Abstract
It is with pleasure that I present this compilation of the first 30 generations of the Wells Family along
with other points of interest I have come across during the research. I contend that this compilation is the
most accurate one presently in existence for our family. Having said this, though, I think it is prudent to
make a few remarks touching on how this research was conducted. Conducting this research soon
convinced me there is no such thing as 100% certainty in any genealogical research when that research
outruns the living memories of a family. I am convinced that if a person sets for himself a goal of 100%
certainty he sets a goal that he cannot achieve. The only proper standard for research of this sort must be
the standard scientists always employ in scientific research, namely, the standard of conclusion beyond
reasonable doubt. That is the standard I have used in compiling this family history.
I believe that the work presented here is as accurate a compilation as can be made from presently
available records and documentation. There is a certain sense of accomplishment in tracing our family’s
history all the way back to the first Wells in Dark Age England that I find difficult to describe. It is my
belief that this record is accurate and, insofar as the direct line from Ragemer to my siblings, cousins and
myself is concerned, that it is a complete record. Naturally, no family history is ever complete so long as
the family itself continues, but I leave it to my cousins, siblings, and their children to carry on the tale
from the point where it leaves off in this monogram. I wish also to acknowledge the vital contributions
made by our kinsmen, Mr. and Mrs. Doscher of West Union, without whose genealogical record this
work would not have been possible for me at all, and by my nephew, Nick Wells, who uncovered the key
documentation making it possible to extend the family record backwards in time from where the Doscher
genealogy left off.