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John Wells (1741 - 1819)

John Wells
Born in Bucks, Pennsylvaniamap
Ancestors ancestors
Husband of — married [date unknown] [location unknown]
Descendants descendants
Died at about age 78 in Cleveland, North Carolina, United Statesmap
Problems/Questions
Profile last modified | Created 9 Jun 2011
This page has been accessed 1,119 times.

Genealogy clue: According to Wells family DNA researcher, John Wells is a genetic match back to Henry Wells of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. It has been determined by DNA study of his descendants that he belongs to a different family. (i.e. not the family of Joseph Wells of the Mattapony Hundred and Boyling Spring in Maryland and of Cane Creek in North Carolina.

This man is a DAR patriot for his service at the Battle of Kings Mountain, which was fought in his back yard.

Biography

Note: This biography was copied verbatim from the findagrave website. Thank you to Hope, the writer of the FindAGrave biography:

The origin of John Wells prior to his arrival in what was then Tyron Co, NC (later Lincoln, now Cleveland), is somewhat elusive. Family legend has it that he said he was from Chester PA. John Wells along with his brother James, migrated to the area of what was then part of the former Tryon Co. NC (later Lincoln, now Cleveland) between 1769 & 1772, when John appears in records and obtained several land grants in the area south of the town of Kings Mtn. and near the site of the Battle of Kings Mtn. of the Revolutionary War, in which John, a loyal patriot fought along with his friend and neighbor Col. Frederick Hambright. The name Wells has held a prominent place in the history of Cleveland since the arrival of these first two patriarchs; John & James Wells.

The home of John Wells still stands today. It is listed in the Cleveland Co. Heritage Book, 1892 as, John Wells Home, built 1780. The home of John Wells, pioneer and Revolutionary soldier, now covered with boarding, was built of hand-hewn logs in 1780. It was under construction during the Battle of Kings Mountain and the wounded from the battle were carried there for medical treatment. His marker in the Wells cemetery located nearby bears the following inscription "In memory of John Wells, who departed this life March the 4, 1819, aged 78 years" The home and cemetery are located about four miles south of King Mountain in the Dixon community in the southeast section of Cleveland County. From the house the site of the Battle of Kings Mountain can be seen. It is the oldest occupied house in Cleveland County.

His children were:

Aaron Wells

Rachel Wells Hambright

Priscilla Wells Whisnant

Joseph Wells

James Wells

Sarah Amanda Wells Whisenant

Robert H. Wells

Isaac Wells

John Wells

Mary Wells Collins


Sources

  • Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 18 June 2018), memorial page for John Wells (1741–14 Mar 1819), Find A Grave Memorial no. 11058304, citing Wells Family Cemetery, Kings Mountain, Cleveland County, North Carolina, USA ; Maintained by Hope (contributor 46790939) .
    • Daughters of the American Revolution, DAR Genealogical Research Databases, database online, (http://www.dar.org/ : accessed July 4, 2018), "Record of John Wells", Ancestor # A122526.


Acknowledgements

  • Special THANK YOU to Orin Wells, the administrator of the Wells DNA study. He assures the Wells family that they are genetically linked to the family of Henry Wells of Bucks County, Pennsylvania. This is by the yDNA study. (I have removed John Wells as a child of Joseph Wells and Margaret Swanson of Boyling Spring Maryland and Cane Creek North Carolina.)
  • Special THANK YOU to Hope, the manager of John Wells's FindAGrave website, for providing the biography of John Wells.




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DNA Connections
It may be possible to confirm family relationships with John by comparing test results with other carriers of his Y-chromosome or his mother's mitochondrial DNA. However, there are no known yDNA or mtDNA test-takers in his direct paternal or maternal line. It is likely that these autosomal DNA test-takers will share some percentage of DNA with John:

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Comments: 4

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Peter Grubb (and wife Martha Bates Wall) became an iron master and owned the Cornwall Furnace and the Hopewell Furnace (located in Berks County PA). Cornwall in Lebanon county PA is named for the town of Cornwall in England where John Wells of John and Susanna (Martin) Wells was supposedly born). FYI Joseph and Margaret Wells donated the land where Harmony Church, in Morgantown Berks county PA is built and many Wellses are buried. See Peter Grubb info in the Biographic Annals of Lancaster County PA.
posted by J Silknitter
I have information regarding John and James. (I have seen the last name as Woells and understand they may have written the last name as Wall) from Chester County, PA. According to a Chester County Historical leaflet a John Wall (born ~ 1718) and James Wall from Chester County, PA traveled to North Carolina (written in Quaker meeting records). John Wall married Phoebe Buffington at Bradford Meeting (Chester County, PA) in 1740 . John's father's name was James Wall who died in East Caln township Chester County, PA. John's mother was the daughter of Jeremiah and Mary Bates of Newtown Township Gloucester Co. NJ. John's mother (After his father James died) married Peter Grubb ironmaster and uncle to Phoebe Buffington. John Wall was a millright and for several years stayed in East Caln but in 1759 he removed to lower Chichester in Delaware County. In 1766 the family moved to Rowan County in North Carolina. Several letters from them to their relatives in Pennsylvania are preserved. Phoebe's brother, Peter apprenticed with John Wall but became dissatisfied and apprenticed with his brother Samuel Buffington as a mason. Peter married Hannah Waite and moved to North Carolina 1765. Peter had a son named Moses and one of John Wall's sons name was Richard and in a letter it was noted they were building a mill for Robert Caughren. Phoebe's brother name was Nathaniel. Nathaniel's aunt Charity Beeson, wrote a letter to Nathaniel's mother (her name was Phoebe and her husband's name was Richard). In this information it also mentions Croas Crick, North Carolina. There is a Grubb road in Northern Delaware near the Pennsylvania/Delaware border. Please let me know if any of this information is useful. (I am Wells W032)
posted by J Silknitter
edited by J Silknitter
I, too, am descended from Henry Wells, died 1714, Bucks County, Pennsylvania. My YDNA having been tested by FamilyTreeDNA, Orin Wells assigned me to the W013 Wells family. I believe the subject John Wells is also a member of the W013 Wells family.
posted by James Wells
John Wells-1578 and James Well-1579 have quite different birthplaces but the dates is the same. Charity Wells-1577 is in South Carolina as is James Wells-1579
posted by Sheri Havens

Rejected matches › John Wells (-1820)

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