Joseph Wells was born on 30 Sep 1697 in Queen Anne Parish, Prince George's County, Maryland Colony. His "paper trail" parents were Thomas Wells and Frances Smith. The records were indexed in the 1920's, and are available at several sources. Here is the file as indexed by FamilySearch.org:
Birth Record as Indexed at Maryland Archives |
Joseph Wells had 2 known wives and possibly 3. Rachel is the first wife in question. She is only listed in one place as the mother of his first daughter, Rachel. This would be in the All Hallow's Protestant Episcopal church register in Anne Arundel County, Maryland. An article was written about this in the 1990's.[1] For descendants of Rachel Wells Wright, the Jamestowne Society accepts that her mother was actually Margaret Swanson, who has a lineage back to 1645 Jamestowne Burgess and chirurgeon, Dr Richard Wells.
Joseph Wells was married on April 11, 1721 at All Hallow's Parish, Anne Arundel County, Maryland to Margaret J. Swanson.[2] The All Hallow's church books are available to view online at the Maryland State Archives. Here is a screenshot from the 1721 marriage register:[3]
Marriage Record |
The above marriage record is from page 53 of the All Hallow's church book at Anne Arundel County, dated April 11, 1721. On page 54 of the All Hallow's church book, you will find the baptismal record of Rachel Wells, the daughter of Joseph Wells and "Rachel." [4] The All Hallow's Anglican church books are available to view online at the Maryland State Archives. The fact that the marriage and baptismal records are on sequential pages has led to much confusion and speculation regarding whether or not Margaret Swanson could actually be her mother. Here is a closeup from the Maryland State Archives:
Baptism of Rachel Wells |
As can be plainly seen, Rachel Wells was baptized on July 12, 1721, three months after the marriage of Margaret Swanson and Joseph Wells. This is the source of the controversy among descendants. Perhaps DNA evidence might be helpful in determining whether Margaret Swanson or Rachel Unknown was the mother of Rachel. In Cane Creek Quaker meeting records, Rachel Wells Wright named her mother, Margaret.
On December 8, 1726, Joseph Wells was living in Anne Arundel County, Maryland and paid taxes on the Mattapony Hundred of Prince George's County (now Frederick County, Maryland).
The birth of Joseph Wells's only documented son, Joseph Wells Junior, was recorded in the All Hallow's Protestant Episcopal church book on July 29, 1729. Here is a screenshot from the church record book at the Maryland State Archives:
Birth Record from All Hallow's Anglican Church Book |
Here is an endnote from an analysis paper published by Quaker researcher Richard M. Kelly, to provide evidence for Joseph Wells Sr.'s residence in the 1720s: [5]
Endnote 36 by Richard M. Kelly |
By 1742 Joseph Wells Senior had moved to the Monocacy Valley in west Prince George's County. His name is on a petition that sought the establishment of All Saints Parish from Prince George's County.[6] Note that another man named Isaac Wells also signed this petition. According to yDNA comparison of descendants of Isaac Wells and Joseph Wells these two men are unrelated.
Joseph & Isaac Wells signed a petition to create All Saints Parish |
Joseph Wells Senior bought land named "Boyling Springs," a forty-acre lot surveyed on June 12, 1743. According to the book "Pioneers of Old Monocacy" by Grace Tracey and John Dern, the land record says he came from Chester County, Pennsylvania. It is a research topic to get a copy of this land record. Another research topic is whether or not this land was suitable for a sawmill and furniture-making operation. Joseph Wells Senior and Junior were known to have moved to North Carolina in pursuit of the perfect site for a sawmill and cabinet-making operation.
Mill on a Boyling Spring |
The family's early records were from the Anglican, or Church of England, parish records. His daughter, Rachel (Wells) Wright became a Quaker minister. On November 29, 1745, his wife Margaret was received into the Quaker membership. Joseph Wells came to the Quaker faith a few months later, being received into Quaker membership on February 29, 1746. Here is Joseph Wells's conversion, recorded by the Fairfax Monthly Meeting:[7]
Joseph Wells Joins the Fairfax Quaker Church |
Joseph and Margaret Wells decided to move into the wilderness of North Carolina in approximately 1746. Two of their children were also involved in this move, specifically Rachel (Wells) Wright, a Quaker Minister, and Joseph Wells, Jr., a Quaker furniture maker. Joseph Wells and his namesake, Joe Wells, Jr., purchased land that was virgin timber. The Wells family had one of the earliest furniture making operations in the North Carolina Piedmont.
