Orville was four years younger than Wilbur, he enjoyed a close relationship with his brother. The two teamed on many projects. They staged neighborhood circuses, built printing presses, and even constructed a porch on the Wright family home. In the early 1900s, the two men proved that heavier-than-air flight was possible and practical. Afterwards, they launched a successful airplane company. When Wilbur died, Orville continued developing flight, becoming an elder statesmen in the field of aeronautics.
Katharine Wright (1874-1929). After their mother died, 15-year-old Katharine took over as head of the Wright home, cooking, cleaning, and organizing for her brothers and father. She continued running the household for 37 years. During that time, she earned her college degree, became a teacher, and helped Orville and Wilbur introduce their flying machine to the world. She married Henry Haskell, an old college friend, in 1926. Three years later she died of pneumonia. She was 54 years old.
Credit: Dayton Aviation Heritage National Historical Park
