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Joseph Wells

Hawker to Portable Theatre Owner

www.wellsuk.info/wellsbedern.htm

eiseandtonyhotmail.co.uk

William Wells

This history begins with William Wells b abt 1740 Bedern, York, North Yorkshire;

(Approximate dates and place of birth from IGI site)

William married Sarah Brooks 18 May 1780 either Pately Bridge Yorkshire or Andrews Gate York;  

Sarah was born abt 1742 also Bedern York;

They had 8 children (Information from Brian Dickinson, also a Wells researcher)

George b 24 Feb 1781 Bedern York; d 1840;

Unk Wells b abt 1782 Yorkshire

James Wells b abt 1784 York

Thomas Wells b abt 1876 York

John Wells b abt 1790 York

Margaret Wells b abt 1790 York

David Wells b abt 1792 York

Ann Wells b abt 1794 York.

George Wells

The eldest married Mary Ann Reid (Reed) abt 1815 unknown place, but possibly York;

If you check with Brian Dickinson's site it is thought George married prior to this to a Hannah Eadon

which seems likely as it would explain the births being before George and Mary Ann's marriage as you will notice when the children are added.  Mary Ann was b abt 1796 somewhere in Ireland;

 Their children were;

James Wells b 1801 d Jun 1802;

William Wells b Jul 1802 d 1810;

James Wells b 1 Sep 1815 St Sampson York

David Wells b 1817 York.

William Robert Wells 7 Jul 1819 York d 12 Sep 1908 Richfield Servier Utah USA.

Thomas Wells b 1821 St Crux York;

Elizabeth Wells b 1823;

George Wells 13 Oct 1823 Holy Trinity Kings Court York.

Alice Wells b 13 Sep 1826 St Crux York

Mary Ann Wells 16 Sep 1827 St Crux York

Joseph Wells C 3 Jan 1830 St Crux York;

William Robert Wells
 

William Robert Wells 5th son of George And Mary Ann Wells, b 7 July 1891 c 26 Jul 1819 All Saints

Pavement York - married Henrietta Fell - 9 June 1842 York. They had 9 children;

Emma Wells b 1846 Bradford; d 10 Jan 1858 unknown place.

 George Wells b 3 Dec 1848 Bradford

Alfred Wells b 11 Dec 1852 Bradford d 29 Jun 1872 Salt Lake City Utah USA

Hyram and Joseph Wells - Twins b 29 Mar 1854 Bradford

Hyram d 1 Aug 1905 Salt Lake City Utah USA

Henrietta Wells b Aug 1856 Bradford d 21 Dec 1856 Bradford Yorkshire

Mary Ann Wells b 01 Apr 1858 Bradford

William worked as a Baker in York before he was married to Henrietta, then

a Brazier, a Turner and a Tinner during his life in Bradford but to date

we have no knowledge of his occupation in the USA; He and his wife and some of his children

emigrated in 1862.   I will get the proof of this later;   

Henrietta Wells nee Fell.

Henrietta b 01 Jun 1822 York  - her parents were George and Henrietta Fell (nee Mitchell)

Henrietta died 24 Aug 1895;

William remarried in Sarah Jane Perkins from Ohio on 14 Feb 1898; source Brian Dickinson;

Sarah died in 20 Feb 1905 after 7 yrs of marriage; buried in Richfield Servier Utah USA 

Joseph Wells

Joseph married Marie Austin b abt 1829 Kirkstall (Leeds area now) Yorkshire

The marriage took place 29 Feb 1852 Bradford Yorkshire (we have copy of certificate)

They had 7 Children to our knowledge;

Mary Jane Wells b 31 Dec 1853 Bradford d Jun 1935 Died 23 June 1935 from Endocarditis Obliterans and Gangrenous toe. No PM; certified by - R. A. McCabe MRCS Buried Jun 26 Rushden Northants (have burial records)

Emma Wells  b 4 Aug 1854 Gateshead Yorkshire

Ellen Wells b 15 Nov 1856 Gateshead d 6 Apr 1857

George Wells b 1859 Gateshead Yorkshire

Joseph Wells b 10 Aug 1860 Gateshead

Margaret Daisy Wells b abt 1862 Newcastle on Tyne; d.10 Sep 1905 Rushden

Louisa Wells b Oct 1865 Stockton Durham
 

Of these above Mary Jane never married;

Emma married Thomas Henry (or) Davies Young No place or date but abt 1879;

George Wells married Susan Bowman 1888 Hertford they had two children listed later;

Susan was born 1865 Amwell Ware Herts;

Joseph is a bit of an enigma?

Margaret Daisy married Samuel Denton Dec 1886 Ware Bucks, they had no children;

Sam was b 1863 Rushden Northants

Louisa Wells is another enigma.

Joseph Wells b 1830 was a portable theatre owner and took his family around in caravans and wagons travelling the Midlands putting on very mixed and varied shows.  The theatre was called The Wells Pavilion Theatre; his wife was his aid in managing this menagerie;  all their children even new born grandchildren appeared in the shows. The theatre is described on a separate document.  Emma and Maggie were actresses but Maggie was apparently the darling of this theatre.

George and Joseph Wells  are described as musicians in 1881 in Buckinghamshire and George is described as an actor in 1891 in Nottingham;  

Emma's husband Thomas Young was a comedian and an artist (painter)  possibly painting the very varied scenery that was needed for the shows.  They performed everything from Shakespeare, mystery, murder and comedy to the good old music hall stuff.

