Note that the elder Zachariah Wells died c.1781. HHHMMMMM! Could he have
been the famous Tory who was hanged in North Carolina? Just a thought!
John Wells
Paintsville, KY
----------
From: Orin R. Wells <ORWells(a)bigfoot.com>
To: ZachariahWells-L(a)rootsweb.com
Subject: Zachariah in GA.
Date: Wednesday, February 18, 1998 1:35 PM
Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water. I turned up
the
following information in my piles of stuff when I was looking for
something
else. Forgot I had it. This comes from a couple of letters
exchanged by
Gordon M. Wells (descended from Isaac b: Cir 1707 probably in or near
Stratford-Upon-Avon who emigrated to Maryland in 1725) and Alton J.
Alawine
(descended from Isaac Wells b: Cir 1784 in Georgia).
According to his will written in 1746, the earlier Isaac married an Ann
___
who received part of the property called "the Lowlands"
which apparently
adjoined "Children's Chance" and who later married David Dunbar & moved
to
North Carolina by 1751. It also named children John who received a
portion
of the property "Children's Chance" and was then under
22 years of age;
Isaac Edwards who
received "Wells Invention"; Isaac (possibly the same as Isaac Edwards,
but
in each case Isaac Edwards was named as such) who received part of
"Children's Chance"; Benjamin who also received a part of
"Children's
Chance"; Samuel who received part of "Children's Chance", is later
found
at Sandy River, Chester County, South Carolina in 1755 and who married
Dorcas Tabitha Huey); Mary; Elizabeth and Ann.
<This information is from the February Mystery of the Month>
I will extract from the two letters Gordon shared with me some time back.
These were written in 1980.
>From Alton Alawine:
Isaac Wells, b: 1784 in Georgia, was my great-great grandfather. My
grandmother, Lucretia Wells, was the oldest child of Isaac Jr. and she
married my grandfather, Andrew Alawine, about 1868. During her last
years
when my mother (her daughter-in-law) knew her, she often talked about
her
grand-father Isaac and how she travelled around with him to the churches
where he preached when she was a child. She knew thta he came from
Georgia
and that he had sons (her uncles) named Samuel and Joseph.
According to Grandma, her grandfather died, apparently of a heart attack,
in the pulpit of the Methodist church at Carthage (Leake County) while
holding a revival. (Reference made to the funeral and burial at Bethel
Church cemetery near the Attala County line. Reference made to "The
History of Methodists in Mississippi" regarding an article on Isaac Wells
or Wills).
In the 1830 census Isaac was living in Madison County, Mississippi near a
Samuel Wells who I had thought was probably a brother. Your discovery of
a
Smauel J. Wells in Marshall County in 1850 tends to confirm this
theory.
Here's a comparison of the 1830 and 1850 data:
1830 (Madison County) 1850 (Marshall County)
Samuel Wells age 40-50 (1780-1790) Samuel J. Wells age 63 (1787)
Female (wife) 20-30 (1800-1810) Kessiah Wells 48 (1802)
Male (son) under 5 (1825-1830) John Wells 20 (1830)
Male (son) under 5 (1825-1830) (not shown)
Male (son) 5-10 (1820-1825) Isaac Wells 27 (1823)
Females 2 under 5, 1 5-10, 1 10-15 (not shown)
Orin's note: the 1850 census for Marshall County shows:
Dwelling #313
Samuel J. Wells 63 b: GA Minister
Kissiah Wells 48 b: GA
William Wells 15 b: MS
Benjamin Wells 10 b: MS
Virginia Wells 08 b: MS
Dwelling #314
Isaac Wells 27 b: MS Carpenter
Betsy Wells 22 b: NC
Mary J. Wells 01 b: MS
John Wells 20 b: MS
Over in Attala County in Dwelling #1158
Isaac Wells 66 b: GA Minister
Nancy Wells 66 b: GA
John Madden 09 b: MS
Nancy Madden 11 b: MS
In Dwelling #1157
Sam R. Wells 35 b: TN Farmer
Nancy Wells 29 b: MS
Archibald Wells 14 b: MS
John I. Wells 12 b: MS
Cassandra Wells 11 b: MS
Benjamin Wells 09 b: MS
In Dwelling #1159
Isaac W. Wells 30 b: MS Farmer
Sarah Wells 28 b: MS
Lucretia Wells 12 b: MS
Amelia Wells 10 b: MS
John J. Wells 08 b: MS
Parmelia Wells 08 b: MS
Green M. Wells 06 b: MS
Nancy Wells 04 b: MS
Isaac Wells 02 b: MS
So, what does this have to do with any Zachariah?
In the Georgia land lottery of 1805 from Bryan county were:
Henry Wells 2 draws 2 "prize" 1 "blank"
Isaac Wells 1 draw 1 "prize"
Jacob Wells 1 draw 1 "prize" 1 "blank"
Zachariah Wells 1 draw 1 "blank"
William Wells 1 draw 1 "blank"
Mary Wells 2 draws 2 "blank"
only 21 and over or minor orphas were allowed to participate. Those
unmarried being allowed 1 draw and those married or having a child being
allowed 2 draws. Henry and Isaac were later issed land grants in Baldwin
County.
03 Feb 1812 passports were prepared for the following persons to travel
through the Indian Nations to the wstern Country to Mr. Henry Wells and
his
wife, six children and two negroes and for Mr. Isaac Wells with hsi
wife,
four children, four negroes - all from the county of Bryan.
>From some material from a work written by a Dr. Franklin (have heard of
this person before, but don't know what it was he wrote):
1. Isaac Wells b: no later than 1760 since he bought a slave in 1781.
Probably the same Isaac Wells who died before 1807 and whose children
participated in the 1807 land lottery as the "orphans fo Isaac Wells".
2. Henry Wells b: no later than 1760 as he must have been an adult when
he
witnessed the conveyance of title of the slave to Isaac. Possibly
the
one
who died 17901795 in Effingham County.
3. Zachariah Wells b: cir 1745 and died cir 1781 father of:
3.1 Isaac Wells b: Cir 1765-70
3.2 Zachariah Wells b: Cir 1770-73
3.3 Jacob Wells b: Cir 1770-83
3.4 Henry Wells b: 1774
3.5 James Wells b: after 1774
3.6 William Wells b: Cir 1776-80
Now, there is no particular reason to assume that this group has any
connection to the Loudon County etc. folks. BUT, I find it very curious
that we have here the names Zachariah and Jacob in the same family. Were
they related in some way to the Jacob who had the son (and possibly
brother) Zachariah? Also, there is some indication that this clan came
from North Carolina prior to Georgia. Since the first settlers to
Georgia
were in 1733, it is certain the family came from somewhere else.
Just some more to muck things up a bit.
Orin R. Wells
Wells Family Research Association
P. O. Box 5427
Kent, Washington 98064-5427
<ORWells(a)bigfoot.com>
http://www.rootsweb.com/~wellsfam/wfrahome.html
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