THE LLOYD JONES FAMILY

The Lloyd Jones family are Wright's maternal ancestors.  Below you will find listed, first Wright's grandparents, and then their children (Wright's aunts, uncles and mother.)

Grandfather - RICHARD LLOYD JONES (1799-1885)

Grandmother - MARY (Mallie) THOMAS LLOYD JONES (1808-1870)

Uncle - THOMAS (1830--1894) the family builder, who, along with the Welsh stone mason David Timothy, may have provided Frank Lloyd Wright with his early practical construction experience. His wife was Esther Evans.

Uncle - JOHN (1832-1908) was a miller, famous for his seed-wheat cereal eaten by all of the family, and postmaster at Hillside. He married Hannah Reese.  Uncle John once owned the property where Taliesin is now located; Wright's mother purchased the land for her son.

Aunt -  MARGARET (1835-1914) married Thomas Evans from a prominent Spring Green family. After his death she married Thomas Jones from Arena.

Aunt - MARY - (1836/37-1903) married James Phillip.  Their farm (now owned by Herb and Eloise Fritz) was known as "Hilltop," the same name by which it is still known.

Mother - HANNAH (ANNA) (1838/39-1923) was the mother of Frank Lloyd Wright (1867-1959) and two daughters, Jane (1869-1953) and Maginel (1877-1966).  Anna taught in local area schools before she married William C. Wright, a widower with three children.

Aunt - NANY (1840/41-1844/45) died during the family's journey from New York to Wisconsin.

Uncle - JENKIN (1843-1918) achieved prominence as a Unitarian minister in Chicago and served as Missionary Secretary of the Western Unitarian Conference.  He was editor of "Unity" a liberal religious weekly, and ran a summer chautauqua which attracted many of his parishioners from the city to hear inspiring talks by professors, politicians, social workers and ministers. The assembly was located east of Taliesin on the present site of Tower Hill State Park.

Aunts - ELLEN (1845-1919) and JANE (1847/8-1917) received formal college training.  Ellen taught at River Falls Normal School and Jane taught kindergarten methods at the St. Paul City Normal School  In the autumn of 1887 they established the Hillside Home School, a progressive co-educational boarding school. Wright designed the Hillside Home School building for them that people visit today.

Uncle - JAMES (1850-1907) served in local town government and was a regent at the University of Wisconsin. Young Frank spent summers with this favorite uncle at the farm now called "Aldebaran."  His wife was Laura Hickox.

Uncle - ENOS (1853-1941) raised livestock and operated a modest flour milling business. He and his wife Eleanor were married in Anna and William Wright's home in Madison in 1879. Eleanor was the eldest daughter of Thomas Jones, Margaret's second husband.

Note: Many of these relatives of Frank Lloyd Wright are buried in the graveyard at Unity Chapel in Jones Valley near Taliesin.

WILLIAM CAREY WRIGHT - WRIGHT'S FATHER

There seems to be little research into the chronology of Wright's paternal family. However we do know that Wright's father was William Carey Wright (1825-1904), who counted among his ancestors James Russell and Amy Lowell and Phoebe and Alice Cary.  William and Anna (Wright's mother) were married on August 17, 1866.  He had been married before and had three children by his first wife, Pernelia Holcomb, who died.  William Wright is buried in Bear Valley near Lone Rock, Wisconsin.