Jacob P. Wright is something of a mystery. Through his self-publishing A History of the A. M. E. Zion Church, Lansingburgh, N. Y., from 1841 to 1868 https://archive.org/details/historyofamezion00wrig it’s possible to know something about him through his own words and that slim volume is probably the first book published by an African-American in Lansingburgh. On some level, that provides a lot more information than can be found for many people.
However, when trying to supplement information from his book, or fill out other parts of his life, newspaper items (only a few of which are included here) complicate matters somewhat. At least a couple of the Troy newspapers often treated him to ridicule, sometimes rendering his speech in dialect. It can be hard to be certain what was factual.
According to an obituary (below) he was born in Delaware, though the 1870 US Census identified his place of birth as New Jersey. He appeared in the 1866 Troy Directory (which also encompassed Lansingburgh, Green Island, and West Troy) as a chimney sweep. Gone from the 1867 directory, he reappeared in 1868 as a whitewasher.
In 1869 he’s identified in the Troy Directory as “Rev.” for the first time, and in subsequent years the title remained though his profession was given as “lawyer.” The earliest newspaper item that’s been located pertaining to him at the moment is from 1867 and identifies him as a Reverend in Lansingburgh, so his life as one lasted at least for 1867-1869. His 1868 book indicated “This is the first charge I ever would take, out of fifteen churches I have built or rebuilt, and I have preached over twenty years” (13). That could indicate he’d been an active Christian since 1847 or so, but had only just taken a position as a church leader.
Finding some other sources regarding his life other than the Troy Daily Times and the Troy Daily Whig would be very helpful!
For the first time in the history of Rensselaer county (says the Troy Times), a colored man acted as counsel in a criminal case in the Court of Sessions on Friday. He was the ex-Rev. Jacob Wright of Lansingburgh, who had been assigned by our democratic county judge to the defence of James Anderson, also a colored man, who was charged with an assault with intent to kill.
New York Evening Post. March 23, 1870: 1 col 4.
—Brother Wright, the Lansingburgh colored lawyer, appeared as counsel in a dog case in the Justices’ Court this morning, and was successful. His client was a colored lady who had been attacked by a canine owned by Mrs. Ann Fitzgerald of Lansingburgh. The Court ordered the proper officer to put an end to the existence of the wicked dog.
“City Notes.” Troy Daily Times. May 10, 1870: 3 col 1.
Dominie, or as he was often called, “Brudder” Wright, the coal-black colored man whose eccentrics have often been the subject of newspaper comment, died suddenly, probably from heart disease, at his house in Lansingburgh, last evening. He had been indisposed since Sunday, and while quietly lying down to rest last evening, passed away. Coroner Seaman will hold an inquest next Friday, after Dr. Bucklin shall have made a post mortem examination. Mr. Wright was born in Delaware, and was about fifty years old. He first appeared on our streets as a chimney sweep. He attracted attention subsequently by declaring that although he could neither read nor write, one day as he was sitting in his room a revelation came to him, and he found himself able to read anything in the bible. Mr. Wright soon after appeared as pastor of Zion church at Lansingburgh, afterward as a lawyer, and in one case in the county court in this city, (the only one in which he was ever allowed to appear,) he made sport for a crowd of people for a whole day; whether the performance should have been tolerated or not is not a matter of discussion. For a couple of years past Mr. Wright had been collecting bad debts, and succeeded in obtaining money from persons who could resist dunning from white collectors, but who were ashamed to have “Brudder” Wright persistently follow them. Beneath all his uncouthness the dominie doubtless had a good heart, and with proper education in his early days his ambition would have met a just reward.
Troy Weekly Times. August 20, 1874: 3 col 5.