The following information was assembled from numerous sources and cannot be used directly as proof of Qualifying Service or Lineage.
It is considered a research aid and is intended to assist in locating sources that can be used as proof.
State of Service: MD
Qualifying Service: Patriotic Service
Author: James Harrison Frey
In 1778 Benjamin Wells, Sr. signed the Oath of Allegiance and Fidelity in Baltimore County, Maryland. He was 54 years of age and consequently he did not render military service. Born 7 Nov 1724 in Baltimore County, Maryland, he was a son of Charles Wells (1703 – 1738) and Sarah Arnold (1686 – 1792) who lived to the age of 106! In 1723 he married Temperance Butler (1726 – 1800), daughter of Henry Butler (1689 – 1746) and Susannah White (1693 – 1769). Benjamin and Temperance were the parents of ten children.
A third generation Marylander, Benjamin gradually sold off his property in Baltimore County and about 1782 joined his older sons, Charles and Absalom, who had settled around Buffalo Creek in present-day Brooke County in the northern panhandle of West Virginia. Benjamin built a stockade home as a defense against the Native Americans. This family was known as the “Big Wells” because of their large physical stature and strength and to distinguish them from another branch of the family in the area who were known as the “Little Wells.”
Son Charles Wells (1745 – 1815) established Charles Town on the Ohio River, 16 miles north of Wheeling, West Virginia. The town was later renamed Wellsburg to avoid confusion with Charles Town in Jefferson County, West Virginia. Charles relocated to Tyler County in 1802 and established the community called Wells Landing. His daughters Sarah and Delilah developed his property, founding Sistersville, West Virginia.
Benjamin Wells, Sr. died in Ohio County, West Virginia late in 1794 aged 72 years.
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