Thomas Wells

Citations

1. [S738] James M. Crafts, History of the Town of Whately, Mass. 1661-1899 (Whately, MA: Town of Whately, 1899), p. 391, entry for Samuel Belden. Hereinafter cited as History of Whately (Crafts).
2. [S738] James M. Crafts, History of Whately (Crafts), pp. 612 ff, entry for Wells.
3. [S742] L. M. Boltwood, Genealogies of Hadley Families (Northampton: Metcalf & Company, 1862), p. 152 ff. Hereinafter cited as Genealogies of Hadley Families.
4. [S1256] Douglas Richardson, "The Widow Frances (Albright) Wells, Wife of Thomas Coleman of Wethersfield and Hadley", New England Historical and Genealogical Register 146 (1992): p. 29-30, citing Consistory Court of Worcester, 1637, No. 145, on FHL Microfilm 98,054:
   In the name of god amen be it knowe to all men that I Thomas Welles of Evesham weaver doe make my last will and testament the ninth day of feberrary 1637 the maner and forme as foloweth
   first I beequeth my soule unto the hands of my lord and saviour Jesus Christ whoo hath Redemed it next I bequeth my body to the earth and all my worldly goods In maner and forme following
   first I forgive my father the 5 pownd which he oweth to me and I give to my father 6 pownd more to be paid in three yere by equell somes fourty shillings a yeare but if he dy the mony that is unpaid to remain to the Exsecldter.
   Next I give to my eldest son Thomas 20 pownd to be paid at the age of 21 yeares and my house after the death of his mother Item I give to my daughter Mary 30 pownd likwise to my son John 30 more but if my wife be with child and it live then it is my will that 10 pownd a pece shall be taken from John and Mary and given to it and it is my will that my son John shall be paid at the age of 21 yeare and my daughter Mary at hur day of mariage or at the age of 21 yeares: but if they prove stouborne and dissobedent then it shall be left to the will of thir mother and the overseers when they shall have it: and further it is my will that if my son Thomas dy without a aire then it is my will that it shall come to my son John and if John dy without a aire then to com to the other son if it be a son or elce to remaine to the Daughter if ther are two or elce to remaine to my daughter Mary.
   Item I give to my man Charles Whitell a shipe & hoge worth eight shillings or two hachibs which he nowe doth work with upon his good behaviour to his dame.
   Item I give to my godsons Joseph Blissord and John Welles 2 shillings a pece.
   Item I give to John Pathit 2 shillings. Item I give to Ann Albright and Jone the daughters of John Allbright 2 shillings a peece.
   Item I give to John Allbright and Catherin the sonne and daughter of Richard Allbright 2 shillings a peece.
   Item I give to John Loe and Sara Loe the son and daughter of Griffen Loe 2 shillings apeece.
   Item I give to Sara Ordway 2 shillings.
   Item I give to my brother John Allbright my cloake.
   Item I give to my brother Richard Allbright my best coate.
   Item I give to the pore 5 shillings to be geven to whome my wif and Edward Ordway and William Lampit think good and I make my wife my whole exseckiter and my brother John Albright and my brother Richard Albright ovorseres.
   
   "The will, not signed, was witnessed by Thomas Handy (mark TH), William Lampit, and Edward Ordway."
5. [S1256] Douglas Richardson, "Widow Frances (Albright) Wells", p. 34.
6. [S1254] Donald Lines Jacobus and W. Herbert Wood, "Widow Frances Wells and Hugh Wells of Wethersfield", The American Genealogist Vol. 28 (1952): "[Thomas Wells'] widow Mary remarried, 25 June 1678..., Samuel Belding of Hatfield, and died 20 Sept. 1691. Mary has often been identified as daughter of William Beardsley of Stratford, and we concur."
7. [S1256] Douglas Richardson, "Widow Frances (Albright) Wells", p. 34, for date and location.
8. [S290] Sylvester Judd and Lucius Boltwood, History of Hadley, including the Early History of Hatfield, South Hadley, Amherst and Granby Masssachusetts (Springfield, Mass.: H.R. Hunting and Company, 1905), p. 11: "The Agreement or Engagement of those who intended to remove from Connecticut to Massachusetts, is dated at Hartford, April 18, 1659, and is recorded on the first book of Hadley records. The following is a copy of that Agreement and of some proceedings of a later date recorded with the other:
   "At a meeting at Goodman Ward's house, in Hartford, April i8th, 1659, the company there met engaged themselves under their own hands, or by their deputies, whom they had chosen, to remove themselves and their families out of the jurisdiction of Connecticut into the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts, as may appear in a paper dated the day and year abovesaid. The names of the engagers are these [ * indicates did not remove, or stayed but a short time]:
   John Webster [of Hartford]
   John Marsh [of Hartford]
   James Northam [of Wethersfield]
   
   William Goodwin [of Hartford]
   Robert Webster* [of Hartford]
   Samuel Gardner [of Wethersfield]
   
   John Crow [of Hartford]
   William Lewis Jr.* [of Hartford]
   Thomas Edwards* [of Wethersfield]
   
   Nathaniel Ward [of Hartford]
   Nathaniel Standley [of Hartford]
   John Hubbard [of Wethersfield]
   
   John White [of Hartford]
   Samuel Church [of Hartford]
   Thomas Dickinson [of Wethersfield]
   
   John Barnard [of Hartford]
   William Markum [of Hartford]
   Robert Boltwood [of Wethersfield]
   
   Andrew Bacon [of Hartford]
   Samuel Moody [of Hartford]
   Samuel Smith Jr* [of Wethersfield]
   
