The 1974 Xenia Tornado and the Wright Family

Updated September 12, 2025 

April 3, 1974, it was late afternoon, and I was standing in our front yard in Beavercreek, Ohio,  looking at the odd dark cloud cover passing overhead. I had stepped outside just after the hailstorm had stopped and the incredible racket had ceased. I don't recall it being windy. The clouds had a strange look about them, billowy in lieu of smooth. A yellowish color. Flattened hail, not round, maybe half inch thick, the size of half dollars had fallen, and covered the ground. The storm system passed over our house, as it headed east toward Xenia, Ohio. The wide system also passed over Bellbrook, six miles south of us, as it moved east. Several tornadoes formed there, and converged into a half to three-quarter mile wide F5 tornado with winds as high as 300 mph. The storm system hit Xenia, 12 miles east of our home, killing 32 and injuring over 1100, as it destroyed half the city of 25,000. (1)

 

          Xenia, Ohio, April 1974 tornado aftermath. Photo courtesy of Green County Public Library.

 

Wilbur and Orville Wright had two older brothers, Reuchlin, and Lorin. Lorin was married to Ivonette (Netta) Stokes, and they had two sons, Milton and Horace, and two daughters, Ivonette and Leontine. Milton and wife Ann Grosvenor married in 1917 and had two sons, Milton and George Wilkinson. Ivonette and husband Harold Miller married in 1919 and had three children, Jack, Ivonette, and Marianne. Leontine had married John Jameson in 1923, and they had a son and daughter, John and Leontine. Finally, Horace married Susan Blair on June 30, 1928. 

The Lorin Wright Family Tree as shown on display monitor at Carillon Historical Park in Dayton, Ohio. Horace and Susan are listed at far right, under The Lorin Wright Family title. 

 

Horace and Susan Wright's home was east of Bellbrook, and southwest of Xenia. The path of the tornado as it headed toward Xenia, crossed over the Wright's property. 

Beavercreek upper left corner, Bellbrook lower left corner, Xenia upper right corner. Dayton is west of Beavercreek. Horace and Susan Wright's home at it's location in 1974. Map courtesy of Google Earth.

 

Approximate path of April 3, 1974 tornado that passed over the Horace and Susan Wright home, destroying it, and then on to Xenia. Drawing as shown in Dayton Daily News, April 4, 1974.

 

Dayton Daily News, April 11, 1974, "Horace Wright, nephew of Orville and Wilbur Wright, lost his home in the tornado that ravaged Greene county a week ago. But Horace and his wife, Susan, came through unscathed and what's more, none of their Wright brother's memorabilia was lost in the storm. 'We were very lucky.' Wright said. 'And our neighbors were just great, just great. I don't know what we'd have done without such fine neighbors.' 

The Wrights were home when the tornado hit. He saw it coming, she heard it. And it was she who knew right away what was happening. 'I could hear it', she said. 'It was just like being run over by a train. The noise was loud, real loud, just like a train. And it kept getting louder and louder. 'I called to Horace, There's a tornado coming!' Horace had been in the living room of their home at 2450 Spahr Rd. in Sugarcreek Twp. Mrs. Wright was in a back bedroom. The Wrights leaned against the front hallway separating the bedrooms at the side of the house. 'The storm was over in a matter of minutes but it seemed like forever,' she said. 

The big blow left the house in shambles. The garage and recreation room were completely blown away. The wall separating the living room from the rec room collapsed. 'But the funny thing is that the wall fell outwards, not in,' Wright said. 'Tornadoes act strangely.' In a bracket over the fireplace in the living room, the Wrights have an 18-inch high cast iron bell hanging from a wrought-iron bracket that Wright made. The bell is one of their Wright brothers memorabilia. The bell came from the airfield at Le Mans, France where Orville and Wilbur had conducted experimental flights in 1908. 'The bell was used to call them to eat', Mrs. Wright said. 'It has Wilbur's name on it.' The bell, she said, had been made by the Bolle [Bolle'e] Manufacturing Co. of France. It was not damaged."

The Wilbur Wright Bell, as described at Carillon Historical Park, Dayton, Ohio, where it is now on display. Survivor of the 1974 Bellbrook / Xenia tornado. Photo by Author.

 

"The Wrights carried out all of their salvageable valuables to a neighbor later in the evening of the storm. 'All of the cartoons, etchings, various awards and books that we had that once belonged to the Wright brothers, we carried out that night,' Mrs. Wright said. 'We have Orville's complete nature library.'....." (2)

 

Susan and Horace Wright standing outside their tornado damaged home, April, 1974. (2)

Dayton Daily News, March 17, 1993, "When Horace Wright, Orville Wright's nephew, married Susan Blair in 1928, Horace wore a black swallowtailed tuxedo borrowed from his famous aviator uncle...The wedding attire, along with a Wright family wooden gameboard for playing checkers and carroum [carrom], a pool-like game, was donated to the museum by Susan Blair Wright of Bellbrook last November. The tuxedo includes Orville's pearl cuff links, original shirt studs, two black formal bow ties, and a black formal vest...."

Horace Wright died April 13, 1988 at the age of 86. Susan Blair Wright donated the items mentioned in the Daily News 1993 article to the Kettering-Moraine Museum in Kettering, November of 1992. Susan Wright died in 1999 at the age of 96. The museum closed in 2008 and artifacts were transferred to Dayton History, for display at Carillon Historical Park.  

Orville Wright's tuxedo, Game Board, and Milton Wright's cane, as pictured in Dayton Daily News, March 17, 1993 article. (3)

My wife and I visited Carillon Historical Park this September of 2025 to take photos of the items previously owned by Horace and Susan Wright, items that survived the 1974 tornado. The  game board, and cane were on display. 

 

Carrom Game Board identified as From the Estate of Orville Wright, on display at Carillon Historical Park. The Game Board was inherited by Horace and Susan Wright, and then eventually donated by Susan. Survivor of the 1974 tornado. Photo by Author.

 

Display at Carillon Historical Park with Milton Wright's cane, survivor of the 1974 tornado, Gift of Susan Blair Wright. Photo by Author.

 

The signage for Orville's tuxedo appears to indicate the suit is not the one loaned to Horace Wright. The sign lists the Tuxedo as Ca. 1940, maker unknown, from the NCR Archives at Dayton History. The Men's Formal Vest is listed as Ca. 1920-1940, Made by George W. Heller, Inc., gift of Ivonette Wright Miller. The Top Hat is listed as Ca. 1900-1930, Made by the Crofut & Knaff Company, gift of Ivonette Wright Miller.  The photograph of Orville Wright and Amelia Earhart is identified as at the third aeronautic meeting of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, 1929, courtesy of Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University. 

Orville would have owned more than one tuxedo during his lifetime. From the signage, it appears this is not the borrowed Orville Wright tuxedo Horace Wright wore at his 1928 wedding to Susan. The tuxedo Horace wore had a black vest. The tuxedo displayed at Carillon Historical Park has a white vest. 

Orville Wright's tuxedo on display at Carillon Historical Park. Photo by Author.

 

Dayton Daily News, May 20, 1999- "Jeanne Palermo, curator at Carillon Historical Park...held in her carefully gloved hands Wednesday was a piece of fabric from the lower right wing of Wilbur and Orville Wright's 1903 Kitty Hawk Flyer....The cloth was donated to the park from the estate of the late Susan Blair Wright of Bellbrook, who died March 5, at 96....The old wing fabric and other parts of the 1903 flyer were stored in crates in a shed behind the Wright bicycle shop at 1127 W. Third St. The area was submerged in 12 feet of water during the flood of March 25-26, 1913, but a thick layer of mud protected the artifacts with minimal damage. Wright family members later kept the original wing fabric when the flyer was restored to hang in the Smithsonian Institution. The 'Pride of the West' muslin, purchased by the Wrights at Rike's department store, has been preserved and given to a few people in inch-square swatches. The donated piece, about 2 feet by 6 feet, carried the name "Bus", nickname of Horace Wright, in what appears to be Orville's hand, Palermo said. Park officials are delighted to have a piece large enough to show stitching, oil spills, a hand-sewn patch and the tack marks from its attachment to the wing of the historic plane."  

