Person:Thomas Wells (14)

Origins

Probably came from county Essex, England. Had relatives in Colchester, Essex as late as 1666.

On the Coldham passenger list for the "Susan and Ellen," Thomas Wells is said to be aged 30. Interpreted literally (and assuming his age was reported correctly), Thomas' 30th birthday must have occurred by 09 May 1635, but not before 14 April 1635 (there is some ambiguity here because we do not know the exact date on which he reported his age to be 30). This places his birth between 15 April 1604 and 09 May 1605.

A baptismal date for "Thomas Wells, the son of Thomas Wells, the 11th of December 1605" was reported as being at St. Botolphs in Colchester in the 1903 Genealogy of the Wells Family, but more recent research of those records finds NO baptism and no 1630 marriage to Abigail Warner.

Sailed on the "Susan and Ellen." Although a number of women and children appear on the passenger list, no wife or children are listed for Thomas. [Peter Coldham, "Complete Emigrants"]

There is no evidence that he married in England, much less knew the Warners in England. More likely, he married about 1638-9 in Ipswich, MA.

Life in New England

1635: He became deacon of the Ipswich church. This same year a house lot was granted to him on the south side of the river near Stone Bridge.

1637: Took freeman's oath at Boston on May 7 or 17th. On March 22, he bought six acres of planting ground.

1638: Granted planting lands near Heartbreak Hill.

1643: Name of Wells, ME precedes the presence of WELLS there by 14 years.

1644 Artillery company: Ensign

1657: Went to Wells, ME and bought 215 acers on 27 June. His son John was living on this land in 1666.

NOTE: Wells, Maine was NOT named for the Wells family; in fact, the name is supposed to have been in use some years before Thomas Wells purchased land there in 1657. The source of Roberts' statement is apparently the NEHGR "Physicians of Ipswich" article cited, which states: "... Wells, which received its name from this family, having previously been called Preston." This claim is refuted by Bourne's "The History of Wells and Kennebunkport". It was called Wells in Thomas Gorges' deed to the Rev. John Wheelwright, made in 1643, which was long before any person of that name had his residence there. It probably received its name from the old town of Wells, in Norfolk County, England. We find in Wells no person of that name before 1657.

1663: Was mentioned in the will of his wife's aunt, Sarah Warner Lumkin Stone.

1667: Amesbury land conveyed to son, Thomas Wells, Jr. of Ipswich. (In 1689, Thomas Wells of Amesbury, minister, conveys same land, linking Thomas' son to Amesbury.)

Some have proposed he was a physician because he mentions three "physic books" in his will, but he mentions no other medical instruments in an otherwise detailed will (see below). In addition, there is no mention of him as physican contemporary to his time. In his will and in several deeds he is called "yeoman."

Legacy

His will (transcribed below) was made July 3, 1666; He died October 26, 1666 [Ipswich VR, p 708], leaving a large estate of 1014 pounds. His will was probated 15 November 1666. He gave 50s to "our cousin Mary Baker (alias Loue) of Colchester." "Proved in Ipswich court Nov. 15, 1666 by Thomas Bishop and Thomas Burnam before Mr. Samuell Symonds and Maj. Gen. Denison."

8 ch. by w. Abigail (Warner), incl: Nathaniel. John, 2d son. Thomas, b. 11 Jan. 1646-7. Lydia, m. John Ropes of Salem.

"History of Ipswich, Essex, and Hamilton" by Joseph B. Felt, Cambridge, 1834; "Obituary and Biographical Notices", pp 158-159 claims his son Nathaniel died before he did, but this is not true. In fact, he was named executor of his father's estate. (See below.)

Last Will and Testament of Thomas Wells of Ipswich, Massachusetts

["The Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts / Volume II / 1665-1674" (Essex Institute, Salem, MA. 1917. pp 63-73).]

"Know all men by these presents, that I Thomas Wells of Ipswich in the County of Essex, being weake of body, yet of perfect memorye blessed be god, doe make this my last will & testament, in manner followeinge, viz.: I comend my soule into the hands of my Blessed Redeemer, in hope of a Joyefull resurrection, vnto Eternall life, att the last daye; and my body to be decently buried.

