William Wells Records – A Friday Find
Do you have documents in your genealogy files that simply aren’t available online? While most of us can easily locate birth, marriage, and death records for close relatives, court records for more distant family members often remain elusive—especially when they fall just outside the digitized timeframes we’ve come to rely on.
Today’s Friday Find is exactly that kind of discovery: two court-related documents from Calhoun County, Michigan, dated 1907. Although many Calhoun County records are available on FamilySearch, those collections stop just before these documents were created, placing them squarely in the frustrating gap between “should exist” and “can’t be found online.”
For a bit of background, William Wallace Wells (1823–1907) was the son of Ozias Wells, my third great-grandfather, making William my second great-granduncle. The documents also reference his son, William O. Wells (1845–1933), who is my first cousin three times removed, as well as William O.’s wife, Ellen O. Andrews Wells.
Information copied 4 Apr 1994, Willard Library, Battle Creek MI, by Valerie Radee of Albion Ml.
Probate #8406, Calhoun Co., MI
Mentally Incompetent- William W. WELLS, age 83
Filed by: James E. SNELGROVE- township of Albion, Calhoun Co., MI, son-in-law of William W. WELLS .
William PUTMAN- appointed guardian of his personal estate Ended 16th of Apr 1907
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Probate #8798, Calhoun Co., MI William W. WELLS Died 13th May 1907
Village of Homer, Calhoun Co., MI
Heirs: William 0. WELLS, son age 62, Homer, MI
Ida M. GREGORY, daughter age 57, Dimondale, MI Harry M. WELLS, son age 44 426 N 15th ST
South Omaha, NB Harry Snelgrove, grandson 14, Homer, MI
Filed 16th May 1907
Paying of administration of estate may be granted to William PUTMAN
To appear in the Homer Index 14th, and final to be completed 21st Jun 1907 (appraisal)
Property of Wm WELLS, – Homer, MI, Village lot #561-$125.00, lot 562-$125.00 and lot 563-$325 (Village map indicates a dwelling on lot 563)
Expenses: Money asked for by William 0, WELLS $59.00 for funeral
Dr. HAYES $10.00 last sickness
Ellen 0. WELLS $704.00 for nursing expenses and
Services
Property sold for $650
Ellen 0. WELLS received $329.75 for her nursing Entire assets used up to pay fees Land was sold to Ellen 0. WELLS
What makes this find especially meaningful is how it came to me. These notes from Calhoun County records were generously shared by fellow genealogist Valerie Radee, who lived in Michigan. In an era where we’ve largely moved away from letter writing and self-addressed stamped envelopes, I’m deeply grateful for researchers like Valerie—who willingly dug into local records and shared what they found. Her efforts filled a gap that no amount of online searching could bridge.
Sometimes, the most valuable records in our genealogy files are the ones that never make it onto a website.