This 2' by 6' piece of fabric flew on the first flights of December 17, 1903.  It was later submerged under 12' of river water, mud, and sewage during the Dayton March, 1913 Flood. It then survived yet another weather calamity during the April 3, 1974 tornado system that destroyed Horace and Susan Wright's home, and much of the City of Xenia. 

I hope to eventually see this piece of fabric within the archives at Carillon. When that happens, I'll add a photo to this post. 

 

For more on the survival of the 1903 Kitty Hawk Wright Flyer, see my post:

The 1903 Wright Flyer and Wood Remnants 

You may be interested in these posts on the 1913 Dayton Flood:

The 1913 Dayton, Ohio Flood- As Told by Bishop Milton Wright 

The 1913 Dayton Flood and the Wright Family 

And on Orville's brushes with death:

The Nine Lives of Orville Wright 

 

Copyright 2025-Getting the Story Wright

 

Notes-

1. My Dad was the pastor at Kirkmont Presbyterian Church in Beavercreek in 1974. As a pastor, he had permission to drive into Xenia to assist. I was 16 years old, and a Junior at Beavercreek High School. We walked the streets of Xenia and the devastation was everywhere. I remember standing on a sidewalk looking within a church where the Sanctuary street side stone wall had collapsed, exposing the pipe organ and pipes. Some of the pipes lay on the ground, but most were still upright and in place, exposed to the weather. Later, we walked into a soup kitchen that had been set up to provide lunch to town residents and volunteers. Xenia High School had been destroyed. It was a blessing that the tornado hit after the students had left for the day, and not earlier, or there would have been many more injuries and deaths. In the following weeks, Xenia students attended late afternoon/evening classes at Beavercreek High School after our classes were over for the day, and this continued for the rest of the school year. We were given permission to write messages to each other on our desk tops. Every desk top was covered with messages of good will from my classmates to the Xenia students. I wish I had some photos of those desk tops. I'm sure photos exist. (We didn't have cell phones with cameras in those days).
2. Dayton Daily News, April 11, 1974, Daily News Staff Writer Clem Hamilton, "Wrights' Memorabilia, Irises Survived Storm"
3. Dayton Daily News, March 17, 1903, by Katherine Ullmer, "Wright relative gives mementos".

Ernest Zens is not Orville Wright

This bothers me to no end. It is everywhere! The photograph below is of Ernest Zens and Wilbur Wright. Ernest Zens is not Orville Wright. This photo is misidentified constantly as of Orville and Wilbur. Stop it! 

 

Ernest Zens and Wilbur Wright, September 16, 1908, Le Mans France.

Wilbur and Orville flew together just once, and Orville was the pilot. This occurred at Huffman Prairie, May 25, 1910. No photograph was taken of the brothers prior to take-off, sitting side by side in the aeroplane on that day. Orville also took his father, Milton Wright, up for his first and only flight on this day. Milton wrote in his diary entry for that day, "It is a nice day......We all went to Sim[m]s Station. Orville rose 1600 feet and 2600 feet in flights. Orville & Wilbur took a first flight together. Orville took me up 350 feet and 6.55 minutes."

For the story of the Wright Brothers, wouldn't it have been more appropriate to picture both brothers on the cover, instead of Ernest Zens and Wilbur? Well, I guess that is Orville on the Flyer in the background, so.......

 

For just $3.99 (plus $4.50 shipping), you can buy this refrigerator magnet of Ernest Zens and Wilbur Wright, The Wright Brothers! 

For just $7.99 (plus $3.99 shipping), you can have two pinback buttons of Ernest Zens and Wilbur Wright. Not sure why Orville's name is printed on the button. Hey, give one to a friend, so you both can get history wrong!

www.abc.net.au image of Ernest Zens and Wilbur Wright, wrongly identified as Orville and Wilbur, 1910; just one of many websites misidentifying this photograph while "educating" the public.

Of all websites that one would think would not make this error, the next example is from the National Aviation Hall of Shame, oops, I mean Hall of Fame:

The National Aviation Hall of Fame website, asking for donations so they can spread the news that Ernest Zens is actually Wilbur's brother Orville. I'm pulling my hair out now.......

Aviation Services website an.aero provides the top 5 facts about the Wright Brothers who apparently are Ernest Zens and Wilbur Wright. I guess Ernest was adopted? 

From The Aviation Group, www.aviationgroup.es website, the question is asked, "Who were Orville and Wilbur Wright?" Apparently they don't know, which is why they're asking. Here is a big hint......Ernest Zens is not Orville Wright!

From the Wright State University MS-1 Wright Brothers Collection, ms1_17_4_6. Description given- Ernest Zens, balloonist, and Wilbur Wright sitting in the Wright Model A Flyer at Camp d'Auvours, near Le Mans. Zens is listed as a passenger on Wilbur Wright's record breaking flight, September 16, 1908, when he flew for nearly forty minutes with a passenger. Courtesy of Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University Libraries.

From the Wright State University MS-1 Wright Brothers Collection, ms1_18_2_9. Description given- Marquis Edgard de Kergariou, Ernest Zens, Orville Wright, and Katharine Wright about to ascend in the hydrogen balloon Icare. Image courtesy of Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University Libraries.

Amazing proof that Ernest Zens and Orville Wright are actually two different individuals, even though they both wear mustaches! Ernest Zens on the left, Orville Wright on the right, .....sigh. Image courtesy of Special Collections and Archives, Wright State University Libraries.

Copyright 2025-Getting the Story Wright

If you enjoyed this post, you may like:

Orville Wright- The Art Critic 

Bishop Milton Wright, Father of The Wright Brothers, The Wright Story

Updated September 12, 2025 

Milton Wright, father of Wilbur and Orville Wright, has been portrayed in a negative light by some authors of books on the Wright Brothers. The intent of this post is to provide what I believe is a more accurate and positive picture of this man of steadfast faith, and a strong love for his family and community.

 

Bishop Milton Wright, image courtesy of Wright State University Special Collections and Archives.

 

Milton should be judged based on his time period, and not on the family traditions of the 21st century. For example, nursing homes for the elderly were not the norm in the early 1900's. Elderly parents who needed assistance, lived with, and were cared for by their children. Based on this, Milton should not be judged harshly for writing to his daughter in 1889, just weeks before wife's death, "Take especially good care of yourself. You have a good mind and good heart, and being my only daughter, you are my hope of love and care, if I live to be old." (1) Milton actually gave his house to Katharine in March of 1900, such that, Milton, Wilbur, and Orville were in reality, living in Katharine's home at 7 Hawthorn. Writing to his grandniece Grace Frazier in March of 1911, Milton shared, "The family are all well. Of course they are good to me, allowing me mine own ways, and indulging me a good deal, without any charge for my living." (2) Wilbur died in Katharine's home in 1912. Milton, Orville, and Katharine moved out of the home into Orville's home (Hawthorn Hill) in Oakwood in 1914. 

Milton, in an 1887 letter to Katharine, wrote, "Be good. Learn all you can about housework. Do not worry mother. Be my nice pet daughter." (3) Referring to Katharine as his "pet daughter" has been viewed by many in 21st century terms. This was simply a term of endearment. Milton, in a June 1913 letter to his grandniece Grace Frazier, using this same term wrote, "You say that Soney Bowen, Kate, Ralph, and Muriel Wright came. Muriel Wright, that was a stunner! It was sometime before I concluded that you meant my pet girl, Myrl Wright, Ellis's daughter. From a child of less than two years old, till she was too old to kiss, I fondled her, as if she had been my daughter, and the last time I saw her we kissed each other heartily. She is so much a Wright, so much like her grandfather. She is a better girl than common. When she was here, our house was [quarentined ] in Wilbur's sickness and death. We [quarentined ] our house, but we lost Wilbur. He died so soon, He reached fame, and then leaped into death! He had only fixed his will, and soon after fell into unconsciousness. He evidently expected to die". (2)(4) Note also, that the word fondled does not carry its 21st century meaning. Milton simply loved his grandniece Myrl like a daughter.

