Referenced in the family
Sarah Adelia Wright
b. 1835
Life
Records & Research
Sarah Adelia Wright was born 25 November 1835 in Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario (Upper Canada), daughter of Phineas Wright and Amanda Finch. Her identity is anchored by three independent matches to the known facts: exact birth date (25 Nov 1835), father Phineas Wright, and mother Amanda Finch — the father corroborated by her 1923 Idaho death certificate. She became a plural wife of James Jesse "King" Strang, leader of the Beaver Island Mormon community (married 1855), and after his 1856 assassination she married Dr. Joseph Smith Wing (year unsettled, 1857 or 1863), the source of her later surname "Wing." She is reported to have emigrated west with the Lewis Brunson pioneer company in 1862, and died 18 August 1923 (aged 87) in Boise, Ada County, Idaho, where she is buried in Morris Hill Cemetery (plot K 31 5).
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Sarah Adelia Wright Wing was born 25 November 1835 in Leeds and Grenville United Counties, Ontario, Canada — matching the report's birth date of 1835-11-25 exactly.
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She died 18 August 1923 (aged 87) in Boise, Ada County, Idaho, USA.
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She was buried 20 August 1923 in Morris Hill Cemetery, Boise, Ada County, Idaho (plot K 31 5).
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Her father was Phineas Wright (1811-1874) and her mother was Amanda Finch Wright (1821-1848), consistent with the report's parents Phineas Wright (1812-1874) and Amanda Finch (1821-1846).
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She married James Jesse 'King' Strang (1813-1856), leader of the Beaver Island Mormon community, in 1855 as one of his plural wives.
Not yet confirmed — probable matches and family lore, shown for research. Treat with caution.
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After Strang's death she married Dr. Joseph Smith Wing (1830-1906), the source of her later surname 'Wing'. likely
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She is reported to have traveled west to Utah Territory with the Lewis Brunson pioneer company, 14 June - 29 August 1862, at age 26. likely
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Recorded siblings include Zenas Harvey Wright (1838-1926), Elizabeth Jane Wright Wing (1842-1877), and Phineas Finch Wright (1847-1928). likely
likely birth.date: report “1835-11-25” vs. found “1837-09-20 (alternate, in some trees)”. Geni and WikiTree give an alternate birth of 20 September 1837 in Upper Canada for the same person (Strang's wife, later Wing, died 1923 Boise). However, the FindAGrave memorial AND the LDS Church History Biographical Database both give 25 November 1835, matching the report and the known facts. The 1835-11-25 date is the better-supported one; the 1837 date is noted as a competing claim only.
likely father birth year: report “Phineas Wright (1812-1874)” vs. found “Phineas Wright (1811-1874)”. FindAGrave lists father's birth year as 1811 vs report's 1812; death year 1874 agrees. Same individual (one-year variance).
likely mother death year: report “Amanda Finch (1821-1846)” vs. found “Amanda Finch Wright (1821-1848)”. FindAGrave and Geni give mother's death year as 1848 vs report's 1846; birth year 1821 agrees. Same individual (two-year variance).
Open questions (5)
- Did Sarah Adelia have children? The FindAGrave memorial links several children, including James Phineas Strang (1856-1937) under Strang and a series of Wing children (Elizabeth Jane 1859, May Arminta 1861, Joseph Smith 1864, Sarah Adelia 1867, Benjamin 1869, Amanda Amy 1872). Maternal attribution among Strang's plural wives is not independently confirmed for Sarah specifically; the Wing children are user-curated FindAGrave links and not yet documented to a primary record.
- The exact birth year (1835 vs 1837) and birthplace specifics remain mildly contested between trees; the 1923 Idaho death certificate (FamilySearch ark FLTZ-VBY) and her original headstone could resolve whether 1835-11-25 is the engraved/recorded primary date. FindAGrave and the LDS database both support 1835-11-25.
- The marriage year to Dr. Joseph Smith Wing is given variously as 1857 (FindAGrave) and 8 Aug 1863 in Salt Lake City (Geni); the primary record date is unresolved (finding downgraded to 'likely').
- The 1862 Lewis Brunson pioneer-company journey rests on a single database (LDS Pioneer Overland Travel) with no independent corroboration shown (finding downgraded to 'likely'); a contemporary company roster or journal would confirm her participation.
- Secondary accounts state she later divorced Dr. Wing over his interest in polygamy — this anecdote was seen only in a search-engine summary and was not confirmed against a citable primary or scholarly source, so it is excluded from findings.
Sources consulted (8)
- Sarah Adelia Wright Wing (1835-1923) - Find a Grave Memorial 61898347 · findagrave
- Find a Grave search results for Sarah Wing, b.1835 d.1923, Idaho · findagrave
- Sarah Adelia Wright | Church History Biographical Database (LDS) · database
- Sarah Adelia Strang (Wright) (1837-1923) - Geni · geni
- Amanda Wright (Finch) (1821-1848) - Geni · geni
- James Jesse Strang (1813-1856) | WikiTree (lists wives incl. Sarah Adelia Wright) · wikitree
- Idaho Death Certificates 1911-1937, entry for Sarah Adelia Wing (ark FLTZ-VBY) — cited via FindAGrave · familysearch
- Sarah Adelia Joseph (1850-1923) LTH3-Y8Y — REJECTED, different person (b. Ohio, d. Kitsap WA) · familysearch
Ancestry
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