As I continue working my way through my WELLS notebook, I thought I’d not only share the next record but also explain the why behind these Friday Find posts.
While my long-term goal is to reduce the amount of paper in my files, the process is about much more than decluttering. Each record review gives me the opportunity to update citations to current standards, obtain a reliable transcription, and connect offline documents to their corresponding sources on FamilySearch, ensuring they are properly linked to individuals in my family tree.
Today’s find is another document shared with me years ago by a Michigan researcher—a death record for Martha B. Wells, wife of William W. Wells. Below is an extraction of the information from the record, followed by the details that help place this document in context within my Wells research.
Calhoun County, Michigan
Death Record119
April 1, 1880
Martha B Wells
F
W
Married
age Unknown
Place of Death: Homer
Cause of death: Fever
Birthplace: Pennsylvania
Parents and Residence: John Clark – Homer, Mich
Sarah Clark – Homer, MIchDate of Record: May 31, 1881
Family Connections
Martha B. Clark was the wife of William W. Wells, the son of my third great-grandparents, Ozias Wells and Mary Wells. This makes William W. Wells my second great-granduncle.
Below are the corresponding profile identifiers for this family on FamilySearch and WikiTree:
Martha B. Clark
- FamilySearch ID: MC5M-YCF
- WikiTree ID: Clark-102153
William W. Wells
- FamilySearch ID: L5YB-BK4
- WikiTree ID: Wells-36315
Ozias Wells
- FamilySearch ID: KHPF-QW9
- WikiTree ID: Wells-28348
This death record for Martha B. Wells is a good example of why I continue to work through my paper files one document at a time. What began years ago as a photocopy shared by a fellow researcher can now be strengthened with a clear transcription, a modern citation, and a direct link to its online image. By reconnecting these older finds to sources on FamilySearch and linking them to individuals on my family tree, I not only preserve the information but also make it more accessible and verifiable for future research.
Friday Finds like this one remind me that even familiar documents can gain new value when viewed through today’s tools—and that progress in genealogy often comes not from discovering something new, but from revisiting what we already have.