Known from marriage certificate of son Edwin James born in 1860.
James was a mariner.
Aunt Olive (Dorothy Olive Wright) confirms that we had a sea captain in the family.
The 1841 census for Woodham Ferrers shows the following :-
Jacob Wright aged 45 an ag lab born in Essex
Mary Wright aged 40 born in Essex
Sarah Wright aged 15 born in Essex
James Wright aged 13 born in Essex
Thomas Wright aged 7 born in Essex
Joseph Wright aged 4 born in Essex
Naomi Wright aged 3 months born in Essex.
James Wright's seaman's ticket number was 95708, issued at Maldon on 6 May 1845.
It states that he was born in Woodham Ferris (sic) in the county of Essex on 17 May 1828.
He was aged 17 when ticketed in the capacity "Boy".
His height was 4ft 11inches and he had dark brown hair, a fair complexion, hazel eyes and no distinguishing marks.
He had not been to sea before, in either the Royal Navy or Foreign Service.
When unemployed he resided at Woodham Ferris (sic). He was unable to write.
James Wright, a married seaman aged 33 was on board the vessel C.S.M on census night 1861. The ship was a brig of 195 tonnage involved in the coal trade. Its home port was London and its master was J. Dykes. The position of the vessel at midnight 7th April 1861 was 4 miles distant of Flamborough Head. The schedule of census was delivered on 20th April 1861 in London.
In 1871 James Wright a married seaman was master of the vessel 'Rosanna' on the night of Sunday April 2nd when the census was taken.
The 'Rosanna' was a schooner of 136 tons out of the port of Whitby, on coastal trade. On that Sunday night the vessel was in the Lowestoft Roads, off the east coast of England.
James was working on the vessel 'Charente' which had left Hull on 7 December 1872 bound for Dunkirk. The ship was reported missing with the loss of 15 men, including able-seaman James Wright. All personal effects were lost so presumably his body was never found.