William C. Wells (abt. 1809 - 1862)

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 22 Jan 1862 at about age 53 in Wirt, Virginia, United States

Biography

The Baptist Church

The coming of the Baptist missionary was almost if not quite contemporary with those of the Methodists, and from that early date the church has ever been an integral factor in the religious work of the valley, and is today the prevailing denomination of the county. Prominent in its early history are the names Levi Wells, Sr., Jesse Woodyard, Vincent Dye, Calvin Crawford, Peter Conrad and J. D. Riley. These are the names of the founders of the church in the Little Kanawha valley.

Several congregations were collected throughout the county, but did not have an existence in the town of Elizabeth until the 26th day of October, 1844, although the place had been a preaching place for several years previously, the officiating ministers being the Rev. William McAboy, Jeremiah Dail, Cornelius Huff, Ephraim Dye and Enoch Rector. The first house of worship ever erected in the town was that of the First Baptist Church in the year 1836; it was near the site of the present residence of A.L. Wells, Esq. The site upon which it stood was obtained conditionally from William Woodyard--the condition that when it ceased to be used for religious purposes, it should revert to the said Woodyard or his heirs. The building was a framed structure, and was occupied until some time during the late war, when it was used as a barracks for the Federal army then stationed here, and by which it was so badly used that it was abandoned, and the lot upon which it stood was returned to the Woodyard heirs.

The present church building is a neat frame with a seating capacity of 400. The members constituting the church at the time of its organization, in 1844, were Isaac McDermond, Elizabeth McDermond, Jacob Conrad, Catharine Conrad, William C. Wells, Uree Wells, Susan Fisher, Elizabeth Wells, Bathsheba Coe, Thomas J. Gates and Anna Gates, all of which had taken letters from Bethesda Baptist Church for the purpose of forming the church here. The council from other sister churches appointed to confer with the members, before mentioned, as to the propriety of constituting the church at Elizabeth then in Wood county Virginia: A. Elliott, James Riley, Willis Leach and T. C. Byrd from Mount Zion Church; William C. Barrett and E. Dye from Stillwell Church; and George Owens, James Moss and Caleb Wiseman from Bethesda Church.

Rev. E. Rector, W.C. Barrett and J. D. Riley were the officiating ministers at the time of organization; E. Rector giving the right-hand of fellowship, and the exercises closing with prayer by J.D. Riley; W. C. Barrett, secretary. The first regular meeting was held on the 2d day of November, 1844, at 2 o'clock P.M., with William C. Wells as moderator, and Isaac McDermont clerk. At that meeting the church called their first pastor, Rev. J. D. Riley serving the church as pastor, preaching Saturday and Sunday each month until the 15th day of April, 1845. Rev. Riley resigned his pastorate of the church, which then engaged Rev. Isaac McDermont (a licentiate) to preach once a month until: they could get a regular ordained minister to preach for them.

On the 11th day of February James D. Yates was chosen clerk of church. On the 19th day of September, 1845, W. C. Barrett was chosen pastor, and served in that capacity until the 18th day of November, 1848. On the 17th day of June, 1847, William C. Wells and Jacob Conrad were ordained deacons of the church. Rev. Cornelius Huff was chosen pastor on the 16th day of December, 1848, and continued as such until the 16th day of April, 1850. J. S. A. Farrow was chosen on the 20th day of November, 1847, and continued as such until the 18th day of May, 1850. On Saturday the 18th day of May, 1850, the church by unanimous vote, called Rev. E. Rector to its pastorate, who remained as such until the 9th day of June, 1845.

Jephaniah Wiseman was chosen clerk on the 26th day of December, 1851, and continued as such until May, 1859. Rev. M. B. Edmonton was called to the pastorate of the church in April, 1859, and continued as such until the 20th day of December, 1862. William C. Wells was chosen clerk in May, 1859, and continued as such until June, 1860. In May, 1860, Rev. W.C. Wells was granted by the church license to preach the gospel. Rev. M. B. Edmonton was again called to the pastoral care of the church on the 15th day of September, 1860, and continued until November, 1862.

M.L. Lockhart was appointed clerk of church in June, 1860, and continued as such until the 15th day of May, 1876. Elder Jonathan Smith was called to the pastorate of the church on the 28th day of April, 1866,. and continued until November, 1866. The church then had no regular pastor until June, 1867, when the church then called Rev. John Moffat, who preached for the church until June, 1868. Rev. M. B. Edmonton was again called to the pastorate of the church on the 9th day of January, 1869, and continued until April, 1870. Rev. Patrick Murry was called in April, 1870, and continued until May, 1871. Rev. W.E. Powell was chosen pastor of the church on the 18th day of November, 1871, and continued as such until the 20th day of September, 1873.

Rev. George Burdett was next called to preside as pastor of the church from the 8th day of August, 1874, until the 12th day of August, 1876. Rev. H. Coffer was called as pastor by the church on the 29th day of December, 1877, and has continued with the church until the present time. L.C. Rogers was chosen clerk of the church, February, 1877 and is the present incumbent. L. H. Wells and C. W. Rogers are the present ordained deacons of the church. After their first house was destroyed the church then purchased a lot where their present home of worship now stands in 1865, and in 1867 erected upon it a neat frame building with a seating capacity of 350; the present membership is eighty five. In connection with their church is one of the oldest and most important Sabbath schools in the Little Kanawha valley; William Bissett is the present superintendent. ^[1]

Sources

1. ↑ [Hardesty's History of Wirt County]

• DESCENDANTS OF DAVID HOPKINS
• FindAGrave #96273199
• "West Virginia Marriages, 1854-1932," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XR4P-H2P : 10 February 2018), Wm. C. Wells in entry for George L. Wells and Ellenor Robinson, 03 May 1861; citing Wirt Co., West Virginia, reference ; FHL microfilm 163,924.