Finding Harlow Wells
Step 4 on our ladder is a very shaky rung
Last week, we reviewed the evidence supporting the facts of Hattie (Wells) Hart’s life story. She was my 3rd-great-grandmother.
Hattie’s parents were documented well enough to assert that Harlow C Wells (1827–about 1880) was her father, but the documents we have tell us precious little about his life. Here’s what we know for sure:
His name - birth records for two of his daughters (Hattie and Nettie) give his name; he is recorded in the same household as them in two U.S. Census appearances.
His birth - all of the records that give Harlow’s birth date center on 1827 as the year, and list New York as the place. One record - Hattie’s Massachusetts death record - lists his place of birth in Brandon, New York.
Harlow’s earliest known record is the 1850 U.S. Census, which places him in Shroeppel, New York. He then married Sarah in Nashua, New Hampshire, in 1853 and settled down with her in Reading, Massachusetts, until at least 1865.
We are missing a big part of Harlow’s story by not knowing when or where he died. He clearly took his family to Fort Atkinson, Wisconsin - 1500 miles to the west, about halfway between Milwaukee and Madison - but even if you assume the family returned to Massachusetts by the time of Hattie’s 1873 wedding, that is a large gap for Harlow and his son Osborne (age 8 in 1870) to disappear into.
But this particular brick wall isn’t completely blocking our path. Because Harlow’s name is attached to a Wells family that lived in Brandon, Franklin County, New York, beginning in 1824. Their profiles on WikiTree and FindAGrave didn’t lead directly to any documents that named Harlow - but we’re going to take a look at the evidence that is there and see what we can prove.
This is the first shaky step we’ve taken in our journey - and I’m not 100% sure where it will lead. If you think you know, I’d love to hear from you!
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