I have some other info i would like to pass on as food for thought, I
hope everyone got the last message with the attachment. But any way in
doing my research to try and over turn that stone with the lump of
gold....
I originally sent this to Orin to get his perspective and he suggested
that I send it on the Zack list to see if anyone else had any thoughts.
I have been using the GenForum to try and ferret out someone who may
have some clues. I have been posting on the Wells and Osborne and Osborn
forums and have gotten some responses from a Charles Osborne. He seems
to be knowledgeable, but his response have been rather confusing and
unclear and I feel may be about to muddy the waters even more. But if
what he says is verifiable it may add some more untrigue if not aother
layer to the Zachariah Lineage if I am reading it correctly. Here are
several of his responses in date order and see what you think:
In one posting dated 10/18/98 - in response to a posting I had he says:
Zach. Wells had a Loyal Land Co. grant in what is now Grayson Co., VA.
His assoc. with the Ephraim Osborn family, my line, being teh only
Osborn's there. His daughter Agness married my 4thg-grandfather Jonathan
Osborn, Ephraim's son in the house of Wells Ward in 1796. They were
probably cousins. No one knows the name of Zachariah's wife. Eliz. has
been suggested from one statement made by a Wells descendant. Abigail
Osborn daughter of James of Lee Co., VA, son of Caleb, brother to
Ephraim, married Zachariah Jr. The Zachariah name entered teh Osborn
family through Zack. Sr. Capt. Enoch Osborn, Ephraim's son named a son
Zachariah Osborn d. ca. 1877.
His next posting on another posting of mine, dated 11/15/98, is as
follows:
The ancestry of Zack Wells Jr's wife is well documented by the death
records of a daughter and the will of James Osborn. The land was in
Fincastle Co., VA when the Osborn's, Zack Wells and Wells Ward got their
land grants. The land books at Christiansburg, VA would describe teh
grant locations. Wells Ward is next to Wells in Loyal Land Compant list.
Zack Wells was paid as a scout in Fincastle Co., VA along with teh
Osborn's and Daniel Boone. By the Revolutionary War, he was living on
the North Forth of teh New River in Wilkes Co., NC. The Wells' were
Loyalists. See Mr. Kegley's book on SW VA for Tory Plot involving Wells,
Griffith and other families. Capt. Bej. Cleveland hung teh Loyalist Zack
Wells on the banks of teh Yadkin River. At the wars end, the land books
in Wilkes Co., NC show teh Osborn's and a Zack Wells were associated.
Agness Wells may have been staying with Wells Ward, perhaps a relative.
"Early Osbornes and Alleys" could not identify any daughters of Caleb
Osborn, except maybe one married to a Dedman. The discontinued Wells
Family Newsletter considerable info on the probable ancestry of Wells
from James, the immigrant.
The last posting I found from him in regards to something I had posted
was dated 12/01/98. It goes likes this:
The origin of teh name Elizabeth can be tracked back to 1974 Wells
Family Research Bulletin. But that was in reference to the wife of Zack
Jr. Elizabeth Osborn, perhaps teh Dau-in lam or Daughter of Caleb Osborn
was listed on teh list of Baptismals of Dutchman Creek Church in 1774.
Jemima Wells,oldest daughter of Zachariah Wells Jr. and Abigail Osborn
was born in NC in 1781. That would make Zach. Jr. b. ca. 1761 too old to
be teh son of Elizabeth. Zach Sr. was born in teh 1740's or before. I
don't see my Jonathan Osborn Marrying his niece, to some so old, if
Agness was a daughter of a sister to Jonathan.
I tehn went on to add my own thoughts to Orin, as follows:
You can see waht I mean by the confusionha has sent me. Were did Agness
come into the picture, I never mentioned an Agness in my postings. As to
ages at marriage, how would he know what they would have done in the
1700's. There were a lot cases where very young women were married to
older gentlemen, because they were young, string and had many child
bearing years in front og them. And many years of taking care of teh
family and farms, etc.
But like I said his info is very confusing, I sent a note to him to send
me somethingwith a better or clearer discription of hat he was trying to
say about all of this. It appears he has Zach Jr. married to an Osborn
not Zach Sr. Everyone related to Zack Jr. has him married to Rebecca
Shepard. Very Confusing.
I have also noticed a link between certian families, as he has noted in
one of his postings linking the Wells Ward, Osborn's and Zack. But I was
more interested in tteh apparent connection between Zack, Boggs' and
Pennington Families in NC and later in VA. If Zack was a Loyalist, I
doubt that the Pennington's would of had much to do with him, because in
NC tehy were response for judgements and sheriffing duties during teh
Revolutionary War and were definitely on teh winning side.
Any way has anyone else ever had any contact with Charles Osborn? Does
anyone have any thoughts about teh above info. Have any of you seen any
of this info before? Is any one out there? Thsi info does create some
confusion. Like I said at teh beginning this sort of reads like it could
add another level of Zachariah Wells in the family line. But it also
does give us some info on location names for possible research. Please
respond with some thoughts and ideas.
Claude E. Wells