EIGHTH GENERATION
The probable Native American connection of (153) is noted in the link. There were three adult "free white" women living with (152) Jonathan in 1810 and one in 1820. Besides this, an "other free" person (poss. Native American) was living with this Jonathan and family in 1810.
The elder Jonathan was one of three Wells heads of household listed in the 1810 Federal Census for Fort Ann. The others were Joseph and James. James was apparently born BET 1785/94, with three sisters or two sisters and a wife b. BET 1795/1800 and a younger brother or servant b. BET 1800/10. A woman (poss. his widowed mother or mother-in-law), b. BEF 1765, was also in the household, as well as a free nonwhite (possibly Native American or Negro).
Joseph was b. BET 1766/84, and may have been a son or brother of (152) Jonathan. He was apparently maried to a woman either b. BET 1785/94 or BEF 1765. Joseph was listed again in the 1820 Fort Ann census, b. BET 1775/94 -- showing that he was b. BET 1775/84 (and therefore very likely the first son of (152) Jonathan & Parmelia. The older woman in the 1810 census, then, was possibly his mother or mother-in-law.
I can only speculate at this time, about how one or more of (152) Jonathan's children acquired Indian blood. The most plausible explanation is that he was abducted during the American Revolution. Such an abduction event happened at Royalton, Windsor, VT in 1880. The raid, conducted by the British with their Tory, Mohawk and Abenaki allies, was unique in that only men and boys were taken and the women and girls were left largely unmolested. Only partial lists of the captives exist, and no Jonathan Wells is shown among the captives.
A Jonathan Wells did appear in the 1790 census of Royalton, with a wife and possibly a daughter. This same Jonathan sold a farm to Aruna Adams in 1791, which makes me suspect he was a land speculator. He did actually live in Royalton, however, which may mean that he was a genuine settler. If he was (152) Jonathan, he was shy three sons in the census. An Ebenezer Wells, b. BET 1753/56 prob of the W004 line, was also in Royalton in 1790, who may have been his brother.
A "Capt. Jno Wells also appeared in the 1790 census for Shelburne, Hampshire, MA, poss. s/o Jonathan W. of line W001 and his wife Abigail Dickinson. I find no record of this "captain", either before or after 1790.
There are some photographs available of contemporary Wells families from the area. One is of a Moses Gervais Wells, shown below, between two sons of (76) Jonathan. The resemblance of the three to one another is striking, and may represent close kinship.
The three had the high, bony cheekbones and squarish jaws seen in photographs of the Métis, Canadians of mixed white and Cree descent; but the prominent cheekbones, at least, are also found in a contemporary Jonathan Wells (shown below) of Wells DNA line W001-443, b. 1804 Halifax, Windham VT d. 1892 Dunham, McHanry, IL, liv. 1830 Ft. Covington, Franklin, NY. This Jonathan was m. 1825 to Catherine de Groot of Canada near Lake Champlain, d/o Joseph de Groat & Hannah Rutter.
Moses G. Wells was b. 20 Feb. 1814 in St. Pierre de Sorel (alt. St. Luc/ St. Jean), Que, d. 12 Dec. 1902, s/o Emmanuel Rivard (1782-22) and Marianne Menard (1793-59)/ alt. Jacques Gervais and Marie Josephe Patenaude who were all, so far as I can determine, French Canadians. Emmanuel Rivard was s/o Joseph (1752-34, s/o Gerv. R. & Me. An. Loiseau) and Marie Anne Cartier (1763-13, d/o Fr. deSales Cartier & Louise Me. Petit). Jacques Gervais was s/o Joseph Gerv. Dupuy (-1810, s/o Pr. G. & Me. Mgt. Senecal) and Marie Angelique Gauthier. Moses was recorded, in turn, as Wells, Gervais and Jarvis (The name on his tombstone). His children bore the Wells surname (alt. Jarvis in 1880)
Moses Gervais liv. 1840-02 in Ticonderoga, Essex, NY, just a bit N of Fort Ann on the old trade route from Que. to Albany. The fact that his last name did not match those of his parents, suggests that an adoption may have taken place (some of the boys abducted at Royalton were sold to French Canadian families). He was contemporary with a Peter Wells (1809/10-), liv. nearby West Port, Essex, NY in 1840 -- who may have been a brother or cousin, or perhaps some kin through adoption. Moses' line is hard to piece together. One presumed father, Emmanuel Rivard (also, prob. err., called Emmanuel Rivard Gervais on one site), died when M. was seven; so Jacques Gervais may have adopted him. The French "G" sounds like the English "J", so the name may have been Anglicized to "Jarvis". That begs the question of where the name "Wells" entered into things. It may have been his birth name; since he used it, but never "Rivard".