Thomas was b abt 1854 Middle in Salop (Shropshire) although census tells us he was from Herefordshire we have now discovered his family.

His father James Young came from Scotland and was a Farm Bailiff in Balderton Hall Middle Shropshire; 

I have census forms, certificates, burial reports and photos for proof of most of this.

More on Mary Jane Wells: 

She was an actress and shooting gallery assistant within this theatre.  It was possibly she who agreed to return to Rushden being the eldest.  When they first moved to live in Rushden they lived at number 91 High Street South, where the second hand dress shop first started.  I have now been to Rushden and discovered that this building is now a Fish and Chip Shop. We still have no idea exactly when they came to the town as we have been unable to get any electoral rolls yet.  However, it was about 1908, they moved further towards the town centre into number 61 High Street South, which is the picture of my grandmother ringed standing on a balcony. It wasn't until about 1910 they moved yet again to the house my mother remembers, number 26 High Street South, where the shop was then in the front room of the house. 
 
Since actually seeing their former dwellings I am amazed they moved, unless they had to, because of either a lease running out or the landlord causing
 problems.  The former buildings were more 'shop like', they still are in fact.  Number 61 is now either a hairdressers or a vacant building.  We are not sure because
 of missing numbers and A's being added to the house address (for example, there is a 61A). We do know that number 26 was still trading in 1914 as the polls tells us so, as Jane was being described as a Wardrobe Seller.  Jane travelled miles to supply her customers, ensuring they had all the choice they required.

The shop then and what the building is now, a Tai Restaurant. 

Jinny's shop became a sweet shop in my mother's day (after 1920).  Mum can recall sweets they were given for after school was over, helping themselves as children and getting scolded for it, and sitting in the back watching the customers come and go. The shop backed onto the grounds of the well known Hall Park and on a summer's evening she and her siblings would climb through the back fence to enter the park illegally. The park keeper then was the same man who was there when I was a girl. I remember him saying to me one time that he remembered my mother. He was quite old then but by that time children were allowed in without adults; in my mother's day it was forbidden.  Grandma used to send them in there as she knew where they were and, with a packed lunch, they could be gone a while so she could get on helping in the shop.

Maggie Denton nee Wells

 She was the darling of the family theatre and it was on the stage that her husband Sam Denton fell in love with her. The theatre was in Rushden for 3 weeks and when the curtain dropped for the last time and the wagons started to roll out of town Sam went with them.  I believe that if Maggie had not married Sam Denton we would never have been born.  It was The Rushden pull that brought them back after the theatre was done.  Sam, her husband, may have belonged to the Denton Shoe Company but this is still being looked into. Mum says he was a nice, quiet man who loved his family.

George Wells

George married Susan Bowman as I mentioned earlier.  Their children were:

Leonard Wells b abt 1889

Beatrice Wells b abt 1892

I am sorry, that though I have photos I have nothing on these two people at all.

I now have a contact on Genes Reunited who is going to give me more information

on the Bowman family, so hopefully he has something of their lives. 

A bit more on Emma Young nee Wells

Emma was apparently a sickly child according to grandma.  The tales she spun about her life

and her mother were very colourful.  I would say that their life was a hard one.

Living from day to day in small wagons and vans, moving about, never knowing

 which town they would end up in, was exciting but very tiring.

Children were born in different shires and christenings were done if they could afford

to have them done.

Emma had three children to our knowledge, my grandmother being the youngest.

Blanche was the eldest and Victor in the middle. Grandma told us that her mother died when she

was a little girl but to date we have not found the death.  Emma was listed as an actress in the 1881 and 1891

censuses. Then she disappears.

A bit more on Thomas Henry Young

Thomas is thought to have left with his son Victor after his wife died but we don't know where they

went.  My mother says he lived in Rushden for a time but she thinks he moved away.

We have not found him on the death register for Rushden, though he was still around after 1920

as mum says she recalls sitting on his lap stroking his furry waistcoat.

We have found a Thomas Young in 1901 in Shropshire but this has to be proven still. Thomas

it appears has several name variations.  On census he is just Thomas Young.

On his marriage certificate he is Thomas Davies Young but on eldest daughter Blanche's

 marriage certificate and my grandmother's birth certificate he is Thomas Henry Young.

We believe it is probable he changed his name for 'Show Purposes'.

To finish this tale I have now entered my grandparents - Jesse and Margaret Eveleen Bird nee Young.

My grandmother was the youngest daughter of Thomas and Emma Young and though not a Wells she is their family as I am.  It is interesting to note that the trait of dressing up and living in caravans was continued with my grandparents.

After Emma died, her husband Thomas split the responsibility of his daughters between his two sisters-in-law. Mary Jane was responsible for Blanche and eventually placed her into a Convent until she left school and Maggie and Sam Denton brought up my grandmother.

Jessie Bird and Peggy (as she was mostly known) became the local area's Pearly King and Queen and below is a photo of their first entry in 1906.  This costume was one of the originals of the theatre days which after it was no longer being used was placed  in our local museum and to my knowledge is still there. The other picture is of a later date around 1950's.  The last photo is of the gypsy caravan that my grandfather bought for grandma.  I can recall her being quite ecstatic over this gift.

I myself love dressing up and caravans so maybe I will retire in the same tradition. A true descendant of the Travelling Wells.

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