This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/SCWBAIB/4515 Message Board Post: I'm going to list my line from its known beginning to the end of its Vermont residency first. William Wells b. 1608 (England-Wales?) to November 13, 1671, Southold, L. I. Joshua Wells b. 1664 Southold, Suffolk County d. 1744 Southold Joshua Wells II b. 1691 Southold d. April 9, 1761 Southold Joshua Wells III b. Abt 1716 Southold d. 1791 Amenia, N. Y. Selah Wells b. April 1, 1750 Southold d. March 3, 1842 Newbury, Vermont (sometimes "Newberry") Ebenezer Wells b. July 08, 1779 Southold m. December 10, 1801 Marshfield, Vermont Susanna Spencer d. January 19, 1855 Wheatland, Michigan Gideon Spencer Wells b. November 11, 1809 Peacham, Vermont d. January 22, 1894 Wheatland, Mich. Peacham and Marshfield are in the same general area as Newbury in Vermont. Last week I purchased a book titled; "History of Newbury, Vermont", (1704 - 1902, or "From the discovery of Coos country to the present time") by Frederic P. Wells, published St. Johnsbury, Vt., the Caledonian Co., 1902 The Rev. Charles Wells Hayes 1878 publication loses my line after showing Selah's marriage to Mehetable Tuthill and the birth and death dates of only one child, Nancy Jane 1774 - 1818 (who must have stayed on L. I. after her father went to Vt.) I was curious about the Vermont book, knowing, from another source I'll shortly name, that this is the area my people came from and was further encouraged that the book was wriiten by a Wells. It was a combination of delight and gnawing curiosity to find my people in this book. Delight because it was obviously, not only my family but the author's, Frederic P., and concern because in a 779 page book old Fred only devoted ONE page to his own family. Is this a piety unknown in the annals of family genealogists? One that only the Reverend Hayes could appreciate (he who saw churchmen everywhere in our tree, to the exclusion of more colorful personalities no doubt)? My answer came in the dated memeographed copies handed down to me and titled; "Family Tree of Henry Spencer Wells, 1842 - 1916" "(Prepared in 1968 by his grandson, Roger Hewes Wells)" Henry was one of Gideon's (above) sons and another step in my direction. It is a short presentation, lacking standard trees, siblings off the straight descendency and includes the maddening error of William I's Norwich parents (see my other post today). But what it does provide are some personal anecdotes and adds character and some color for studies too often dry and factual in our research and doubtless an oasis for the boggle-eyed name and number crunching that makes up the diet of most our research. In Roger's paper (Roger, my grandfather's cousin, was a professor at Bryn Mawr College) he originally offered up that; "The American Revolution (1775 - 1783) was a time of trouble for the families of Joshua III and Selah Wells. The British, after defeating Washington at the Battle of Long Island in August 1776, occupied the entire island. Some colonists, among them John Wells, brother of Joshua III, fled to Connecticut, and did not return until 1780 when the British evacuated the eastern part of the island. (They did not leave NYC until November 1783.) The colonists who remained on Long Island during the military occupation either supported the British out of conviction or were forced to swear allegiance to King George III. THE VERMONT HISTORIAN FREDERICK (sic) PALMER WELLS (died, 1935; he was a great-grandson of Selah Wells) BELIEVED THAT JOSHUA III AND SELAH WERE LOYALISTS (TORIES)." !!!!! Later Roger hears from his own Aunt Maude that this is poppycock. Maude, on the basis of Selah's war record (following) was admitted to the D. A. R. (Daughters of the American Revolution). This explains why the author Frederic, in his own lengthy work, gives such short biography on his own family....he was ashamed !!!!!!! Here are the facts (I only hope that an ashamed Frederic learned the truth between his 1902 publication and his demise in 1935). First from a corrected Roger; " In 1775, Selah signed the Association Test which all Americans who opposed the British were urged to sign. In the previous year (1774), the Continental Congress had passed the non-intercourse resolution, calling for an economic boycott of Britain. Selah's signature indicated that he supported the Congress. Selah's older brothers, Joshua IV and David, saw military service against the British. According to the Rev. Charles E. Craven (A History of Mattituck, Long Island, published in 1906, p. 143), Joshua IV was a corporal in one of the two militia companies from Southold which fought in the Battle of Long island. After Selah and his father moved to Amenia, Dutchess County, New York in 1780, the War Department records show that "Shelah" Wells of that county was on the roll of a militia regiment based in Albany County........" In the end Roger wrestles with the traitorous claims (believed by poor Frederic) but dismisses them, for Loyalists