Biography
of John Wellwood, Mexico, NY
Many thanks to Esther Rancier
for sharing her information on the Ingersoll family. Esther is researching
in Richland and Mexico the Soul/Soule, Brace and Daniel
P. Smith families, and would appreciate hearing from anyone researching
these surnames.
Esther Rancier at: [email protected]
Most Wellwood families which came to America were from Ireland, but not
the Wellwoods of Mexico, NY. They showed up in the 18th century in
Rhode Island. At that time there were very few immigrants who did
not originate from England marrying into old line English families.
The social restraints were very strong.
Since the Wellwood’s arrival from Europe cannot be located, the earliest
record which can be directly linked to Oswego County, NY can be found in
the Tanner Family Association’s lineage book about the John Tanner descendants.
This book identified Esther Tanner, born 10 May 1788 in Hopkinton, RI as
marrying John Wellwood.
John and Esther had 3 known children: James, John and Nathan Place.
One of them was lost at sea, probably young John. Nathan Place
Wellwood was supposed to be in Mexico, but no record of him can be found.
The Tanner story began about 1660 in London when the press gangs grabbed
up a 14-year old lad and put him aboard an English vessel headed for New
York. Once landed the boy escaped and fled to RI. This story
survives although some serious researchers believe that a Tanner came with
the first Baptists landing with Roger Williams.
Whatever the truth Tanner purchased land in Westerly in 1693. He
married 3 times. The last woman was Elizabeth Colgrave (?).
They had 6 children. The oldest was Francis Tanner who had 2 sons.
The younger son was Joshua, born 27, 1757, in South Kingston, RI.
He married Elizabeth Sheldon. They had 10 children. The sixth
child was Esther Tanner who married John Wellwood.
John and Esther did not arrive in Mexico until 1838. Their presence
was noted by every major writer of Oswego County history. A section
in South Mexico was called Wellwood. There were many family members.
There was and is a Wellwood Cemetery. The Wellwood family participated
in local life, both town and church, for close to 100 years but next to
nothing certain remains about them. If it were not for the Wellwood
area and the cemetery they would likely be forgotten.
A major factor in losing this family was the lack of participation in the
various census enumerations. Census takers skipped over this part
of town in the early days. Not one Wellwood was counted in the 1840
0r 1850 Oswego County census. Later records seem incomplete with
some persons hard to find because the recorder spelled their name as Welwood
[sic]. Thus the family record now remains fragmentary. To eliminate
some false trails, this group of Wellwoods were all born in New York, not
Ireland or Canada.
In the 1860 Mexico census there
was one Wellwood listing on p. 489:
J.A. Wellwood 48 Farmer
NY
Sally 45 wife
NY
Esther 72
mother RI
John 16 son
NY
Emma 8 daughter
NY
This family lived next door to the Remington’s also a well-known group
in the Wellwood area. The maiden name of Sally, J.A.’s, wife was
Remington. Daughter Emma died age 15 in 1867. She was buried
at the Wellwood Cemetery. Esther died in 1868 and was likewise buried
at the Wellwood Cemetery, age 80. The value of J.A.’s real estate
was $5,000 making this household above average for the area.
This family’s listing in the 1870 Mexico census was as follows:
James Wellwood 65
farmer
Sally 62 wife
The next two farms were owned by the widow Lydia Remington and then Leroy
and Ann Remington. The third farm down the road was then owned by
John Wellwood 27
farmer
Helen 24 wife
Henry 19 farm
laborer
The total real estate value of James and Sally’s farm had dropped to $2,000.
Their son John’s farm had a value of $3,000 in real estate suggesting his
father had transferred land to him. The maiden name of John’s wife
was Helen Griffin. They married in 1866. She lived to 1934
when she was buried at the Mexico Village Cemetery. Her husband,
John, died in 1894, age 50. He was buried in the Wellwood Cemetery.
In the 1880 Mexico census John and Helen were still living.
Helen was enumerated as Ella. The couple’s one child, Grace, later
married ________ Hardie. She was buried in the Mexico Village
Cemetery with the Hardie family between 1903/07.
In another household Edwin
and Lucretia Griffin housed 70- year old James Wellwood whose wife, Sally
Remington had died in 1879. She was buried at the Wellwood Cemetery,
age 63. James died 1902, age 91. He probably lived in Colosse
during 1888-93 or maybe longer.
There was another child of Esther and John Wellwood not included in the
Tanner listing, a Joshua Wellwood born ca. 1818. He was still living
with his mother, Esther, age 62 in Greenwich, Washington Co., NY in the
1850 census as yet unmarried. The Wellwood Cemetery contains the
grave of the wife of Joshua Wellwood, Margaret who died in 1872, age 40.
This couple had 3 children according to a family Bible record now in the
possession of the family. The children’s names were Henry H., Mary Elizabeth
and Sary Jane. According to LDS records Henry H. was born 16
August 1852, Mary Elizabeth on 21 March 1854 and Sary Jane on 15 January
1855. All births were in Greenwich. The mother’s full name was Margaret
Morehouse.
Mary Elizabeth Wellwood married on 19 March 1878 in Fulton, NY John W.
Groff. Henry H. Wellwood married Grace Lenore Getman on 21 August
1879 at Volney. In 1880 they were residing in Palermo, NY. Henry
and Grace had a daughter, Grace L. born 17 May 1882 who died in 1960.
They also had a son, Wayne H. Wellwood, born 27 July 1897 in Palermo who
became the father of Henry Wellwood. In the 1920 census Wayne H.
Wellwood, age 22, was living with his new wife, Cora Holly, age 21, in
Fulton, NY. Wayne was then a machine operator. He died in 1963.
There are living descendants.
The Wellwoods belonged to the First Society of the Methodist Episcopal
Church of South Mexico which was also called the Wellwood Methodist Episcopal
Church. This church was organized 1 March 1849. Later 8 memorial
windows were installed. Two honored Wellwoods: John and his
daughter, Grace Wellwood Hardie.
SOURCES:
Cemetery Census of the Town
of Mexico, Oswego County, New York. Mexico: Mexico Historical Society,
1984.
Churchill, John. Landmarks
of Oswego County, New York. Syracuse: Mason, 1895.
International Genealogical
Index. Available. [online] http:
www.familysearch.org 12 December 2002]
“Grip’s” Historical Souvenir
of Mexico. Syracuse: 1903.
Simpson, Elizabeth M.
Mexico: Mother of Towns. Buffalo: Clement, 1949.
Tanner, Maurice. Descendants
of John Tanner. Tanner Family Association, 1942.
U.S. Census for Oswego County,
NY, 1860, 1870, 1880, 1920.
U.S. Census for Washington
Co., NY, 1850.
Wellwood notes from Bible
record of Cheryl G.
WorldConnect Project.
Available. [online] http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com
[4 December 2002]
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2003 Esther Rancier
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