Hi all,
The Aaron Wells Family Association newsletter is in the mail. Here is the
article I wrote about the newest DNA findings. Since it's for
a general audience I don't go into lots of detail but I hope it covers the
salient points and catches my readers' interest..
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NEWFOUND KINSMEN OF AARON WELLS
JACOB WELLS
of BULLITT COUNTY, KENTUCKY
Another Wells descendant has matched our group. Billy Wells' great
grandfather was James M. Wells who married Sarah (Clark) Owen, 24 December
1833, in Bullitt Co., Kentucky. Sarah's first husband, John Shakell Owen,
had been killed by a falling tree just two years after their marriage. James
and Sarah soon moved to Daviess Co., and Billy's grandfather, Samuel M.
Wells and his family later lived in McLean Co. before moving west to
Arkansas where Billy's father, Rufus McKinley Wells was born. James was the
son of Jacob Wells who married Rebecca Orme, 6 April 1806, in Bullitt Co. He
was said to be Jacob Wells Jr., son of Jacob Wells and Elizabeth (Sedgwick?)
of Maryland. Jacob Sr. has long been thought to be a son of Nathan Wells who
married Mary Duckett, 13 December 1716, in Queen Anne's Parish, Prince
George's Co., Maryland. Nathan was a son of Thomas and Frances Wells of
Prince George's Co.
This, however, created a problem since another family, also claiming descent
from Thomas, has a completely different DNA pattern. Joseph and Margaret
Wells of Monocacy, Frederick Co., Maryland, were Quakers who later moved to
North Carolina and whose son Joseph Wells Jr. married Charity Carrington.
Descendants have long claimed that their ancestor, Joseph Sr., was identical
to Thomas Wells' son of the same name. These conflicting claims have raised
so many questions that the Wells DNA Project began seeking out other lines
from Thomas Wells for DNA testing.
ANDREW WELLS
of SEVIER COUNTY, TENNESSEE
Just as the newsletter was ready to go to print, I received an email from
Orin Wells of the Wells Family Research Association with the subject line:
Stop the presses!!! Results from another DNA match had just come in from a
descendant of Andrew Wells of Sevier Co., Tennessee and his third wife, Eve
Houk. Andrew's Revolutionary War pension file revealed that he was born May
16, 1755 "on the Potomac River within about two miles of the mouth of
Conoguchuguee [Conococheague] Creek." He was the son of Robert and Esther
Wells who left Maryland only a few years after his birth for Orange Co.,
North Carolina and then in 1772 to the South Carolina/Georgia frontier,
finally settling in Wilkes Co., Georgia. Robert was the son of Robert Wells
Sr. and his wife Ann. Robert, in turn, was the son of Thomas and Frances
Wells of Prince George's County.
It should be noted that in researching the ancestry of Isaac Kindred Wells,
who was discussed briefly in the January 2003 issue of the newsletter, Don
Claypool and I have come to the conclusion that he was most likely a
grandson of this same Andrew Wells and his second wife, Elizabeth Williams.
Obviously there still remain quite a few questions about the chain of
evidence along all three of these lines. However, as more results of the DNA
testing have come in, it appears more and more likely that Aaron's DNA
pattern, along with all his other newly discovered kinsmen matches that of
the immigrant ancestor, Thomas Wells of Prince George's County, Maryland.
THOMAS WELLS
of PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY, MARYLAND
Thomas Wells first appeared in the Maryland Historical Records (WC 2, Folio
50) when mentioned "24 Apr 1679 - Land to Robert Conant of Anne Arundell
county - rights to seven hundred acres of land for transporting himself,
Abigail his wife, Martha, Margaret and Ann his children into the province to
inhabit sixteen years since also for transporting Giles Hawley, Thomas
Wells, Francis Taylor, Edward Chub, Robert ___, Ann Waters, Mary Cole, Jno.
Cole, Susan Cole into the province to inhabit."
On the 26th day of August 1695, Thomas Wells appeared in the Maryland
records when he purchased a 200 acre tract of land named "Strife" on the
west side of the Patuxant River in Prince George's County.
Thomas' approximate year of birth is taken from a document in the Maryland
Chancery Records of 1714, (Liber 3, Folio 27) in which Thomas Wells
witnessed the boundary lines for an adjoining tract of land and is described
as "Thomas Wells, Senr. aged about sixty one years." This would place his
birth at about 1653.
Documented in the Queen Anne Parish Records, which began in 1692, and in the
will of Thomas Wells, dated 26 Sep 1718 and proved 05 Jan 1718/9, are the
names of his wife, Frances, and his children [birth dates and order of the
first five are estimates]: Thomas Wells b. circa 1683; George Wells b. circa
1685; Frances Wells b. circa 1687; Mary Wells b. circa 1689; Nathan Wells b.
circa 1691; Robert Wells b. 05 Aug 1693; Joseph Wells b. 30 Sep 1697 (twin);
Sarah Wells b. 30 Sep 1697 (twin); and Elizabeth Wells b. 11 May 1699.
Wells DNA Project Updates
Orin Wells has also announced that the Wells DNA Project website is in the
process of reorganization. Results are now being grouped together and our
Aaron and his kinsmen's results are on page 11:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~wellsfam/dnaproje/results11.html [We are family
#20]. Other improvements will be following shortly.
He has also announced that the project is accepting sponsorships (voluntary
donations) to offset the cost for those who find DNA testing a financial
hardship. These funds would primarily be used to assist test subjects in the
UK where the dollar is down significantly against the pound. Also, those
suspected of connecting to a branch in which uncertainty exists or who is a
strapped "brick wall" researcher may be considered. Those who are clearly
connected by genealogy to branches, which have a good DNA pattern already
established, probably would not be offered this support.
Orin R. Wells
Wells Family Research Association
P. O. Box 5427
Kent, Washington 98064-5427
website address:
http://www.rootsweb.com/~wellsfam/wfraone.html
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