Wilbur thought highly of his father, writing January 10, 1910, "If I were giving a young man advice as to how he might succeed in life, I would say to him, pick out a good father and mother, and begin life in Ohio." In his Last Will and Testament, May 10, 1912, Wilbur stated, "I hereby give to my father Milton Wright, of Dayton, Ohio, my earnest thanks for his example of a courageous, upright life, and for his earnest sympathy with everything tending to my true welfare..."

William Hazelgrove, in his 2018 book "Wright Brothers, Wrong Story", states his belief that Wilbur Wright solely solved the flight problem, and Orville simply manipulated history after Wilbur's death to shift the credit more in his own direction. With this mindset, the opinion piece is presented with an unfortunate mixture of facts and fiction, with the facts many times incorrect. The author stated that Katharine was 15 when her mother died (she was 14); he indicated Katharine didn't have time to graduate from High School (she graduated from Central High in 1892); he wrote Reuchlin headed west from Dayton to Cincinnati (Cincinnati is south of Dayton); he wrote Reuchlin returned to Dayton 13 years after moving out west (except for visits, Reuchlin remained in Kansas till his death in 1920); he states the United Brethren Church split in 1899 (it split in 1889); he wrote of the development of the first flight photo in the darkroom in Dayton in late December of 1903, "the photographic paper slowly emulsified..." (the glass plate negatives were developed; the first flight image would have first been viewed on the glass plate, not on a paper image); he wrote "The first scientific publication to report that man could fly was a magazine on bee culture, Gleanings in Bee Culture. That would not be until March 1, 1904" (6) (Scientific American reported the Wright's December 17, 1903 flights in their December 26, 1903 issue, L'Aerophile Decembre 1903 issue reported the flights pg 282, Automotor Journal December 30, 1903 reported the flights pg 1385, just to name a few); he titled a chapter "The Great Flood- 1914 (The Dayton flood occurred in 1913); he wrote the 1903 Flyer was stored in a shed behind the Wright home (the Flyer was stored in a shed behind the Cycle Shop); he tells a fictitious story of Orville drying out the 1903 Flyer in his laboratory just after the flood (the laboratory wasn't constructed until late 1916);  he tells a fictitious story of the 1903 Flyer strut wires within the shipping crates humming so loudly within the crates when shipped to England in 1928 that the men on deck wondered what the source of the noise was, tracing it to the crates below deck (the disassembled Flyer would have no taut wires in place to vibrate); he wrote that Orville died at the age of 77 (Orville was 76 when he died).  

Hazelgrove doesn't just slander Orville's name, but he also attacks Milton Wright, when he wrote "Milton was a covetous old sinner in that he was psychologically castrating his children. He would record in his diary, "there is much in the papers about the Wright brothers. They have fame but not wealth yet. Both these things, aspired after by so many, are vain." "Bishop Wright was the star of the household, and even the invention of manned flight could be seen as frippery." "In his pictures he is a man with a bad comb-over and an Amish beard; he seems pious, self-absorbed, and judgemental." A basic understanding of  the teachings of Christianity by the author appear to be lacking here. Milton did not psychologically castrate his children. Milton was proud of Wilbur and Orville's achievements as is obvious from a multitude of other letters and actions by Milton. From the Old Testament book Ecclesiastes, Solomon, one of the world's richest and wisest men of his time, wrote that fame and wealth are vanity, and do not bring lasting happiness. Milton is simply paraphrasing scripture. Seeking fame and fortune alone is an empty pursuit, and Milton understood that these were not the driving forces in his son's lives. They were demonstrating their invention to the world, and their desire was to make enough profit that they could dedicate their time to scientific study.  Hazelgrove's comment about Milton's appearance is odd, and unprofessional for a published author. Making fun of his comb-over? He appears pious and judgemental? Katharine Wright wrote in January of 1924 "Neither Father, nor Mother were a bit pious". (2)(7) In his comments above, Hazelgrove reveals his dislike for a man he never met, or really understands.

It was a great accomplishment, the systematic study and work that Wilbur and Orville performed together over the course of 12 years, 1900 through 1912. But Wilbur's finest moment in life was the love and care he provided for his mother. Tom Crouch, author of "The Bishop Boys" (1989) understood Milton's sentiment, when he quoted Milton's words about Wilbur, "His mother being a declining, rather than a suffering invalid, he devoted himself to taking all care of her, and watching and serving her with a faithfulness and tenderness that cannot but shed happiness on him in life, and comfort him in his last moments. Such devotion of a son has rarely been equaled, and the mother and son were fully able to appreciate each other. Her life was probably lengthened, at least two years, by his skill and assiduity." (8)

Of course, Milton was also proud of Wilbur and Orville's aviation accomplishments. Writing to his grandniece Grace Frazier, March 7, 1909, "The Assembly of France voted Wilbur and Orville the great honor of 'The Legion of honor'; Congress U.S. voted them gold medals, March 3rd. They have sold one machine to the Aeronautical Society in Rome for $10,000, and train a man to use it. When that is delivered, they come home, in April or May, and in June get their $35,000 of the United States Government for one Machine, and go to Germany in August or September, and take $17,000, for exhibitions etc. They are not selling much rights, but taking in a good deal of money." (2) 

Milton, in a letter to Wilbur, September 2, 1909, wrote, " I do not know that you get my letters; but you are alone, and striving, I doubt not, with all your might for the best. You know I have the greatest interest in what you do. Judging by the past, the facts reported in the papers are true. Up to noon, today, you are in the ascendancy. There is no flight of importance, since you rounded the Statue of Liberty. That flight struck some here as sensational, and the applause attending it as overwhelming. But six or seven miles are small to you. Your winds are too much, and unfavorable. I do not know when your time ceases. I hope your shop is as usual on Sunday. It gives you immense advantage, whatever is forgone. Trust in God, and be true, and you will have the victory. I have tried it so much, and often. 

I sleep pretty well, considering my interest in your affairs. I trust you for the greatest precaution, and the greatest courage and achievements....With some trouble to sleep these exciting times my health is much improved. The children are well & good. Yours, Adieu, Milton Wright." 

Does the above letter provide any credence to Hazelgrove's statement "Bishop Wright was the star of the household, and even the invention of manned flight could be seen as frippery." ? Milton was obviously proud of the work Wilbur and Orville were accomplishing. 

The two older brothers, Reuchlin and Lorin, had traveled west to find employment, with Lorin eventually returning to Dayton, and Reuchlin remaining in Kansas. Hazelgrove paints Lorin and Reuchlin as unsuccessful in life, and then makes up an account of Milton belittling his older sons in front of Wilbur, Orville, and Katharine. He wrote, "The Bishop could now point and crow, You see! This is what comes of going out into the world! Wilbur would slink in the background of his father's edict. Evil follows man in the world. Milton Wright could point to the two older brothers and say to his daughter, Katherine [Katharine], and his younger sons, Orville and Wilbur, You see what happens when you venture into the world? It is not to be trusted. Better you stay under the family roof, where all is safe and secure." This is all fiction. Milton did not belittle his older sons. This event never happened. Of the readers of his book, how many do you think took this fictional tale as fact? If one has to make up false events in an attempt to prove a viewpoint, it is an indication the viewpoint itself is weak. 

