T.C. (Jake) Triplett was close to his grandparents, Bill and Amy (Wright) Rodgers.  As a child, Jake lived in their home and was taught his heritage as it relates to the Rodgers and Wrights. Jake did not differentiate between the families because his mother, Augusta, and her siblings: Josephine, John Wesley, Wilburn, Lee Anna, Mary Ethel, Mack Eavin, Amanda, Mattie Mae, and Kathleen, were children of a Wright (Amy Rodgers) and a Rodgers (Bill). 

 

Jake's passions included teaching family our heritage and promoting family unity.  He initiated the first Rodgers-Wright Reunion, held in Chicago, Illinois on August 15, 1992. Over thirty years later, family continues to celebrate the Rodgers-Wright family with reunions every other year.

 

We are grateful to Jake Triplett and our Chicago families for organizing our first Rodgers Wright Family Reunions in 1992 on a grand scale.  Subsequent reunions were held in Chicago, IL; Rockford, IL; Oklahoma City, OK; Waterloo, IA; Jackson, MS; St. Louis, MO, and Dallas, TX. Our family members continue to make these reunions an elaborate affair to celebrate our accomplishments, set values, show appreciation to our elders, acknowledge our new births and marriages, and enjoy the company of family.  

 

Members of our family migrated to other states where work was plentiful and had better pay than the South.  Our family help each other move to thriving and safer cities.   When we made it to these cities, our families traded goods to help each other overcome challenges of food, clothing, and lodging.  We can find our families in many states across the country including California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Louisiana, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Minnesota, Nevada, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and Wisconsin.  

 

As we move forward with this website, there will be updates periodically.  Our researchers find information from various sources including the U. S. Census, State Archives of Mississippi, Alabama, North Carolina, and Oklahoma, FamilySearch.Org, Ancestory.com, The Lexington Advertiser, city and school board minutes, interviews with our family members, obituaries, veterans' military records, marriage certificates, birth certificates, death certificates, and other resources.   We would like you to upload your pictures, obituaries, and other pertinent documents of our elders.  Most importantly, we want you to share your accomplishment(s) and photo(s) with the reunion committee as well.  Most of this information will be published in annual history book before the reunion in 2024.  

 

This website will start the family tree with the parents of Bill (aka William S.) Rodgers and Amy (aka Amie, Annie) Wright.  The spelling of the Rodgers also includes Roges and Rogers.  From the union of these great individuals, eight children were born and decided to celebrate through family get togethers which later emerged as the Rodgers-Wright Family Reunion.  We also want to acknowledge that there are different spellings for Eliza Holmes Wright (aka Liza, Lizzer).  This Reunion is our own making.  It is our brand.  We are more than a get together, picnic, or dinner.  We assemble ourselves with grace and elegance to celebrate our accomplishments and existence in the eyes of God.

 

Cynthia Frizell Estes, our historian, conducts extensive research utilizing data retrieve from online databases, obituaries; in addition to, family interviews conducted by Henrietta Ellis.  For example, Cynthia used information from Calvin Wright's obituary of 1973 to verify Calvin was the thirteenth child of Luke and Eliza Wright's eighteen children.  She supported this information with the U. S. Census data for 1900, 1910, and 1920 found on Ancestory.com and familysearch. com.   Cynthia also uses and updates the Rodgers-Wright Family lineage documented in the Oklahoma City, OK (1996), Waterloo, IA (2014), St. Louis, MO (2016) Rodgers-Wright Family Reunion Booklets.