Berlin Hart Wright was born on July 5, 1851, in Dundee, New York.

He was a geologist, astronomer, archeologist, and cartographer. He attended Penn Yan Academy and, in 1871, he became its professor of mathematics and physical sciences. He began to collect fossils and rocks and completed the first geological survey and map of Yates County. When his father went deaf, he took over his work preparing astronomical calculations for almanacs. In 1883, due to severe arthritis, he started to spend winters in Florida, where he collected various plant species. He sold his collections to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Wright also discovered and named a new mussel. Over his lifetime, he identified fifty new specimens and wrote for almanacs all over the world. He contributed numerous articles to prominent newspapers and scientific journals.

In 1874, he married Loretta Fidelia Mills (1852–1938). He died on November 25, 1940, in Penn Yan, New York.