Item. I giue and bequeath vnto Abigaile my wife, eight pounds, yearely to be paide vnto her, out of my lands where I now dwell, dureinge her life, in lewe of her Dowrye; and this is to be paide yearely, in wheate, malte, porke, & Indian corne, in equall proportion, and to be good & marchentable, and paide att ye current marchentable price, as such is then paide at here in Ipswich: Alsoe I giue vnto her to haue one of the best roumes in my house, viz: eyther the Hall, or the Parloure (att her choyce,) and to enjoye the same dureing her widdowhoode, And to haue free liberty, to bake, brewe, & washe, &c., in the kitchen, & free liberty to laye her corne, meale & malte, &c., in the Hall chamber, and free vse of garden grounde, where she liketh best, & to haue it well fenced in, and to have lande duely tilled &c to sow flaxe seed on, and that yearely as she shall see cause; & freedome in both the sellars, as she needeth, and shall haue suffitiencye, of firewood provided & seasonably lay'd in, & that yearely att the cost of my executor, & free libty to keepe thre, or fower henns, & a pigg or hogg in the grounde & yards, and shall haue the sixte parte of the fruite, that shall yearely grow in the orcharde, & shall haue the free vse & libty of all these dureinge her widdowehoode.

Ite. I giue vnto my saide wife the old baye mare (she uses to ride on) and the bridle, pillion seate, and pannell, and two cowes, (att her choyce) and to haue the keeping of a horse or mare and of two cowes for her vse, both summer and winter, & a good house roume for them in winters, & these to be well kept, att the cost of my executor, during her widdowehoode. Also, I giue vnto her the bible she uses, & the booke called the Soule's preperation for christ, & that of Perkins upon the Creede, and the bedsteed we lye on, & the bedinge, curtans, & vallans, therevnto belongeing, (excepting the blewe rugg) and to have the best greene rugge in lewe thereof And I giue vnto her the best chist and the inlayd boxe wth T: W: vpon the lidd; and to haue one halfe of the lynen & lynen clothe, & the thirds of the wollan clothe that is in the house, or in yarne or clothe at the weavers, and the thirds of the woole in the house, at my disease, and one halfe of the putter [pewter] that was her owne fathers, and the putter pinte pott (or tanker), and a brass, or iron pott (att her choyce) saue onely the great Iron pott and I giue vnto her the iron skellet, & foure of the best spounes, & a good porrenger, & a couple of sauscers (att her choyce) and the best lowe chaire, & her little chaire, & a good Cushen, & one of the greate wheeles, & a little spinninge wheele, and the warmeing pan, as legacies

Ite. My will is that my saide wife, shall haue the free vse of any kettle (of mine now in the house) or milke vessells, &c., she needeth, & of anye other smale thinge in the house (that's mine) as though they were her owne, and that wthout controule, & to haue freedome att the well for watter, and libty for her cloths, or anye thinge els to be spreade, &c., where she pleaseth, and these dureing her widdowhoode

IIte. Whereas John Wells, (my second son) hath receiued of mee, a deed of gifte, of all the lands I had att the Towne of Wells, in the province of Maine, beinge the quantity of three hundred & fifty acres (more or less) arrable, meadowe, & pasture, togeather wth two cowes, and ten pounds, fifteene shillings, yt I have paid (att his request) vnto Stephen Kent of Haverhill in cattle, vpon a bill due from ffrancis Littlefielde, Senr. (his father in lawe) wth severall other things, all wch he hath receiued of mee, in lewe of his portion, & accordeingly my will is, that the same shall soe stande.

Ite. I giue vnto my son John Wells, ten pounds, to be paide vnto him, or to his assignes, wthin three yeares next after my decease, five pounds thereof in cattle neate, & in good condition, & the other five pounds, in wheate, malte, & Indian corne, in equall proportion, & all good & mrchantable, & att the currante marchantable price, as it then goes here in Ipswich, & to be deliurd [delivered] att my now dwellinge house provided that my son John Wells be then liueinge. And I giue vnto him my cloke, & one of the greate putter candlesticks wth the topp thereof, & two great sauscers and two little sauscers more. And I giue vnto Sarah Wells, his wife, (my Daughter in lawe) one five shillings peece of gould, as legacies.

Ite. whereas my two Eldest Daughters, viz: Sarah Massie of Salem, and Abigaile Tredwell of this Towne, hath each of them thirty pounds in lewe of theire portions, my will is that the said Sarah Massie, or her assignes, shall haue a good cowe, or to the value of foure pounds ten shillings, in other cattle neate, & in good condition, (bulls onely excepted) & not to exceed eight yeares of age, & to haue the same deliuered here, where I now dwell, wthin one yeare, & a halfe, next after my decease, and also, to haue the benifitt of the grase of a litle parcell of salte marshe grounde, adjoyneing, to the north: west end of Mr. Wades, neare vnto hogge Iland, and my Daughter Sarah to enjoye the vse of this, vntill the decease of my Bro: Massie, her father in lawe, & then to return vnto my executor. Alsoe I giue vnto Abigaile Tredwell my Daughter, my sixe acre lott of salte marsh, &c., that lies in Plum Ilande, to her, & her heires of male, or a good cowe, to be deliuered vnto her in good condition wthin one yeare, & a halfe, next after my decease.

Ite. I giue and bequeath vnto Thomas Wells my youngest son, two hundred and fifty pounds sterl. in lewe of his portion, to be paide vnto him, his heires or assignes, out of my houssen, and lands where now I dwell, wthin seauen yeares, foure months, & nine; or ten dayes, next after the saide Thomas Wells my son, doe come to the full age of one & twenty yeares, viz: one hundred pounds, to be paide at, or before, the twenteth or one and twenteth day, of the third month, commonly called may, next come twelue months, after that the saide Thomas Wells my son, doe come to the age of one & twenteth yeares. (whose birth day was vpon the eleventh day of the eleventh mo: Anno Dom: one thousand sixe hundred forty sixe) Fortye pounds thereof to be paide in cattle neate, & in good condition, (bulls onely excepted,) and in horss kinde, viz, in geldings, & the horss kinde not to exceede, the sume of eight pounds, and for age, not to exceede, aboue sixe yeares olde. And allways provided that the leane cattle, & horss kinde be paide & deliuered in the third mo. called may. And thirty-sixe pounds thereof to be paide in wheate, and barly malte, in equall proportion, and all to be good & marchantable, both sweete, drye, & well dressed. And twenty foure pounds thereof to be paide in Indian corne, pease, porke and sheepe, & all to be good & marchantable, as aforesaid, the Indian corne, not to exceed the sume of twelue pounds, nor the sheepe not to exceed ye sume of foure pounds: And the other hundred pounds, to be duely and faithfully paide vnto the saide Thomas Wells, my youngest son, his heires or assignes, wthin three yeares, next after, the time, & daye, or dayes of payemt of the foremer hundred pounds, & all to be payeable, & well and faithfully paide vnto the said Thomas Wells my son, his heires, or assignes, accordeinge vnto the foremr hundred pounds, both for Kinde, quallity & quantity. And the remaineinge fifty pounds, to be duely, & faithfully paide, vnto the saide Thomas Wells my youngest son, his heires, or assignes, wthin (the premenconed) seaven yeares, foure month's & nine, or ten dayes, next after, that the saide Thomas, my son, doe come to the age of one and twenty yeares; twenty pounds thereof, to be paide in wheate, and barly malte, both good & marchantable, being sweet, drye & well dressed, & in equall proportion. And fifteen pounds thereof, to be paide in cattle neate, & in good condition, (bulls & bull saggs onely excepted) And fifteene pounds thereof, to be paide in Indian corne, porke, & pease, & all to be good & mrchantable, the Indian corne, not to exceed the sume of seaven pounds ten shillings; and all the cattle, horss kinde & sheep to be duely paide, & dld. [delivered] att my now dwelling house, here in Ipswich, & all the rest, to be likewise delivered here, att my house, where now I dwell, or att anye other house, malte-kilne & wharfe, in Ipswich where the said Thomas, the son, or his assignes shall appointe the same.

Ite. My will is, that if my executor (whom I shall name & appointe) doe not duely, & faithfully pay & dischardge, this two hundred, & fifty pounds as before mentioned, accordeinge to my true intente, (as before expressed) eyther in whole, or in parte. Then, the saide Thomas Wells, my youngest son, his executors, or assignes, shall enter upon and take possession of the houssen, and lands, where now I dwell, both of arrable, meadowe and pasture, & quietly, to possese, & enjoye the same, vntill the whole be dischardged, anye thinge herein contained to the contrarye notwthstandinge.

