Thomas Wells

  General Notes:

He was Rev. Thomas Wells III

Genealogy of the Wells family Author: Charles K. Wells Call Number: R929.2 W453 The Wells family who came from England to Massachusetts in 1635. Bibliographic Information: Wells, Charles K. Genealogy of the Wells Family. Milwaukee: Press of Burdick & Armitage, 1874. A BRIEF SKETCH OF THE FAMILY OF REV. THOMAS WELLS, First Minister of Amesbury, Mass. BY D. W. HOYT, PROVIDENCE, R. I. REV. THOMAS WELLS was settled as first pastor of the first church in Amesbury, in 1672 or 1673. Occasional preaching had been enjoyed in the "new town" for ten or twenty years before that time, but he was the first who was recognized as the town's minister. A committee were chosen May 11, 1672, "to see if they can obtain Mr Weels to be helpfull to us in the work of the Ministry." He was admitted as a commoner in 1673-4, and was evidently a man of much influence and usefulness in the new town. Various circumstances render it extremely probable, if not almost certain, that Rev. Thomas Wells was the Thomas Wells who was born Jan. 11, 1646- 7, youngest son of Dea. Thomas Wells of Ipswich. The generations of the family are here numbered in accordance with that idea, Dea. Thomas being considered the first, and Rev. Thomas the second generation. If the above is the date of the birth of Thomas,2 he must have been eighty-seven years six months old at the time of his death. According to the inscription on his tombstone he was then in his "eighty-seventh year"; but that may have been intended to imply that he was between eighty-seven and eighty-eight, though the expression, if properly used, would justify Farmer's statement that his age was eighty-six. Thomas1 Wells of Ipswich was "a gentleman of large property," and it has been supposed that he was a physician. He had land granted to him at Ipswich in 1635, and took the Freeman's oath at Boston May 17, 1637. He died October 26, 1666. From a branch of his family the town of Wells, Me., took its name. Page 39 By his will, Thomas1 made provision for his son's "going to College"; but his name is not to be found among the early graduates of any American college. Rev. Thomas2 Wells enjoyed the distinction, however, of being the first individual who received the honorary degree of A. M. from Harvard College. In the triennial catalogue of 1727 his name is put at the bottom of the class of 1669; in 1745, perhaps earlier, it was separated from the others by a line, and 1703 added. In 1830 the names of those who had received honorary and ad eundem degrees were made a distinct division of the catalogue, and Thomas Wells was placed at the head of the list, under the year 1703. It is possible that he may have been at one time a member of the class of 1669; but if he received the degree in 1703 he must then have been fifty-six years old, and his name might have been placed under 1669 only because that class were near his own age. A copy of the will of Rev. Thomas2 Wells is to be found on the Probate Records at Salem. It was dated August 7, 1728, proved July 29, 1734. He there mentions four sons, three daughters, four daughters-in-law, and two sons-in-law; three sons and one daughter-in-law having died before that time. John Martin, the other son-in-law, is not mentioned. The dates of the deaths of Mr. Thomas Wells and his wife, as given on the town records, correspond with the inscriptions copied below, except that the double date, 1726-7, is given. From the spelling and appearance of the inscription one would suppose Mr. Wells's tombstone to be of later date than those around it.


per Hoyt's Old Fams of Salisbury/Amesbury his headstone is as follows:
Interred here the body of Rev Mr. Thomas Wells, first pastor of the first Church of Christ in Amesbury who departed this life July 10th 1734 in the 87th year of his Age and the 62nd of his ministry having served his generation by the will of God, he fell on sleep and we trust enjoys a Prophets reward, for though Israel should not be gathered, yet would the faithful ministers of the Gospell, be glorious in the Eyes of the Lord.
He was in Ipswich in 1667 when he bought land in Wells; living in Wells in Dec of 1669;preached at Kittery and Ilse of shoals in 1670 and settled in Amesbury by 1672
First person to receive the honorary degree of A.M. from Harvard College (Class of 1669)

Children of Rev. Mr. Thomas2 Wells and wife Mary:
I. JOHN,3 born Feb. 2, 1672; probably died April 2, 1673.
II. LUKE,3 born March 19,167374; married Wid. Dorothy Trull, of Haverhill, ent. int. Dec. 9, 1710. Wife Dorothy died Sept. 29, 1715.
III. TITUS,3 born March 14, 1675; married Joanna (???). A Titus Wells was an inhabitant of the West Parish in 1726. (4) IV. A SON,3 born (???). In his will, 1728, Thomas2 mentions his daughter-in-law Rebecca Wells, late, "now Barrett," and his granddaughter Rebecca, late Wells, "now Waters." These may have been the widow and daughter of a son who died previous to 1728. If so, the widow Rebecca married (???) Barrett, and the daughter Rebecca4 married (???) Waters. (5) V. A SON,3 born (???); probably died before 1728, and without issue. John3 is called the "seventh son," and hence there must have been two sons whose names are unknown to us, here
VI. ABIGAIL,3 born (???); married Samuel Bartlett of Newbury, Feb. 6, 1704-5.
VII. MARY,3 born (???); married John Martin of Amesbury, July 15, 1702.
VIII. ELIEZER,3 born June 10, 1686; married Deborah Worthen of Amesbury, Nov. 17, 1714.
IX. ELIZABETH,3 born Dec. 17, 1688; married Moses Chase, Jr., of Newbury, Oct. 12, 1709.
X. JOHN,3 born Oct. 9, 1692; married Dorothy4 Hoyt, of Amesbury, Feb. 5, 1712-3. Will dated May 1768, proved Dec. 24, 1776. Wife Dorothy died April 28, 1769, in her seventy-seventh year.

Thomas married Mary Perkins on 10 Jan 1669 in Boston, Suffolk County, Massachusetts. (Mary Perkins was born circa 1651 and died on 26 Jan 1726 in Amesbury, Essex County, Massachusetts.)

  Marriage Notes:

www.rootsweb.com - researcher: Lesley