Lorenzo was born in Massachusetts to Peter Wells and Margaret Cleveland Wells. He is listed as living in Hancock CO, IL in the 1850 US Census. He continued to reside in Hancock CO until his death. Lorenzo and his first wife Lucy Ann Lowry Wells operated an inn known as the Prairie Hotel or the Half-Way House. The inn was located between Carthage and Ft. Edwards, IL. It was in Elvaston, half way between Fountain Green and Warsaw, IL. Lorenzo advertised the hotel as "Pleasure parties at all times received, and no pains will be spared to render their visits agreeable." (Hancock CO Historical Society). As description of the inn: 'The tavern faced south and stood very close to the road with no trees about it. The south half of the ground floor consisted of four rooms. The bar room was the southwest room with its door opening on the west. Here whiskey flowed freely. The proprietor's room was just east of the bar room with a door between. The family dining room was just east of this with a bed room, the southeast room, on beyond. The west end of the north half of the ground floor was a long dining room north of the bar room and the proprietor's room with a door opening into each. The kitchen was east of this dining room and north of the private living room and bed room. A stairway went up from the west end of the dining room to the floor above. The upper story consisted of a large ball room on the south west where they held dances. The stairway from the dining room came up into this room. There were two bed rooms on the east on this ball room and three on the north of it. When they had more guests than they could accommodate with bed rooms, they made beds on the floor. There was no basement under the house. A wash house stood just northeast of the kitchen with a cistern and basement under it. The well was in the kitchen. A brick house stood just east of the wash house where they smoked and kept their meat. There were no porches to the house and no closets with the exception of one under the stairway.' (Hancock CO Historical Society, Dec. 1946, The Carthage Republican newspaper.)

(The following notes comes from the same source)
'A place as well known and patronized cannot be without its interesting happenings. At one time when the Mormons were passing through this country, they stopped at the Halfway Tavern and converted the proprietor who allowed them to make the tavern their headquarters for a few days.

(the following is from the obituary of Lorenzo's second wife, Clarinda Cox Ruddle Wells Thompson's obituary, published in the Carthage Republican, September 10, 1902.)
Mr. Wells, her second husband, owned and first operated the famous old time tavern known as the 'Half Way House' near Elvaston. He was the landlord during all the Mormon troubles and was himself a Mormon for a time. During this period, he was hunted for by the government troops, but was successfully hidden by his young sons in a corn shock. During the Civil War, he also lead an exciting career as a Democrat in an unfriendly country. This tavern remained in Mr. Well's possession till his death.