Mr. Wells was born in Hampton, Ill., on the banks of the Mississippi river, February 9, 1845. His father's name was also Lucius Wells, and he was a farmer until he was 50 years old, after which he went into the logging and milling business. His ancestors came from England long before the revolutionary war, and many of them participated in the war. The mother was of Scotch-Irish descent and a great grand-niece of Ethan Allen. Her maiden name was Eunice McMurphy. Mr. Wells emigrated from Vermont, and Mrs. Wells from New York, to southern Illinois, before the day of railroads, or about 1826. They were married at Swaneetown, Ill, and traveled from there to Galena, when there were no towns on the way except Carlisle, Vandalia, Springfield and Peoria. Their records of the journey, show several battles with Indians on the way, and when arriving at Rock river, where Dixon now stands, they were captured by the Indians and held prisoners for several days. They finally settled in Rock Island county, Ill.
Lucius Wells received his early education in the public schools, afterward attending the Lombard university, at Galesburg, one year, leaving at the end of that time to go into business with Deere & Company, the famous plow manufacturers of Moline, Ill. Mr. Wells facetiously remarks that he earned his first money holding the plow by the handles and has been handling the plow ever since, but not as a farmer. He steadily advanced in the firm, until in 1881, the present company was organized, the Council Bluffs house opened as a distributing point for several states, and Mr. Wells took charge of the establishment and has continued in that capacity successfully ever since.
Mr. Wells is a member of the Iroquois club, the leading democratic organization of Chicago, and of the Omaha club, a social club. In 1892 he was a delegate to the democratic national convention. When the directory of the Trans-Mississippi and International exposition at Omaha was organized, Mr. Wells was made the only active member from Iowa, representing the state in the management of the exposition opening in May, 1898.
Source: Gue, B.F.
Biographies and Portraits of the Progressive Men of Iowa.
Des Moines
Conaway & Shaw Publishers, 1899. [p.399]
Note: The 1850 census for District 37, Rock Island County, Illinois, page 192, dwelling 745 shows:
Provided by Laurie Wells Garvin - Elma, Washington
e-mail: Wells Family Research Association