Jonathan Wells of Halifax, Windham, VT, for his part, was s/o Joel (1773 Halifax-) and Chloe (Ransom, 1774 Shelburne Falls MA-) Wells. Joel, in turn, was s/o Hubbell Welles Sr. of Colchester, N. L., CT. This Jonathan's brothers were Samuel, Sylvester Bishop, Jabez Ransom, Joel an Amos P Wells. The family moved from Windham Co. to Grand Isle, VT in the early 1800s.
There were many Jonathan Wells families in the late 1700s in MA, VT and NY. Having scrutinized them all as well as I could, I have concluded that none were (152) Jonathan. The circumstances of Moses G. Wells's origins, however, and his resemblance to Allen and William, lead me to suspect there may have been a connection among the Abenakis of Quebec.
"(154) Levi is buried in Burnett Corners Cemetery, Dodge County, Wisconsin. The grave was marked by Waupun Chapter on September 13, 1975. Levi Holcomb was born in Granby, Connecticut, on January 15, 1763, the son of (308) Ezra and (309) Phebe Gillett Holcomb. He enlisted in the Connecticut Militia in September 1779. Holcomb served in Capt Phelp's Company at Stratford, Capt. Owen's Company at Simsbury Mines, Capt. Granger's Company, and saw final service in Stratford, Connecticut. After the service he married (155) Chloe Pison and they had seven daughters*. He later moved to New York, Pennsylvania, where he applied for a service pension in 1833, and then to Wisconsin Territory. In 1850 he had moved to Burnett Township where he lived with his daughter, Huldah, and her husband, Benjamin Grant. He died on April 2, 1854."
-- Located Graves in Wisconsin of Revolutionary Soldiers (DAR) http://www.wsdar.org/wsdar/Rev.GravesinWis..htm
* Most genealogies omit nearly all of these daughters, including (77) Chloe: They were no doubt compiled long after Chloe died. It is reasonable that she was daughter of (154) Levi Holcomb, because:
Levi Holcomb was listed as a "Pvt. & drummer" in "U.S. Pensioners, 1818-1872", for the years 1831-34. From Mar. 1831-Sep. 33, he was listed as a "4"; in Mar. 1834 as a "2" and in Sep. 1834 as a "3"; then entries cease for him in PA. If this record refers to Levi Sr., the entries may refer to family size. The DAR record shows that he was in PA in 1833; and in 1840 he was in Jasper, Steuben, NY with prob. wife Chloe, son William and two teenage girls (servants?). From Mar. 1835-Mar. 46, he was in the NY Pensioners record as, variously, "1" to "4". The NY entries terminate with the note "Transferred to Wisconsin". In the WI record, he is shown alternately as a "1" and a "3" from Sep. 1843-Sep. 47.
Name: Chloe Holcomb
American Genealogical-Biographical Index:
(155) Chloe probably died around the time (154) Levi moved to WI. Subsequent census records of a Chloe Holcomb in CT are for Chloes nee Bacon and Dibble, both b. in the 1760s, and younger relatives.
1790 New York > Washington > Kingsbury p. 91
1800 New York > Washington > Westfield
1810 Connecticut > Hartford > Granby
1820 New York > Chenango > Oxford
1825 NY Census: liv. Troopsburg, Steuben
1830 New York > Steuben > Jasper
1831-34 in Pennsylvania (see above)
1840 New York > Steuben > Jasper
1843/46 to Wisconsin (see above)
1850 Wisconsin > Dodge > Burnett
"Old soldier gets belated honor
"BURNETT -- 'We must renew our support and vigor for the ideals for which our forefathers fought in the Revolution,' stated Mrs. Dudley Warren Pierce, Wisconsin Rapids, keynoted speaker for the marker dedication for (154) Levi Holcomb, Revolutionary War soldier, Saturday afternoon in Burnett Corners Cemetery.
"Mrs. Pierce, state regent of the Wisconsin Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), continued...
"The grave of Levi Holcomb had been unmarked since his death in 1854 until the past summer when a veteran's marker was obtained through the combined efforts of the Waupun Chapter DAR and the Dodge County Veterans Office. It is the task of the DAR to located unmarked graves of Revolutionary soldiers and their wives -- a task entrusted to them by the government in 1897.
"Levi Holcomb was a Native of Connecticut who served 21 months in the Continental service during the Revolution. He was a descendant of Thomas Holcomb, one of a group of 140 Puritans and dissenters who arrived in this country May 30, 1630.
