Thomas Hutchinson Wells Sr (abt. 1793 - 1865)

Born about 1793 in North Carolina, USA [uncertain]

Husband of Barbara (Mayberry) Wells — married 1815 in Lick Creek, Hickman County, Tennessee, USA [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 15 Nov 1865 at about age 72 in Randolph, Arkansas, USA

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Greg Crouch [send private message]

This man is not to be confused with Thomas Wells, the son of John Wells Sr. and Mary (Polly) Hudspeth. That Thomas Wells was born 16 Jan 1803 and died before 13 Oct. 1858. The latest genetic analysis shows that this Thomas H. Wells Sr. and that John Wells Sr. have the same Y chromosome, but they are no closely related than cousins, or maybe uncle/nephew. However, it is clear that they are not father/son.

1891 Biography

GOODSPEED'S BIOGRAPHICAL AND HISTORICAL MEMOIRS OF NORTHEASTERN ARKANSAS 1891

Randolph County Arkansas - Excerpt from article for John Wells, a son of Thomas H. Wells Sr.

"Thomas H. and Barbara (Maybary) Wells, were born in South Carolina and Virginia in 1796 and 1798, and died in Randolph County, Ark., in 1869 and 1866, respectively. They were both taken to Davidson County, Tenn., by their parents when young, and there they grew to maturity and married, shortly after the latter event moving to Randolph County, Ark., where they resided until 1820, at that time taking up their abode in Washington County, Mo. After a short residence here they became dissatisfied and returned to Arkansas, where they spent the rest of their days. He served in the War of 1812, under Jackson and Coffee, and was at the Battle of Coosa. His youth was spent in learning the tanner's and blacksmith's trades, but he afterward gave up these occupations to engage in farming, and in this he was very successful. Politically he was a life-long Democrat. He and wife became the parents of fourteen sons and one daughter. Seven sons were in the Confederate army, serving all through the war, and returned home alive and well."

2021 Biography

Name

Thomas Hutchinson Wells Sr. ^{[1] [2][3] [4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] [11] [12] [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22] [23] [24] [25] [26] [27] [28] [29] [30] [31]}

Birth

Date: The above article lists Thomas Hutchinson Wells Sr's birth year as 1796, which is incorrect. According to the ages listed on the census records, he consistently places his own birth at 1793.

Birth Place: North Carolina or South Carolina, USA ^{[32] [33][34] [35] [36] [37][38]}

DNA

Haplogroup E1b1b, and more specifically, Haplogroup E1b1b1a, which was later revised to E-CTS2374.

This Wells family line is part of the W023 Wells family, as defined by the Wells Family Research Association

Childhood

Thomas Hutchinson Wells Sr. was most likely raised in what is now Maury County, Tennessee - not, as might be assumed by the Goodspeed article, modern-day Davidson County, which was much larger when it was created in 1783 and was subsequently divided into smaller counties.

Davidson County, Tennessee Maury County, Tennessee

Military Service

Event: Creek War - War of 1812 ^[39]

Unit: 4th Regiment (Steele's) West Tennessee Militia ^[40]

Dates: Mustered on 28 Jan 1814 with Captain John Cheetwood. Transferred on 14 Mar 1814 to Captain Creel

Place: Tennessee, USA ^{[41] [42]}

Thomas Hutchinson Wells Sr. actually served in the Red Stick War or Creek War, which was concurrent with the War of 1812, so the conflicts are often combined into one event. Therefore, rather than fighting the British in the War of 1812, he was in Alabama fighting the Creek Nation, after the events at Fort Mims.

Fort Mims Battle and Massacre

Fort Mims Massacre

Creek War of 1813-1814

Marriage

He was married soon after his military service.^[43][44] He likely met Barbara Mayberry in the area between Culleoka, Tennessee and the Hickman County line. They married around 1815, which likely took place at her father's farm just over the Maury County line in Hickman County on Lick Creek, just west of the Natchez Trace. GPS: 35.839656, -87.226061.