Ite. my will is, that if the saide Thomas, my youngest son, shall dye & cease this life, before he come to the full age of one & twenty yeares, then the executor, of this my last will, shall pay vnto the rest of my children, the full sum of one hundred, and forty pounds, viz. vnto John Wells, or to his surviueers, the full sume of forty pounds, & the other hundred pounds, to be equally proportioned, & devided amongst my owne five Daughters, or to their surviuers, viz: to Sarah massie of Salem, to Abigaile Tredwell of this Towne, to Elezabeth Wells, Hanah Wells, & Lydia Wells my Daughters, each and euery one of them, to haue twenty pounds apeece, & all to be paide vnto them, out of my houssen, & lands, where now I dwell and that noe horss kinde be paide in anye parte thereof; The forty pounds to my son John Wells, & the twenty pounds apeece to Sarah Massie, and to Abigaile Tredwell, & Elezabeth Wells (my three Elder Daughters) to be paid vnto them, accordeingly, as is engaged vnto theire Bro. Thomas Wells, both for kinde, quallity, (excepte, before excepted) nor shall the cattle neate, & in sheepe, exceede halfe in anye one perticular proportion, in this hundred, & forty pounds, & all to be paide vnto them, as aforesde, att, or before, the twenteth, or the one & twenteth day, of the thirde mo. called may wch shall be in the yeare of or [our] Lord, one thousand sixe hundred, sixty eight: And the other twenty pounds apeece to Hanah Wells & Lydia Wells, my owne Daughters, shall be paid vnto each of them, or to theire assignes, in wheate, barly-malte, porke, pease, & Indian corne, the Indian corne, in each twenty pounds, not to exceed the sume of foure pounds ten shillings, & all to be good & mrchantable, & att the currant mrchantable price, as such is then paid att here in Ipswich, and these twenty pounds apeece, to my youngest Daughters, to be duely paide att or before eight & twenteth day of march, Anno Dom one thousand sixe hundred, & seaventy, & all to be delivrd here att my nowe dwelling house, or att any other house, or wharfe, in Ipswich, where the sd Hanah, & Lydia, or theire assignes, shall appoint the same.

Ite my will is that Thomas Wells, my youngest son, shall quietly possese, & enjoye, for his vse, the parloure chamber of this house where now I dwell, & haue free libty for fire woode, vntill he marrye. And that he shall haue, his dyate [diet], & washinge, whiles he keeps here, att the cost of my Executr, vntill he comes to the age of two and twenty yeares, four months, & ten days.

I giue vnto my son Thomas Wells, all the bookes, that I bought for his vse, and my three phisicke bookes & the booke called the orthodox evangelist, the great sermon booke, & Hyelings Geogripha and the litle chist, & table (he made) that stands in the Hall chamber, & my white boxe, and the chist planks, to make him a chist on, and the litle iron candlestick my white rule, my read pensheare, & my pen knife and my sworde & scabitt, and my fire locke musket, wth a square barrell; & the moulds, worme, & skourer, &c. Alsoe I giue vnto him, the litle bede steed yt is in the Hall chamber and the little featherbed, thereto belonging, & a paire of good sheetes, & the reade blanket, and the blew rugg, & a good pillow, & pillowbeare. Also I giue vnto my son Thomas my silver Boule, and one two & twenty shillings peece of gould. And I giue vnto him, all my right, and Interrest, of the bonde, that is due vnto me, from goodman John Andrews of this Towne, carpenter. (save onely sixe pounds ten shillings thereof, to my son Nath. Wells, & wch makes the rest that he hath allready had thereof twenty pounds, and this I giue vnto my son Thomas, toward his chardges, of his goeinge to the Colledge, & for bookes and apparrell, &c. or to putt him to mr Allcocke, or the like; and I giue, the new pictures, viz. of the Kinge & Queene & of the five senccees, these I giue vnto him as legacies, as alsoe my stuffe clothes, & a paire of my best stockings.

