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Below is a family biography included in the book, The History of Putnam County, Missouri published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1888. These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary. Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more. There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.
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Elijah Wells was born in 1839 in Clark County, Ohio, moved to Lee County, Iowa, in 1849, and to Putnam County, Mo., in 1857, where he has since resided. His youth was passed upon a farm, and he received a common-school education in Lee County; Iowa. In 1859 he learned the blacksmith’s trade at St. Joe, which he followed twelve years, after which time he gave his entire attention to agricultural pursuits. He is extensively interested in fine horses, owning a fine Percheron horse imported from France, one of the finest of that breed in the United States. He also owns a fine Morgan and Norman horse and two Jacks. His property is the result of his own unassisted toil, as he started out in life for himself with no capital when but nineteen years of age. His farm consists of 370 acres of well-stocked and cultivated land, and he is considered om of the successful farmers of the vicinity in which he lives. In 1864 he married Miss Samantha F. Beaty, a native of Athens County, Ohio, and daughter of William and Elizabeth Beaty, also natives of that State. To Mr. and Mrs. Wells five children have been born: John, Nettie May, George, Alta and Vincent A. Mrs. Wells is a member of the Methodist Church. The former is a Democrat in politics, although he believes in voting for the man and not the party. He is a Master Mason, and a member of the A. O. U. W. During the late war he served in the Missouri State Militia. He is the third of nine children born to Absalom and Mary (Garland) Wells, natives of Ross County, Ohio, who moved to Lee County, Iowa, in 1849, and to Putnam County, Mo., in 1857. They afterward went to Idaho, where Mr. Wells is living, at the age of seventy-seven. Mrs. Wells died in 1881, aged sixty-one. Mr. Wells is a son of Levi Wells, a pioneer settler of Ross County, Ohio. The parents of Mrs. Wells, David and Phoebe Garland, were natives of Ohio, and early settlers in Lee County, Iowa, where they died. Mr. Garland was a member of the convention which formed the constitution of the State, and a representative of Lee County, in which he also held various official positions.
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This family biography is one of 139 biographies included in the Putnam County, Missouri portion of the book, The History of Adair, Sullivan, Putnam, and Schuyler Counties, Missouri published in 1888 by Goodspeed Publishing Co. For the complete description, click here: Putnam County, Missouri History, Genealogy, and Maps
View additional Putnam County, Missouri family biographies here: Putnam County, Missouri Biographies
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