It was the promise of a land grant that took him farther west, across the Mississippi River into what became northeast Arkansas. After a short stay in Washington County, Missouri, he came back to what was then Lawrence County, Arkansas. However, when Randolph County was formed from Lawrence County on October 29, 1835, T.H. Well Sr's property was on the Randolph County side of the line, which is defined by the Spring River, as it flows through Imboden.

Lawrence County, Arkansas Randolph County, Arkansas

Children

Again, contrary to the Goodspeed article, Greg Crouch has only been able to find documentation for 11 sons and one daughter - not 14 sons and one daughter. Also, it appears that at least ten of his sons fought as Confederate soldiers in the American Civil War, with George Washington Wells (born 1828) being the most notable, having been raised to the rank of Major.

Land Grant

Format: htm. Permission to enter lands. Format: htm. Thomas H Wells 1793.

Residences

Residence:

Date: 1810

Place: Tennessee, USA

Residence:

Date: 1820

Place: Washington County, Missouri, USA

Residence:

Date: 1830

Place: Lawrence County, Arkansas Territory, USA ^{[45] [46]}

Residence:

Date: 1836

Place: Spring River, Lawrence County, Arkansas, USA ^{[47] [48] [49]}

Residence:

Date: 1840

Place: Lawrence County, Arkansas, USA ^{[50] [51]}

Residence:

Date: 1850

Place: Union, Lawrence County, Arkansas, USA ^{[52] [53]}

Residence:

Date: 1860

Place: Spring River, Lawrence County, Arkansas, USA ^{[54] [55]}

Slave Owner

In November of 1850, Thomas H. Wells owned ten slaves:

Born: 1800 - 50 Female Black

Born: 1830 - 20 Female Black

Born: 1832 - 18 Male Black

Born: 1833 - 17 Male Black

Born: 1834 - 16 Male Black

Born: 1835 - 15 Male Black

Born: 1837 - 13 Male Black

Born: 1843 - 7 Female Black

Born: 1845 - 5 Male Black

Born: 1847 - 3 Male Black

In 1860 Thomas H Wells owned nine slaves

Born: 1815 - 45 Female Black, perhaps the same as the 50 year old in 1850?

Born: 1830 - 30 Female Black, perhaps the same as the 20 year old in 1850?

Born: 1832 - 28 Male Black, perhaps the same as the 18 year old in 1850?

Born: 1834 - 26 Male Black, perhaps the same as the 17 year old in 1850?

Born: 1836 - 24 Male Black, perhaps the same as the 16 year old in 1850?

Born: 1838 - 22 Male Black, perhaps the same as the 13 year old in 1850?

Born: 1840 - 20 Female Black, perhaps the same as the 7 year old in 1850?

Born: 1846 - 14 Male Black, perhaps the same as the 5 year old in 1850?

Born: 1848 - 12 Male Black, perhaps the same as the 3 year old in 1850?

Death

Similarly, the Goodspeed article incorrectly stated his death date. The probate records for him, place his death on 15 November 1865 - Randolph County, Arkansas, United States. ^{[56] [57] [58]}

Probate

20 Nov 1865 - Randolph County, Arkansas, United States ^[59] Lawrence, Arkansas, USA. ^[60]

Burial

Location: The Wells-B Cemetery in Spring River Township, Randolph County, Arkansas, United States, three miles north of Imboden, Lawrence County, Arkansas, United States, at this GPS location: 36.237199, -91.184796.^{[61] [62]}

Sources

• Wells Family Research Association, http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~wellsfam/wfraone.html
• Source: Find-A-Grave Profile: Thomas H. Wells Sr.
• Source: Colonel Robert Steele's Unit

DESIGNATION: 4th Regiment West Tennessee Militia Infantry

DATES: January 1814 - May 1814

MEN MOSTLY FROM: Jackson, White, Bedford, Giles, Lincoln, and Maury Counties

CAPTAINS: James Bennett, Robert Campbell, John Chitwood, Samuel Maxwell, James Randals, Richard Ratton, James Shinault

BRIEF HISTORY: 
Part of the brigade led by General Thomas Johnson, this regiment was composed of about 450 men. Colonel Steele and his men were left at Fort Strother while Jackson marched the rest of his army to Horseshoe Bend where the climactic battle of the Creek War was fought (27 March 1814). Steele's regiment served as wagon guards for supplies from Fort Deposit and built boats to transport supplies down the Coosa River to Fort Williams. From Camp Blount at Fayetteville, the regiment took the much-traveled route through Huntsville, Fort Deposit, and Fort Strother.

