As a Zachariah Wells descendant and researcher I have always noticed
that in the part of Virginia where Zachariah lived before the Revolutionary War
there were no other Wells. As Zachariah made his move to Wilkes County and
later to Lee County he didn't move alone. Names like Osborne, Pennington, Blevins,
Ward, Landreth and others seem to move with him. But no matter how hard you
looked there were no other records of Wells in Fincastle or Montgomery County,
Virginia records. There was a Wells Ward that always jumped out at you but no
Wells. Could Wells Ward be related to Zachariah?
According to the parish records of Queen Anne's Parish, Prince George's
County, Maryland, Wells Ward was born on 30 June 1735. He was the son of
Nathan and Margaret Ward. Nathan Ward was born in the same parish on 12 February
1713. Nathan was the son of James and Susanna Ward. According to the Wells
Chronicles Vol. 3 #3 page 266 James Ward died and his widow Susanna remarried later
to George Wells, son of Thomas Wells, Sr., Prince George's County, Maryland.
This means Nathan Ward named his son, Wells Ward, after his step father George
Wells.
In the 1773 and 1774 Zachariah Wells is identified as being on the tax
roles of William Herbert's district of Fincastle County, Virginia. IN 1771 and
1772, Wells Ward is identified as being on the tax roles of William Herbert's
district of Fincastle County, Virginia. Also in these records are Enoch,
Ephraim, Jonathan and Stephen Osborne who everyone assumes must be related to
Abigail Osborne, Zachariah's wife.
In a genealogy of Wells Ward it mentions his daughter Elizabeth married
James Blevins, Sr. Wells Ward's son Nathan had children with the first names
of Stephen, Nathan, Wells, Zachariah, Jeremiah, Enoch, Landreth and others.
Zachariah Wells eldest son Thomas married a Rebecca Blevins who is supposed to be
a daughter of a James Blevins. Zachariah's son William married a Susannah
Ward.
Just some food for thought. I thought the Zachariah Wells descendants
through his sons Thomas and William might find this interesting.
I am making slow progress in my attempt to connect Zachariah, Aaron,
Robert and Augustine to Thomas Wells, Sr., Prince George's County, Maryland. I
spent Friday at the Frederick County courthouse and Saturday in the Frederick
County Historical Society library. Thankfully Maryland is not like Virginia and
changed county names 6 or 7 times. The only counties I will be involved with
are Prince George's, Frederick and Washington. I live in Washington County.
Will keep everyone posted.
Andy