Colchester was originally a part of Hartford County and remainded so until 1741 after which and until 1832, it was part of East Haddam County. Probate records for Noah Wells must be looked for at Hartford, East Haddam and Colchester for the period 07 Jun 1714 to 1715.

The inventory of Noah Welles estate at 411 pounds 04 shillings-00 as taken by Nathaniel Loomis and Samuel Loomis²

Noah Welles Abstract of Administration papers show Administration of the estate of Noah Wells "Lieut. b: 26 Jul 1666 Hatfield, MA; d: 1712 in Colchester, New London, Connecticut. Mary, wife, and Noah Wells, Jr. named as administrators of the estate. Order to dist:

• To Mary Welles, widow 27-04-00
• To Noah Welles, eldest son 89-17-00
• To John, Jonathan and Samuel Welles, to Mary Lester, to Sarah Foote, to Hannah Welles, to each of them, 44-18-06³

And appoint Capt. Samuel Gilbert, Samuel Loomis and Ephraim Welles, of Colchester, distributors.

A Town Meeting held 07 Feb 1606/7 voted & granted that Noah Wells should have fifty acres of land joining to his land at Parrum; said fifty is ten acres for his meadow and ten acres for his home lot and thirty acres for his first division.⁵

Page 116 James Newton 3rd husband of Mary Crow White, wife of Noah Wells, became a propriator of Colchester 28 Apr 1713⁵

Page 117 Noah Wells is mentioned deceased in Town Meeting 28 April 1713. Also mentioned is Liet. Noah wells.⁵

Page 136 Noah Wells, Jr. was Town Clerk⁵

Noah Wells 26 Jul 1666 woudl be eleven years old at the time of the Whatley Indian Attack of Sept 1677. Later Benjamin Waite's letter to "loving friends of Hatfield" made clear the agony of the captive's long tortuous walk North into Canada. Mrs. Foote's little child was tomohawked: two babies were born while in captivity (Canada Waite and Captivity Jennings). Starvation, death and misery were the real events of many a frontier boy's experience. Noah's brother, Jonathan, at age fifteen was called "Hero of Turner Falls fight" and was with his father in King Philip's wars. Both were in King William's and Queen Anne's wars. "A fortification of palisades ws ordered from the south side of John Field's and Thomas Eastings home lots (the same as the south line of fortification in King Philip's War) to the North side of Noah Wells' and Samuel Marsh' opposite the Deerfield Line".

The towns of Hadley, Whately, Hatfield, Deerfield, Greenfield and Shelburne lie beside the Connecticut River in a long lush North-South Valley. It was the route from ancient times of Indian hunting parties ....sometimes peaceful; often savage. Now the French and Indian Wars were on. This route which led to the "Old French Trail" up through Vermont and across the Winooski as well as the route to Wells River became more and more familiar to the frontiersmen as they moved to settle new territories even as far up as the St. Frances Indians' stronghold just over the present Quebec border. It was in the town of Charleston, renamed Whatley, that 175 years later Solomon Stafford and Mary Ann (Smith) Wells of Compton married and satrted their family.⁶

References:

¹ New England Historical and Genealogical Register 1890, Vol. 44 EY7N4.

² Colchester Probate Records 07 Jun 1714 to 1715. Page 136 Inventory of Noah Welles Estate.

³Colchester Court Records 07 Jun 1714, page 201

⁴ibid. page 236

^{3 & 4} From Boston Transcripts dated 16 Jun 1905. Note #644 from Charles Mainwaring Vol. 1, page 328

⁵ Records of Colchester, CT from the recording of Michael Taintor, page 45/6 dated 07 Feb 1706/7.

⁶ The Wells Family (Welles) Microfilm No. 1036781, Item 6, Article from the Gazette Currier.

⁷Descendants of Thomas Wells & Frances Albright by Clayton H. Wells and Margaret D. Wells, privately printed in limited edition 1999.