Hugh Wells/Welles, Sr. Notes

New England Families Genealogical and Memorial: Third Series, Volume IV
Author: William Richard Cutter
This is the Third Series, Volume IV of a four series set. It has records of achievements of people from England, who have set up commonwealths in New England. About 6000 names included in this record.
Bibliographic Information: Cutter, William Richard. New England Families Genealogical and Memorial: Third Series, Volume IV. 1915. Reprint, Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1996.

WELLS The Wells family is of ancient and honorable English descent and has had many distinguished men both in England and America. Two important branches of the American family trace their origin in this country to Wethersfield, Connecticut. Governor Thomas Wells or Welles, the pioneer of one line, was born in county Essex, England, and came to New England in 1636. He became deputy governor and treasurer of the Connecticut colony and a very prominent citizen. The other pioneer was Hugh Wells, mentioned below.

(I) Hugh Wells, the immigrant, was born in county Essex, England, and probably came in the ship "Globe" in 1635 to New England. He was in Hartford, Connecticut, as early as 1636 and removed thence to Wethersfield, Connecticut, where he was living in 1645 and where he died about the same time. He married, in England, Frances (???), and she married (second) Thomas Coleman, of Hartford, and died in 1678. Children of Hugh and Frances Wells: Thomas, mentioned below; Ensign Hugh, born about 1625; Mary, about 1626, married Jonathan Gilbert, marshal of Connecticut; John, of Stratford and Hadley.

Jacobus, Donald Lines, Genealogies of Connecticut Families,
vol. II, "The Gilbert Family", p. 16.
Jacobus, Donald Lines, Genealogies of Connecticut Families,
vol. III, "Wells", pp. 541-542

Hugh Welles was born in Colchester, Essex, England, in 1590, and died in Wethersfield, Connecticut, about 1645. Frances Belcher was born in Colchester in about 1598, and died in Wethersfield on March 1, 1678. He is the son of Thomas Welles. She is the daughter of Dabridgecourt and Elizabeth (Fisher) Belcher. They had four children:

i. Thomas Wells: He married Mary Beardsley, daughter of William and Mary (Harvey) Beardsley, in about 1631. He died before 1678.

iv. Mary Wells [#513]: She was born in Colchester in about 1626, and died in Hartford, Connecticut, on July 3, 1700.

Hugh Welles came from county Essex, England, in about 1635 and settled in Wethersfield. He was one of the founders of Hartford. His brother, Rev. & Hon. Thomas Welles, was a governor of Connecticut; he died in Hartford on January 14, 1660, at age 62.

After Hugh's death, Frances married Thomas Coleman and moved to Hadley about 1660. When she died, she bequeathed her property to the family of her son, Thomas Wells (deceased), to her son, John Welles, of Hatfield (and his children), and to her daughter, Mary Gilbert. Frances appointed her grandson, Jonathan Gilbert, (step-grandson?) the executor of her will.

Jacobus, Donald Lines, Genealogies of Connecticut Families,
vol. II, "The Gilbert Family", p. 16
Jacobus, Donald Lines, Genealogies of Connecticut Families,
vol. III, "Wells", p. 541-542
Jacobus, Donald Lines, History and Genealogy of the Families of Old Fairfield
(reprinted with corrections), Baltimore, Genealogical Publishing Co., 1991 (1930); vol. 1, p. 655.

Thomas Welles was born in Essex, England, in 1566, and died in probably Norwich, Connecticut, on May 26, 1620. His wife was _____ _____ Theirs was a numerous family of sons which included:

i. Thomas Welles, (Gov.) was born in Essex in 1597-98, and died in Hartford, Connecticut, on January 14, 1660. He was the eldest son and became Governor of Connecticut. >From Families of Old Fairfield, he m. Alice Tomes, they had six children (b. in England): John, Thomas, Samuel, Mary, Ann, Sarah. (Son) Thomas married Hannah Tuttle (widow of John Pantry); their daughter, Rebecca, married James Judson; their son, Samuel, married Ruth Judson, both children of Joseph and Sarah (Porter) Judson.

ii. Hugh Welles [#1026]: He was born in Colchester, Essex, England, in 1590, and died in Wethersfield, Connecticut, about 1645. He was the second eldest son.

Per A Brief General History of the Welles or Wells Family, (as given in Genealogies of Connecticut Families), Thomas Welles was a zealous Puritan and wealthy merchant in London, of the Welles family, in the county of Essex, which was "a branch of the noble family of Wells in Lincolnshire, who were barons of the realm." Incurring the suspicion of the Commissioners, he escaped to Connecticut at about age 60, and was soon followed a numerous family of sons.

It should be noted that English Origins of New England Families by Lemuel Aiken Welles contains a section "The English Ancestry of Governor Thomas Welles of Connecticut" which states that the father of Governor Thomas Welles was Robert Welles, born before November 6, 1540, in Stourton, Warwickshire, England; and that he had two sons: Thomas and Robert.

Records of the Particular Court of Connecticut
Author: no author
Call Number: F91.C7 vol.22
This book contains the records of the particular court of Connecticut.
Bibliographic Information: Records of the Particular Court of Connecticut. Connecticut Historical Society. Hartford. 1928.

The Jury Will: Woodsworth Jur Tho: Bull Dan: Clarke John Hauks Mathias Senson Tho: Curtis