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Chemung County NY
Photo: Wells- Jones Family Photos
Township: Elmira, Chemung County NY
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Photos Submitted by: Sue Edling
dig4rootsgrant@yahoo.com.
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Wells family-Tom the youngest of Jane and Horace Wells children was a traveling man. I think that means door to door salesman. He moved to Buffalo, New York. I found on your site that in 1891 he was a student. Jane Wells now retired from her floral business stands next to her daughter Bertha, known by the nickname Bertie.When Jane became too old to manage the house, she and Bertha moved to Buffalo and stayed with Tom until their deaths. Neither Tom nor Bertha married.
Rheuby May Burt (parents David Burt and Hannah BennettT) was born Nov. 24, 1795 in Ridgeway, N.Y. She died May 22, 1881 in Elmira, N.Y.?

When I was cleaning my grandmother’s attic, I found this picture and brought it down stairs for my grandmother (Dorothy Jones Doble), to see. The first words out of her mouth were, "well she’s not related to me"! However she may in fact be my grandmothers great grandmother, on her mother’s side. . I am still trying to prove this. I think she may be the mother of Horace Wells, wife Jane. I have such little information to go by. In the treasure digging I did find this letter that my great grandmother Bessie Wells wrote, where she makes reference to Uncle Chester and that would be Chester Burt.

Elmira, Jan 20 1874
Dear Grandma
                                    I received your letter last week, and am very glad to hear that you are well. Thursday is our little boy baby's and my
birthday, and I wish you could come up and spend the day with us, I can not have a birthday party this year. Mama Benight and uncle chester came home yesterday and uncle chester started for home last night at 6 O'clock, and we are very lonesome without him. Bertie is a hugging and kissing Mama Benight and making a great fuss. Bertie says she would like to have you here to play with her. Mama has been washing to day and she sits here very tired and sleepy. Papa has just come in and says it is bed time.       Yours with much love
From Bessie E. Wells
From Bessie E. Wells
Sept. 6th 1881

I don’t know why the two different dates are on it. Bessie was born Jan. 22, 1865.

Rheuby May Burt married Thomas Benight on UNKNOWN in UNKNOWN. Thomas (parents Samuel Benight and Sally
Roberts) was born Aug 28, 1794 in N.Y.. He died April 4, 1853.



Here’s Grandma Wells (Jane) sitting in her chair in the back yard at 294 Water Street, Elmira, N.Y. Horace Wells, just look at that beard. My grandmother (Bessie daughter, Dorothy Jones ) told me then when she was little and visiting she was afraid of him because of that beard. He wasn’t mean, he just wasn’t the kind of grandpa you’d  climbed into his lap and he told you a story. My grandmother said that he kept to himself.
I love this picture of Bertha Wells. It was of the time of her school graduation. 
I don’t know if she furthered her education as her sister Bessie did.
I was told that the boys in the picture of Grant
Jones, in the bathing suit, were cousins. I don’t know
who they are.
Bessie Evilyn Wells (parents Horace Dudley Wells and
Jane Benight?) was born Jan. 22, 1865 in Elmira, N.Y.
She died 1960 in Cohasset, Ma.
     Bessie graduated from the First School, in Elmira and this is her graduation picture. Then she attended Elmira College, receiving a degree in art. I estimate the year of this picture to be about 1888.

    Bessie Evilyn married Grant Helm Jones on Nov. 19,1890 in Elmira, New York. Grant Helm (parents Finla McClure Jones and Sarah Coonley Mosher) was born September 27 1863 in Seeley Creek, N.Y. He died March 18, 1953 in Cohasset, MA.

Bessie Evilyn Wells and Grant Helm Jones had the following children:
    1.    Dorothy Elizabeth Jones was born January 5, 1896 in Buffalo, New York. She died September 22, 1994 in Waymouth, MA.
2. Arthur Wells Jones was born April 22, 1894 in Buffalo; N. Y. He died in Portland, Maine.
3.     . Arthur writes to his parents from Seeley Creek. Uncle’s Matt and Fred, are Grant Jones brothers. Aunt Minta maiden name is Harding.
.                                                Aug. 16, 1907
My dear Mother-
                        I received your letter yesterday morning.  Uncle Matt went back to New York yesterday. He will come back here in about two
weeks. Uncle Fred and Aunt Minta came up yesterday with a horse. Uncle Fred's foot is about well.
                         Now that you have decided to stay until the 19th, wait just one more week until I come home. I will probably wait until the last day my ticket is good (the 28th)
                          This morning I went up on the back hill, up Mud Lick road, and picked some huckleberries but only covered the bottom of the pail.
                           You know how narrow the creek is and if I dive in water over my head and then go straight to shore isn't that all right? The place
where it is warmer to go in is over my head, that is, the diving part. Down at the bridge it is too cold. Don't worry, for, although I want to go in the deep part I am very careful.
                                            With love to everybody
Arthur

A summers afternoon at 294 Water St., Elmira. This is
the time when Grant Jones was courting Bessie Wells. A
hint of Jane Wells in the window, Bertha sitting on
the ground and Bessie in white sitting at the edge of
the hammock. Grant Jones took the picture. I don’t
know who the other to women are. Summer and just look
at the amount of clothing these ladies wore. 
A very small picture of young Jane Wells. Check out
those banana curls.
(Wells is married surname - not own name)
Orpha Smith (parents Solomon Little Smith and Julia
Seely) was born Dec. 21, 1805 in Southport, N.Y.
Orpha married Abner Wells on 6 Jan 1825 in Southport,
Chemung, N.Y. Abner (parents Judge Henry Wells and
Mary Hulse) was born Nov.18, 1801 in Wellsburg, N.Y.
He died March 8, 1861 in Wellsburg, N. Y.
Orpha SMITH and Abner Wells had the following children:
    .    Horace Dudley WELLS was born 1834 -. He died Oct.  18, 1911 in Buffalo, N.Y.
    .    Timothy Smith WELLS died Jan. 11, 1873 in Oswego,
i.     MI.
3. Julia WELLS was born 1841. She died 11 Feb 1859 in Wellsburgh, Tioga/Chemung Co., NY.

      I believe they also had a daughter named Orpha, who died young, still looking into this.
 

Chemung County NY

Published On Site 19 DEC 2004
By Joyce M. Tice
You are our welcome visitor since 19 DEC 2004