Thomas Wells, of Hadley

Thomas Welles of Weathersfield, Connecticut and Hadley, Massachusetts

• Parents: Thomas Wells & Frances Albright
• Born: Cir 1628 Probably Evesham, Worcestershire, England
• Died: Cir Oct 1676 Hadley, Massachusetts
• Married: May 1651 Mary Beardsley Hartford, Connecticut

Biography

https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Wells-12073 Profile last modified 12 Dec 2019 | Created 8 Dec 2016

Thomas Wells aka Welles was born about 1628 in England [uncertain] to Thomas (Welles) Wells and Frances (Albright) Coleman. He is the brother of John Wells, Mary (Wells) Gilbert, Esther (Coleman) Davis [half], Sarah (Coleman) Treat [half], John Coleman [half], Noah Coleman [half] and Deborah (Coleman) Gunn [half]. He married Mary (Beardsley) Belden in May 1651 [location unknown]. he is the father of Thomas Wells, Mary Wells, Sarah (Wells) Hoyt, John Wells I, Jonathan Wells, John Wells, Joanna Wells, Samuel Wells, Mary (Wells) Field, Noah Wells, Hannah (Wells) White, Ebenezer Wells, Daniel Wells, Ephraim Welles Sr., Joshua Wells and Abigail Wells. He died before 14 Dec 1676 in Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts Bay.

Profile last modified 12 Dec 2019 | Created 8 Dec 2016

Thomas Wells was married to a descendant of the immigrants William Beardsley and Mary Harvie.

Biography

Confusion Caused by Early Works

An 1890 article by George Sheldon, published in The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, claimed that Hugh Wells was married to Frances and settled in Wethersfield (NOT CORRECT).[1] History of Ancient Wethersfield, by Adams and Stiles, repeated and embellished these mistakes.[2] Another book, A History of Hatfield by Wells (1910), attributes facts to Hugh Wells which actually apply to Thomas Wells/Welles.[3] This mis-information has been picked up by data bases everywhere.[4]

These authors confounded Thomas Wells of Evesham, Worcestershire, England, with Hugh Wells of Hartford and Wethersfield, Connecticut, sometimes making them father and son, sometimes combining the two.[4] There is no known relationship between the two families.

Thomas Wells married, as her 1st, to Frances Albright who married, as her 2nd, to Thomas Coleman.

Hugh Wells b c. 1625, was 53 yrs old when he d 22 Dec 1678. Origin unknown. Appears at Wethersfield before 1645. Married 19 August 1647 at Hartford, Connecticut, to Mary Ruscoe (b c. 1628), daughter of William Ruscoe of Hartford.

Hugh Wells did not marry Frances Belcher, (although it is reported in various data bases online). In fact, the Wells Family Research Association contends that Frances Belcher may not have existed.[5] Hugh Wells also did not marry Frances Albright.

Other Thomas Wells

This is NOT the Thomas Wells, immigrant aboard the Susan & Ellin in 1635 who settled at Ipswich and married to Abigail Warner.

Origin

Thomas Wells, Jr was born between 1625 and 1629, in England, and was the son of Thomas Welles and Frances Albright. [6]

Thomas Wells Sr's will was written on 9 February 1637, and it was proved the same year.[6] In the will, he left the house to his elder son, Thomas, to have after the death of his mother. The will of Thomas Coleman shows that this was property brought into the family by Frances (Albright) and held for son, Thomas Wells.[6]

Note: This profile previously reported Thomas, Jr's birth place as, Evesham, Worcestershire, England and Colchester, Essex, England (both without evidence or source, although some assume Evesham might have been the birth place of Thomas, Sr.). In his will, Thomas Wells, Sr. called himself, "Thomas Welles of Evesham [Worcestershire] weaver."[6] Evesham is a parish in the Wychavon district of Worcestershire. (these places are near each other) There are many Wells or Welles families in the area, and thus far, records have not been identified.[6]

Unknown Immigration

Thomas's immigration date and ship are unknown. He was not aboard the Susan & Ellen in 1635, per Adams and Stiles History of Wethersfield (see "Other Thomas Wells" above).

Marriage

Thomas is "said to have married" in May 1651 to Mary Beardsley (b 1631 Ilkeston, Derbyshire, Eng), daughter of William Beardsley of Stratford.[6] and his wife, Mary Harvey (Hervey).[2] We have no record of their marriage.[6]

On 25 June 1678, Mary married, as her 2nd, to Samuel Belding of Hatfield.[6] Mary died on 20 Sep 1691.[6]

Property and Positions

Thomas seems to have been a householder at Wethersfield perhaps as early as 1650; deeds mention that he purchased his house from Thomas Coleman, his "father-in-law" (step-father).[6] By about 1660, the family removed from Wethersfield to Hadley, Massachusetts with the Coleman family (mother, Frances, married, as her 2nd, to Coleman).[6][4] Thomas Welles served as"townsman" of Hadley in 1663.

Thomas was a teamster for the soldiers (p 141).[7] He fought and was wounded during the battle of Muddy Brook (Sep 1675) in King Phillip's War.[7]

Death and Legacy

Thomas died between 30 September and 14 December 1676, at Hadley, Hampshire County, Massachusetts Bay.[6][4] According to Judd, he was killed serving the militia and died between two dates, which leads one to believe that he may have been injured and not killed, but died of his injuries.[7]

Thomas left a good estate in Wethersfield and Hadley, and house and lands in England.[citation needed]

Children

Children of Thomas Wells, Jr. and Mary (Beardsley):[6][7][8]

The first four children were recorded at Wethersfield; Jonathan's birth was not recorded; the last nine children's births were recorded at Hadley.