Ite. I giue vnto, Elezabeth Wells, Hanah Wells, and Lydia Wells, my younger Daughters, each, & every of them, thirty five pounds, a peece, to be paide vnto them, in lewe of theire portions, wthin one yeare next after they marrye, or when they come to the age of one & twenty yeares, twenty pounds thereof, to be paide in cattle neate, & in good condition, (bulls onely excepted) and in sheepe in good condition. And in the remaineinge fifteene pounds, in each & every porcon to be paide in wheate, barly malte, porke, & Indian corne, these in equall proportion, and all to be good & mrchantable and to be paid att the currant mrchantable price, as such is then paide att in Ipswich aforesd and to be delivrd att my now dwelling house, saue onely the corne & malte to be delivered here, or att any other house, malte kilne, or wharfe, where my Daughters or anye of them or theire assi. shall appointe the same. Also, my will is, that every of these my Daughters, shall haue, each of them a bible, & every of them a good chist, & to haue these delivered vnto each of them, wthin one yeare next after my decease.

Ite. I giue & bequeath vnto Sarah Massye, of Salem, and to Abigaile Tredwell of this Towne, & to Elezabeth Wells, and Lydia Wells, my owne Daughters, each & every of them, two halfe Crowne peecces of English money, to be delivered vnto them, wthin one month next after my decease, and I giue vnto Hanah Wells my Daughter, one ten shillings peece of goulde to be delivered vnto her, wthin one mo: next after my decease; all wch money, and the silver boule, that is giuen vnto my son Thomas, and to his three younger Sisters, viz. to Elezabeth Wells, Hanah, & Lydia Wells I haue all readye giuen them into the hands & custodye, of Thomas Wells my youngest son, whom I trust, and confide in, to giue the same, as I haue bequeathed, vnto his three younger sisters, and to keep the rest, vnto himself /besid/ [this word is in italics] matter of legacies, and they not att age as yet.

Ite. I giue unto Abigaile my wife, the thirde parte of the English money, wch shall remaine, & be left, and not paide, vnto the legatyes, that's deceased in England, & kindred of our unkle Lumkins. And my will is, that my saide wife, shall haue the tuishion, of my Daughter, Elezabeth Wells, and of my Daughter Lydia wells, vntill they marrye, or come to the age of one & twenty yeares, but, if the saide Lydia, doe not keepe wth her mother, then she to be wth her sister Sarah Massie, if all parties be willing.

Ite my will is, that Misteris Marye Roggers of Rowley, shall haue the tuishion, & education, of my Daughter Hanah Wells, vntill she marrye, or come to the age of one and twenty yeares, hopeing the said misteris Roggers, will please to doe mee that favoure.

Ite I giue vnto our Cussen Marye Baker (alis Loue) of Colchester, soe much new England money, as is Equivalent, vnto fifty shillings of old England money, and my will is that my Executor, doe faithfully endeavoure to conveigh the same vnto her, (it being in refferrence to an agreemt betwene, both my Bro: Warners, and my self in answ: to a request of our Aunt Lumkin (alis stone, late deceased), and to take advise of my Bro: Danll Warner, about the conveighing of the same, alsoe my Executor maye further direct hims: by wt I haue sett downe in my booke of accompts, to that purpose, as in fol. 57 and by a letter sent vnto vs from Collchester.

