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From the "Memoirs of James K Wells, Son of William M. & Hilly Ann Wells" Submitted by Jana Trace
Perhaps some one who reads this record, will ask who is the person who offers this book, and who are the persons he is writing about? In this I will say to the inquisitive reader. I am the eldest son of William M. Wells, who was born and raised in Coshocton County, Ohio, who was the eldest son of Lakin Wells, one of the early settlers in Ohio and served in the War of 1812 against the British. He owned land, and was a farmer by occupation, and lived about six miles east of Coshocton, the county seat of Coshocton County, and about four miles north of East Plainfield, where he died, laving a wife and eight children: William M, Isaac, John, Aaron, Mary, Sarah and Nancy. My grandfather, Lakin Wells died when I was so young that I could not have been a judge of his character; but it has been very gratifying to me to hear of him spoken of by his old neighbors who had survived him. The Johnsons, Deans, Fowlers and others, who have said of him as being a man of good Judgment, brave, independence, loyal and patriotic, of French stock.
To Cynthia Wells, his wife, was left the care and oversight of the farm; Though stunned by the calamity, the widow, true to the heroic husband, took up the burden of life, of the eight children. Father, William M. The eldest son and his brother; Uncle Isaac, had for boys of their age taken an active part in helping their father clear up the farm, but the improvements were only barely begun. To make a farm in a timber country is a life work, for the stoutest man.
Many years of hard work would be required to fell the time, to grub out the roots, make the rails to fence the fields, burn the brush and the stumps before it really be a farm. It was to William that the mother looked to as a lader. A little weak unaided woman, had to depend on her two eldest sons to lift the burden from her, in cultivating the farm in its rude condition. Also with her help and the younger boys and girls, to furnish for herself and family, food, and to pay the taxes on the personal and real estate. The family were poor, hardely able to raise money sufficient to pay the amount required. The pioneer population of the county at that time was poor, and in case of a failure of a crop of grain, the difference were against them, so it was with the plucky little widow and her family. With invincible courage she bent her energies with a fixed determination to raise her children, which she did, and lived to see them all grown and able to care for themselves. John the third son died when a young man, having hemorage of the lungs.
William M. remained at home with his mother and family until he was over twenty-one years of age. When he married Miss Hily Ann Kinner a daughter of James Kinner, Sr.; To this union was born eight children. Seven sons and one daughter. James K., Hiram R., Anderson, Acie, David and Harvy and Mullona, all of them were born in Coshocton County, Ohio.
To Father and Mother I am indebted for information in reference to their commencement in life. They were married in the year 1836. Their means to start with was limited, in deed, one scant bed, one cow, a few pigs and some chickens, one young mare to do the farming, and haul the firewood, and that ona sled. However, the wood was not far to haul, as there was plenty near the cabin which they rented. In the spring they cleared a piece of new ground and planted in it corn, potatoes, beans and cabbage and other vegetables, for these were the luxuries of the table at that early day. After hard labor, planting, plowing and hoeing, weed-pulling, potato digging and many other jobs had to be performed on the little farm in those days of toil. By and by, the supplies were sufficient to satisfy hunger. Thus, they toiled and struggled for about four years, when they had by industry and economy saved up mean sufficient to purchase another horse and cow, some sheep and other household goods were prepared to farm on a larger scale.
Therefore, he rented a farm of Robert Johnson consisting of eighty acres, about sixty acres cleared and fenced, for which he agreed to give Mr. Johnson the one third of all the grain raised on said farm; to delivered by the bushel, hence father received for his labor and expense of raising the grain wheat, rye, oats and corn the two thirds, and pasture for all his stocks also, the straw and fodder.
Father lived on this farm seven years. During these seven years, after the crop was gathered in, he took contracts of clearing land in the heavy under growth which required a man of muscular power and a stout back. Great stool “grubs” were to be grubed out, and in places standing so thick that a man could scarcely get through. I mean the brush stood so thick, Father was paid by the acre, for which he received the cash.
I remember very distinctly clearings for a Mr. Stucken and Solomon Wirts. It was there, and then, I was first taught the use of a mattock, which I learned later on, to be a very useful took on a farm.
At the end of seven years on the Johnson farm, father had laid by $200, for the purpose of purchasing a home in Owen County, Indiana. He longed to be the owner of a farm of his own; and to afford an opportunity for his boys to get land of “their own.” At that time land had been improved and was selling for more than renters could afford to pay, consequently a great many families moved from Coshocton County, Ohio to Owen County, Indiana.
It was in the year 1849, when father and family moved from Coshocton County, Ohio to Owen County, Indiana. Our departure for the west was on a bright sun shiny Sunday morning the first part of the month. The family consisted of father and mother, and the remaining five children, two of the sons had died when young, Anderson and Acie.
Just at the rising of the sun over the Eastern Horizon, the household goods were packed and loaded into a two horse wagon, ready for our departure.