The Mystery of the Month is:

Who was the father of Isaac Wells b: Cir 1784?

The birth date of Issac Wells estimated based on the census record for 1810 for Lincoln County which appears to show him as 16-26 and given he had a child who was 7 years old it is reasonable to assume he was on the upper side of this range.

Isaac Wells married Margaret "Peggy" McGill or MacGille sometime around 1802. Margaret was from Ireland according to family tradition and came over from Ireland with her father at the age of 11 after the death of her mother.

The 1800 census for Lincoln County, North Carolina does not show an Isaac Wells and shows only two Wells families; that of a James Wells and that of a Burwell Wells.

The 1810 census shows Isaac Wells as head of household with one male 0-16, one male 16-26, one female 0-16 and one female 16-26. Although no cemetery record has been found for Isaac, it is generally believed that he died in 1809. If so, how is it he shows up on the census in 1810? The known family members match the 1810 census. Isaac and Margaret Wells are only known to have had two children:

Mary Wells b: 03 Feb 1803 Lincoln County, North Carolina m: 03 Oct 1820 Capt. John Morton; d: 21 Jun 1892 - buried at Baker Creek Cemetery.

Isaac Wells b: 13 Sep 1804 Lincoln County, North Carolina; m: 13 mar 1824 Martha McReynolds; d: 01 Aug 1866 Piney Levell, Blount County, Tennessee

If family tradition is correct that Isaac died from blood poisoning in 1809 (or possibly 1810 if the census is correct) it is puzzling as to why they only had the two children.

Following the death of Isaac Wells, Margaret married Matthew Privet and they had two children: Benjamin Privet for which no date has been given and Rebecca Privet who was born 10 Jul 1811. Matthew Privet was killed in the war of 1812 and Margaret married 3) 23 Jan 1821James McGinley. They had one child William P. McGinley b: 12 Jul 1822.

Margaret (McGill) McGinley died 02 Jun 1827 and was buried in the Old Six Mile Cemetery near Maryville, Tennessee.

Some researchers have speculated that the father of Isaac Wells may have been a James Wells b: Cir 1740 to Joseph Wells and Margaret Swanson. Joseph Wells b: 13 Apr 1697 was a son of Thomas Wells b: Cir 1653 England and Frances (surname unknown) who lived in Prince Georges County, Maryland.

The only problem with this is that no one has been able to prove (as far as we know) that Joseph Wells and Margaret Swanson had a son named James. Joseph and Margaret Wells lived in Orange County, North Carolina. Joseph had a daughter Rachel from his first marriage who married John Wright. He and Margaret Swanson are known to have had Joseph Wells b: Cir 1729 m: Charity Carrentine and a Levi Wells is documented in the Orange County, North Carolina Quaker records. Other children are alluded to in these records, but no names or proof have been found.

It is further speculated that another son of Joseph Wells and Margaret Swanson was John Wells b: Cir 1741 often referred to as "Old John Wells" who is thought by some researchers to have married 1) Sarah Hollaway and 2) Bridget Hollaway but is most often listed as having married a "Britter Holloway". John lived in Orange and Tyron Counties, North Carolina

Can anyone offer any enlightenment on either of these two (or one) families? If so please send an e-mail to: