Finding Joseph Wright

 The Life of Joseph Wright 

Wow what a last week or so has been after receiving new information and working with the wonderful helpers I have. 

The Mystery of Joseph Wright I believe may be solved or at least some of it.

 

I’ve had Josephs name for at least 29years but he had been quite elusive many trips all those years ago to State Library’s and Archives trying to find the clues that would led to Josephs whereabouts. 

And after all those years it was of searching, it was some new information that had appear recently that led to the discovery of Joseph Wright for me 

The follwing is an Extract from a story found on Ancestry, It was placed on there by Raine who is the daughther of the Wrights biological daughter Iris Wright, 

"Joseph Wright’s Two Families

The story was that Joe was transferred to Sydney (without Joyce?) with his work and that Dot followed him there. At the time of Jo-Anne’s birth in February 1960, Joe was a listed as a Foreman Can Maker living at 111 The Boulevarde, Dulwich Hill, NSW. After his two daughters were born in NSW, Joe deserted Dot Topp née Burns and returned to Joyce and Marlene Lee in Melbourne"

But there wasn`t just 2 families in fact there was 3 families!

When I contacted Raine I sure she was very surprised there was more to Josephs story. Although Raine had hunch that there was more to the story and she was exactly right. 

Joseph hadn`t returned to Melbourne he had actually formed a relationship with my birth mother Robyn in Sydney and had me. Although I was put up for adoption Joseph and Robyn had then moved to Dungog in the NSW Hunter Valley. Joe worked on the railways there. When Robyn became pregnant again with my brother. Joseph left and I guess it was then he had returned to Melbourne or is there still more to the story. 

The Early Years

 

 Joseph was born on the 11th Sept 1928 Carlton, Victoria, Australia, He was adopted out by his mother this sounds like a familiar story to me. 

This was in my theories that Joseph could have been adopted but this was one of many ideas I had in my 29yrs of searching after finding out my father’s name.  

Joseph 14 months 

Josephs Adoptive parents were Anne and Les Wright. They also had a biological daughter Iris. They had also adopted another baby girl Joan but unfortunately, she had passed away at 12 months old.

Christmas 1940 Les, Anne, Iris and Joseph 

96 Park Street St Kilda Vic 

His birth mother he knew as "Aunt Polly" still had contact with Joseph as he grew up. Now was his mother Aunt Polly a Wright? or a friend of the Wrights or from a wealthy family sent away to have a baby? 

That mystery continues " The Search for Aunt Polly" where will that lead me to ? 

Polly, Joseph and Iris 

So Aunt Polly was his mother So who was Josephs father?

Is this where the Tucks come into it ?  

The Tucks have a very prominent connection to me as I researched back through to Charles 1854-1940 and his wife Ellen 1860-1936 Tuck, they had about 12 children and I have through DNA links back through at least 9 of their children with many cousins.

So is Joseph Wrights father one of the Tucks this is highly possible if Aunt Polly was not a Tuck his father certainly would be.

Charles and Ellen Tuck would be my Great Grand Parents. Aunt Polly would be my Grand Mother.

As Joseph grew up there are  photos of him and Aunt Polly on occasions like Birthdays, times up at “Ranch KingLake” in Victoria where the Wrights had a large property. Up until the depression when it was sold for a penny an acre. Wright Falls named after them in Kinglake National Park.

Link to Wright Falls

"Ranch Kinglake"

Anne with unknown baby  Iris, Polly and Joseph 1931

 

Joseph was sent away to school at Assumption Catholic College in country Victoria at Kilmore. Did his mother Polly pay for his education?

Joseph in School Uniform 

Polly and Joseph 

Joseph joined the Navy when he turned 18. Is this possibly when Joseph found out he was adopted when he needed proof of identity. He entered the Navy for a period of 2 years.

Navy service record

Legal adoption commenced in Victoria with the Adoption of Children Act 1928, which came into effect in 1929. Adoption before this time was unofficial and not many records were kept, Joseph was born in 1928. Whether Josephs adoption had been official or just arranged privately is just one more of the mysteries that is the man named Joseph Wright.