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| Birth: | About 1600 in Alcester, Warwick, Eng. |
| Death: | 16 Mar 1677/78 in Hadley, Hampshire, MA |
| Sex: | F |
| Father: | RICHARD ALBRIGHT b. About 1565 in Welford-on-Avon, Gloucester, Eng. |
| Mother: | Unk |
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| THOMAS WELLS (Husband) b. About 1595 in Evesham, Worcester, Eng.
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| Marriage: | 13 OCT 1625 in Evesham, Worcester, Eng. All Saints Church |
| Children: | |
 THOMAS WELLS b. About 1626 in Evesham, Worcester, Eng.
 Mary Wells b. About 1627 in Evesham, Worcester, Eng.
- Sarah Wells b. 10 Feb 1632/33 in Evesham, Worcester, Eng.
- John Wells b. Feb 1635/36 in Evesham, Worcester, Eng.
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| Thomas Coleman (Husband) |
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| Marriage: | BEF 6 MAR 1637/38 in Eng. |
| Children: | |
- Deborah Coleman b. About 1640 in Weathersfield, Hartford, CT.
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Individual:
From N.E.Hist.Gen.Jan.92
Born about 1600 prob.at Welford-on-Avon,co.Gloucester or Alcester,co.Warwick.
Will proved Hadley,Ma.26 Mar.1678.Date of marr.and baptisms of children not
found yet.Moved to Evesham,co.Worcester,before 1637,where Thomas was a
weaver.Married Thomas Coleman widower with four children 6 Mar.1638.Emigrated
to N.E.in 1639.Settled in Weathersfield Ct.where he was rep.to general court.
In 1660 moved to Hadley Ma.among first settlers.He was buried there 1 Oct.1674.
Had child Deborah,ab,1640.
The American Genealogist, Volume CXLVI, pgs. 28-34
THE WIDOW FRANCES (ALBRIGHT) WELLS,
WIFE OF THOMAS COLEMAN
OF WETHERSFIELD AND HADLEY
Douglas Richardson
In 1952, Donald Lines Jacobus and W. Herbert Wood published an article
entitled, "Widow Frances Wells and Hugh Wells of Wethersfield,
Connecticut" (The American Genealogist, 28[1952]:227-35). Their main
purpose was to prove that Widow Frances Wells (later wife of Thomas
Coleman of Wethersfield and Hadley) was not the mother of Hugh Wells of
Wethersfield, as often claimed (see, for example, the Register,
44[1890]:208). Frances was, rather, the mother of only three Wells
children: Mary (wife of Jonathan Gilbert of Hartford), Thomas (of
Wethersfield and Hadley), and John (of Stratford, Connecticut and
Hatfield, Masschusetts). These three children were all named in Frances
Coleman's will, proved 26 March 1678, along with her daughter Deborah
Coleman.
Jacobus and Wood provided an excellent clue to the English origin of the
Wells family. They cited a clause in the will of Frances's second
husband, Thomas Coleman, dated 29 September 1674, by which he gave "to my
son in law [i.e. stepson] Thomas Wells ... all my part of that which is
in England due to me for ye Rent of ye House at Evesham & two his son
John Wells now dwelling with me ¹10 Provided that both these last are
given with this Proviso that all writeings Respecting ye house in England
& any exchange for it here be quietely delivered in & all Pleas
Concerning those matters to cease according to ye last agremt. novem: 2d
1670."
From this clause in his will, some genealogists, such as Sylvester Judd,
in his History of Hadley (1905; reprint ed., Somersworth, N.H., 1976)
have assumed that Coleman himself was from Evesham, co. Worcester.
Jacobus and Wood concurred, suggesting that since Coleman left his
interest in the house in England to his stepson, the property may have
actually belonged to his wife Frances or even to her former Wells
husband.
This writer, aware of the Evesham clue, noted in an index of
Worcestershire probates an entry for the will of one Thomas Welles,
weaver, of Evesham, probated in 1637 (Edward Alexander Fry, ed., Calendar
of Wills and Administrations in the Consistory Court of the Bishop of
Worcester, 1660-1642 [London, British Record Society, 1910], 164). Upon
learning that the original will had been filmed and was available from
the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, the microfilm was ordered
and it was quickly discovered that although Frances was not mentioned by
name, this was indeed the will of her first husband.
In his will, dated 9 February 1637, Thomas Welles referred to his wife,
but not by name, and to his three minor children, Thomas, Mary and John.
To his eldest son, Thomas, he bequeathed his house, "after the death of
his mother." This confirmed Jacobus's suspicion that the house mentioned
in the will of Thomas Coleman had been the rightful property of Frances
and her son in the first place.
The will (Consistory Court of Worcester, 1637, No. 145, on FHL Microfilm
98,054) is abstracted as follows:
In the name of god amen be it knowe to all men that I Thomas Welles of
Evesham weaver doe make my last will and testament the ninth day of
feberrary 1637 the maner and forme as foloweth
first I beequeth my soule unto the hands of my lord and saviour Jesus
Christ whoo hath Redemed it next I bequeth my body to the earth and all
my worldly goods In maner and forme following
first I forgive my father the 5 pownd which he oweth to me and I give to
my father 6 pownd more to be paid in three yere by equell somes fourty
shillings a yeare but if he dy the mony that is unpaid to remain to the
Exseckiter.
Next I give to my eldest son Thomas 20 pownd to be paid at the age of 21
yeares and m
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