were extremely unpopular after the war (and during) and anyone holding such sympathies would have moved further away than Amenia. Indeed it seems just as likely that Joshua III and Selah left Long Island BECAUSE the British were all over it. Another explanation for the move is that Long Island, having been populated by progeny of farmers, in large family units, for over 150 years, was getting quite crowded. Here I recreate the sadly brief offerings of Frederic on his own family from his book (minus the damnable erroneous claim to Norwich, England and starting with Selah); V. Dea. SELAH, b. Southold, April 1, 1750; m. at Aquebogue, (L. I.) N. Y.. Mehitabel Tuthill, (b. April, 1753; d. Newbury May 6, 1838). They rem. to Amenia, Dutchess County, N. Y., in 1780, to Marshfield, (Vt.) 1798, and about 1836, came to live with her son, John, On Ingalls hill, New- -bury, where she d., and he d. March 3, 1842, where his grandson, David T. Wells ,long lived. He was the first deacon of the Congregational church, at Marshfield. Seven children, of whom the following settled in Vt. i. Joseph, b. Southold, Aug. 14, 1776; d. in Burlington, Jan. 1861 1 ii. Ebenezer, b. July 8, 1779; lived in Marshfield, Peacham and Newbury, but d. in Michigan, Jan. 19, 1855 2 iii. John, b. Feb. 9, 1890; d. June 4, 1862 1 Ebenezer, m. Susanna Spencer of Marshfield, and their c. were: Electa, m. B. F. Tilton of Danville; Tabitha, M. Joseph Morton of Michigan; Dea. Gideon S., d. in Michigan; George G., b. March 20, 1816, lives in St. Johnsbury; Charles K., lived in Burke, but died in rebel prison at Andersonville, and Marvin Henry, who lived some years in Newbury, b. May 18, 1814. He m. Aug. 8, 1839, Harriet Bingham, (b. 1816; d. Newbury, May 4, 1849). C., (1) Charles, A., b. Newbury, June 6, 1841; served in Co. A, 4th Michigan Infantry; wounded at the battle of Malvern Hills, and d. in hospital July 7,1862. (2) Roxanna, b. March 15; d. April 1, 1843. (3) John Milton, b. Newbury, April 13, 1844; served from September, 1863 to May 8, 1865, in Co. M, Michigan Eng. and Mech. Regiment. He m. Lucinda Adelaide, granddaughter of John Wells of Newbury. Three c. (4) Edwin Allem b. Oct. 21, 1847; d. July 10, 1850. M. H. Wells m. 2d, March 26, 1850, Mrs. Phoebe Philbrick, who d. Aug. 13, 1856. he moved to Michigan that same year, and d. at Union City, Jan. 2, 1900. 2 John, b. Amenia, N. Y., Feb. 9, 1790; m. Marshfield, Sept. 12, 1812, Betsey Willis, (b. Windsor, April 6, 1789; d. Oct. 5, 1878) He served a few days as a 'plattsburg Volunteer." in the war of 1812; rem. to Bradford, 1825; to Ingalls hill, 1834, and to the center of town, 1842. He d. June 4, 1862. Children, all b. in Marshfield except the last: i. Lucinda W., b. April 30, 1814; m. Dec. 5, 1833, William, son of John Moore of Bradford; rem. to Michigan, 1843; d. Union City, Mich., Dec. 20, 1894. Of their c., these were b. in Vermont: (1) Harriet, b. Bradford, Sept. 11, 1835; m. Cornelius Bancroft of Michigan. Their dau., Rose E., m. George B. Barnett of Newbury, q. v. , and her ister, amelia S., has been a teacher here. (2) William Henry, b. Newbury, Jan. 26, 1842; served two and one half years in Co. I, 9th Michigan Cavalry. Res. Elk Rapids, Mich. ii. Jonathan, b. May 22, 1815; d. March 2, 1822 3 iii. David Tuthill, b. Jan. 18, 1817 iv. Charlotte s., b. Feb. 12, 1819; d. June 7, 1884 v. Hiram T., b. July 28, 1822; farmer and stone- cutter; m. Nov. 30, 1854, Mary, dau. of Aaron Currier of Plymouth, N. H., where she d. Dec. 18, 1871. He d. Nov. 11, 1857. One son, Hiram F., b. Plymouth, July 8, 1857; m. Linnie A. Hunt, and lives at Plymouth; glove manufacturer and farmer. vi. Ruth P., b. April 25, 1824; m. Feb. 14, 1850, Oliver B. Elkins of Penacock, N. H., who d. Nov. 30, 1851; m. 2d, O. C. Barnett q. v. vii. Judith A., b. Feb. 21, 1829; m. Dr. William Webster, q.v. viii. Catherine S., b. Bradford, June 12, 1830; d. Sept. 23, 1831 3 David Tuthill, b. Marshfield, Jan. 18, 1817; came to New- -bury, 1834; in Illinois, 1838. '39; farmer and stone cutter; bought in 1841, the farm on which he afterwards lived; member of Congregational church 67 years, and chosen deacon in 1853, hold- -ing the office 46 years. he m. at Brighton, Me., September 14, 1846, Maria, dau. Dudley and Abigail (Pickering) Palmer, (b. Brighton, May 14, 1813; d. June 15, 1897). He d. May 6, 1899. Children; i. Maria Elizabeth, b. Nov; d. Dec. 21, 1847 ii. Frederic Palmer, b. Nov. 14, 1850; farmer on homestead; m. June 30, 1897, Katherine, dau. L. L. Tucker, C. Mary Elizabeth, b. Oct. 2, 1898 That is the contribution to his line from Frederic's book and it is appreciated. That is also some of the information from Roger Hewes Wells that is available only to those who have the aging memeograph copies in their posessions. Unknown to Frederic is that these were not the only Civil War volunteers who either died or were wounded. Henry Spencer Wells (son of Gideon, grandson of Ebenezer) was wounded twice, captured twice. His is another story for another post.