Cited as a Witness to a Quaker Marriage |
The Wells family initially joined the Quaker congregation at New Garden. However, it was quite a distance from the Cane Creek settlement. Rachel Wright and her father, Joseph Wells, were active in the establishment of a new meeting house at Cane Creek. Joseph Wells was one of the first overseers in this church community. Duties included questioning potential new members about their faith.
Joseph Wells Performing Overseer Duties |
About 1750 they sold "Boyling Spring", on Tuscorrah Creek near the mouth of the Monquescy, and moved to North Carolina. On 25 Jun 1750, his son Joseph Wells Junior and new bride Charity Carrington Wells received a certificate of removal to Carver's Creek Monthly Meeting in Bladen, North Carolina. This was in order to join Joseph Wells Senior and Margaret Swanson Wells, who had already moved there.
He and his wife were charter members of Cane Creek Monthly Meeting that was established on 07 Oct 1751.
On 13 June 1752 Joseph Sr. gave his son Joseph Jr., 269 acres of land in Orange County, North Carolina.
In September 1752 he sold another 137.5 acres of land to John Marshall.
His wife Margaret last appeared in the Quaker records in 1752 which could suggest that she had passed away some time thereafter. (C-575)
By late 1757, Joseph Wells was finding his overseer duties cumbersome. He requested to be relieved from the position at the last monthly meeting of 1757.
Joseph Wells Requests to Be Replaced as Overseer |
It is theorized that this Joseph Wells's wife, Margaret Swanson, died about the time that he resigned his post as overseer. Once his schedule was relieved of visiting people all over the countryside, he sought female companionship for his elder years. In 1758, Joseph Wells and Mary (Underwood) Cook, both widowed Quakers, were married at Cane Creek Monthly Meeting in Rowan County, North Carolina.
2nd Marriage for Widower and Widow |
This record from a Quarterly Meeting at New Garden Monthly Meeting in Guilford County, North Carolina, is suggestive that Joseph Wells may have been active as a regional representative for the Cane Creek Quakers as late as 09 Nov 1766.
Joseph Wells Appears at Quaker Quarterly Meeting |
1766 - Joseph Wells Attends Regional Quaker Elder Meeting |
He died after 09 Nov 1766 in Orange County, North Carolina and was buried at Cane Creek Friends Cemetery in Orange (now Alamance) County, North Carolina.
The last Will and probate of Joseph Wells, Sr. has not been located. At the time of his death, there were not regular court meetings or records, due to the political instability in the region. (i.e. the Regulator Movement and the upcoming Revolutionary War.)
By 01 March 1773, Joseph Wells' widow, Mary, requested a Quaker certificate to move closer to her children.
Widow of Joseph Wells Requests Certificate to Move |
In recent years, Joseph Wells's father has come into question. YDNA studies have proven that Thomas Wells was not his biological father. Evidently, Joseph's brothers lineages have the yDNA haplogroup G-M201. Joseph Wells's lineages are testing R-M512. The paper trail diverges from the yDNA trail. So, more testing and research is needed to untangle the mystery.(Source was Orin Wells's rootsweb page on the Wells DNA study at FamilyTreeDNA.com. These pages were removed in 2017.) Autosomal matching appears to indicate that the paper trail is sound to this point.(i.e. Through Joseph Wells Senior and his wife Margaret Swanson.) It is yet to be determined whether or not Frances Smith was the mother of Joseph Wells Senior.
Autosomal Match Between Descendants of Joseph Wells |
Autosomal DNA testing seems to indicate that Joseph Wells's eldest daughter, Rachel, may have been the daughter of Margaret Swanson. Some question regarding her mother's name is due to her incomplete birth record. There is an article in this Quaker publication that gives some credence to this theory: [5]
The Southern Friend, Article on Rachel Wells Wright |
Here is the original Quaker record, as cited in the above article by Richard M. Kelly:
Family Records of Rachel Wells Wright |
Viola Holden Jones asserts that DNA evidence proves Thomas Wells and Frances Smith are not parents of this Joseph. Quote: A person I have worked with for years had DNA test that proves Thomas and Frances do not match much to our disappointment. I will look up this information and send it to you. Thomas and Frances should be removed as parents of our Joseph. However, they did have a son Joseph.
A merged profile had a death conflict. The bio originally stated that he died in 1804-- that is the death of his son, Joseph Wells II.
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Joseph is 23 degrees from Herbert Adair, 20 degrees from Richard Adams, 14 degrees from Mel Blanc, 23 degrees from Dick Bruna, 15 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 30 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 13 degrees from Sam Edwards, 11 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 18 degrees from Marty Krofft, 14 degrees from Junius Matthews, 13 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 16 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
Please work out the biographical information and propose the merge again.