Dear Descendants of Zachariah Wells,
Greetings! My name is Dave Williams. I was pleased to discover this list a
few days ago and want to make contact with all of you. I am a great-grandson
of Charlotte Octavia (Lottie) Wells. "Grannie", as we all knew her, was the
only great-grandparent whom I ever got to know. She was born in Big Stone
Gap, VA, on October 28, 1882, and was the oldest daughter of Andrew Jackson
Wells and Nancy Hart Wells. Her father was, in turn, the son of Jeremiah
Wells and Elizabeth Culbertson Wells and the grandson of Zachariah Wells.
Until I read the biographical details posted earlier today by Orin Wells
(thanks!), I had not known much about Andrew J. Wells. About all that Grannie
passed along was that her father had been a Baptist minister and a farmer.
Nancy Hart was Andrew J.'s second wife and was many years (essentially, a
generation) younger that he. Her parents, Andrew Jackson Hart and Charlotte
Hart, came from NC sometime before 1840 and settled in Lee County, VA.
Andrew J. and Nancy Wells had at least four children as far as I am aware:
Charlotte (1882-1974), Minerva V. (1886-1979), Nannie (1894-1955), and Jim.
Minerva married a man named Hill, and Nannie, a man named Jones. I don't know
much about Jim--only that he served in the First World War and had been gassed
(and thus, was in poor health for much of his life). Grannie (i.e.,
Charlotte) married Edward Williams in 1896, and they moved to Spaulding, AL,
where Edward worked as an ore miner. Apparently, Nancy, Minerva, and Nannie
followed Charlotte and Edward to AL, as they are all buried near Spaulding.
However, about 1910, Charlotte and Edward separated, and she moved back
northward to West Virginia. She lived the rest of her life in During (near
Bluefield), WV, and later remarried to a man named Sam Mabry after Edward was
killed in a mining accident.
I am very interested in learning more about the family of Andrew J. Wells and
Sarah Brickey and about Jeremiah and Zachariah Wells and the earlier
ancestors. I will be happy to share any information I have.
Sincerely,
David Walter Williams
328 Park Avenue
Swarthmore, PA 19081
P.S. In case you are wondering, Sarah Williams, who made a posting earlier
today, is my aunt.