1. Thomas Welles b Wethersfield 10 Jan 1652
2. Mary Wells, b Wethersfield 01 Oct 1653, d young
3. Sarah Wells, b Wethersfield 05 May 1655; m David Hoyt
4. John Wells, b Wethersfield 14 Jan 1656[/7], d infancy
5. Jonathan Wells, b about 1658, birth not recorded.[9]
6. John Wells, (2nd John) b Hadley 03 Apr 166[0], drowned 20 Jan 1680
7. Samuel Wells, b Hadley about 1662[10]
8. Mary Wells (2nd Mary), b Hadley 08 Sep 166[4]; m 1) Stephen Belding, 2) Capt. Joseph Field.
9. Noah Wells, b Hadley 26 Jul 166[6]
10. Hannah Wells, b Hadley 04 Jul 166[8], d 17 Dec 1733, ae, 65; m John White of Hatfield.
11. Ebenezer Wells, b Hadley 20 Jul 1669 (sic?), d. June 11, 1670
12. Daniel Wells, b Hadley 11 Dec 1669 (sic?)
13. Ephraim Wells, b Hadley 06 Apr 1671; m Abigail Allis of Hatfield
14. Joshua Wells, b Hadley 18 Feb 1673[/4]

Note: The town record of Hadley does not include the births of Jonathan or Samuel. The birth years for 2nd John, Mary, Noah, and Hannah are omitted. The birth years for Ebenezer and Daniel are both1669 (clearly an error - not twins). In addition, there is no evidence for a daughter named Abigail Wells.[11]

Of his 14 children, the eldest, Thomas, moved to Deerfield, where he was a prominent man. Another son was Jonathan, famous for his bravery and suffering during and after the fight at Turner's Falls. He too, later became a leading citizen of Deerfield.[citation needed]

Noah, the ninth child of Thomas, was born in Hadley. He lived at various places; was o f Hatfield in 1693, Deerfield in 1694, New London, CT in 1697 and probably later at Lyme, CT a s an old deed in the family dated 1705 deeds to Noah Welles of Lyme, CT in the county of New Lon don sixty acres of land in Colchester.[citation needed]

Sources

↑ Sheldon, George, (1890) "Notes and Queries." The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Vol 44. AmericanAncestors.org NEHGS (Vol 44, Page 208) NOT CORRECT. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Adams, Sherman W. and Henry Reed Stiles. (1904) The History of Ancient Wethersfield, Connecticut ... New York: Grafton Press, Archive.org (Pages 31, 34, 48, 73, 118) GENEALOGY INCORRECT - otherwise useful. ↑ Wells, Daniel White, (1910) A History of Hatfield, Massachusetts, in Three Parts: ... F.C.H. Gibbons, Archive.org (Page 447) NOT CORRECT. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Jacobus, Donald Lines and W. Herbert Wood, (1952) "Widow Frances Wells and Hugh Wells of Wethersfield." The American Genealogist. New Haven, CT: D. L. Jacobus, 1937-. AmericanAncestors.org NEHGS (Vol 28, Pages 227-235). ↑ Hugh Welles/Wells & Frances Belcher of Wethersfield, Connecticut, USA Wells Family Research Association, accessed October 25, 2015 ↑ 6.00 6.01 6.02 6.03 6.04 6.05 6.06 6.07 6.08 6.09 6.10 6.11 6.12 Richardson, Douglas, (Jan 1992) "The Widow Frances (Albright) Wells, Wife of Thomas Coleman of Wethersfield and Hadley." The New England Historical and Genealogical Register. AmericanAncestors.org NEHGS (Vol 146, Pages 28-34). ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Judd, Sylvester. (1905) History of Hadley ... Springfield, MA: H.R. Huntting & Co., Archive.org (Page 141, Pages 150-51 genealogy section).INCORRECT - avoids mention of father, and Hugh Wells is added in pencil ↑ Massachusetts: Vital Records, 1621-1850. AmericanAncestors.org NEHGS, (Hadley, Vol 1, Page 77). ↑ The family was moving from with the Colemans from Wethersfield to Hadley at this time. ↑ This profile previously reported specific birth date, 10 Jun 1662, but this is not reported by Judd or by Hadley Town Record. ↑ See Judd's History of Hadley for the possible origin for this non-existent daughter. Son, Ephraim, married to an Abigail, daughter of John Allis. See also:

Richardson, Douglas, (Jan 1992) Excerpts from "The Widow Frances (Albright) Welles." New England Historical and Genealogical Register. Boston, NEHGS randmwaddell.net (Vol 146, Pages 28-35). Smith, Mary P Wells. (1923) Young and Old Puritans of Hatfield. Boston: Little, Brown & Co., Archive.org Historical fiction based on the Wells family, (one of a series). User-contributed:

Dowling, Tim. () "Thomas Welles." (no sources). Hunt, Maxwell E. and Gloria Bailey Hunt. (6 Jul 2013) "Thirteenth Generation." (no sources). Russell, Jacqueline Sleeper. (22 May 2011) "Thomas Welles." RootsWeb (no sources).

http://penrose.org/getperson.php?personID=I7654&tree=penrose Will was written 30 Sep 1676. Will was probated 14 Dec 1676 Named in the Will of his Mother Frances Belcher Coleman Welles WP 26 Mar 1678.

See also: Thomas Wells, of Hadley. Says he was the son of Hugh and Francis, the husband of Mary, and the father of Noah.

See also: Thomas Wells, of Hadley.

See also: Thomas Wells, of Hadley. Says he was the father of Thomas, Mary, Sarah, John and Ephraim.

See also: http://www.randmwaddell.net/tng/histories/Frances_Albright.htm

GEDCOM Note

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GEDCOM Source

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