Thomas Wellman

Thomas Wellman
Born	Thomas Wellman circa 1615 England
Died	10 October 1672 Lynn, Massachusetts
Spouse	Elizabeth (----)
Children	Abraham Wellman Isaac Wellman Elizabeth Wellman Sarah Wellman Mary Wellman

Thomas Wellman was born in about 1615 in England and died at Lynn, Massachusetts on 10 October 1672. He was among the early settlers of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and progenitor of the Wellman family of New England. At age 21 he traveled from London to Barbados in 1634 or 1635 aboard Hopewell as part of a mass exodus of Puritans called the Great Migration.

New life in America

Thomas sailed from Barbados to Massachusetts and settled in Lynn about 1640, where he married Elizabeth (whose family surname has not been discovered) about 1642. At the time of his death, he owned 180 acres of land in Lynn. Their home on the east side of Summer Street in Lynn was occupied by several generations of Wellmans before being demolished in the 1830s.

Second generation of Thomas Wellman's family

Thomas Wellman and his wife Elizabeth had five children: Abraham (born about 1643-died about 1717), Isaac (born about 1647-died after 1724), Elizabeth (born about 1660-died 1740), Sarah (born about 1662), and Mary (born about 1664).

• Abraham married Elizabeth Cogswell (born about 1648-died 1736) about 1668. She was the daughter of John Cogswell of Ipswich, Massachusetts. Abraham inherited half of his father's land and the family home. Abraham and his wife Elizabeth made grand jury depositions concerning Sarah Cole of Lynn during the Salem witch trials. Abraham and his wife Elizabeth had eight children:
  • Thomas (11 October 1669-died about 1735) six children.
  • Elizabeth (16 February 1671-24 April 1673)
  • Abraham (25 November 1673-died at sea after 26 October 1745) seven children.
  • John (3 May 1676-died young)
  • Elizabeth (born 25 July 1678) married three times.
  • Abigail (died 1737 or 1738)
  • Mary (died 1737) married Caleb Coye. 2 children.
  • Martha became the 2nd wife of her 1st cousin Ebeneezer.

• Isaac married Hannah Adams (born January 1662 or 1663-died after May 1711) 13 March 1678 or 1679. She was the youngest daughter of Richard and Elizabeth Adams of Malden, Massachusetts. Issac inherited half of his father's land. Isaac was a soldier in King Philip's War and participated in the capture of Fort Narraganset on 19 December 1675. His heirs were among the grantees of Narraganset No. 2 (Westminster) in 1733. Isaac made a grand jury deposition concerning Sarah Cole during the Salem witch trials. Isaac and his wife Hannah had eleven children:
  • Isaac (7 February 1769-19 September 1681)
  • Stephen (6 September 1681-21 January 1767) six children.
  • Hannah (born about 1683) the last record of Hannah was dated 1706.
  • Sarah (born about 1685) married John Hall 7 March 1726 or 1727.
  • Isaac (born about 1687-1740) five children.
  • Ebeneezer (born about 1690) seven children.
  • Joseph (born about 1693-d. after 10 July 1770) twelve children.
  • Timothy (born about 1696-5 February 1787) six children.
  • Samuel (born about 1699-d. before 20 July 1770) five children.
  • Benjamin (born about 1702-d. 1782) never married.
  • Adam (born about 1705-1766) no children.

• Elizabeth married George Hull (born about 1650-died about April 1742) of Beverly, Massachusetts.

• The last record of Sarah was dated 22 October 1684.

• No record of Mary has been found after the death of her father.

American revolution

Thirty-three grandchildren of Thomas Wellman participated in the American Revolutionary War:

• great-grandson Joseph Wellman was at Lexington in Captain Samuel Cowell's company.
• great-great-grandson Thomas Wellman was at Lexington in Captain Nathaniel Bancroft's company.
• great-great-grandson Stephen Wellman was at Lexington in Captain Abraham Pierce's company of Waltham militia.
• great-great-grandson Ebenezer Wellman was a private in Captain Abiel Clapp's Mansfield minutemen.
• great-great-grandson Joseph Wellman was a private in Captain Clapp's Mansfield minutemen.
• great-great-grandson Peter Wellman was a private in Captain Clapp's Mansfield minutemen.
• great-great-grandson Samuel Wellman (son of Ebenezer) was a private in Captain Clapp's Mansfield minutemen.
• great-great-grandson Samuel Wellman (son of Reuben) was a private in Captain Clapp's Mansfield minutemen and participated in the Battle of Trenton.
• great-great-grandson Silas Wellman was a private in Captain Clapp's Mansfield minutemen.
• great-great-grandson David Wellman was a member of the Stoughtonham militia.
• great-grandson Jedediah Wellman was a member of the Keene, New Hampshire militia.
• great-great-grandson Darius Wellman was a corporal in the Athens, Vermont militia.
• great-great-grandson Jacob Wellman was wounded at the Battle of Bunker Hill.
• great-grandson Adam Wellman was a gunner in Captain Perez Cushing's artillery company.
• great-great-grandson Benoni Wellman was a private in Colonel Jackson's regiment.
• great-great-grandson Caleb Wellman was a private in Captain Zadok Buffington's company.
• great-grandson Elijah Wellman was a private in Captain Stephen Richardson's company.
• great-great-grandson Jacob Wellman was a corporal in Captain Seth Banister's company at West Point, New York.
• great-great-grandson John Wellman was a private in Captain Moses Knapp's company.
• great-great-grandson Timothy Wellman was a private in Captain Isaac Hodge's company at the Battle of Dorchester Heights.
• great-great-grandson Isaac Wellman was a private in Captain Jonathan Chase's company at the Siege of Fort Ticonderoga (1777).
• great-great-grandson James Wellman was a ranger in Captain Josiah Russell's company at the siege of Fort Ticonderoga.
• great-great-grandson John Wellman was a private in Colonel John Mellin's regiment at the siege of Fort Ticonderoga.
• great-grandson Reuben Wellman was a private in the New Hampshire Regiment reinforcing the Continental Army at New York during the winter of 1776/7.
• great-great-grandson Solomon Wellman joined the Continental Army under General Horatio Gates for the Saratoga campaign.
• great-great-grandson Abraham Wellman was a Continental Army drummer wounded at the Battle of Monmouth.
• great-great-grandson Oliver Wellman enlisted at age 18 in the First Massachusetts Regiment of the Continental Army.
• great-grandson Adam Wellman was a lieutenant aboard the privateer Success, and commanded privateers Rover and Jackall.
• great-grandson John Wellman was ship's doctor aboard the brigantine Hawke in Commodore John Manley's squadron.
• great-great-grandson Oliver Wellman served aboard the privateer Junius Brutus.
• great-grandson Samuel Wellman was captured by the British aboard the privateer sloop Gates.
• great-great-grandson Jedediah Wellman shipped aboard a privateer at age 14 and was taken prisoner at Portsmouth.
• great-great-grandson Timothy Wellman shipped aboard a privateer at age 7 in 1775.

Descendants

Two American towns have been named for the family:

• Wellman, Iowa named for Joseph Edward Wellman
• Wellman, Texas

Some notable members of the Wellman family in America:

• Bela Wellman (1819-1887), San Francisco Committee of Vigilance merchant during the California Gold Rush
• Abijah Wellman (1836-1889), New York state senator of the Wellman House
• Samuel T. Wellman (1847-1919), inventor
• Walter Wellman (1858-1934), journalist and explorer
• William A. Wellman (1896–1975), film director