Wells family. Wells family papers, 1853-1934 (bulk 1880-1922).
Title:
Wells family papers, 1853-1934 (bulk 1880-1922).
Collection principally comprised of correspondence of Anna Mason Smith Wells (Mrs. Edward L. Wells, Sr.), and papers of her son Julian L. Wells. Correspondence (1878-1922) of Anna M.S. Wells contains letters from her husband Edward L. Wells, Sr., including one (1885) describing a storm; letters from her son Edward L. Wells, Jr., including some from Virginia Military Institute (1903-1905); and letters from others. Most correspondence of 1917 concerns the death of her son Julian L. Wells. Most correspondence dating 1919-1922 concerns the death of her son Edward L. Wells, Jr., in France during World War I, and includes a letter of condolence from author Dubose Heyward, as well as a letter of condolence signed by several boyhood friends of Edward including Heyward, Augustine T. Smythe, and Herbert Ravenel Sass. Papers (1881-1917) of Julian L. Wells mainly consists of correspondence, mostly letters to his father and mother. Letters (1903-1913) are written from Mexico, where Julian L. Wells worked as a civil engineer for the Batopilas Mining Company and other companies. Topics include family matters, hunting, and conditions in Mexico. Some of his letters (1916-1917) are from Camp Moore, Styx, S.C., and Fort Bliss, Tex., during his military service in the U.S. Army's punitive expedition into Mexico. His last letters are from Haiti (1917), where he died after an operation for appendicitis. A few letters (1896) concern the death of Maj. Lionel C. Nowell of the Charleston Light Dragoons. Other papers include letters and patents concerning Julian L. Wells's work on an improved rifle sight; his certificate of membership in the Sons of Confederate Veterans (1894); obituaries (1917); and writings, which include a printed copy of "The Causes of the War," a paper "read by Julian L. Wells before Camp Moultrie, SCV" (originally published in 1894); an address about the Charleston Light Dragoons; and a eulogy for Maj. Lionel C. Nowell. Wells family correspondence (1869-1934) includes a letter (1869) to Isabella Mason Smith from "Anna"; a letter (1899) to "Miss Lily" from Wade Hampton; two letters to Mrs. William Mason Smith; and copies of correspondence (1925) of Charleston, S.C., mayor Thomas P. Stoney regarding the renaming of Water Street in honor of Edward L. Wells, Jr., a hero of World War I. There is also a small amount of correspondence (1917-1919) of Fannie Wells of New York, mostly concerning her cousin, Edward L. Wells, Jr. Additional material includes genealogical information on the Wells family and related families; writings, including short stories, plays, and poetry; and the will (1853) of Anna Scriba Wells of New York. Also of note are two manuscripts, possibly writings of Edward Laight Wells (ca. 1860). The first, entitled "Memo from Before the War," is an address against the Republican Party, William H. Seward, and some members of Congress who "subscribe for the circulation of a Helper's Book, which advocated unremitting hostility to Southern institutions and Southern men." The second manuscript has two sections, "The Thief's Mode of Abolishing Slavery," and "Extracts from Thief Helper's Book." The "Extracts" advocate "drastic remedies" for the problem of slavery.
ArchivalResource:
1 linear ft.
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/71130467 View
View in SNAC
