Wright Brothers’ Original Bank Account Book, 1910–1912—Closed the Year Wilbur Wright Died
An exceptional personal and business artifact associated with Wilbur and Orville Wright, the pioneering brothers whose achievements at Kitty Hawk inaugurated the age of powered flight.
This original bank account book was issued by The Farmers & Merchants Bank of Dayton, Ohio, and is identified on its cover and interior ledger as the account of “Wright Brothers.” The surviving entries begin on April 4, 1910, and continue through October 26, 1912.
The ledger records several deposits—including repeated deposits of $300—and subsequent checks and balances. Unlike a commemorative object produced after the brothers became internationally famous, this was a functional financial record used during their lifetimes in Dayton, the city where they designed and built the machines that transformed human transportation.
The book’s final year gives it particular historical poignancy. Wilbur Wright died of typhoid fever in Dayton on May 30, 1912, at only forty-five years of age. The account appears to have been closed several months later, on October 26, marking the end of a financial relationship that had existed while both brothers were alive.
The handwritten “Wright Brothers” inscriptions identify the account but are not represented as the authenticated autograph of either Wilbur or Orville. The artifact’s importance rests instead upon its direct connection to their shared financial affairs during one of the most consequential periods in aviation history.
The book remains intact, with expected rubbing and edge wear to its brown flexible cover. The interior ledger is clean and legible, with minor age toning and ordinary handling wear. Its honest condition reinforces its character as a genuinely used early-twentieth-century financial document.
A highly unusual and evocative Wright Brothers artifact—particularly desirable for an advanced collection of aviation, transportation, technological innovation, or American history.
Date: April 4, 1910–October 26, 1912
Place: Dayton, Ohio
Institution: The Farmers & Merchants Bank
Account: Wright Brothers
Condition: Very good overall, with exterior rubbing and age-appropriate wear
Provenance: Miller estate sale
An exceptional personal and business artifact associated with Wilbur and Orville Wright, the pioneering brothers whose achievements at Kitty Hawk inaugurated the age of powered flight.
This original bank account book was issued by The Farmers & Merchants Bank of Dayton, Ohio, and is identified on its cover and interior ledger as the account of “Wright Brothers.” The surviving entries begin on April 4, 1910, and continue through October 26, 1912.
The ledger records several deposits—including repeated deposits of $300—and subsequent checks and balances. Unlike a commemorative object produced after the brothers became internationally famous, this was a functional financial record used during their lifetimes in Dayton, the city where they designed and built the machines that transformed human transportation.
The book’s final year gives it particular historical poignancy. Wilbur Wright died of typhoid fever in Dayton on May 30, 1912, at only forty-five years of age. The account appears to have been closed several months later, on October 26, marking the end of a financial relationship that had existed while both brothers were alive.
The handwritten “Wright Brothers” inscriptions identify the account but are not represented as the authenticated autograph of either Wilbur or Orville. The artifact’s importance rests instead upon its direct connection to their shared financial affairs during one of the most consequential periods in aviation history.
The book remains intact, with expected rubbing and edge wear to its brown flexible cover. The interior ledger is clean and legible, with minor age toning and ordinary handling wear. Its honest condition reinforces its character as a genuinely used early-twentieth-century financial document.
A highly unusual and evocative Wright Brothers artifact—particularly desirable for an advanced collection of aviation, transportation, technological innovation, or American history.
Date: April 4, 1910–October 26, 1912
Place: Dayton, Ohio
Institution: The Farmers & Merchants Bank
Account: Wright Brothers
Condition: Very good overall, with exterior rubbing and age-appropriate wear
Provenance: Miller estate sale
