This article will take up only one of the children of John and Elizabeth (Congdon) Wells--the younger son, Benjamin.
Benjamin was born at North Kingston, RI about 1701. The distruction of many of the records of this town in 1870 makes it extremely difficult to obtain accurate information about the affairs previous to that date. Many dates of births, marriages, and deaths were destroyed, or so nearly obliterated that they are useless. The full date of birth of Benjamin cannot be found. It is known, however, that he was 97 years of age when he died at the home of his son in Foster, RI in 1798.
He married Mary Jurdon (Jordon) at North Kingstown, Jan. 21, 1730. He was made a freeman by the General Assembly at Newport, May 1, 1722.
Their children were:
1. Elizabeth, born at North Kingstown, RI in 1733.
2. James, born at North Kingstown, March 27, 1734.
In 1755 he and his family removed from North Kingstown to Scituate, RI. His son James was married previously to the removal, but apparently was still residing at home.
Benjamin died at home of his son in Foster in 1798 and his dau, Elizabeth who never married, died there March 7, 1823.
Spouse: Mary Jurdon
Marriage Date: 21 Jan 1730
Marriage Place: North Kingstown, RI
Children:
Elizabeth Wells
James Wells
(4) 1.5.2.1 Elizabeth Wells
Birth Date: 1733
Birth Place: North Kingstown, RI
Death Date: 7 Mar 1823
Death Place: Scituate, RI (Foster)
(4) 1.5.2.2a James Wells*
Birth Date: 27 Mar 1734
Birth Place: North Kingstown, RI
Death Date: 4 Sep 1823
Death Place: Foster, RI
User Fact 1: res: Howard Hill, Scituate, RI
James Wells
James Wells was born at North Kingstown, Ri March 27, 1734. He married for his first wife ___Slocum, of North Kingstown. The marriage must have occured previous to May 3rd, 1756, because he is mentioned was having a wife in a document made under that date.
Just where he made his home in Scituate when he first located there is unk. It is probable, however, that it was at Howard Hill in that part of Scituate which is now the town of Foster.
On the 23rd of October, 1769 he bought of Thomas Fenner, of Johnstown, RI a small farm located on Howard Hill. He resided here the remainder of his life.
His children by his first wife were:
James Wells mar. 2nd Freelove Aylesworth, dau of Phillip Aylesworth, of Coventry, RI Nov. 15, 1761. Their children were:
James died at Foster RI Sep 4, 1823. His second wife, Freelove (Aylesworth) Wells, died there in Apr 1815.
During the Revolutionary War James Wells served in the militia of the Colony. He was at first appointed ensign of the 6th Co of Scituate Militia by the General Assembly and was soon after made lieutenant in which capacity he served for several years. [Rev. War Pension application James Wells, RI, Nancy W8988?].
[WFRA Note: This is a DIFFERENT James Wells who was born Jan 1760 Hopkinton, RI; m: Nancy Love and d: 29 Apr 1835 in Hopkinton.]
When the town of Foster was incorporated he was appointed lieutenant of 3rd Co of Foster Militia. His service covered the years of 1775-1785. It has not been ascertained whether he saw actual service in the firing line, but the Colonial Records show that all the militia companies were called into actual service in 1777 when the great British Army invaded the Colony at Newport. There is a family tradition that Lt. James Wells was stationed at Newport for a time. All of his descendants are eligible to the different pariotic societies which make service during the Rev. War the rule for admission.
The Wells homestead in Foster passed into the hands of James Wells Jr., when his father fied in 1823. It remained in his possession until his death in 1829.
In Jan. of that year (1829) James Wells, Jr., who had removed from the old home in Foster to the village of Jackson in Scituate, not far from Hope village, was returning to Jackson from a grip to the old place in Foster. The journey was made on horseback. There had been a heavy storm of rain and all the streams in the vicinity of the factory villages were badly swollen. It was late at night when Mr. Wells reached the vicinity of the Hope village. No one knows just what happened, but it is supposed that the horse was either frightened or stumbled as he was crossing a stream which flows into the Pawtuxet River and horse and rider both went over the side of the bridge into the water. Mr. Wells was found dead in the stream the next morning.
Soon after this said event the old homestead passed into other hands. The house was torn down and some of the timbers were used in constructing the house which now stands a few rods from the site of the old house and is owned by Mr. Rufus Howard.
The family burying place which is on the Wells farm not far from the old house contains several head stones and there are no inscriptions which can be deciphered.
It is probable that some of them were originally marked with initials but time has made it impossible to distinguish the marks. Lt. James Wells and his second wife are both buried in this family lot.
This wife was a descendant of two of the founders of the Baptist denomination in America. They were Rev. Chad Brown, the first settled pastor of the old First Baptist Church of Providence, RI which church was the First Baptist Church in America, and Rev. Obdiah Holmes, of Newport from 1650-1681, a period of 31 years.
Rev. Obadiah Holmes was the minister who received such brutal treatment at the hands of the authorities at Boston, MA when he went there to visit an aged and infirm man who had formally been an active member of the church at Newport. This case stirred the good people of both New England and Old England and no doubt had much to do with breaking down the established order of things in MA.
Oliver Cromwell was the Lord Protector of England, he promptly refused to grant the petition of Mass that RI be annexed to that Colony and the charter of RI under which it became an independent colony.
Rev. Obadiah Holmes was the ancestor of Abraham Lincoln. All of the descendants of Lt. James Wells and Freelove (Aylesworth) Wells, his second wife, are therefore cousins in some degree of Abraham Lincoln. The children of James and Freelove were fifth cousins to Abraham, a remote but interesting relationship.
Spouse: 1) unk Slocum
Death Date: 1761
Death Place: Foster, RI
User Fact 1: of North Kingstown, RI
Marriage Date: Before 3 May 1756
Children:
Waity Wells
John Wells
Spouse Notes:
source: The descendant of Peter Wells----by A.J. Wright
States parent as being Phillip Aylesworth. James 2nd wif is buried in family plot next to James.
This wife was a descendant of two of the founders of the Baptist denomination in America see James Wells for notes.
Marriage Date: 15 Nov 1761
Marriage Place: RI
Children:
Provided by Rita Wells - Delton, MI