Wells
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Wells Surname Genealogy
Wells derives from the Anglo-Saxon word waella which described a spring (rather than a well) and probably a spring associated with a holy place. The surname Wells might describe either someone who llived by a spring or someone from a place called Wells.
The two main place names for Wells in England have been the cathedral city of Wells in Somerset and the village of Wells-next-the-Sea in north Norfolk. They both appeared in the Domesday Book, as Weile and Guella respectively. The surname Welles is thought to have originated from the Lincolnshire village of Well, also to be found in the Domesday Book. Welles has persisted as a surname, although it has usually contracted to Wells.
England. Wells place names provided the earliest instances of Wells's use as a surname:
There was also an early Wells outpost in north Yorkshire, in and around Ripon. Robert Welles held land at Galphay in the parish of Kirkby Malzeard in the 1550's. The family farm, Cow Myers, stayed with the Wells until the 19th century. William Wells grew up in Thirsk in the 1750's.
They travelled to Boston and eventually settled in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Scotland. The Wells name is to be found in Dumfries, but pronounced as "Walls." James and Mary Wells of Dumfries who boarded the boat for Australia in 1852 were in fact listed as Walls.
Ireland. Irish Wells seemed to be concentrated in Ulster (mainly in Antrim) and were probably of English or Scottish descent.
America. Among the early Wells arrivals in America were:
In Louisiana, Levi Wells had secured land from the Spanish in the 1790's in Rapides parish and started the family's cotton plantations. His sons James Madison and Jefferson Wells were planters there and active in the local politics in the years up to the Civil War (James was briefly Governor of the state in 1864).
Daniel Wells had emigrated to Salt Lake Valley with the Mormon pioneers in 1848. His family became politically prominent in Utah's early years, intermarrying with other prominent local families such as the Cannons, the Grants, and the Bennetts.
Canada. One of the first Wells in Canada was possibly William Wells from Thirsk in Yorkshire who arrived in New Brunswick in 1773 and settled with his family in Point de Bute. Another Wells family, this time from Ireland, came to Guysboro, Nova Scotia around 1802. Later Wells here were sea captains.
There were Wells among the Loyalists who migrated north to Canada after the Revolutionary War. One such was William Wells from New Hampshire. He crossed the border as a young lad in 1787 and settled in the Maitland area along the St. Lawrence river. His son W.B. Wells became actively involved in the Reform politics of the 1830's.
Select Wells Miscellany
Select Wells Names
Adam de Welles distinguished himself in warfare and was made Baron de Welles by Edward I in 1299.
Henry Wells was the 19th century American businessman instrumental in the founding of both the American Express Company and Wells Fargo.
Ida Wells, born a slave in Mississippi, was an early crusader for civil rights in America.
Sister Jane Wells was a Victorian nursing heroine revered almost as much as Florence Nightingale in her time.
H.G. Wells was the English writer best known for his science fiction works like War of The Worlds.
Orson Welles was the American film director, writer and actor, who first scared audiences in 1938 with his radio renditon of H.G. Wells' War of The Worlds.
Select Wellses Today
Site Map: Select Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames
Wells derives from the Anglo-Saxon word waella which described a spring (rather than a well) and probably a spring associated with a holy place. The surname Wells might describe either someone who llived by a spring or someone from a place called Wells.
The two main place names for Wells in England have been the cathedral city of Wells in Somerset and the village of Wells-next-the-Sea in north Norfolk. They both appeared in the Domesday Book, as Weile and Guella respectively. The surname Welles is thought to have originated from the Lincolnshire village of Well, also to be found in the Domesday Book. Welles has persisted as a surname, although it has usually contracted to Wells.
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Wells
Resources on
The
Internet
- The Wells Genealogy Pages. Wells UK genealogy.
- The Wells Family. Wells from Itteringham in Norfolk.
- Wells Homepages. Early Wells in America.
- Welles Family Association. Thomas Welles of Connecticut and descendants.
- Aaron and Ruth Wells Family Association. Early Wells settlers in Kentucky.
- The Wells Family. Wells in Louisiana.
- The Menominee Wellses. Wellses of Menominee, Michigan.
- The Wells Family. Wells in Nova Scotia.
- Wells DNA Project. Wells DNA.
England. Wells place names provided the earliest instances of Wells's use as a surname:
- Edward de Wells was a 12th century landowner in the city of
Wells, Somerset. His sons Hugh and Jocelin both became bishops,
Hugh of Lincoln and Jocelin of Bath and Wells.
- Adam de Welles of Lincolnshire was made the 1st Baron de Welles
in the 13th century. Later Barons fought and died in the Wars of
the Roses (including Sir Robert Welles who was executed for rebellion
in 1469). Anne Welles of this family was the great great great
grandmother of Anne Boleyn.
