The Aaron Wells and Ruth Wiggins Family Association winter issue of the newsletter will be in mail today. I've shared the DNA article with you all and thanks to Orin for his constructive comments, I hope that it will lead to even more participation from our family. Even though most of the descendants are well documented, occasionally a mystery pops up. Here is another article which I want to share with you all. Lineage Links The Mystery of Jackson Wells Sometimes it pays to go over a plowed field again. You never know what will turn up that you didn’t see the first time. A recent look at the 1850 Census of Nicholas Co., Kentucky demonstrated the value of that practice. There, in the midst of all the familiar Wells (on the same page as William W., Matilda and family), was Jackson Wells, age 30, with Susan, 30; John W., 4 ; Saml. L., 3; James H., 2/12; and Amey, 50. By the 1860 Census, Jackson had left Kentucky and was apparently enumerated twice in Adams Twp., Decatur Co., Indiana, despite the discrepancies. The first time as Jackson Wells, age 41; with Susan, 35; John, 14; Samuel, 12; James, 10; Andrew, 6; Zacchariah, 4; Lafayette, 2; and Charles, 6/12. The second time as H. G. [?] Wells, age 42; with Susan, 43; John, 16; Samuel, 14; James, 10; Andrew, 6; Zac, 4; Lafayette, 3; and Charles 10/12. Andrew and the younger sons were born in Indiana. I “lost” the family after this date when I got a lucky break. The International Genealogical Index listed a Lafayette Elmer Wells born in “Decater” Co., Indiana to “Henery” Jackson Wells and Susan Kirkman. Lafayette married Leonora Ezell, November 24, 1881 in Collinsville, St. Clair Co., Illinois, so the chase was on again. St. Clair Co. is right across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. Lafayette Wells was widowed, living alone in the 1900 and 1910 Censuses of St. Louis. The rest of the family continues to elude me. Here’s a challenge to all our cousins who love a good genealogical puzzle. Where is the family of Henry Jackson Wells after 1860? And just who was he? An unknown son of Nathan? Unrelated? Or was the “Amey” Wells with his family, his mother and was she Ruama Wells? We know Ruama was alive in 1845 and unmarried when she received her portion from Uriah’s purchase of his father Aaron’s farm. She isn’t recognizable in either the 1850 or 1860 Censuses of Nicholas Co., Kentucky until she reappears in the 1870 Census of Robertson Co., Kentucky in the household of her brother, Uriah Wells and family. In the Callon Bible list of children, her name was spelled “Ruamy”. How was it pronounced : “Roo-ah-mah” or “Roo-ay-mee”? What is the answer to the mystery of Jackson Wells?

I don't have any special insight here and I am curious enough to spend a bit on it too. But I have one observation that may be of some significance. Jackson was a name used in the Zachariah Wells family of Wise/Lee County Virginia. Although I think it was Andrew Jackson rather than Henry Jackson. Further this Jackson was born in Kentucky, not Virginia. You will note that on one census you identified a son named Zachariah. Could it be that Aaron and Zachariah Wells were more closely related than we have previously thought? What if Henry Jackson Wells was from the Zachariah Wells family, is from a branch that wandered off to Kentucky and for whatever reason just happened to be temporarily living among the Aaron Wells descendents in 1850? It sounds like "he didn't find it there, so he moved on" as the song goes. Since they appear to have mover fairly soon afterward to Indiana. I looked at the 1860 census. It surely does look like they were enumerated twice and that is another mystery. The same chap did the enumerating in both cases - Sandford Grayson. The first was done on July 26th and the next on July 27th. I can't believe that he couldn't tell he had just seen this family. Given the slight differences it looks to me like he may have taken the information from two different individuals. The second set is more accurate. I wonder if he happened upon one of the kids at the first location and then one of the parents at the second. Who knows without some additional evidence. At first I was not able to find them in the 1870 census either then I found them listed as Wiles in Washigton Township, Decatur Co., Indiana H. J. Wiles 53 b: KY Susannah Wiles 52 b: KY James Wiles 19 b: KY Squire Wiles 16 b: KY (this has to be Andrew) Lafayett Wiles 11 b: KY Char(s) Wiles 10 b: KY (Now why they show all born in KY is yet another mystery). What I would really like to do is find Jackson in the 1880 census so we can see where his parents were born. But I couldn't find them. At 07:22 AM 2/11/2006, Patricia Straube wrote: >The Aaron Wells and Ruth Wiggins Family Association winter issue of the >newsletter will be in mail today. I've shared the DNA article with you all >and thanks to Orin for his constructive comments, I hope that it will lead >to even more participation from our family. Even though most of the >descendants are well documented, occasionally a mystery pops up. Here is >another article which I want to share with you all. > >Lineage Links > >The Mystery of Jackson Wells > >Sometimes it pays to go over a plowed field again. You never know what will >turn up that you didn't see the first time. A recent look at the 1850 Census >of Nicholas Co., Kentucky demonstrated the value of that practice. There, in >the midst of all the familiar Wells (on the same page as William W., Matilda >and family), was Jackson Wells, age 30, with Susan, 30; John W., 4 ; Saml. >L., 3; James H., 2/12; and Amey, 50. By the 1860 Census, Jackson had left >Kentucky and was apparently enumerated twice in Adams Twp., Decatur Co., >Indiana, despite the discrepancies. The first time as Jackson Wells, age 41; >with Susan, 35; John, 14; Samuel, 12; James, 10; Andrew, 6; Zacchariah, 4; >Lafayette, 2; and Charles, 6/12. The second time as H. G. [?] Wells, age 42; >with Susan, 43; John, 16; Samuel, 14; James, 10; Andrew, 6; Zac, 4; >Lafayette, 3; and Charles 10/12. Andrew and the younger sons were born in >Indiana. > >I "lost" the family after this date when I got a lucky break. The >International Genealogical Index listed a Lafayette Elmer Wells born in >"Decater" Co., Indiana to "Henery" Jackson Wells and Susan Kirkman. >Lafayette married Leonora Ezell, November 24, 1881 in Collinsville, St. >Clair Co., Illinois, so the chase was on again. St. Clair Co. is right >across the Mississippi River from St. Louis. Lafayette Wells was widowed, >living alone in the 1900 and 1910 Censuses of St. Louis. The rest of the >family continues to elude me. Here's a challenge to all our cousins who love >a good genealogical puzzle. Where is the family of Henry Jackson Wells after >1860? > >And just who was he? An unknown son of Nathan? Unrelated? Or was the "Amey" >Wells with his family, his mother and was she Ruama Wells? We know Ruama was >alive in 1845 and unmarried when she received her portion from Uriah's >purchase of his father Aaron's farm. She isn't recognizable in either the >1850 or 1860 Censuses of Nicholas Co., Kentucky until she reappears in the >1870 Census of Robertson Co., Kentucky in the household of her brother, >Uriah Wells and family. In the Callon Bible list of children, her name was >spelled "Ruamy". How was it pronounced : "Roo-ah-mah" or "Roo-ay-mee"? > >What is the answer to the mystery of Jackson Wells? > > > >==== WELLS Mailing List ==== > Join Rootsweb > http://www.rootsweb.com > Orin R. Wells Wells Family Research Association P. O. Box 5427 Kent, Washington 98064-5427 <OrinWells@wells.org> http://www.wells.org Subscribe to the "Wells-L" list on RootsWeb