
                        EASTON & WELLS
                        by Sue Budlong
                          24 May 1990
        ------------------------------------------------
 
  
     "Descendants of Joseph Easton, Hartford, Conn., 1636-1899,"
compiled and privately printed by William Starr EASTON of St. Paul,
MN, in 1899, is available at the Library of Congress and in photocopy
from Higginson Genealogical Books. While your Jacob Wells isn't
listed--in fact, NO Jacobs are--there are two entries under the
surname WELLS.  I'll give you both, though only the first looks
really possible.
  
     On pages 51 and 52 appears the entry for Charles EASTON, No. 62
in the numbering system, son of Ahimaz EASTON (No. 39) and Mary
PHELPS.  Charles was born about 1778 in Washington, Berkshire Co., MA
and died 14 May 1859 in New York City.  [Sorry, I've found no
obituary for him in the New York TIMES.]  He lived in Utica, NY, for
about 36 years, moving to NYC before 1849.  In Utica, he was a
painter and glazier and also a dealer in paints, oils, and glass; in
1813, he was described as a dealer in paints and oils there.
  
     Now for the interesting part: Charles married Lucy WELLS of
Johnstown, NY, daughter of John WELLS and Lois (FOOTE MERRELLS), born
20 March 1780.  William Starr EASTON had no personal record of any
descendants, but he quoted a letter from Charles H. EASTON of New
York City, who claimed to be a great-grandson of Charles and Lucy,
concerning one son: Nathan Wells EASTON.  Charles H. provided no
information on great-uncles, uncles, cousins, or siblings, but he did
say, "I know that my grandfather's name was Nathan Wells Easton, and
that his father married a Wells, and that their home was Johnstown,
N.Y.  My father was Nathan Wells Easton, Jr."  Evidently also based
on Charles H.'s letter, there is a supplementary entry for Nathan Jr.
(No. 385), born about 1840, died 18 April 1886 in New York City,
married Louise M. MATTHEWS, who was still living in NYC in 1898.
[Sorry, no TIMES obit for Nathan Jr., either.]
  
     Given Nathan Jr.'s birthdate of 1840, it's just possible that he
could have had a brother born in 1832, possibly in Johnstown, NY.  Of
course, this is still quite a long shot, but who knows? Siblings of
my own EASTON ancestor from this time frame, born in western New
York, settled all over the U.S., from Brooklyn to California.
  
     The less likely entry is the author's own son, Edward James
EASTON (No. 316), born 3 Feb 1854 in Ottawa, IL.  On 27 Dec 1876 in
Oskaloosa, Iowa, he married Leona WELLS, b. 22 June 1853, daughter of
William WELLS and Alvira HOGAN.  They had five children, including a
son Irving Wells EASTON, b. 18 Aug 1886. Though the time frame is
much too late, this should give you another locale to chase WELLSes
in.
  
                        ... Sue Budlong in Falls Church, VA
 * Origin: NGS/CIG BBS - Arlington, VA (703) 528-2612 *DHST/V.32* 


Date:   Sun Feb 23 1992  16:32:20
From:   Sue Budlong
To:     Bill Allen
Subj:   Re: RANDALL & MILLS San Jose CA
Attr:   
GENEALOGY                      -------------------------------
  
     Can't help you with RANDALL and may be off base with MILLS,
but your story has some eerie parallels with that of a collateral
branch of my family.  For what it's worth, here goes:
  
     Ansel Ives EASTON, brother of my g-g-grandfather Denison
Mitchel EASTON, was born in New York State (or possibly just
across the line in MA).  In Aug 1857 he married Adeline MILLS,
daughter of James MILLS and Hannah OGDEN and sister of Darius
Ogden MILLS, who founded the Bank of California.  I believe
Adeline and her brother were part of the MILLS family after whom
Mills College in Oakland, CA, was named.  This family sounds like
a good candidate for researching in either the "Dictionary of
American Biography" or the "National Cyclopaedia of American
Biography"--both multi-volume sets that can be found in most
large libraries.
  
     Ansel EASTON and his bride Adeline were on the Panama-to-New
York leg of their honeymoon voyage when the ship they were on,
the "S.S. Central America," sank off the North Carolina coast. 
The remains of the ship have recently been found by a fortune-
hunting group looking for the gold it was carrying from the
California gold fields to the New York banks.  You can read all
about it in the March 1992 issue of "Life" magazine and also in
the 29 Nov 1990 issue of the Washington POST.  Adeline and her
husband survived the sinking; their steamer trunk, with contents
nearly intact, was among the items so far salvaged from the
wreck.
  
     Other possibly significant details for your research: Ansel
Ives EASTON accumulated a small fortune as a supplier of
mattresses to the Pacific Mail Steam Ship Company (NOT the
company that owned the "Central America"--that was the United
States Mail Steamship Company).  His brother-in-law, Edward
TAYLOR (husband of Ansel's sister Fanny Bishop EASTON) was
cashier for the same company.  Both families resided in San
Mateo, CA, not all that far from San Jose.  The honeymoon couple,
Ansel and Adeline, were evidently traveling with William RALSTON,
a cofounder of the Bank of California; he died under mysterious
circumstances in 1875 at the time of a run on the bank.
  
     The things that stand out to me are: Natives of New York
State living in the San Francisco Bay Area.  Steamship lines that
run from San Francisco to Panama and from Panama to New York. 
Involvement with wealthy people (RALSTON, VANDERBILT).  Ships
lost at sea during the period of the California Gold Rush (1854,
1857).  Do you think your MILLS family might be related to my g-
g-grandfather's sister-in-law? ... Sue Budlong in Falls Church,
VA
  
p.s. No great wealth in my branch of the EASTON family, sorry to
say.  And no interest, financial or otherwise, in the salvage of
the "Central America"!
  
p.p.s. Have the buzzards come home yet?


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 * Origin: CPAFUG: MD(301)Colmbia 290-9530 SlvrSpng 989-8960 (Opus 
1:109/422)


