Two Wrights Showing Assumptions are Wrong

Growing up on the corner of corner of Center and Maple in Paxton we were always aware that we lived in a historic neighborhood.  The house directly north of ours was in the Wylie/Burton/Condit family for many decades until it was sold in the 1970's to a new family in town, the Kaye's.  The Italianate house was built by a man named George Wright.  He was an important part of the early history of Paxton.

George Wright came to Paxton early in the 1860's starting a store on the northwest corner of Pells and Market streets.  Here he built the first brick building in the town.  He was also a large land owner in and around Paxton. Besides owning property in Paxton, he owned a large farm west of town consisting of 1,400 acres and other land as well.  He operated a private bank also.  This bank was to become the First National Bank of Paxton and later the Frederick Bank. Ironically it occupies the building that was George Wright's store.

Besides the many positions he held in various associations, he was the President of the Paxton Cattle Company that purchased a ranch in SW Nebraska. It had some legal trouble in the mid-1880's and was subsequently sold. In the late 1880's the family moved to Chicago and remained there until 1911.  They moved back to Paxton and resided at 350 W. Pells Street until Mr. Wright passed away in 1913.  His wife and daughter, Lora, returned to Chicago to live with Mrs. Wright's son.

There was in Paxton at the corner of State and Taft was a building that was occupied by the Wright Ice Cream Company and the Wright Dairy was added later.  Since the companies were named Wright and George Wright was a very successful business man I had assumed that he started the businesses at the corner of State and Taft also. Research showed that it was started by another person and not in any way associated with George Wright.

The Wright Ice Cream Company was named after a man named Francis (Frank) M. Wright of Manteno, Illinois.  His company ran in partnership with others and brought a family who is remembered by the older generation, the Kiest family. The first manager of the Wright Ice Cream company was James Kisner of Manteno.  Soon after it started Walter Kiest came to Paxton to be an important part of the company.  He married Mary Ann Kisner, the daughter of James Kisner in Paxton in 1911.

The Wright family of Manteno started as operators of a dairy. When Frank Wright took over the business he gradually expanded the business into making ice cream. He was also involved in banking as well as civic duties. He was at one time Mayor of Manteno. As his business expanded he took on partners F. W. Holmes and James Kisner. They would eventually expand into Champaign and Gibson City.  They purchased other businesses in Paxton including the Paxton Ice Cream Company and the Pabst Ice House on the north side of the city. 

Walter Kiest would eventually purchase the businesses at State and Taft street. His son Robert would build a locker on East Ottawa Street that is currently occupied by Just Hamburgers.  The building at State and Taft would be bought by the Freehill family and they made pizza there. Later it was occupied by a company that made beef sticks and similar products.

This researched showed that because places have the same name attached to them, they may not be in any way associated. This is especially true in a town full of Swedes who have the names Johnson, Anderson, Swanson and so on. It's now good to know the bit of Paxton history a little more in depth.