Milton wrote in 1912, concerning his children, "My wife left us nearly 23 years ago. She was the sweetest spirit earth ever knew. She was a trusting Christian through our 30 years of wedded life. She did not suffer much in her long years as an invalid. Her son Wilbur who was so good to her while I was on the Coast, is a man over 160 pounds. The children are all in good flesh lately. They agree well, and discuss their affairs at our table. Lorin my second son lives in our town, and has a nice family....Reuchlin, has a nice family in Kansas. He nearly graduated in College, but prefers a farm, which he owns and runs well. He is well situated and he is as smart as any of them." (5)

In a 2018 interview by Chicago Tonight, Hazelgrove stated, "Bishop Milton was a very overbearing man. He believed the world was inherently evil, and he told his kids do not trust the world.... This began this whole white wash to present a united front to the world....They all remain home their entire life..... They were all high school dropouts by the way...No one could really say how things really were, for one thing, you had to give this united front. The Bishop once said, in a letter he said, Wilbur, you must be careful, because you, if anything happens to you, Orville cannot carry on. And he was very brutal too because he said the same thing to Katharine, basically Wilbur was the only one with true talent." This supposedly was proof that Milton believed it all depended on Wilbur. This is a false understanding of what Milton wrote. Assuming the letter referenced is Milton's February 22, 1909 letter to Katharine, in which he wrote, "...It does not make so much difference about you, but Wilbur ought to keep out of all balloon rides. Success seems to hang on him, in aeroplane business......I am glad to learn that Orville improves rapidly..."  Milton does not say if anything happens to Wilbur, Orville cannot carry on. He does not say Wilbur was the only one with true talent. Orville is still recovering from the aeroplane accident at Fort Myer four months prior. At this point, Wilbur is in the best position to further the aeroplane business. Once Orville fully recovers, Orville will complete his flights at Ft Myer for the U.S. Government in June and July, 1909. 

Milton's March 28, 1909 letter is addressed to Katherine, but on the second page he's writing to Wilbur, saying, "I think it wise that Orville and Katharine take in London, before you all start. It may be wisest that you and Orville cross on different ships. You are not ready to both die yet. It would leave a great burden on us and the World. It is important that you both live." Years later, in a letter dated March 13, 1912, Milton wrote to his grandniece Grace Frazier, "The boys are doing well in their business. What one does not think about, the other does not forget. They have a large factory and it makes the Wright Company a good profit. If one of them should be disabled, the whole company would suffer. It is a business that few can run to advantage. If they were not by nature workmen, their invention could not have succeeded." Hazelgrove's statement that Milton believed Wilbur was the only one with true talent is nonsense. 

Milton wrote to Wilbur  November 9, 1909, ending with, "We are all anxious to see you but I have realized for some time your long abode under the old roof had probably terminated. It is just as well to take the matter philosophically." Hardly overbearing. Wilbur, Orville, and Katharine chose to remain together in the 7 Hawthorn home in Dayton, with the intention of continuing to live as a family, and caring for their father, in the new home that would eventually be constructed in nearby Oakwood. 

The idea that Wilbur, Orville, and Katharine could not speak their minds, and had to present a white wash to the world is total fiction. Labeling the three as "high school dropouts" is inappropriate for their 19th century lives. Wilbur completed his high school education in Richmond Indiana, and continued with some additional classes in Dayton. He simply didn't receive his diploma because he didn't attend the ceremony due to the move. Orville chose to pursue his printing career in lieu of finishing his senior year, not an uncommon choice in the 19th century. Katharine, as stated earlier, did graduate from Central High School. 

Did Milton believe the world was inherently evil, and his children were not to trust the world? Christianity teaches we live in a fallen world where evil freely reigns. Milton devoted his life going out into that world to share the good news of God's plan of redemption. Christians are told by scripture to go out into the world, but not to be of the world. The lack of a true understanding of what this means by those outside the faith of Christianity leads many to view men such as Milton Wright in a negative light. 

My intention is not to turn this into a Bible lesson, but for the reader to understand the man Milton Wright, there needs to be an understanding of his faith. From the book of John Ch 3: verses 18-21, Jesus explains to his disciples,  "If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: A servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you also. If they obeyed my teaching, they will obey yours also. They will treat you this way because of my name, for they do not know the one who sent me." 

 

 

Copyright 2025-Getting the Story Wright

 

Related posts: 

Bishop Milton Wright, Editor of the Religious Telescope and Father of Wilbur and Orville Wright 

Bishop Milton Wright Autobiography 

Christianity Amongst the Wright Brothers 

Reuchlin Wright- The Eldest Wright Brother 

 

Notes-

1. As quoted in The Bishop Boys, Chapter 6, The Ties that Bind, May 30, 1889 letter, Milton to Katharine, Library of Congress. I could not find the letter on the LOC website.
2. From Author's collection. 
3. Milton Wright to Katharine Wright, October 15, 1887, Library of Congress, Family Papers: Correspondence- Wright, Milton, 1881, 1887-1901.
4. Myrl Wright, daughter of Ellis Wright, daughter of Rev. William W. Wright, Milton's brother. 
5. Milton Wright letter to Mrs. Wyatt, February 12, 1912. 
6. The March 1, 1904 account by Amos Root was a story he told to his Sunday school class of young boys about two young men from Dayton Ohio that flew at Kitty Hawk on December 17, 1903. I own a copy of this magazine. It obviously was not "the first scientific publication" to report man could fly.  I own multiple copies of the December 26, 1903 Scientific American issue that reported the first flights. I own a copy of L'Aerophile December, 1903 reporting the flights. 
7.  Katharine Wright to Vilhjalmur Stefansson, written on a copy of Air Service News Letter, January 7, 1924, "The Airplane's Twentieth Anniversary".
8. From Ch 5, Times of Trial, Crouch quotes from Milton Wright interview from a newspaper clipping in the Wright Scrapbooks, 1909, Wright Papers, Library of Congress, "Wilbur Wright Born in Henry County". I found this same quote in the Wright Scrapbooks at the Dayton Montgomery Library, dated June 13, 1909, "Father Wright Tells About Wilbur and Orville as Children and as Men".

Buyer Beware When Collecting Wright Brother Items- Revised

Updated August 13, 2025 

When collecting historical items associated with the Wright Brothers, the following recommendations are offered:

1. Know your subject. The more knowledgeable you are of the history of the Wright Brothers, the less chance you'll be fooled by misrepresented items, and the greater your ability to identify an item of historical significance.
2. Be aware that sellers don't always know their subject. They may unknowingly describe an item inaccurately.  I've lost count the number of pictures or postcards I've seen for sale on E-bay identified incorrectly by the seller as depicting a Wright aeroplane, or one of the Wright brothers.
3. Know that there are sellers with full knowledge they are selling forgeries. Further, and this is really unfortunate, sellers in this category can have a 100% positive feedback rating, and in fact, usually do have a 100% positive feedback rating. Don't use feedback rating as a guarantee of authenticity of products. 
4. Check the Seller's sales history. A dealer that appears to have an endless supply of items signed by Orville or Wilbur is likely offering products signed recently to appear as signed by the Wright Brothers.  
5. Know the value. If you find items offered at half the price of what these items normally would sell, you likely have not found a bargain. 

 

As I routinely check E-bay, LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com, and other sites for Wright Brother related items for sale, I am constantly coming across material that is misidentified or questionable. By constantly, I mean, all the time, every time I check, every day. And I don't mean one or two examples, but rather dozens of examples on any given day. 

 

***Warning***

LiveAuctioneers site has had an increase in the number of Wilbur and Orville Wright "signed" postcards and photos. The items are often listed with bids beginning at $1, and tend to sell for perhaps 10% of the dealer's listed estimated value. All are provided with COA's. None of these items would ever pass certification by JSA, PSA/DNA, or Beckett. 

COA's are good, but they need to be from a highly respected authority such as those listed under E-bay's recommended COA list; more on this later.

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Know your subject- 

 

The Wright Brothers fought hard in the courts for their rightful compensation from those infringing upon their patent rights. Their father Milton Wright wrote in October of 1912, "Orville has been considerably tossed about by a pending lawsuit at Buffalo. It is a suit against a company and against Glenn Curtiss for infringement of the Wright Company's patent.....Men with valuable patent rights have to fight for them. They [Wilbur and Orville] are not exceptions to the rule. This costs much time and money. Wilbur prepared this case mostly for trial. This was unfavorable for him in preparing for and warding off the typhoid fever." (1) 

• Historical Fact- Neither Wilbur, nor Orville would have ever signed their names on a photograph depicting a patent infringing airplane. They would only have signed their names on a photograph of a Wright model. 

 

When you become aware of a postcard or photo of a non-Wright model aeroplane with "signatures" of either Wilbur, Orville, or both, you've found an example of non-genuine signatures you can add to your digital inventory for future reference. 

 

Postcard depicting a mono-plane, a patent infringing competitor's model in the eyes of the Wright Brothers. Neither brother would have signed such a postcard. The signatures are obviously not in their hand.

 

Additionally, it was extremely rare that the Brothers signed both their names across a photo or postcard. Only a small number of examples exist. An item with both brother's genuine signatures would sell well above $10,000. Compare the "signatures" above to those on the postcards below. They are all in the same hand, but none are in the hand of either Wilbur or Orville. Note the similarity of the signatures, a tell-tale sign of a non-genuine signature. Hundreds of items with these mimicked signatures have sold over the past 5 years.  (2)

 

The above postcards are period postcards and not modern reproductions, though the "signatures" were written in recent years. Do not come to the conclusion that an item contains genuine Wright brother signatures simply because the postcard or photograph dates to their time period. Period postcards and photographs are readily available for anyone to mimic the Brother's signatures. 

 

Occasionally the Brother's "signatures" are reproduced on a document that historically does not date to within the correct time period. A Western Union telegram dating to 1914 was altered to appear to have been signed by Wilbur and Orville Wright, and dated December 17, 1903. Obviously, Wilbur Wright could not have signed his name to the 1914 telegram, having died May 30, 1912. Newcomb Carlton is listed as President of Western Union on the form below. Carlton was not elected President until April 15, 1914. This form was printed 2 years after Wilbur Wright's death. Compare the signatures to those on the postcards above, and you'll recognize the common source. This telegram is so obviously fabricated, no knowledgeable collector should have been deceived; yet it sold for $1500 plus 20% BP in July of 2022, accompanied by a COA indicating the "signature(s) is consistent with known genuine exemplars..." 

 

  

1914 Western Union form made to appear to have been utilized in December 17 of 1903. 

 

Another telegram dated December 15, 1903 on a similar 1914 Western Union telegram form was offered at auction in 2019 several times without any takers. Note the same mimicked signatures. Assuming those pesky tell-tale printed names of the President and Vice-Presidents were giving away the fact the telegram form dated to 1914, a solution was at hand.....

1914 Western Union telegram form made to appear to have been utilized in December 15 of 1903, as offered at auction in 2019 with names of WU president and vice-presidents dating to 1914.

 

An attempt was made to remove the printed line that included Newcomb Carlton's name, but the erasure was incomplete, leaving remnants of letters, and a smudge along the text line of the telegram.

 

Incomplete attempt to remove Newcomb Carlton's name from 1914 WU telegram form.

 

The new and improved product was offered again at auction, and successfully sold for $4400 plus 15% BP in January of 2022. A letter of certification was included. (The genuine December 15 and December 17 1903 telegrams sent by the Wright's are within the archives of the Smithsonian.) Blank WU telegram forms printed in 1914 are readily available. Don't be deceived by modern alterations to older blank transcripts.

 

1914 Western Union telegram form made to appear to have been utilized in December 15 of 1903, as offered at auction in 2022 with names of WU president and vice-presidents removed.

 

 

 

 For a detailed account of the above telegrams, refer to my post 

The Wright Brother 1903 Western Union and Postal Telegraph Telegrams

 

If collectors intend to invest their finances in historical documents, they need to know their subject. 

 

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Dealers who don't know their subject- 

 

I am in the habit of contacting sellers with errors in their listings and providing what I believe to be the correct information concerning the item, and often receive a kind response. Occasionally however, my comments are ignored, or rejected as inaccurate. It is disheartening when the item sells, for I know two things have occurred. First, that the buyer has unknowingly paid too much for an incorrectly identified item, and second, that this buyer will then continue the false history out of ignorance as he shows the item to friends, and eventually sells or passes the item on years later.

 

Some of the commonly misidentified material I've observed:

• Photo of a bi-plane incorrectly identified as a Wright Brothers airplane. This occurs often. Many sellers simply identify a photo of any bi-plane as "a Wright Brother style of airplane". 
• Photo of a bi-plane with two men standing in front of it, and misidentified as Wilbur and Orville Wright. And if the bi-plane just happens to actually be a Wright model, then of course any two men standing near by must be Wilbur and Orville, right?? And if one has a mustache, or one is wearing a derby, then who else could the men possibly be? (Other than 10,000 other individuals).
• Postcards, photos, or envelopes with questionable Orville or Wilbur Wright signatures. I have seen so many of these, I'd estimate at least  75% of all the signed postcards, photos, or envelopes offered do not have genuine signatures by the Wright Brothers. Beware of signatures on removed autograph book pages, or on scraps of paper or cards. How do you determine if they are genuine? 
• Period press photos with forged Orville Wright signature. In what circumstance would a press photo be removed from the archives of a newspaper and brought to Orville Wright for his signature? I had not seen these listed prior to 2019. How interesting that suddenly many "signed" press photos have come to the market (sarcasm intended). And not a one of them authenticated by a trusted Authentication service.
• Books signed by O. Wright, or Orville Wright, where the book has no connection with aviation, and no connection with Dayton Ohio, yet it is assumed that this Orville Wright is the Orville of the Wright Brothers. Orville Wright was a common name! Even though the signature doesn't match the handwriting of the aviator Orville, people will throw money at these offers thinking they obtained a bargain.
• Historically inaccurate, impossible, or highly unlikely claims made concerning an item supposedly associated with the Wright Brothers (such as the telegram pictured above).
• Photo of bike shop and workers, which of course then must be Wilbur and Orville Wright and their brother Lloyd as claimed by the seller (I am not making this up), because again, who else could they possibly be? (Other than 10,000 other bike shops and work crew of the time period).

The following are some examples of items I've seen offered:

 

Reprint of first flight photo "signed" by the Wright Brothers. Compare these signatures with those on the postcards and telegrams shown earlier in this post, and the common source is evident. The collectable market has really become corrupted when non-genuine signatures are offered as reprints, a sad development. I am not aware of any existing dual signed Wilbur and Orville first flight photographs. Of the first flight photographs signed by Orville, he always signed near the bottom of the image.

  

Two "signed" photographs were sold by two reputable auction houses with similar style of "signatures". One sold in 2019, and the other in 2020. The photo sold in 2020 was described as "Photograph bears the signatures of both [Wilbur and Orville], but as the source of this photo is from the Henry Woodhouse collection, no guarantees of authenticity are made...Signature(s) likely in Woodhouse's hand." The photo sold for $593.75, likely $493.75 more than it is worth. Henry Woodhouse was a known forger of the Wright's signatures. He forged many of the items within his own collection. The second photo sold the previous year (2019) was described as taken by Jimmy Hare of Collier's Weekly, a press photo. This photo sold for $9500 which likely does not include the 26% buyers premium. Note the similarity of the signatures both in placement and in style. Both have a dash after Orville's name. Of the hundreds of genuine signed letters, photographs, notes, and envelope covers I have seen with Orville Wright's signature, I have never seen one with a dash after his name. Why do each of these photos have a dash, with similar placement of names, and style of handwriting? Because they both went through Henry Woodhouse's hands?