There was also an early Wells outpost in north Yorkshire, in and around Ripon. Robert Welles held land at Galphay in the parish of Kirkby Malzeard in the 1550's. The family farm, Cow Myers, stayed with the Wells until the 19th century. William Wells grew up in Thirsk in the 1750's.
"A mason, he built the Methodist Chapel
at Thirsk and knew John Wesley, who hand knelt in prayer with William
and his wife Margaret and commended them both to the Divine protection
when they left Yorkshire."
They travelled to Boston and eventually settled in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
Scotland. The Wells name is to be found in Dumfries, but pronounced as "Walls." James and Mary Wells of Dumfries who boarded the boat for Australia in 1852 were in fact listed as Walls.
Ireland. Irish Wells seemed to be concentrated in Ulster (mainly in Antrim) and were probably of English or Scottish descent.
America. Among the early Wells arrivals in America were:
- Thomas Welles from Stourton in Warwickshire, who came to Hartford, Connecticut in 1636 and later settled in Wethersfield. He was for a short time the colonial governor of the Connecticut colony.
His descendants were numerous and
included Gideon Welles, the Secretary of the Navy during the Civil War;
Roger Welles, San Diego's first "navy mayor" during World War One;
Henry Wells who founded both the American Express Company and the bank
Wells Fargo; and Daniel Wells the Mormon, an early mayor of Salt Lake
City. There are also believed to be connections to Gerald Ford,
Nancy Reagan,
and Sarah Palin.
The Descendants of Thomas Welles by Donna H. Semiatkoski was published in 1990.
The Descendants of Thomas Welles by Donna H. Semiatkoski was published in 1990.
- Thomas Wells, who had arrived with his parents in 1635 and later
settled in Hadley, Massachusetts. One branch of this family moved to
Vermont and included in their number the Civil War General William
Wells. Another went south to Louisiana in the late 1700's and
held sway there until the Civil War.
- William
Wells of Northold, who came to New England in the
1630's. Tradition has him as one of the founders of Northold on
Long Island in 1640. It was the first English settlement in what
was then Dutch New Amsterdam.
This Wells' lineage has been the
subject of two books, William Wells
of Southold and His Descendants by the Rev. Charles
Wells Hayes in 1878 and William
Wells of Southold by Walter M. Wells a century later in 1986.
- Stephen Wells, who came to Richmond county, Virginia in
1662. His descendants headed south in 1819 to
Louisiana. William Wells and his family were among the first
settlers of the Ponchatoula area of Louisiana.
- James Wells, who was brought to Maryland in 1669. He was
the progenitor of the Little Wells family of the
early 1700's in Baltimore (as opposed to the Big Wells family also there
at that time).
In Louisiana, Levi Wells had secured land from the Spanish in the 1790's in Rapides parish and started the family's cotton plantations. His sons James Madison and Jefferson Wells were planters there and active in the local politics in the years up to the Civil War (James was briefly Governor of the state in 1864).
Daniel Wells had emigrated to Salt Lake Valley with the Mormon pioneers in 1848. His family became politically prominent in Utah's early years, intermarrying with other prominent local families such as the Cannons, the Grants, and the Bennetts.
Canada. One of the first Wells in Canada was possibly William Wells from Thirsk in Yorkshire who arrived in New Brunswick in 1773 and settled with his family in Point de Bute. Another Wells family, this time from Ireland, came to Guysboro, Nova Scotia around 1802. Later Wells here were sea captains.
There were Wells among the Loyalists who migrated north to Canada after the Revolutionary War. One such was William Wells from New Hampshire. He crossed the border as a young lad in 1787 and settled in the Maitland area along the St. Lawrence river. His son W.B. Wells became actively involved in the Reform politics of the 1830's.
Select Wells Miscellany
If you would like to read more, click on the miscellany page for
further stories and accounts:
Select Wells Names
Adam de Welles distinguished himself in warfare and was made Baron de Welles by Edward I in 1299.
Henry Wells was the 19th century American businessman instrumental in the founding of both the American Express Company and Wells Fargo.
Ida Wells, born a slave in Mississippi, was an early crusader for civil rights in America.
Sister Jane Wells was a Victorian nursing heroine revered almost as much as Florence Nightingale in her time.
H.G. Wells was the English writer best known for his science fiction works like War of The Worlds.
Orson Welles was the American film director, writer and actor, who first scared audiences in 1938 with his radio renditon of H.G. Wells' War of The Worlds.
Select Wellses Today
- 50,000 in the UK (most numerous in Sussex)
- 51,000 in America (most numerous in New York)
- 34,000 elsewhere (most numerous in Canada).
Site Map: Select Names
The Origin/Spread of Surnames
For other surnames check the companion selectsurname.com site where there are to be found the history and genealogy for more than 500 surnames.