Today’s find comes from a photocopy of page one of the Homer Index (Homer, Michigan). The 2 March 1933 issue included the obituary of William O. Wells, a respected longtime resident and Civil War veteran whose life and service were well remembered in the community.
WILLIAM O. WELLS
FORMER HOMER BUSINESS MAN DIES IN MILWAUKEEThe death of William O. Wells, aged 88 years and a much beloved man in Homer, died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Lena Wait, in Milwaukee, Friday, February 24th. Mr. Wells has lived with his daughter for the past eight years.
His three surviving children are Mrs. Lena Wait of Milwaukee, Mrs. Florence Baker of Marshall, and Preston Wells of Battle Creek.
Mr. Wells who was one of Homer’s three remaining Civil War Veterans and for the past forty-three years has attended Memorial Day programs in Homer.
We can best give a brief sketch of the life of Mr. Wells from the book “Homer and Its Pioneers” which book was edited by the late William A. Lane and published in 1888.
Following is the history of the deceased.
William O. Wells, Past Commander of Gregg Post, was born in Clarendon, this county, February 4, 1846, being a son of William W. and Martha B. Wells. He removed with his father’s family to this village in 1862 and in August of the same year enlisted in Company A, 25th Michigan Infantry and served in the U.S. army for three years. July 3, 1866, he married Ellen O. Andrus, of Clarendon, and has since been a resident of this place. He has frequently been called upon to fill official positions of trust, being an ex-village trustee, ex-township treasurer, ex-deputy sheriff of this county and in the latter capacity he was one of the best deputies Calhoun county has ever had. For a time he was in the mercantile business here and later dealt in insurance and real estate. Now and for a year or more past he has been a traveling salesman for the Pitts Agricultural Works of Buffalo, New York. He has three children: Lena D., Preston L., and Florence.
A Masonic funeral for Mr. Wells was held from the Westbrook Chapel Monday at 11 o’clock a.m. with burial in Fairview Cemetery.
Without this photocopy shared by a generous Michigan researcher, I might never have located William O. Wells’ obituary. This find is a perfect reminder that local research—and the collaboration of others who preserve hometown records—remains vital for uncovering the small but meaningful details that bring our ancestors’ stories to life.