 

 

The photo below is of Orville Wright at Ft. Myer, 1908, likely from September 3rd. He is walking with a group of people, and the man next to him happens to be wearing a derby. A period press photo which shows less of this overall photo, just Orville and the man in the derby was being offered for sale on E-bay. This man was misidentified as Wilbur Wright by the seller. One would think the presence of Orville's name on the photo, and the absence of Wilbur's name would be a huge clue that the man in the derby is not Wilbur Wright.  The man doesn't look like Wilbur, but he is wearing a derby, and so this photo of Orville Wright and a man wearing a derby was offered for only $1950.00 or best offer, or the buyer could make 24 easy payments of just $91.00 per month for a press photo worth perhaps.....$91.00. 
This photo is from the George Grantham Bain collection, and can be viewed at the Library of Congress website, specifically at ggb2004002171  . The photo is identified as Orville Wright 467-9, written across the top of the photo, from 1908. Wilbur's name is absent for obvious reasons, as Wilbur was across the Atlantic ocean at this time, in Le Mans, France. This photo can be downloaded at no cost from the Library of Congress.

Orville Wright at Ft. Myer, 1908, courtesy of Library of Congress Bain Collection.

A portion of the photo above showing Orville Wright was published in the September 20th, 1908 issue of the Morning Oregonian, Portland Oregon, (and likely in many other papers) concerning the news of the fatal crash of September 17th at Ft. Myer in which Thomas Selfridge died, and Orville was injured.

Morning Oregonian, Portland, Oregon, September 20, 1908.

 

Be aware that just because an item has been certified as genuine, does not guarantee that the item has been correctly identified! The following two checks offered for sale on e-bay were certified as Orville Wright checks by PSA/DNA, while in fact, they clearly are in the hand writing of Lorin Wright. 
PSA/DNA is "the world's leading third-party authentication service for autographs and memorabilia" per their website. Maybe so, but they sure got it wrong on these two checks. Lorin Wright wrote many checks, signing them "Wright Brothers", or signing them "Orville Wright", while usually adding his initial "L" under the signature, but not always. Lorin's handwriting is very distinctive, and easily identifiable, and easily distinguished from Orville or Wilbur's handwriting. These are still nice Lorin Wright checks, but they should be identified as such. Lorin Wright checks sell in the $150 to $350 range. Orville Wright checks generally start at $350, and value is dependent of how early the date is, and to whom the check is made to.
Anyone can make a mistake, as has occurred here with PSA/DNA. If these checks were sent back to PSA/DNA, they would no doubt recognize the error, and make a correction.
Though the Lorin Wright check (pictured below) is misidentified as an Orville Wright check, it is still very interesting, in that it is made out to Frank Hale, and an early date of 1909. Frank Hale has signed the check on the rear face. Frank lived adjacent to the Wright's Cycle shop, and complained of the noise made by  the Wright's  engine tests. Frank was a life long friend of the Wrights, and Lorin Wright served on the Dayton City Commission with Frank in the 1920's as Frank Hale served as Mayor

 

Checks incorrectly identified by PSA/DNA as "Orville Wright". These are completely in the hand of Lorin Wright. 

For comparison, the following is an example of Lorin Wright's signature on the back of a check.

Genuine Lorin Wright signature. Compare the "W" with the "W" in Wright Brothers in the two checks above.

 

 

 

Lorin's handwriting is flowery. The W has a loop, and is very different than Orville or Wilbur's "W"

For more on Wright Brother checks, including examples of non-genuine Wright Brother checks, see my post

Gleaning the History from Wright Brother Checks- Their Styles and Values

Photos misidentified as those of the Wright Brothers are often listed on E-bay. Over the past decade, I've studied hundreds of photographs of the entire extended Wright family. The following photos in no way resemble Wilbur or Orville Wright. 

These photos were incorrectly identified by the E-bay seller as of the Wright Brothers; the top three claimed to be of Orville Wright, and the bottom photo of Orville and Wilbur. Note the pinky ring worn by the man, visible in the top right picture- Orville never in his life wore a pinky ring. 

 

E-bay seller is offering this photo which he indicates just might be of the Wright Brothers. Seller isn't sure, but you can own it for just $199. These men in no way resemble the Wrights. 

 

 

I've seen many photographs on E-bay that are offered incorrectly as depicting a Wright aeroplane. The following two photo's received multiple bids, which is confusing, as they clearly are not Wright items. The first was identified as a Wright plane. Anyone familiar with the various Wright models can instantly see that this is not a picture of a Wright plane.

Photo misidentified as a Wright Aeroplane. Clearly, it is not.

For comparison, pictured here is the genuine Wright Model E at Simms Station, the first model to have a single pusher propeller. Compare this to the misidentified photo above this one. 

 

The second photo was described as "features Wilbur Wright posing for the photo....The photos are affixed to scrapbook paper. The name "Wilbur" is written on the back of the photo." It is a common theme that when the name "Wilbur" is written on a period aviation related photo, an assumption is made this Wilbur must be Wilbur Wright. Three bidders competed for these photos, which eventually sold for $104.50. The value of a picture of a man named Wilbur, and an early biplane? Perhaps $15.

A unique photograph of Wilbur Wright would likely sell for $500 to $1000 or more. Compare this photo below to a genuine photo of Wilbur.

 

Comparison of the two photos side by side. Wilbur Wright on the left, and someone by the name of Wilbur on the right. I've aligned the photos such that the shoulders and arms match lengths, yet note that the waist location does not match, and that the individual on the right is clearly taller. Wilbur Wright was 5'-10" or so. The man on the right appears to be at least 6' tall.

 

 

This photo was offered on E-bay by a seller claiming it was an early model of a Wright Flyer, and the man pictured was Orville Wright. Clearly, it is not. No such Wright model ever existed, and the man is not Orville Wright.

 

This man is not Orville Wright. Orville did not part his hair down the middle. Orville would not have rolled his sleeves up in this manner. The face does not resemble Orville Wright.

 

 

Earnest Zens and Wilbur Wright, September 16, 1908, Le Mans, France. Modern produced misidentified refrigerator magnet. This image is commonly depicted as Orville and Wilbur, even shown on the cover of a book for kids about the Brothers!

 

 

This card is currently available on E-bay with a photograph of some guy with at mustache. I guess that qualifies him as Orville Wright. How can a company produce a product without even researching what Orville Wright actually looked like? I have no idea who this person actually is. He looks a bit like Nicola Tesla, but the hair is combed differently. But it can be yours for just $1.69 and $3.49 shipping. Hey, give one to each of your grand-kids, and maybe they'll pass with D's in history!

 

 

For the matching card to the one above, I guess when your product slogan is "Diverse", it doesn't really matter if the picture is of Wilbur Wright, or just someone losing their hair. Again, I have no idea who this is, other than it is not Wilbur Wright!

 

 

Can you guess which one is not like the others, before I finish this post? 

   

The item below was signed O. E. Wright, and the seller claimed that this was Orville Wright's signature, of the Wright Brothers. I informed the seller that Orville Wright had no middle name; none of the Wright children had middle names. The seller's response to my information was "How do you know, you weren't there" or something along those lines.

Signature of Orville E. Wright, Music teacher, and Edgar W. Ellis, member of the Ten Dayton Boys.

Orville Wright was not a unique name in Dayton. This person was in fact Orville E. Wright, a music teacher at Steele High School where Katharine Wright taught through 1908.

Orville E. Wright, Music Teacher. Not the Orville Wright of the Wright Brothers. From author's collection.

Edgar W Ellis was a member of the Ten Dayton Boys, a club which included William Andrews, Charles W. Olinger, Joseph Boyd, Irvin G. Koogle, Wilbur E. Landis, Reuchlin Wright, Lorin Wright, Wilbur Wright, and Frank J. Gilbert. Edgar Ellis was the last man standing, the last survivor of the Ten Dayton Boys Club. Edgar Ellis is furthest to the right, rear row in photo below. Wilbur is center, rear row. The other men....wait....they all have mustaches....they must all be Orville Wright!