• Source: S00001 Author: Ancestry.com Title: 1850 United States Federal Census Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2009; NOTEAncestry.com, 1850 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009).
• Source: S00002 Author: Ancestry.com Title: 1900 United States Federal Census Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2004; NOTEAncestry.com, 1900 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004), United States of America, Bureau of the Census, Twelfth Census of the United States, 1900, Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1900.
• Source: S00003 Author: Ancestry.com Title: 1910 United States Federal Census Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2006; NOTEAncestry.com, 1910 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2006).
• Source: S00019 Author: Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Title: 1880 United States Federal Census Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010; Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1880 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010), Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• Source: S00032 Author: Ancestry.com Title: 1830 United States Federal Census Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010; Ancestry.com, 1830 United States Federal Census (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010).
• Source: S00051 Author: Jackson, Ron V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp. Title: Arkansas Census, 1819-70 Publication: Name: The Generations Network, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 1999; Jackson, Ron V., Accelerated Indexing Systems, comp., Arkansas Census, 1819-70 (Provo, UT, USA, The Generations Network, Inc., 1999).
• Source: S00063 Author: United States, Bureau of Land Management Title: Arkansas Land Records Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 1997; United States, Bureau of Land Management, Arkansas Land Records (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1997), United States, Bureau of Land Management, Arkansas Pre-1908 Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, : General Land Office Automated Records Project, 1993.
• Source: S00066 Author: Direct Data Capture, comp. Title: U.S., War of 1812 Service Records, 1812-1815 Publication: Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 1999; Direct Data Capture, comp., U.S., War of 1812 Service Records, 1812-1815 (Provo, UT, USA, Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999), National Archives and Records Administration, Index to the Compiled Military Service Records for the Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the War of 1812, Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration.
• Source: S00067 Author: Ancestry.com Title: Arkansas Census, 1840 Publication: Name: The Generations Network, Inc.; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 1997; Ancestry.com, Arkansas Census, 1840 (Provo, UT, USA, The Generations Network, Inc., 1997), McLane, Bobbie Jones, An Index to Fifth United States Census of Arkansas, Forth Worth, TX, USA: Arrow Printing Company, 1963.
• Source: S1166902475 Ancestry Family Trees Publication: Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com. Original data: Family Tree files submitted by Ancestry members. Ancestry Family Tree http://trees.ancestry.com/pt/AMTCitationRedir.aspx?tid=18269855&pid=846
• Source: S1166902482U.S., Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.
• Source: S1166989101 1850 United States Federal Census Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.
• Source: S1166989107 1830 United States Federal Census Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.
• Source: S1167035879 U.S., War of 1812 Service Records, 1812-1815 Direct Data Capture, comp Publication: Ancestry.com Operations Inc
• Source: S1167065546 Arkansas, Homestead and Cash Entry Patents, Pre-1908 United States, Bureau of Land Management Publication: Ancestry.com Operations Inc
• Source: S1167069101Arkansas, Compiled Census and Census Substitutes Index, 1819-1870 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations Inc
• Source: S1167335596 Arkansas Census, 1840 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations Inc
• Source: S1167335606 War of 1812 Pension Application Files Index, 1812-1815 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations Inc
• Source: S1167335619 Arkansas, Wills and Probate Records, 1818-1998 Ancestry.com Publication: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc.

