Son of Joseph Wells, who was also a native of North Carolina, and immigrated in 1815 to Orange County, IN., where he resided until his death, a few years later. Jonathan was reared on the farm, and chose farming for a life vocation. He removed to Illinois about 1826, where he resided until the year 1840, when he removed to Iowa, and located in Van Buren County. From there he removed to the Iowa purchase a year later, into what was afterward named Monroe County. They settled there in June, the same year the purchase was made, in May, and their nearest neighbors were distant six and ten miles. He reached his new home with a family numbering nine persons, without so much as a dollar in money. He entered 620 acres of land, $1.25 per acre, paying the entries with money earned by breaking prairie land with oxen.
He at once set to work diligently, and by hard labor and good management succeeded in accumulating a good competency; his property before being divided among his children was worth something over $8,000. During the early part of his residence in the above named county he had to go sixty miles to mill, and the nearest physician was forty miles distance.
The larder was supplied with meat from the game which abounded, and the stock of groceries was replenished from time to time by the sale of beeswax, made from wild honey. There was but little money in circulation and beeswax was as good as gold in the exchange for coffee, sugar, etc. From Iowa he removed to Andrew County, MO., stopping in Empire Township during the winter of 1857-58. Purchasing land in Benton Township, on the south side of what is known as the "Lower Neely Grove", about two miles northeast from Rosendale, he removed thereto the following spring,where he resided until his death in April, 1883.
He was a moral, Christian man, and died a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He aided all his children in securing homes and making a start in life. In 1823 he was united in marriage with Letitia Way, who was born in Orange County,N.C., on September 1, 1806, and was the daughter of Joseph and Margaret Way, both of whom were natives of North Carolina. Joseph's father was a Revolutionary soldier. The Ways moved from North Carolina to Orange County, IN., thence to Illinois and thence to Iowa, where he died, living to be over 100 years of age. Letitia was a pious, Christian woman, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She died in May, 1884. Ten children were born to the parents, of whom nine survive.
excerpted from "History of Missouri, Andrew & DeKalb County" Published 1888.
He at once set to work diligently, and by hard labor and good management succeeded in accumulating a good competency; his property before being divided among his children was worth something over $8,000. During the early part of his residence in the above named county he had to go sixty miles to mill, and the nearest physician was forty miles distance.
The larder was supplied with meat from the game which abounded, and the stock of groceries was replenished from time to time by the sale of beeswax, made from wild honey. There was but little money in circulation and beeswax was as good as gold in the exchange for coffee, sugar, etc. From Iowa he removed to Andrew County, MO., stopping in Empire Township during the winter of 1857-58. Purchasing land in Benton Township, on the south side of what is known as the "Lower Neely Grove", about two miles northeast from Rosendale, he removed thereto the following spring,where he resided until his death in April, 1883.
He was a moral, Christian man, and died a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He aided all his children in securing homes and making a start in life. In 1823 he was united in marriage with Letitia Way, who was born in Orange County,N.C., on September 1, 1806, and was the daughter of Joseph and Margaret Way, both of whom were natives of North Carolina. Joseph's father was a Revolutionary soldier. The Ways moved from North Carolina to Orange County, IN., thence to Illinois and thence to Iowa, where he died, living to be over 100 years of age. Letitia was a pious, Christian woman, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She died in May, 1884. Ten children were born to the parents, of whom nine survive.
excerpted from "History of Missouri, Andrew & DeKalb County" Published 1888.
Son of Joseph Wells, who was also a native of North Carolina, and immigrated in 1815 to Orange County, IN., where he resided until his death, a few years later. Jonathan was reared on the farm, and chose farming for a life vocation. He removed to Illinois about 1826, where he resided until the year 1840, when he removed to Iowa, and located in Van Buren County. From there he removed to the Iowa purchase a year later, into what was afterward named Monroe County. They settled there in June, the same year the purchase was made, in May, and their nearest neighbors were distant six and ten miles. He reached his new home with a family numbering nine persons, without so much as a dollar in money. He entered 620 acres of land, $1.25 per acre, paying the entries with money earned by breaking prairie land with oxen.
He at once set to work diligently, and by hard labor and good management succeeded in accumulating a good competency; his property before being divided among his children was worth something over $8,000. During the early part of his residence in the above named county he had to go sixty miles to mill, and the nearest physician was forty miles distance.
The larder was supplied with meat from the game which abounded, and the stock of groceries was replenished from time to time by the sale of beeswax, made from wild honey. There was but little money in circulation and beeswax was as good as gold in the exchange for coffee, sugar, etc. From Iowa he removed to Andrew County, MO., stopping in Empire Township during the winter of 1857-58. Purchasing land in Benton Township, on the south side of what is known as the "Lower Neely Grove", about two miles northeast from Rosendale, he removed thereto the following spring,where he resided until his death in April, 1883.
He was a moral, Christian man, and died a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He aided all his children in securing homes and making a start in life. In 1823 he was united in marriage with Letitia Way, who was born in Orange County,N.C., on September 1, 1806, and was the daughter of Joseph and Margaret Way, both of whom were natives of North Carolina. Joseph's father was a Revolutionary soldier. The Ways moved from North Carolina to Orange County, IN., thence to Illinois and thence to Iowa, where he died, living to be over 100 years of age. Letitia was a pious, Christian woman, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She died in May, 1884. Ten children were born to the parents, of whom nine survive.
excerpted from "History of Missouri, Andrew & DeKalb County" Published 1888.
He at once set to work diligently, and by hard labor and good management succeeded in accumulating a good competency; his property before being divided among his children was worth something over $8,000. During the early part of his residence in the above named county he had to go sixty miles to mill, and the nearest physician was forty miles distance.
The larder was supplied with meat from the game which abounded, and the stock of groceries was replenished from time to time by the sale of beeswax, made from wild honey. There was but little money in circulation and beeswax was as good as gold in the exchange for coffee, sugar, etc. From Iowa he removed to Andrew County, MO., stopping in Empire Township during the winter of 1857-58. Purchasing land in Benton Township, on the south side of what is known as the "Lower Neely Grove", about two miles northeast from Rosendale, he removed thereto the following spring,where he resided until his death in April, 1883.
He was a moral, Christian man, and died a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He aided all his children in securing homes and making a start in life. In 1823 he was united in marriage with Letitia Way, who was born in Orange County,N.C., on September 1, 1806, and was the daughter of Joseph and Margaret Way, both of whom were natives of North Carolina. Joseph's father was a Revolutionary soldier. The Ways moved from North Carolina to Orange County, IN., thence to Illinois and thence to Iowa, where he died, living to be over 100 years of age. Letitia was a pious, Christian woman, and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. She died in May, 1884. Ten children were born to the parents, of whom nine survive.
excerpted from "History of Missouri, Andrew & DeKalb County" Published 1888.
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