Ten Dayton Boys Club, courtesy of Special Collections & Archives, Wright State University

  

 

This next one is really bad, beyond embarrassing. Offered in an Aviation auction, the seller wrote "Hand-written note in black ink dated and signed "Wilbur"...card is cancelled Dayton, Ohio Jun 17, 1909...Since Wilbur Wright died of Typhoid in 1912, his autograph is far more rare than his brother Orville who lived until 1948. A highly desirable early aviation autograph..." The front of the postcard pictured "Military Band in Parade at Wright Bros. Home-Coming Celebration at Dayton, Ohio." The card's value was estimated between $3000 and $4000. It did not sell. 

How the seller made the leap from identifying the signer of this card as Wilbur Wright from all the other "Wilbur's" who might have attended the celebration, I have no idea. The signature looks nothing like Wilbur's signature. The hand-written note has no similarities at all to Wilbur Wright's handwriting style. The message is not characteristic of what Wilbur would have conveyed. And  who is Miss Mary Dawson? Is she even someone associated with Wilbur Wright?

1909 Wright Brother's Home Celebration card sent by an observer by the name of Wilbur.

Postcard message from "Wilbur", offered at auction. Compare the "W" in the signature to an actual signature of Wilbur Wright below. Do they match? Does any of the handwriting match?

Genuine letter written January 25, 1912 by Wilbur Wright. There are absolutely no similarities in the genuine handwriting style or the signature of Wilbur Wright to the handwriting and signature of "Wilbur" from the 1909 postcard above.

 

   

While working on the restoration of the 1905 Wright Flyer III in 1947/48, and then following with preparing drawings of the 1903 Kitty Hawk Flyer, Louis Christman made many sketches and hand calculations on the dimensions of the various components of the Flyers. His descendants offered Christman's personal archive of his sketches and notes at auction in 2013 and 2015. These sketches were sold in groups through a reputable auction house. A group of the sketches were then resold individually on E-bay by one of the purchasers. The historical account as provided by the auction house was simply repeated by the E-bay seller. The auction house had the collection examined by an expert,  and the history of the items was as provided to them from the original owner. I believe intentions of all involved was honorable, but this doesn't change the fact that the history was Wrong! (3)

 

Historical account as stated by seller- 

 

"You are bidding on an original component drawing of the Wright Flyer made by Louis P. Christman, mathematical notes in red ink by Orville Wright. The mathematical data shown was done when Christman returned to Dayton and conferred with Colonel Edward Deeds and Orville Wright. The original owner relates that these working drawings and notes/calculations were done before final drawings of the reconstruction were produced. As an employee of National Cash Register, with his experience in aircraft and machine design, Louis P. Christman was called upon by prominent engineer and inventor, Colonel Edward Deeds, to undertake the restoration of the 1905 Wright Flyer, which resides at Carillon Park, Dayton, Ohio. Christman was given the opportunity to work closely with Orville Wright in order to produce an accurate set of drawings for the 1903, 1904, and 1905 Wright Flyers. Since no complete drawings were ever produced by Orville and Wilbur during the building and flying of the planes, it was required that Christman travel to Washington, D.C. to the Smithsonian Institution to take measurements and make drawings from the original 1903 Flyer that is displayed there and to discuss these drawings with Orville Wright. Christman worked closely with Orville Wright to produce an accurate set of drawings. In creating plans for the 1903 Flyer, Christman traveled to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. to take measurements and make drawings from the original 1903 Flyer displayed there and later the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia to study, and trace, informal drawings the Wright brothers had done. Back in Dayton, he would discuss these notes with Orville Wright. Continued meetings and conversations between Orville Wright and Christman resulted in a refined set of drawings of the numerous gliders and planes. Christman, under the direction of Deeds, then began the restoration of the 1905 Flyer in 1947, on the grounds of the National Cash Register Co. Final construction and assembly was completed at Carillon Historical Park, where the plane was reassembled and fabric was stretched. The plane in on display there today."

• Conflicts of the above account to the actual historical time line of events-  

Orville Wright died January 30th, 1948.
The Smithsonian Institution did not obtain the 1903 Wright Flyer until October of 1948.
The Franklin Institute Wright Brothers collection was obtained through Orville Wright's will- "Dr. Orville Wright deeded to the Franklin Institute in his will and through the Executor's of his Estate all of his and his brother's, Wilbur Wright's, original wind tunnel apparatus, model airfoils, test data and drawings of their early airplanes..."
Obviously, Christman could not have discussed anything with Orville Wright related to his trips to the Smithsonian or the Franklin Institute, because Orville was no longer living! 

 

Absolutely, these sketches are genuine sketches by Louis Christman. But are the marks in red on these sketches by Orville Wright? That is the question. Buyers have spent hundreds of dollars believing that they are. The sketches are still of interest and value, but that value decreases if no notes in red by Orville Wright exist. 

 

Who performed the analysis of the handwriting to confirm it is in the hand of Orville Wright? I doubt anyone performed this analysis, as the evidence is pretty clear that the same hand  is responsible for both the notes and calculations in pencil, and the notes and calculations in red!

Calculations in red are attributed to Orville Wright, and calculations in pencil are attributed to Louis Christman. But is the handwriting different? Compare the 186.266/360 in pencil above to the 186.2/360 in red below. Do these appear to be written in different hands? Additionally, notice how the 4's in pencil and the 4's in red are closed 4's. Occasionally in pencil and in red there is an open 4. Orville Wright always made his 4's open. Yet, these Christman drawings are covered with closed 4's in red. So how are these mathematical notes in the hand of Orville Wright?

 

 

For a complete discussion on the Louis Christman sketches with further handwriting analysis, refer to my post-

 

 Louis Christman drawings of the 1903 and 1905 Wright Flyers

 

If collectors intend to invest their finances in historical documents, they need to know their subject, and understand that sometimes dealers get their facts wrong. 

  

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Dealers intentionally selling forgeries-   

Beware of postcards, press photos, and anniversary first flight covers. When the item is being offered at a low buy-it-now price, or best offer, be suspicious. And when the same seller has a new item like this week after week after week, be very suspicious. 

• Do not compare the signature with those on other covers or postcards as you will likely be comparing to another forged signature.  Hundreds of forged Orville Wright covers and postcards all with the same forged OW signature have sold over the past ten years and are continuing to sell. A newer development in recent years has been production of dual signed forged Wilbur and Orville Wright postcards as pictured earlier in this post.
• A genuine signed Orville Wright postcard or cover sell in the range of $500 to $1200 or higher. When offered, these are often encased, certified by PSA/DNA, JSA or other reputable certifying company. Forged covers are at times being offered in this price range; high price does not imply the item is genuine. Genuine dual signed Wilbur and Orville items are rare, and would sell in the $8500 to $30,000 range. 
• Beware of statements such as "Genuine signature. Item is not a reproduction or copy." All this really states is the signature is a genuine signature, (but by whom?), and that the cover or postcard is a genuine item from that time period in lieu of a modern print. A "genuine signature" simply means the signature is written in ink in lieu of a photocopy or print of a signature- genuinely written in ink by the forger. I have also seen sellers "guarantee" the signed item, by offering a refund if a third party determines the signature is forged. Don't let this sway you into thinking the item likely is the real thing. Anyone can make that guarantee, and so what if one out of five buyers returns the item. It will just be re-offered a month later to some other unsuspecting collector.
• Forged Orville Wright postcards or covers are most often offered at a low buy it now price, with "make offer" accepted. These items often are accompanied with a COA. A good number of dealers have a business relationship with an disreputable COA who simply certifies every forged item sold.
• A COA (Certificate of Authenticity) is only as good at the authentication company offering the services. E-bay provides a list of recommended authentication services on their policies pages. Further, E-bay provides a list of COA's (nearly two dozen) that are not allowed on their Autographed items policy page.  Click on "Read Our Full Policy", and then click on "Certificates of Authenticity" to get to the disallowed list of COA's. Despite the policy, sellers continue to list forged items using COA's  from the banned COA list. Often, the seller will simply indicate that a COA will be included, without even identifying the COA company. Check the E-bay list of recommended authentication services. A good number of sellers utilize COA's that do not appear on the E-bay banned list, and do not appear in the FBI list. The absence of the COA from these lists does not guarantee they are legitimate. (The E-bay banned list has not been updated in years, and could easily be doubled or tripled in length.) 
• Avoid the 25th anniversary of the first airplane flight Capt. B. B. Lipsner covers with Orville Wright's "signature". I have seen a great number of these covers offered, and the majority are forged. These covers originally were prepared and signed by Lipsner. His name is printed on the cover, with the title "The first superintendent to blaze the air mail trail for the U.S. Post Office Department in 1918." He signed his name above his printed name. A forger has taken dozens of these period envelopes and signed Orville's name angled across the center. Of several dozen of these offered over the past few years, I've seen perhaps three of which Orville's signature appeared as possibly correct, and these were envelopes with hand written addresses to Lipsner's family.(4)

Genuine B.B. Lipsner 1928 cover. These were produced and signed by Lipsner. A forger can very easily take this cover above and add  Orville Wright's name to it, and offer it for sale.