Footnotes

1. ↑ Entered by Marie Mills, Dec 10, 2011 and edited by Gregory A. Crouch on Oct 12, 2021
2. ↑ Source: #S1166902482
3. ↑ Source: #S1167335596
4. ↑ Source: #S1167335606
5. ↑ Source: #S00032 Page: Database online. Year: 1830; Census Place: , Lawrence, Arkansas Territory; Roll: ; Page: . Data: Text: Record for Thomas Nells
6. ↑ Source: #S1166989107 1830; Census Place: Lawrence, Arkansas Territory; Series: M19; Roll: 5; Page: 7; Family History Library Film: 0002473
7. ↑ Source: #S1166989101 Year: 1850; Census Place: Union, Lawrence, Arkansas; Roll: M432_27; Page: 238A; Image: 480
8. ↑ Source: #S1167035879
9. ↑ Source: #S00001 Page: Database online. Year: 1850; Census Place: Union, Lawrence, Arkansas; Roll: M432_27; Page: 238A; Image: . Data: Text: Record for Thomas Wells
10. ↑ Source: #S1167335619 Wills and Letters Testamentary, 1817-1927; Author: Arkansas. Probate Court (Lawrence County); Probate Place: Lawrence, Arkansas
11. ↑ Source: #S1167065546
12. ↑ Source: #S1167069101
13. ↑ Source: #S1167335619 Administrators Bonds and Letters, 1852-1903; Author: Arkansas. Probate Court (Randolph County); Probate Place: Randolph, Arkansas
14. ↑ Source: #S00019 Page: Database online. Year: 1880; Census Place: Spring River, Randolph, Arkansas; Roll: 55; Family History Film: 1254055; Page: 110A; Enumeration District: 258; Image: 0715. Data: Text: Record for Washington Wells
15. ↑ Source: #S00019 Page: Database online. Year: 1880; Census Place: Spring River, Randolph, Arkansas; Roll: 55; Family History Film: 1254055; Page: 110A; Enumeration District: 258; Image: 0715. Data: Text: Record for William Wells
16. ↑ Source: #S00019 Page: Database online. Year: 1880; Census Place: Eleven Point, Randolph, Arkansas; Roll: 55; Family History Film: 1254055; Page: 92B; Enumeration District: 256; Image: 0685. Data: Text: Record for John Wells
17. ↑ Source: #S00019 Page: Database online. Year: 1880; Census Place: Boone, Texas, Missouri; Roll: 739; Family History Film: 1254739; Page: 296A; Enumeration District: 126; Image: 0094. Data: Text: Record for R. S. Wells
18. ↑ Source: #S00019 Page: Database online. Year: 1880; Census Place: Precinct 2, Montague, Texas; Roll: 1320; Family History Film: 1255320; Page: 388C; Enumeration District: 120; Image: . Data: Text: Record for J. C. Wells
19. ↑ Source: #S00002 Page: Database online. Year: 1900; Census Place: Water Valley, Randolph, Arkansas; Roll: T623_74; Page: 13B; Enumeration District: 111. Data: Text: Record for John Wells
20. ↑ Source: #S00002 Page: Database online. Year: 1900; Census Place: Spring River, Randolph, Arkansas; Roll: T623_74; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 102. Data: Text: Record for Washington Well
21. ↑ Source: #S00003 Page: Database online. Year: 1910; Census Place: Spring River, Randolph, Arkansas; Roll: ; Page: ; Enumeration District: ; Image: . Data: Text: Record for Washington Wells
22. ↑ Source: #S00003 Page: Database online. Year: 1910; Census Place: Spring River, Randolph, Arkansas; Roll: ; Page: ; Enumeration District: ; Image: . Data: Text: Record for Washington Wells
23. ↑ Source: #S00051 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Thomas H. Wells
24. ↑ Source: #S00051 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Thomas H. Wells
25. ↑ Source: #S00063 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Thomas Wells
26. ↑ Source: #S00066 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Thomas H Wells
27. ↑ Source: #S00067 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Thos. H. Wells
28. ↑ Source: #S00051 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Thomas H. Wells
29. ↑ Source: #S00067 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Thos. H. Wells
30. ↑ Source: #S00066 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Thomas H Wells
31. ↑ Source: #S00051 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Thomas H. Wells