Ite I giue & bequeath all the rest of my wholl Estate, both moueable, & unmoueable, personall and reall, houssen & lands, vnto Nath: Wells, my eldest son provided he doth fully accept herein, to be my executor whom I make & ordaine, to be the sole executor of this my last will & testament, Allwaies provided that if the said Nath: wells shal dye, & cease this life wthout anye issue of male (lawfully begotten) my will is, that then, the saide houssen & lands here in Ipswich bounds, shall returne vnto the sd Thomas wells my youngest son, & to his heires of male, and the sd Thomas my son, then to paye vnto Lydia, Nathaniells wife (my Daughter in lawe) the sume of fortye pounds, wthin one yeare, & a halfe after the deceas of Nath: her husband, (this premised, yt ye sd Thomas my youngest son, doe then fully possese & enjoye, the aforesd houssen & lands) and this forty pounds, to be paide in cattle neate, and in corne, malte & porke, twenty pounds thereof, to be paide in cattle neate; & in good condition (bulls onely excepted) and the other twenty pounds, to be paide in wheate, malte, porke & Indian Corne, the Indian corne, not to exceed the sume of eight pounds, & all to be good & mrchantable, & paide att the currant mrchantable price, as such, then goes att, here in Ipswich, & all to be delivrd here at my now dwellinge house, onely the malte att some malte kilne in Ipswich where the sd Thomas shall then haue his malte. And the sd Thomas my youngest son, shall paye vnto the saide Nathaniells children, the sum of one hundred, & forty pounds, the one halfe in cattle neate, & in good condition, (bulls onely excepted) and in horss kinde, and the horss kinde not to exceed the sume of fifteene pounds; and the other halfe of the hundred & forty pounds, to be paide in wheate, malte, porke, pease, & Indian Corne, the Indian Corne (in all) not to exceed the summe of twenty pounds, and this hundred & forty pounds, & the paye thereof, to be equally devided, & proportioned amongst, & paide vnto them, wthin one yeare & a halfe, next after they marrye, or when they come to the full age of one & twenty yeares, and all to be mrchantable, & paide here att my now dwelling house, onely the malte at some malte kilne in Ipswich, where the sd Thomas wells my son shall haue his malte, (this allwaies premised yt the sd Thomas my son, haue the possesion of the houssen and lands). Also my will is, & it is my reall intent, that my son Nathaniells children, shall haue the sume of eight pounds yearely paid by my son Thomas Wells, or his assignes, towards theire bringeinge vp whilest they come to ye age of fifteene yeares, & the paye yrof [thereof], for kind & quallity as to theire mother aforesaide, yet when anye of them doe come to the age of fifteene yeares then their proportion of yt eight pounds p annum, to be abated. And for the yearely payemt. thereof vnto my Grand children, my will is, that the said Thomas Wells my son, or his assignes, shall paye the same into ||the hands of|| the honored Courte, held in Ipswich aforesd, or to whom they shall please, yearely to appointe, for the childrens good, & then my son Thomas, to be dischardged.

Ite my will is, that if the sd Nath: my Eldest son shall dye, & cease this life, wthout anye issue of male (as aforesd then the sd Thomas Wells, my son he being possest of the houssen & lands, as aforesd,) shall pay vnto my son John Wells, his bro: or to his assignes, the sume of forty pounds, wthin foure yeares next after the decease, of theire Bro: Nath: Wells, and for the portions, that I haue giuen & bequeathed vnto my three youngest Daughters, is not then due, and hence vnpaide, viz. att the death of their Bro: Nath: my Eldest son, my will is, that my son Thomas Wells, or his assignes shall then paye these portions, provided that my son Nath: Wells his executors, or assignes, doe leave soe much stock vpon this farme, vnto my son Thomas, as shall amount to the one halfe of these portions, & that this stocke soe left be in such as theire portions is to be paide in, or in such, as shall satisfie the sd Thomas, my youngest son.

Ite my will is, that if anye thinge fall out, amongst my wife & children (or anye of them) otherwise then well, that then, my loueing & faithfull friends, whom I shall chuse, & appointe ouerseers of this my last will, will please to examine, consider, & advise, to mutuall agrement, who (by theire wise discression) maye settle matters amongst them, soe as maye tend most & best tto peace and brotherly loue, wch Christ Commands.

Finally, I desire, my loueing and faithful friends, Thomas Bishope, Senr. and Mr. Thomas Andrewes, to be the overseers of this my last will, and testament. And to be the gardians of my son Thomas Wells, dureing the time of his minority, & non-age, to whom I giue as a token of my respecte & loue, ten shillings a peece: In witness whereof, and to all wch, I the aboue named Thomas Wells Senr. haue herevnto sette my hande & seale, Dated the 31st, of the fifth month, Commonly Called July. In the Eighteenth yeare, of the reigne of our Sovereigne Lord Charles (the second) by the grace of god, king of England, Scotland, France, and Ireland, in the yeare of our lord god, one thousand, sixe hundred, sixty sixe.