An article in The Independent, Elizabeth City, N.C. December 21, 1928 indicated, "Stamp collectors and souvenir hunters kept the Kitty Hawk post office busy this week when 5700 air mail letters had to be cancelled. Postmaster Elijah Baum turned the living room of his home, which adjoins the post office, into a business office for two officials from the Post Office Department in Washington, who were sent down to help take car of the avalanche of mail. The international importance of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Wright flights and the celebration there on Monday made the stamps valuable in the eyes of collectors of rare stamps." Note that nothing is mentioned of there being a sizable number of envelopes signed by Orville Wright. Only the collectable interest of the stamps is mentioned. 

If collectors intend to invest their finances in historical documents, they need to know their subject,  and understand that sometimes dealers get their facts wrong, either unknowingly, or intentionally.  

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Check the Seller's sales history- 

Unfortunately, it is not just a handful of individuals selling collectables with recently applied simulated Wright signatures. I have digital files documenting sales of dozens of dealers and auction sites participating in this practice over the past decade, and I'm sure they represent just the tip of the iceberg. I assume many operate under more than one name. 

When searching for Wright collectables on E-bay, if a questionable item appears in the search, check the sellers other items, and then check their available history in their feedback record. More recent sales records will still be accessible for a number of months. Don't look for negative feedback, as there likely won't be any. The purchasers of these items typically have no idea they've obtained non-genuine signatures. 

The Wright items will be a small portion of the dealer's overall sales offers. Look also for questionable Charles Lindbergh, Amelia Earhart, Thomas Edison, Abraham Lincoln, George Washington, Harry Houdini, Babe Ruth, etc. "signatures". If a dealer is selling some questionable items, likely everything he is selling is questionable. Does it appear the seller has an endless supply of rare signatures? 

When searching for Wright collectables on Liveauctioneers.com or Invaluable.com, look at the individual dealer's sales records. Years of sales are archived on these websites. 

• Does the dealer appear to have an unlimited supply of photographs and postcards signed by both Wilbur and Orville Wright? Historically, postcards and photographs signed by both brothers are very rare.  
• Does the dealer only sell signed postcards, envelopes, photographs, and scrap paper? Doesn't it make sense their sales should also include the occasional letter (which would be much more difficult to fabricate)? 
• Do any of the items include authentication by PSA/DNA, JSA, or Beckett?  If not, search on-line the reputation of the COA that is utilized. Is everything the dealer sells certified by a lesser known COA?
• Compare the final sale price of the items. Dual signed Wright Brother items should not routinely sell for less than $10,000. If you find dozens of such items sold over a period of months or years for less than this amount, ask yourself how a dealer or auction house could remain in business making such poor sales transactions if actually selling genuine signatures? Keep in mind, occasionally, a forged item will sell for $5000 to $10,000 due to the ignorance of competing buyers. 

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Know the Value- 

I've written a number of posts on collecting specific types of Wright Brother items, including sale prices, which would be beneficial reading prior to making purchases. 

Related Posts-

Gleaning the History from Wright Brother Checks- Their styles and values.

Value of Historical Items Associated with the Wright Brothers

The 1903 Wright Flyer Fabric and Wood Remnants 

Collecting Historical Items Associated with the Wright Brothers

Collecting Letters of Orville Wright- Their Historical Content and Values

Collecting Letters of Wilbur Wright- Their Historical Content and Values 

 

Collecting First Flight Photos Signed by Orville Wright

 

Collecting Pilot Licenses Signed by Orville Wright   

The Wright Brother 1903 Western Union and Postal Telegraph Telegrams

Collecting Orville Wright Estate Magazines, Pamphlets, and Bulletins  

 

In Summary- If collectors intend to invest their finances in historical documents, they need to know their subject, understand that sometimes dealers get their facts wrong, while there are other dealers that have full knowledge they are offering forged collectables. Search the dealer's history, look at sales records, and know the values of genuine items.

Additional sources-
The FBI Operation Bullpen. 

Copyright 2025-Getting the Story Wright

 

Notes-

1. Milton Wright letter to Grand-niece Grace Frazier, October 28, 1912. From Author's collection.

 

2. Postcards purchased by the Author for the specific purpose of sharing them in this post as examples of period cards with modern non-genuine Wright signatures. The seller simply sold the cards as period cards, with no mention at all of the signatures.  

 

3. The Louis Christman sketches and prints continue to be offered for resale on E-bay by various dealers and collectors, all repeating the same "history" as originally published by the highly respected Auction firm. Major lesson to be learned here- Misinformation does not become truth based on the number of times it is repeated by multiple sources. It remains misinformation.
Wright State University obtained 23 Louis Christman prints in 2013 from the same Auction firm, and unknowingly repeated the incorrect history in their documentation of the collection MS-477. Within MS-477 the paragraph was repeated " Christman, (1893-1972), an employee of National Cash Register, worked closely with Orville Wright to produce an accurate set of drawings. In creating plans for the 1903 Flyer, Christman traveled to the Smithsonian Institution in Washington D.C. to take measurements and make drawings from the original 1903 Flyer displayed there and later the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia to study, and trace informal drawings the Wright Brothers had done. Back in Dayton, he would discuss these notes with Orville Wright." 

MS-477 has yet to be corrected, as search on-line continues to bring up the original wording. When I informed a seller of the incorrect history in his item description of a Louis Christman drawing indicating the incorrect history above, I was told by the seller that WSU indicates the same history on their website, so obviously I must be mistaken. How frustrating this all is!
Just an interesting example of how misinformation can snowball- similar to today's "fake news" events.
By the way, I have had conversations with both the Auction firm and WSU, and both agree that the history as worded was incorrect. Of course Orville Wright could not have been involved in any discussions with Louis Christman in Christman's work associated with the Smithsonian or Franklin Institute archives, as Orville Wright was no longer living at this time.  I assume WSU hasn't made the corrections in the archives simply because it is lost in a long list of items to take care of. And the Auction firm lists thousands of items for sale month by month, and can't possibly follow up on every previous sale and provide corrections. 

4. The B.B. Lipsner covers were prepared and signed by Lipsner. There is no indication that these were produced with the intention for Orville Wright to sign them. Lipsner's name is printed on these envelopes, and he signed his name above his printed name. There is no such similar arrangement for Orville. His name is not printed, but simply listed as "Wright Brothers", one section of two columns with the names of 19 other aviation notables. The back side of the envelope is stamped "This is to certify as a member and guest of the International Civil Aeronautics Conference, called by President Calvin Coolidge, to mark the first quarter century of human flight; I accompanied Hon. Orville Wright from Washington, D.C. to Kill Devil Hill, N.C.. On the entire pilgrimage I carried this commemorative cover and finally mailed it personally at the place and on the date as postmarked" (Signed) B. B. Lipsner. No where is it mentioned that Orville Wright also signed the cover. 

 

5. The Independent, Elizabeth City, N.C., December 21, 1928, "When Kitty Hawk P. O. Has a Rush"

Index of Topics