32. ↑ Source: #S00019 Page: Database online. Year: 1880; Census Place: Spring River, Randolph, Arkansas; Roll: 55; Family History Film: 1254055; Page: 110A; Enumeration District: 258; Image: 0715. Data: Text: Record for Washington Wells
33. ↑ Source: #S00003 Page: Database online. Year: 1910; Census Place: Spring River, Randolph, Arkansas; Roll: ; Page: ; Enumeration District: ; Image: . Data: Text: Record for Washington Wells
34. ↑ Source: #S00001 Page: Database online. Year: 1850; Census Place: Union, Lawrence, Arkansas; Roll: M432_27; Page: 238A; Image: . Data: Text: Record for Thomas Wells
35. ↑ Source: #S00002 Page: Database online. Year: 1900; Census Place: Spring River, Randolph, Arkansas; Roll: T623_74; Page: 2A; Enumeration District: 102. Data: Text: Record for Washington Well
36. ↑ Source: #S00019 Page: Database online. Year: 1880; Census Place: Spring River, Randolph, Arkansas; Roll: 55; Family History Film: 1254055; Page: 110A; Enumeration District: 258; Image: 0715. Data: Text: Record for Hugh Wells
37. ↑ Source: #S1166902482
38. ↑ Source: #S1166989101 Year: 1850; Census Place: Union, Lawrence, Arkansas; Roll: M432_27; Page: 238A; Image: 480
39. ↑ Source: #S1167035879
40. ↑ Source: Colonel Robert Steele's Unit
41. ↑ Source: #S00066 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Thomas H Wells
42. ↑ Source: #S1167335606
43. ↑ Source: #S1166988364
44. ↑ Source: #S1167206583
45. ↑ Source: #S00032 Page: Database online. Year: 1830; Census Place: , Lawrence County, Arkansas Territory; Roll: ; Page: Data: Text: Record for Thomas Nells
46. ↑ Source: #S1166989107 1830; Census Place: Lawrence, Arkansas Territory; Series: M19; Roll: 5; Page: 7; Family History Library Film: 0002473
47. ↑ Source: #S00051 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Thomas H. Wells
48. ↑ Source: #S1167069101
49. ↑ Source: #S00063 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Thomas Wells
50. ↑ Source: #S00067 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Thos. H. Wells
51. ↑ Source: #S1167335596
52. ↑ Source: #S00001 Page: Database online. Year: 1850; Census Place: Union, Lawrence, Arkansas; Roll: M432_27; Page: 238A; Image: . Data: Text: Record for Thomas Wells
53. ↑ Source: #S1166989101
54. ↑ Source: #S00051 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Thomas H. Wells
55. ↑ Source: #S00051 Page: Database online. Data: Text: Record for Thomas H. Wells
56. ↑ Source: #S1166902482
57. ↑ Source: #S1167335619 Wills and Letters Testamentary, 1817-1927; Author: Arkansas. Probate Court (Lawrence County); Probate Place: Lawrence, Arkansas
58. ↑ Source: #S1167335619 Administrators Bonds and Letters, 1852-1903; Author: Arkansas. Probate Court (Randolph County); Probate Place: Randolph, Arkansas
59. ↑ Source: #S1167335619 Administrators Bonds and Letters, 1852-1903; Author: Arkansas. Probate Court (Randolph County); Probate Place: Randolph, Arkansas
60. ↑ Source: #S1167335619 Wills and Letters Testamentary, 1817-1927; Author: Arkansas. Probate Court (Lawrence County); Probate Place: Lawrence, Arkansas
61. ↑ "United States Census, 1850", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M678-8PG : Sat Mar 09 06:15:45 UTC 2024), Entry for Thomas Wells and Barbary Wells, 1850.
62. ↑ Source: #S1166902482

Acknowledgments

• Thank You to Marie Mills for firsthand knowledge.
• Thank You to Betty Tucker for all of her early work on the Wells lines (and many others!!) of Lawrence and Randolph Counties in Arkansas, and for documenting the Wells-B Cemetery before it was completely lost to time. It has since been restored. Wells-B Cemetery
• Thank You to Gregory Crouch for creating WikiTree profile Wells-4816 through the import of Crouch-Wells History_2013-06-23.ged on Jun 23, 2013 and editing the biography on 30 October, 2021.
• Thank You to Tommy Wells for clarification of family history.
• A huge Thank You to Don Wells for the intense genetic analysis.
• A huge Thank You to The Bailey Girls for the intense research efforts and preservation of physical sites, to include the Wells-B Cemetery, in northeast Arkansas.