Biography of John Wells, Sunfield Township, Eaton County, Michigan Copyright © 1998 by Sue Outman-Wells. This copy contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives. ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/mi/mifiles.htm ************************************************ JOHN WELLS merits recognition in this historical publication not only by reason of the fact that he is a representative of one of the honored pioneer families of the county but also on account of his standing as one of the progressive farmers and highly esteemed citizens of his native township of Sunfield. He was born on the old Wells homestead, in section 33, this township, September 21, 1842, and is the son of William A. and Mary (Chatfield) Wells, the former of whom was born January 1, 1813 in Onondaga county, New York, being the son of William Augustus Wells and Deborah (Converse) Wells. Concerning his early career the following has been written: "His early life was uneventful. At an age when most lads of the present day are engaged in studious occupations he relinquished school for the more serious labor whereupon depended his subsistence. He engaged in farming pursuits until twenty-one years of age, when an opportunity for acquiring the blacksmith's trade offered and was accepted by him. This was followed with zeal for a period of eight years, when the cheap lands of Michigan proved a sufficient attraction to lead him to remove to the west. He made Eaton county his destination and purchased one hundred and twenty acres in the township of Sunfield. He settled on this land in 1841, his widowed mother accompanying him. It was in the midst of a forest, with no near neighbors and no suggestions of civilized life in the immediate proximity. In December of the same year he married Miss Mary Chatfield, daughter of Abraham Chatfield, one of the oldest of the township pioneers. By his industry and capacity he established a reputation as one of the most successful farmers in the township, while his integrity of character won for him the respect and admiration of his fellow townsmen." It should further be stated that the wife of this honored pioneer was born October 26, 1822, and that their marriage was soleminized December 20, 1841, by John Dow, a justice of the peace. Mr. Wells developed one of the valuable farms of the township, the same now being owned by his daughter Evangeline, wife of Joseph A. Bale. Mr. Wells was a Republican in politics but was not intolerant in his attitude in this or other lines. He was a true type of the sturdy pioneer and he won success by hard work, he and his wife enduring all the vicissitudes and deprivations of the early days and manifesting unflinching fortitude in the face of all trials and labors. They continued to reside on the old homestead until their death. They became the parents of six children, of whom John, subject of this sketch, is the eldest; Ellen M., who was born May 24, 1844, is the wife of Hollis Y. Patterson of Vermontville township; Henry, who was born November 23, 1848, died December 5, 1872; Evangeline, who was born October 14, 1851, is the wife of Joseph A. Bale, individually mentioned in this volume; Frederick, born August 26, 1864, resides in Vermontville township; William R., who was born December 18, 1868, is a resident of Woodbury township, Eaton county, and is the subject of a personal sketch on another page of this work. John Wells was reared on the old homestead farm and well recalls the scenes and conditions of the pioneer days in Eaton county, while he soon became inured to the strenuous work of clearing land and cultivating and plowing among the stumps. His educational advantages were necessarily somewhat meager, but he attended the little log school house when opportunity presented and thus laid the foundation for that large fund of practical knowledge and information which is today his. He continued to reside at the parental home until his marriage, in 1866, though he had initiated his independent career when twenty-one years of age. In 1864 he purchased eighty acres of wild land where he now resides, not a "stick of timber" having been cut from the tract when he came into possession of the property. He made a clearing and erected a small frame house, the same continuing to be the family home for a number of years. He then erected his present commodious and substantial brick residence, one of the best in this locality. There are now twenty-two buildings on the farm, and all were built by him, while he has developed his land until it is in a good state of cultivation. Mr. Wells has the distinction of being the oldest living person born in Sunfield township, and he remembers when there were but twelve families within its borders, this section then having been a part of Vermontville township. In politics he was formerly aligned with the Republican party, but he is now Independent in political affairs, supporting men and measures rather then observing partisan dictation. He served eight years as justice of the peace, was school inspector one term, school director for twenty years and highway commissioner one year and notary public eight years. He is a man of strong individuality, having the courage of his convictions and ever striving to be fair in all his dealings, but demanding the same treatment on the part of others. He is well known and highly esteemed in the township which has been his home from the time when he "first ope'd wondering eyes to view a naughty world." September 2, 1866 Mr. Wells was united in marriage to Miss Esther Coleman, who was born in New Haven, Ohio, August 29, 1840, and they have two children, Mary M., who is the wife of William Dunbar, of Vermontville, and Priscilla W., who is the wife of Seth Magee, of Sunfield township. Source: "The Past & Present of Eaton County, MI" dz