"Holcomb served as a substitute for his brother, Enos, then again in 1781 substituted for 6 months for his brother Ezra. When 19, in February 1782, he enlisted for 13 months, serving until the end of the war. His father, too served in the war.
"After Army service, Holcomb married (155) Chloe Pison. About 1810, they and their seven children moved to Washington County, N.Y., but like other settlers, the Holcombs kept moving on and on. While living in Pennsylvania, he applied for a Revolutionary pension and was granted the sum of $70 per year. By 1846, he moved west to Wisconsin with his daughter (155ii) Mrs. Benjamin Grant, and her family, settling first in Waukesha County then moving to Burnett Township in Dodge County..."
-- "Fond du Lac Reporter" 15 Sep. 1975
INDEX
3Albert Welles, "History of the Welles Family in England and Normandy" c/o Google Books
L to R Allen Clinton Wells, Moses Gervais Wells and William Wardel Wells
Jonathan Wells [W001]
b. 1804 Halifax, VT
154. Levi Holcomb
SRC: 1825 Census Troupsburg, Steuben Co., NY; 1800-1840 NY Censuses
* One IGI entry shows "(155) Chloe Pison Laun".
Birth Date: 17650 Birthplace: Connecticut,
Volume: 81 Page Number: 487
Biographical Info: wife veteran
Reference: Census of pensioners for Rev. military serivces. Washington, DC. 1841. (195p.):50
Name: Chloe Holcomb
Birth Date: 1790
Birthplace: New York
Volume: 81 Page Number: 487
Reference: Gen. Column of the " Boston Transcript". 1906-1941: 7 Apr 1924, 1634
http://www.rays-place.com/census/ny-wash-02.htm
Holcomb, Levi 1 - 4 - -
Levi Sr. b. 1680/1774 [~1765]
Chloe Sr. b. 1680/1790 [~1766]
1. Betsey b. 1680/1790 [~1782]
2. Huldah b. 1680/1790 [~1784]
3. Rachel b. 1680/1790 [~1787]
Levi Halcomb 2 1 - 1 - - 2 2 1
Levi Sr. b. 1755/74 [~1765]
Chloe Sr. b. 1755/74 [~1766]
1. Betsey b. 1774/84 [~1782]
2. Huldah b. 1774/84 [~1784]
3. Rachel b. 1784/90 [~1787]
4. Asa b. 1784/90 [~1790]
5. Chloe b. 1784/90 [~1790]
6. Ezra b. 1790/00 [~1793]
7. Levi b. 1790/00 [~1797]
Levi Holcomb 1 1 - 1 -|2 - 1 1 - -
Levi Sr. b. 1765/84 [~1765]
Chloe Sr. b. 1765/84 [~1766]
5. Chloe b. 1784/94 [~1790]
7. Levi b. 1794/00 [~1797]
8. daughter #6 b. 1800/10 [~1801]
9. William b. 1800/10 [~1805]
Betsey, Huldah, Rachel, Asa, Ezra gone
Levi Holcomb - 1 - - - 1 3 1 1 - 1 - 1
Levi Sr. 1710/75 [~1765]
farmer 1820
Chloe Sr. 1710/75 [~1766]
8. daughter #6 b. 1794/04 [~1801]
9. William b. 1804/10 [~1805]
10. daughter #7 b. 1804/10 [~1810]
granddaughter b. 1810/20 [~1811]
granddaughter b. 1810/20 [~1815]
granddaughter b. 1810/20 [~1819]
Chloe, Levi gone
Levi Holcom - - - - - - - 1- - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - -
Levi Sr. b. 1770/80 [~1765]
Chloe Sr. b. 1770/80 [~1766]
daughter #6, William, daughter #7 gone
Levi Holcom - - - - - - - 1- - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - -
Levi Sr. Age 74 [1765/66] Veteran
Chloe Sr. b. 1760/70 [~1766]
9. William b. 1800/10 [~1805]
granddaughter b. 1820/25 [~1821]
granddaughter b. 1820/25 [~1824]
Levi Holcom - - - - - - - 1- - - - - - - - - - - - 1 - -
Levi Sr. Age 86 [1763/64] b. CT
2[1]. Benjamin Grant Age 56 [1793/94] b. VT
2. Huldah Grant Age 54 [1795/96] b. NY
2i. Lemuel Grant Age 17 [1832/33] b. NY
Jonathan Grant Age 15 [~1834/35] b. NY
by THELMA KAISER (Reporter Area Staff)
= siblings
WELLS & HOLCOMB LINES continued
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