Thomas Wells. Senr (SEAL)
Witness: Thomas Bishop, Senior, Thomas Burnum, Senior.
Proved in Ipswich court Nov. 15, 1666 by Thomas Bishop and Thomas Burnam before Mr. Samuell Symonds and Maj. Gen. Denison.
Essex County Probate Files, Docket 29, 317

Additional Sources

[Incorporate into sources]

1. James Savage, Genealogical Dictionary of Maine and New Hampshire, p. 736: “Deacon Thomas, Ipswich, bot 200 a. at Wells from Mr. Wm. Symonds in 1657, but was not resident there. See Y. D. 10: 91-92. By will, 1666-1666, he gave 50 s. to `our Cussen Marye Baker (alias Loue) of Colchester.' See Essex Probate, i: 63-73 and i: 241-243 for wid. Abigail's will, 1671. See also Hoyt's Salisb. i: 348, for 8 ch. by w. Abigail (Warner), incl: Nathaniel. John, 2d son. Thomas, b. 11 Jan. 1646-7. Lydia, m. John Ropes of Salem.

2. York Co. Deeds 10: 91-92.

3. Essex Probate, i: 63-73 and i: 241-243 for wid. Abigail's will, 1671.

4. "The Probate Records of Essex County, Massachusetts / Volume II / 1665-1674" (Essex Institute, Salem, MA. 1917. pp 63-73).

5. Essex County, Massachusetts, Probate Index, 1638-1840; File #: 29317: Thomas Wells, Sr.; File Date: 15 Nov 1666 Residence: Ipswich; Type: testate

6. Old Families of Amesbury and Salisbury, by D W Hoyt; vol 1, 348.

7. Colonial Families of the United States of America: Volume 3, [p.578]

8. The ancient records of the town of Ipswich, p. 25: Granted to Thomas Wells Anno 1635 as in the Town booke? folio 4 as follows. One house lott one acre a half more or less, lying on either side of the River, near the foot bridge...

p. 26: Thomas Wells is possessed of ten acres of marsh, granted [him?] in full satisfaction of the Land taken from him for the country highway at the bridge, and for a drift way through his farm (part of which was granted him in the year fifty...) the ppriaty of the drift way to remain his the sayde Thomas Wells, as it bounded by his own Land, which he bought by Francis Jordan...

p. 31: 22 March 1637: Memorand: that Thomas Wells hath bought by exchange of John Seaborne six acres of planting ground...

9. Ipswich VR, p 708

10. Peter Coldham, "Complete Emigrants" series.

11. NEHGS Register 1848, page 175

12. "Physicians of Ipswich" by A. Hammatt, NEHGR, January 1850, pp 11-12

13. "History of Ipswich, Essex, and Hamilton" by Joseph B. Felt, Cambridge, 1834; "Obituary and Biographical Notices", pp 158-159:

   "1666, Oct. 26th. Thomas Wells, sen. d. His wife, Abigail, survived him and d. 1671, - and children, John, Sarah Massey of Salem, Abigail Treadwell, Elizabeth, Thomas, Hannah, and Lydia. His eldest child, Nathaniel, had previously deceased [INCORRECT], and left a wife, Lydia. His estate was large for the time, 1014 [pounds] 3s. 3d. He was probably the person, who was of the Artillery Company 1644. From the books, which he bequeathed to a son, he seems to have been a physician." ["The Artillery Company" is a reference to the "Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company" of Boston, to which many prominent men belonged. There is a set of books relating to the history of this organization.]

14. "History of the Military Company of the Massachusetts / Now Called / The Ancient and Honorable Artillery Company of Massachusetts. 1637-1888" by Oliver Ayer Roberts, Historian of the Company. Volume I - 1637-1738. Boston, 1895. p. 146 [90% of this citation contains errors.] "Thomas Wells (1644), of Ipswich, perhaps a physician, came in the "Susan and Ellen" from London, with young Richard Saltonstall. The town of Wells, Me., received its name from this family. Mr. Wells (1644) was made a freeman May 17, 1637. He left a good estate, including lands in Wells, (now) Me. He was a deacon of the Ipswich church, made his will July 3, 1666, and died on the 26th of October of that year, aged sixty-six years. He was ensign of the Artillery Company in 1644."

