Urias F. Wells
Few men of Wayne county are as widely and favorably known as Urias F. Wells, whose attractive home is located in Clinton township. He is one of the strong and influential citizens whose lives have become an essential part of the history of this county and for years his name has been synonymous for all that constitutes honorable and upright manhood. Tireless energy, keen perception and honesty of purpose, combined with every-day common sense, are among his chief characteristics and while advancing individual success he has also largely promoted the moral and material welfare of the community.
Urias F. Wells is a native son of the Buckeye state, having been born in Ripley township, Holmes county, on the 28th of July, 1843. He is a son of Aaron and Mary (Shreve) Wells. The subject's paternal grandparents were Moses and Happy (Gorsuch) Wells, and the paternal great-grandfather was David Wells. The latter was a native of Wales, from whose rock-ribbed hills he came to the United States in 1816 locating first in Maryland and later in Ripley township,Holmes county Ohio. Moses Wells, who also was born in Wales, came to this country at the time of the emigration of his father, and settled in Maryland, near Annapolis. He married Happy Gorsuch after arriving in his new home. Subsequently he located in Holmes county, where he remained until 1850, when he moved to Fulton county, Ohio, where he spent the remaining years of his life. He was the father of twelve children, of whom Aaron was the third in the order of birth. His birth occurred in Holmes county, where he was reared to the life of a farmer and where during his youth he secured his education in the neighboring schools. He followed farming during all the days of his life and was a prominent and influential man in the community. He was proprietor of the leading hotel in that section where they had general muster. He married Mary Shreve and they became the parents of the following children: Martin, Thomas, Martha Jane, Ellen, all of whom are deceased: Urias F., the immediate subject of this sketch; Aaron, who lives in Clinton township, Wayne county. Aaron Wells died when the subject of this sketch was about four and a half years old and his widow subsequently married Isaac N. Fouch, to which union were born the following children: Caleb S., who resides in Shreve; Mary E., now deceased, who was the wife of William Easterday; Ira, deceased. The subject's mother died in 1881 and her remains were interred in the cemetery in Ripley township.
The subject of this sketch was reared under the parental roof and secured his education in the district school. He made splendid progress in his studies and at the age of eighteen years he engaged in teaching school, following this vocation during a period of ten years, during which time he actually taught seven hundred and twenty-five days and one hour. He then relinquished the pedagogical chair for the plowshare and applied himself closely during the following years to agricultural pursuits. He was a practical man in his operations and besides the tilling of the soil, he also devoted much attention to the breeding and raising of livestock, in which also he was successful. In 1881, Mr. Wells became a resident of Wayne county, where he has since remained. He is the owner of a fine farm in Clinton township and is numbered among the enterprising and successful men of the county. He keeps in close touch with the most advanced ideas relating to the science of agriculture and gives his personal attention to every phase of the work, in consequence of which he has been enabled to realize a handsome income from his investment. His property is well improved and is maintained at all times in the best of condition, the general appearance of the place indicating the owner to be a man o excellent taste and good judgment.
Religiously, Mr. and Mrs. Wells are members of the Christian church, with which Mr. Wells united on October 19, 1862. In October, 1881, he became a member of the church at Shreve, and has been prominent and active in advancing the best interests of the society. He has long been active in Sabbath school work and served for the long period of forty years as superintendent of the school, his service covering two thousand and eighty consecutive Sabbaths. In politics Mr. Wells has been affiliated with the Democratic party and has been actively interested in local public affairs. He has been frequently elected by his fellow citizens to offices of responsibility, in all of which he has acquitted himself to the entire satisfaction of his fellow citizens. He served three terms as assessor and twelve years as a member of the school board in Ripley township, Homes county, and since coming to Clinton township, Wayne county, he has served as a member of the school board many years, during nine of which he was president of the same. He has also served as a water works trustee and clerk of the board. In these positions he has given to the public interests the same careful attention and applied the same business methods that he employs in his own private affairs. His ability as a Sunday school worker has been recognized in his election to the presidency of the Township Sunday School Association, which office he held for five years. He is now president of the Wayne County Farmers' Institute, having held this office during eleven of the sixteen years during which this organization has been in existence. In every avenue of life's activities in which he has engaged, Mr. Wells has performed his full part to the best of his ability, and this fact has been generally recognized by those in touch with him and his work. Industry, integrity and progressiveness have been the keynotes to his character and are the elements which have contributed to his success.
Urias F. Wells married Louisa M. Mathewson, a native of Ripley township, Holmes county, Ohio, and a daughter of Robert and Rebecca (Ruble) Mathewson, and their union has been blessed in the birth of the following children; Robert D., who lives in Clinton township married Maude Thomas; to them have been born the following children; Ruth L., Thomas F. and Mildred I.
Mary Shreve Wells, mother of the subject of this sketch, was a daughter of Thomas and Mary (Wagel) Shreve. Thomas Shreve,who was a son of Richard Shreve and one of twelve children, came to Ohio in 1816, locating in Shreve. There he built one of the first mills in the county, in connection with which he also operated a sawmill. He was an enterprising and progressive man and did much for the upbuilding of the community. He was the first postmaster and in other ways was a leading man among his fellows, having served for many years as a justice of the peace. In connection with his milling business, he also successfully operated a farm. The Shreve family is of Holland origin, the first of the name to come to America being Israel Shreve, who married Maude, the daughter of a rich nobleman, They came to the new world at a date prior to the war of the Revolution and in this conflict the family took an active part on the side of the colonists, Israel Shreve having been a member of George Washington's staff and passing through the terrible experiences at Valley Forge. The present members of this family possess the original family coat of arms. Thomas and Mary (Wagel) Shreve were the parents of the following children; Margaret, the wife of John Graven, became the mother of seventeen children; Caleb, deceased, was the father of six children; Charlotte became the wife of Peter Shreve, who was no relation; Henry; Mary, mother of the subject; William; Eliza Jane, who became the wife of Nicholas Crum and the mother of twelve children. Mr. Wells is a member of the Knights of Honor, of which there were one hundred and fifty members at one time, but he is now the only one left. Mr. Wells was elected in 1899 and served three terms as a member of the Legislature from Wayne county, and it is worthy of note that his paternal grandfather served in that body in 1838-40. He has also been the leading stock buyer and shipper in the county for fifty years.
From The History of Wayne County, Ohio, B. E. Bowen & Co., 1910