   William Lewis [of Hartford]
   Zechariah Field [of Hartford]
   William Gull [of Wethersfield]
   
   William Westwood [of Hartford]
   Widow Westly* [of Hartford]
   Luke Hitchcock* [of Wethersfield]
   
   Richard Goodman [of Hartford]
   Widow Watson* [of Hartford]
   Richard Montague [of Wethersfield]
   
   John Arnold* [of Hartford]
   Andrew Warner [of Hartford]
   John Latimer* [of Wethersfield]
   
   William Partrigg [of Hartford]
   Mr. John Russell Junior [of Wethersfield]
   Peter Tilton [of Windsor]
   
   Gregory Wilterton* [of Hartford]
   Nathaniel Dickinson [of Wethersfield]
   John Hawkes [of Windsor]
   
   Thomas Standley [of Hartford]
   Samuel Smith [of Wethersfield]
   Richard Billings
   
   Samuel Porter [of Windsor]
   Thomas Coleman [of Wethersfield]
   Benj. Harbert*
   
   Richard Church [of Hartford]
   John Russell, senior [of Wethersfield]
   Edward Benton*
   
   Ozias Goodwin* [of Hartford]
   John Dickinson [of Wethersfield]
   John Catling*
   
   Francis Barnard [of Hartford]
   Philip Smith [of Wethersfield]
   Mr. Samuel Hooker*
   
   James Ensign* [of Hartford]
   John Coleman [of Wethersfield]
   Capt. John Cullick*, not fully engaged
   
   George Steele* [of Hartford]
   Thomas Wells [of Wethersfield]
   Daniel Warner
   
   1st. We whose names are above written do engage ourselves mutually one to another, that we will, if God permit, transplant ourselves and families to the plantation purchased, on the east side of the river of Connecticut, beside Northampton, therein to inhabit and dwell by the 29th of September come twelve months, which will be in the year 1660. [Meaning Sept. 29th, 1660.]
   2d. That each of us shall pay the charges of the land purchased according to his proportion, as also for the purchase of Hockanum.
   3d. That we will raise all common charges, of what sort soever, for the present, upon the land that men take up: mow, plow land and house lot, according to the proportion of land that each man takes of all sorts; and all charges shall be paid as they shall arise and be due, from the date hereof.
   4th. That if any persons so engaging be not inhabiting there by the time aforesaid, then, notwithstanding their payment of charges, their lands and what is laid out in rates shall return to the town: and yet this article doth not free men from their promise of going and inhabiting.
   5th. That no man shall have liberty to sell any of his land till he shall inhabit and dwell in the town three years; and also to sell it to no person, but such as the town shall approve on.
   Agreed that all those persons that will go up within three weeks shall give in their names by this day fortnight, and then those that are so agreed shall take up a quarter together, and so those that follow shall take up another quarter, so they do it together, or so far as their numbers run.
   Agreed also that no persons shall fell any trees upon any lot of ground lotted out, or to be lotted out, but upon his own ground or lot, or against his own lot within ten rods of the same in the highway. The land to be lotted is either what is for the homelots, or between the homelots and the meadow.
   It is agreed also by the said company, upon the 25th of April, 1659, that they will purchase the lands on the west side of the great river, above Napanset, if it can be bought, and that each of the said engagers will pay their several proportions to the said purchase, according to what they have put in to take up lands by, at the time of their said engagement: witness their hands, dated April the 18th 1659."
9. [S328] Henry R. Stiles, editor, History of Ancient Wethersfield Connecticut, Vol. I (New York: The Grafton Press, 1904), p. 163.
   Of the fifty-nine signers, thirty-six or thirty-seven were from Hartford, twenty front Wethersfield, and two or three from Windsor. Those from Wethersfield were:
   John Russell; Sen., Samuel Gardner; Rev. John Russell, Jr.; Nathaniel Dickinson; John Hubbard, son of George; John Dickinson and Thomas Dickinson, sons of Nath'l.; Thomas Edwards, of Hoccanum (Wethersfield); Samuel Smith, son of Rev. Henry, dec'd.; Robert Boltwood; William Gull; Thomas Coleman; Luke Hitchcock; John Colman, son of Thomas; Philip Smith; Thomas Welles, son of Hugh Welles and son-in-law of Thomas Coleman; Samuel Smith, Jr., s. of Samuel, the Felimonger; Richard Montague; James Northam; John Latimer.
   Smith, Montague and Russell had belting-mills at Hadley; Montague was a baker.
   By year end all had moved to Hadley save five who remained in Wethersfield, viz., Edwards, Samuel Smith, Jr., Hitchcock, Montague and Latimer.
   In March of 1661, Nathaniel Dickinson, Jr., Thomas Graves and his sons Isaac and John, Samuel Belden, and Samuel Dickinson (son of Nathaniel) "signed another agreement to remove to the West side of the River at Norwottock."
   . Hereinafter cited as Ancient Wethersfield I.
10. [S733] History of the Connecticut Valley in Massachusetts (Two Volumes) (Philadelphia: Louis H. Everts, 1879), I:319, a map of the settlement of Hadley 1663 showing lot owners. Thomas Wells is lot 32.
11. [S738] James M. Crafts, History of Whately (Crafts), p. 391, entry for Samuel Belden and p. 612, entry for Thomas Wells (d. 1676 in Hadley).
12. [S771] Massachusetts Births and Christenings 1639-1915, online FamilySearch.org, Mary, dau. of Thomas Wells and Mary, b. Northampton 8 Sep 1664.