Nathaniel WELLS Sr. (1600 – 1681) was Alex’s 10th great grandfather, one of 1,028 in this generation of the Miner line.

Nathaniel Wells – Coat of Arms

Nathaniel Wells was born 29 Oct 1600 in Colchester, Essex, England. He was baptized 8 Feb 1601,  St Albans Abbey, Hertsford, England.  His parents were Thomas WELLS (1566 – 1620) and Ann Elizabeth HUNT Kemball (1568 – 1646).  He bragged that he owned many and valuable shipyards in Colchester, as well as a large hotel. During the religious persecution in 1629, he is said to have made some remarks in favor of the Puritan feeling, and was forced to flee from the country.

Colchester, Essex, England

Nathaniel arrived at Boston, Mass., in 1629.  His nephew Nathaniel Wells married Lydia Thurley.  He took the freeman’s oath in Boston, 2 Nov 1637.  In 1639 or 1640 he removed to Rhode Island. He settled near the present town of Westerly, founding the town which he named Wellstown on about four hundred acres of land purchased from the Narragansett Indians, and lived there the remainder of his life.” Now Wellstown is a road in Hopkinton and Ashaway Rhode Island.  Nathaniel died in 1681 Wellstown, Washington County,  Rhode Island.

Some researchers cast doubt on the existence of this Nathaniel Wells and say that Thomas was the original immigrant.  However there is a present day Wellstown in Ashaway, RI 02804, a couple miles north of Westerly and less than a mile from the Connecticut state line.  Here is a Google Maps Street View Street View of Wellstown Road. No town today, the road runs through the woods for about a mile.

Children of Nathaniel :

Our Wells ancestors, original immigrant Nathaniel, son Thomas, and grandson Joseph and were all ship builders

Nathaniel Wells, the immigrant ancestor, born about 1600, came from Colchester, England, where he owned many and valuable shipyards, as well as a large hotel. During the religious persecution in 1629, he is said to have made some remarks in favor of the Puritan feeling, and was forced to flee from the country. He arrived at Boston. Massachusetts, in 1629. He took the freeman’s oath in Boston, November 2. 1637. In 1639 or 1640 he removed to Rhode Island. He settled near the present town of Westerly, founding the town which he named Wellstown on about four hundred acres of land purchased from the Narragansett Indians, and lived there the remainder of his life. Nathaniel’s brothers were Hugh, of Hartford, Joseph, of Boston. Deacon Thomas, of Ipswich. George and William, of Lynn, Massachusetts, and Deacon Richard, of Salisbury, Massachusetts, all of whom came over between 1630 and 1635. Children: our ancestor Thomas,  John, born in Colchester, about 1630; Naomi, born in Salem or Ipswich, 1637

Children

1. Thomas WELLS (See his page)

2. John Wells

John’s wife Mary Greenleaf was born 16 Dec 1633 in Newbury, Mass.  Her parents were our ancestors Edmund GREENLEAF and Sarah MOORE.

The consensus for Mary’s date of death is 5 Mar 1669. I don’t see any source of record for that, but there are Massachusetts vital records showing Mary Greenleaf’s 5 Mar 1668 marriage. It seems a coincidence that she died exactly one year after her marriage.

Other genealogies show Nathaniel and Mary having four children which of course puts the 1669 date of death into question. Some of these genealogies say Mary’s father was Edmund’s fourth son Enoch, but he was too young to have been Mary’s father (15 years old in 1633). On the other hand, Mary’s mother Sarah was 45 years old in 1633, on the outer bound to have another child. I can find no other information for these four children, so maybe they all died young.

John was a ship’s carpenter.

Children of John and Mary:

i. Mary Wells b. 16 Dec 1669 in Newbury, Essex Co., MA; d. 2 Feb 1670/71 in Newbury, Essex Co., MA

ii. John Wells b. 20 Aug 1671 in Newbury, Essex Co., MA

iii. Mary Wells b. 12 Feb 1672/73 in Newbury, Essex Co., MA

iv. William Wells b. 15 Jan 1674/75 in Newbury, Essex Co., MA

Sources:

[Wells3 253] Nathaniel Wells had 6 brothers  who came to America settling in various parts of New England: Hugh 1590, Joseph c1595, William c1598, Thomas 1605, Richard 1609, and George 1611.

[TorreyCD] WELLS, Nathaniel (-1681, 1682) & Lydia THURLEY/THURLO, m/2 Nathaniel EMERSON; 29 Oct 1661; Ipswich {Reg. 4:12; Wells (#2) 1; Wells (#4) 48; Wells (#5) 9; Wells (#10) 154; Wells (#12) 9; Hammatt: Ipswich 403; Dodge Anc. (1896) 24; Snow-Estes 1:131}

[Wells 142] Brother of Deacon Thomas Welles of Ipswich and Richard Wells of Salisbury. Emigrated to America in 1629 and landed at either Salem or Boston. Freemans oath, Boston, 2 November 1637

[NEGRH 3:95] Moved to Rhode Island c 1640: settlement in the wilderness of a track of over 400 acres purchased of the Narragnasett Indians (near Wickford) and called the place Wellstown. Tradition has it that NW was the owner and proprietor of extensive shipyards in Colchester and which he stated to have been more valuable than the whole of Westerly, Newport, and Charlestown.

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~hillmer/DNA/p219.htm#i5718

http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~perry/fun/genealogy/mell-chrt7.pdf

http://www.lavynder.com/descendants/pafg166.htm#6187

http://users.ece.utexas.edu/~perry/fun/genealogy/mell/wells.html

New England families, genealogical and memorial: a record of the …, Volume 4 edited by William Richard Cutter 1913