Wells Family :Information about William Wells

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William Wells (b. Feb 11, 1826, d. Jan 18, 1893)

William Wells (son of Samuel Wells and Elizabeth Matheny) was born Feb 11, 1826 in Ohio, and died Jan 18, 1893 in Mokelumne Hill, California. He married Emma Eleanor Pope on Jul 19, 1857 in Moklumne Hill, Calaveras, CA. USA, daughter of Robert Hamilton Pope.

Notes for William Wells:
William Wells and his brother traveled down to New Orleans by river from Ohio in 1849?. In New Orleans they paid for passage to the Isthmus of Panama as they didn't have enough fare to travel around the horn to San Francisco. While on the beach in Panama they discovered gold coins, Spanish Dubloons to be exact, that paid for the remainder of their passage and enough money to set themselves up in business in the goldfields of California. The family has always speculated about the happenstance of their find of spanish dubloons.

William arrived in Mokolome Hill, a mining town in the Calif Foothills and acquired an unfinished flume being built to transport water to the miners. He used his "find" to finish the construction and sold water to the minors for their mining process. Williams brother didn't stay in Mokolumne Hill but journeyed to Nevada where he build a drayage business, Wells Cargo. We didn't know the Brothers name.

William made enough money from the flume to acquire a livery stable which grew to three (Mok Hill, Valley Springs and West Point). He was well off by brokering gold dust from the chileans, Indians and Chinese miners aroung Mokolmne Hill.l While he lost heavily from investing in Silver mines in Nevada, he made up for the loss with his investmentrs in property, stocks and bonds.

Emma Pope, at the time, worked at the Ferguson House hotel to support herself and her son William Coverdale. William jokingly inquired of the proprieter if Emma would be part of what Furguson was readying for sale in the hotel storeroom. They married, he adopted Charles Coverdale, had children of their own and lived for the remainder of their lives in Mokolmne Hill.

More About William Wells:
Burial: Jan 18, 1893, Mokelumne Hill, California.
Record Change: Feb 09, 2005

More About William Wells and Emma Eleanor Pope:
Marriage: Jul 19, 1857, Moklumne Hill, Calaveras, CA. USA.

Children of William Wells and Emma Eleanor Pope are:

Charles Coverdale Wells, b. Abt. 1852.
+Stella Wells, b. Abt. 1859, Moklumne Hill, Calaveras, California, USA.
+Mary Wells, b. Abt. 1854, Moklumne Hill, Calaveras, California, USA.
+Ellen Elsie Wells, b. Abt. 1871, Mokumne Hill, Calaveras, Califnornia, USA.
+Samuel Jenkins Wells, b. Sep 18, 1868, Mokelumne Hill, California, d. Mar 10, 1951, Sacramento, California.