Early Settlers of Wells, Maine

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Wells, situated upon the sea-coast, in York County, was first settled by persons from Exeter, N.H., about the year 1640. Its name is supposed to have come from Wells in England. In regard to land titles, Folsom says that an Indian named Thomas Chabinoke, devised all his title and interest to Namps-cas-coke (being the greatest part of Wells) to John Wadlow or Wadleigh, upon condition that he should allow one bushel of Indian corn annually to “Old Webb,” his mother. This title proved valid.

In 1641, Sir Ferdinando Gorges presented 5,000 acres of it to Thomas Gorges, deputy-governor of his Province of Maine and mayor of Gorgeana, for a manory. He chose a tract near Ogunquit River in the south-west part of the town. About 400 or 500 acres of this was conveyed by deputy Gorges, in 1643, to Rev. John Wheelwright (brother-in-law of the noted Ann Hutchinson), who had been banished from Massachusetts for his Antinomian principles. Another grant was made by Gorges, July 14, 1643, to Wheelwright, Henry Boad and others. When wheelwright settled here about 1643, Edmund Littlefield had already erected a saw-mill, on Webhannet River. (2)

... [Wells, Maine] was begun by the enterprise of Edmund Littlefield in 1641, and civilization has never since lost its foothold. Though the hazards of war were too appalling to permit immigrants to come in only to share in the struggles of the townsmen, the original settlers held fast to their possession. Instead of one hundred families at this time, we believe the population was embraced in about eighty. Many of the people who came to Wells and took grants of land, did not continue long enough to fulfill the conditions attached to them, but withdrew to other places, and perhaps resorted to other more congenial business. The following list we believe embraces the names of all who resided in Wells from 1641 to 1687: (1)

1. Luis Allen,
2. Ralph Andrews,
3. William Ashley,
4. Samuel Austin,
5. John Barret,
6. James Bates,
7. John Bates,
8. Stover Batson,
9. James Barkhouse,
10. Francis Barkhouse,
11. Peter Bass,
12. Henry Boade,
13. Joseph Bolles,
14. Robert Booth,
15. Thomas Boston,
16. Joseph Bolles, jr.,
17. William Buckland,
18. John Buckland,
19. John Buss,
20. John Bush,
21. Samuel Bolles,
22. Henry Brown,
23. John Bugg,
24. James Boston,
25. James Carr,
26. George Chambers,
27. John Cheater,
28. John Clayes,
29. Nathaniel Clayes,
30. Peter Clayes,
31. Nicholas Cole,
32. Nicholas Cole, jr.,
33. William Cole,
34. John Cole,
35. Thomas Cole,
36. Thomas Cousins,
37. Isaac Cousins,
38. Joseph Cross,
39. John Cross,
40. John Cross, jr.,
41. Benjamin Curtis,
42. John Drisco,
43. Thomas Durrell,
44. John Eldridge,
45. Joseph Emerson,
46. Gilbert Endicott,
47. George Farrow,
48. John Frost,
49. John Frost, jr.,
50. William Frost,
51. Anthony Feathery,
52. John Gooch,
53. John Gooch, jr.,
54. James Gooch,
55. Percival Green,
56. George Habourne,
57. Samuel Hatch,
58. Phillip Hatch,
59. Israel Harding,
60. George Hammons,
61. William Hamans,
62. Jonathan Hammond,
63. John Harmon,
64. Robert Hethersey,
65. Henry Hatherley,
66. Robert Hilton,
67. Ezekiel Knight,
68. Ezekiel Knight, jr.,
69. Edmund Littlefield,
70. Francis Littlefield,
71. Francis Littlefield, jr.,
72. Anthony Littlefield,
73. Thomas Littlefield,
74. John Littlefield,
75. James Littlefield,
76. James Littlefield, jr.,
77. Joseph Littlefield,
78. Jonathan Littlefield,
79. Isaac Littlefield,
80. Nathaniel Littlefield,
81. Samuel Littlefield,
82. Francis Littlefield, 3d,
83. Josiah Littlefield,
84. Gussian Lagan,
85. Richard Martin,
86. Nathaniel Masters,
87. John Masters,
88. John Manning,
89. Thomas Mussell,
90. Nicholas Mory,
91. Thomas Mills,
92. James Oare,
93. Philemon Purmotte,
94. Robert Paine,
95. John Richardson,
96. Edward Rishworth,
97. John Reed,
98. John Sanders,
99. Henry Sayward,
100. John Smith,
101. William Sayer,
102. John Smith, jr.,
103. Joseph Storer,
104. Samuel Storer,
105. Jeremiah Storer,
106. Benjamin Storer,
107. William Symonds,
108. Hartakendon Symonds,
109. Robert Stuart,
110. William Taylor,
111. Jonathan Thing,
112. Abraham Tilton,
113. John Trott,
114. Rev. John Wheelright,
115. Samuel Wheelright,
116. Thomas Wheelright,
117. John Wheelright, jr.,
118. John Wadley,
119. Robert Wadley,
120. John Wakefield,
121. William Wentworth,
122. William Wardell,
123. John West,
124. John Wells,
125. Thomas Wells,
126. John Wooden,
127. John White,
128. Samuel Webber.

Sources

1. Early Residents of Wells, Maine Edward E. Bourne, LL.D., “The History of Wells and Kennebunk” (subtitled, “From the Earliest Settlement to the Year 1826, at Which Time Kennebunk was Set Off, and Incorporated, With Biographical Sketches.”) (B. Thurston & Co, Portland, 1875; republished 19__, Heritage Books, Inc., Bowie, MD)
2. History of Wells, Maine. From A Gazetteer of the State of Maine By Geo. J. Varney Published by B. B. Russell, 57 Cornhill, Boston 1886
3. Negro Slaves and Servants of Wells (from Bourne, above)
4. Maine's First Maritime Settlers
5. A HISTORY OF WELLS, MAINE by Hope M. Shelley