15. Bourne's "The History of Wells and Kennebunkport".

16. D.W. Norris and H.A. Feldmann, compilers,"The Wells Family" The Cramer-Krasselt Co., Milwaulkee, Wisconsin, 1942

17 Genealogy of the Wells Family, pp 6-10, GL pp 2-4:

18. Katharine Warner Radasch, Arthur Hitchcock Radasch "Register of the Ancestors and Descendants of Samuel Warner of Wilbraham, Mass" 2nd Edition 1956, Published by the Samuel Warner Association, Inc.

19. WARNER, James A.: "The Ancestors of Samuel WARNER"; (1924/56); p 3 "Antecedents & Descendants of Rev. George Wells"; Kemble STOUT; privately published; 1974; pp 253-55. (SLC library: 10 Aug 1991)

20. The Posterity of William Warner

21. Genealogy Of The Wells Family Of Wells, Maine

22. Thomas And Abigail Wells Of Ipswich, Massachusetts, And Some Of Their Descendants

23. History of the Welles Family in England and Normandy, by Albert Wells; 1876

24. [As reported on WELLS mailing list] Orin Welles (Wells Family Research Association), email of 18 June 1997: "I would submit that there is not a shred of evidence to substantiate that Thomas was from Colchester. I did some 'on the ground' research in Colchester because Prof. Albert Welles in his work in 1876 claimed that not only did Thomas come from Colchester, but so did the alleged 6 brothers he listed in his book. Turns out that with the possible exception of Thomas and Nathaniel, not a one of them is related to the others. We now know for certain where two of the others came from and the third did not even exist. Someone invented a name for him when they could not explain the "Widow Frances Welles' in Wethersfield, CT. In fact, the searching of the Colchester records we have done so far has yielded precious few Wells and only one can be traced to the colonies. "Further, one author (whose name slips me at the time [he is referring to Mrs. Cushing, above]) wrote that the marriage of Thomas and Abigail Warner was shown in the parish record of St. Botolphs on 23 July 1630. FALSE! I checked and had rechecked this parish record and the Bishop's Transcript for that parish and no such record occurred within 25 years of that date. The marriage that did occur was a totally different pair with different names! We believe that Abigail and Thomas met and were married in Ipswich, not in England. Where Thomas came from, we do not know at this point..."

25. Mr. D. W. Hoyt, of Providence, R. I., has published the genealogy of his third son, Thomas (N. E. Gen. Register, vol. 12, page 157)

26. New England Genealogical Register, vol. 4, pages 11 and 12 (includes some erroneous statements)

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6} Thomas Wells, in Anderson, Robert Charles; George F. Sanborn; and Melinde Lutz Sanborn. The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635. (Boston, Massachusetts: NEHGS, 1999-2011)
   7:294-300.

   ORIGIN: Unknown.
   MIGRATION: 1635 on he Susan & Ellen (on 13 April 1635, "Tho[mas] Wells," aged 30, was enrolled at London as a passenger for New England on the Susan & Ellen [Hotten 59].
   OCCUPATION: Yeoman [ILR 1:149, 2:19, 27, 28, 41, 42, 86; YLR 10:91]. Husbandman [ILR 2:18].
   CHURCH MEMBERSHIP: Admission to Ipswich church prior to 17 May 1637 implied by freemanship.
   FREEMAN: 17 May 1637 (third in a sequence of five Ipswich men) [MBCR 1:373].

2.   Hammatt, Abraham. Physicians of Ipswich. New England Historical and Genealogical Register. (New England Historic Genealogical Society, Jan 1850)
   4:11-12.

   "Thomas Wells was one of the earliest English inhabitants of Ipswich. He took the Freeman's oath at Boston, May 7, 1637. He had a house lot granted to him in 1635, on the south side of the river, near where Stone Bridge now is, and afterwards, in 1638, 'planting lands' near 'Heartbreak Hill.' He probably came from Essex, England, having had relatives at Colchester, in that County, at the time of his decease in 1666. He married a daughter of William Warner, sister of Daniel and John Warner, all of them people of consideration among the first settlers... He also provides for the contingency of his sons [i.e. Thomas, later Rev. Thomas of Amesbury] 'going to College,' and bequeaths to him 'all the books I bought for his use, and my phissic books, and the books called orthodox evangelist.' ... From this bequest of 'phissic books,' the inference is drawn that he was a physician. The evidence is not quite conclusive, yet I know of no other..."