Margaret Van Cleve was one of the earliest women of European ancestry to settle in the Miami River basin.

1831, d. July 4, 1889, at Hartsville College in 1853, where he was appointed as supervisor of the preparatory department and she was a literature student.

After a long courtship, Milton asked Susan to marry him and accompany him on his assignment by the church to Sublimity, Oregon.

Looking back on his childhood, Orville once commented that he and his brother had Susan and Milton had seven children.

The fourth and fifth children, twins Otis and Ida, were born February 25, 1870, at Dayton, Ohio, but died shortly thereafter, on March 9 and 14 respectively.

Because of Milton's position in the church, the Wrights moved frequently — twelve times before finally returning permanently to Dayton in 1884.

Milton joined the Church of the United Brethren in Christ in 1846 because of its stand on political and moral issues including alcohol, the abolition of slavery, and opposition to "secret societies" such as Freemasonry.

In 1878, he assumed responsibility for the Western conferences of the church and moved his family to Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

He traveled widely on church business, but always sent back many letters and often brought presents home.

As the liberals in his church began to press for change, Milton Wright sensed there would be a showdown with the conservatives.

Contending that those supporting the changes had effectively seceded from the denomination, they declared themselves to be the true United Brethren Church.

To distinguish themselves from the majority faction, the minority called itself the Church of the United Brethren in Christ (Old Constitution).

At the turn of the century, Wright was adamant about prosecuting the publishing house agent, Millard Keiter, who was accused of embezzling.

Because of the controversy, Wright's home district, the White River Conference, voted to rescind his license as minister.