Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1907-02-21
DEATH OF EDWARD WELLS.
End Came in Florida Early Tues.
day Morning.
Had Been in Poor Health for some
Montbs-A Successful business
Man, for Many Years at the
Head OF the Wells & Rich
srdson Company.

| ttOIel, MiH1n1, flOTlud, lutsuuy ulOIH-
ing at $50 o'clock. At nine o'clock Mrs.
Charles Wells received "a telegram from
Mrs. Edward Wells, stating that Mr..
Wells was seriously III. At ten o'clock a
telegram stating that Mr. Wells dead
came to Frederick II. Wells from John
G. Sykes of New York city.
All day Tuesday the relatives in this
city awaited the receipt of further
particulars concerning the death of Mr..
Wells but at evening nothing further
had been heard. 1t is supposed that the
cause of death was heart disease
Mr. Wells, accompanied by his wife
and Henry Wells and family and DR..
j. D. Tanner, left Burlington early in the
winter for Florida. Mr. ard Mrs Wells
were guests of the Royal Palm Hotel
and the others occupied house near
by Mr.. Wells had been in poor
health for the past few months and
was constantly under the care OF
physician. although the illness which
struck him down was or only n hours
duration.
Edward Wells was born in Waterbury,
October 30, 1885, and was in the End year
of his age ut the time Of his death. He
was descended from one OF the oldest and
most honored families of Normandy, a
~
in the government Of that province pre-
vious to the conquest Of England.
As early as 79i n branch Of the Vaux
family. from which the name OF Wells
was derived inhabited the province Of
Normandy and were allied by marriage to
most Of the sovereign princes OF Europe
Later they disputed the sovereignty of
Provence with the house of Barcelona and
in 1lT3 acquired the prncipahty of Orange
by marriage with Tiburze, heiress Of Or
ange In 1914 Frederick II conferred on
William Prince OF Vaux and Orange, the
title OF King of Aries and Vienna. After
the conquest n branch of the family was
founded In England after the conquest by
Harold De Vaux, q near connection OF
William the Conuueror The surname OF
De Vallihus was adopted at this time
The Vermont Wells family dates back
to Hugh Wells OF Essex, England, who
settled in either Salem or Blister in 1895.
The next year he became one of the ear
Hest settlers and later an influential cit-
zen of Hartford Conn,
Thomas Wells, eldest son Of Hugh
Wells. came to America with his parents
and settled at Hadey, Mass. where
Ebenezer Wells, his 18th child was born.
This son later died in Hatfield and his
field. Mass. was tho first physician and
surgeon in this branch of the family and
died at Deerheld IN 1745. The third child
of Dr. Wells was born in Deerfeld and
died IN Greenfield, and his NTH child was
born In Greenfield. This Roswell Wells
! was the first OF the family to drop the
! final f, Of his name. He died IN Water
/ bury In 1926.
william Wellington Wells. eldest son Of
] Roswell Wells. graduated from the Uni
/ versty of Vermont in 1924 and entered
the law office Of Charles Adams In Bur-
i lngton and was admitted to the Chitten-
4 den county bar. Later he abandoned the
law and became a member of the Hutch
\ ms Wells & Co. Of Waterbury. where he
erected tannery IN 1880 and FIVE years
II later purchased the grist mill near the
Il tannery. He also owned and conducted a
dry goods store in Waterbury Center. and
! represented the town in the Legislature
for years.
William Wells married Eliza, the SEQ
\ ond daughter Of Judge Dan Carpenter
and they had ten children, two of whom
= died in infancy: Roswell, Edward, VIII
. liam, Curtis, Sarah c., wife of James w
\ Brock Of Montpelier, Charles. Henry and
4 Frederick ".
mon school education with a course II
s. bakersfield Academy. but never went tC
= college. When Il years OF age he game
years employment IN a dry goods store
- at Montpelier, He spent two years in 6
similar position in Waterbury and thre,
years in his fathers wholesale -four store
In the spring OF 1857 he went to the Terri
II tory OF Kansas. After nine months IL
this new region he found his health i'm
paired and returned home to resume cler
ical work with his father at Waterbur,
Center.
On September 8, 1861. he Joined TIL,
Il Army of the Union a member o
the Fifth Regiment of Vermont Vol
unteers For a time he served in thu
"a reglmental band but his business quail
r. tiles gained him clerkship in thu
quartermasters department under Col
p =. Pitkin, and here he served 70
- nearly three years SO useful ant
capable We're his services in this posi-
! tion that when he returned home II
1864 at the expiration OF his term
e Colonel Pitkin. who was later quarter
master general of the State Of Yer
mont gave him duties in his office
where he was engaged until the clos
y of the Civil War.
M MT. NellS tDen entered lnb olltt u
81 John A. Page, State treasurer, as prn
III cipal clerk, and acted In that capacit,
n until March, 1868 when he became
member of the wholesale drug hym o
Henry & Co.. which had but recent
transferred tho seat OF It's bushes
operations from Waterbury to Bur
lington. On July /. 1853, Mr.. Well
became head OF tho partners, assum
ing charge of the wholesale drug de
partment of the company and the asso
citation was styled Wells, Richardso
Il Co. This company was incorporate
Il under the name OF Wells G. Richard
son company In 1882, with Mr.. Well
- as president, a position which he oc
cupied at the time of his death.
Mr.. Wells also served as president G
the Burlington Trust company; vice
president OF the Burlington Safe De
post company; vice-president of tn
burlington Cotton Mills; president c
81 the Home for Aged Women: trustee {
the Fletcher Free Library fund; an
III was member of the Sons OF tn
&C. American Revolution and OF the Ftha
,m Allen and Algonquin clubs.
,or In politics Mr.. Wells was republ
at can and represented the city in III