Hello all, If anyone has any information on Wells' during the 1880s to 1890s I'd really appreciate it if you could try to match up some of my information. With the destruction of the census and my ancestor's apparent distaste for filing vital records I'm struggling to get past this point. Harry Robert Wells (my grandfather) claims on his death and military certificates that he was born in Charleston, WV on 2/14/1894. I've tried the county clerk and state archives and no one can verify that. How can that be? Was it actually possible for a person to be born and not have the record recorded? Thomas W. Wells (my great-grandfather) was said to have died in Charleston in 1894, the year of Harry's birth. Family lore from a deceased aunt also says Thomas was born in Williamsburg, VA on 5/9/1858. I have info saying that a Thomas W. Wells was living with an Emma F. Wells (see below) in the 1880 census, as a steamboat pilot (which I just find fascinating). I also have a marriage certificate for a Thomas and Emma F. Aumiller in 1880 which says that Thomas was 21 at the time, and Emma was 16 (one year off from what is in the census... another addition to my little mystery). The states of birth are what I have from the Aunt though. Minister was listed as M. E. Jackson. The county clerk and the State Archives don't have records of his death in Charleston, WV though. On Harry's marriage certificate he lists his father as Dr. Thomas A. Wells from Charleston, however the state archives wasn't able to locate a Dr. Thomas A. Wells from business directories of the time. Emma F. Aumiller(?)/Wells/Thompson/Arrington married Thomas and is probably the key to my mystery, but as you can tell by the long list of surnames involved I'm perplexed on her as well. What I do know for sure was that Harry's military records list his mom as Emma F. Thompson living in New Brighton, PA around 1915. Harry's death certificate lists her last name as Aumiller (probably info from Harry's wife). His marriage certificate says her last name was Arrington. And of course at some point she was married to Harry's father Thomas, as a Wells most likely. My goal is to link my grandfather, Harry, back to my great-grandfather, who ever that may be. I have good hints from the family that Harry's father is this Thomas W. Wells, but I really don't have any information to close the gap and it's just boggling my mind. I don't understand the lack of records. I don't understand how Harry could think he was born someplace that doesn't have a record of him. I don't understand how he could have thought his father was a Dr. and not have known his middle initial. There are so many questions and so little answers! I'm grasping at straws with this plea for help from you all but I thank you for at least reading this. Sincerely, Jason Wells