Monday

An Obituary Rich in History — Nancy Wells Hutchinson

One of the things I enjoy most about going back through my older research folders is rediscovering documents I collected years ago—often before I fully understood their value.

This week’s “digging” comes from my WELLS folder: an unsourced photocopy of an obituary for Nancy Hutchinson, wife of Judge Miron Hutchinson. At first glance, it seemed like a simple obituary. But as I read more carefully, I realized it contains a wealth of family connections and local history—exactly the kind of record that rewards a second look.

Interestingly, Nancy appears differently across online trees:

• On FamilySearch, she is listed as Irene Nancy Wells
• On WikiTree, she appears as Nancy Wells

This obituary may help shed light on that question.

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Transcription of the Obituary

(Cleaned and formatted for readability)

Death of Mrs. Nancy Hutchinson

Within less than a week after the death of Mrs. Martha Cutler and residing directly across the street where Mrs. Cutler lived, died Mrs. Nancy Hutchinson, the relict of the late Judge Miron Hutchinson. After the death of Mrs. Cutler she was the oldest person residing in Girard borough, having attained the ripe old age of 87 years. She also had retained her mental faculties to the last moment, but had for several years not enjoyed as good bodily health as Mrs. Cutler, and for the last four or five months was entirely blind. She breathed her last early Tuesday morning.

Mrs. Hutchinson was closely connected with the earliest history of this borough as will be seen by the following brief biographical sketch: She was born in Saratoga Co., N.Y., June 12th, 1792. Her maiden name was Nancy Wells. She married Miron Hutchinson (the late Judge Hutchinson) in Fenner, Madison Co., N.Y., and with him removed to Girard in the spring of 1818, her brother, Joseph Wells, coming and settling here at the same time. Her father, Thurston Wells, had preceded them some time, and had purchased 200 acres of land, upon which the bulk of our borough now stands. Upon his death the land was equally divided between her husband and her brother Joseph. The latter donated the public square to the new town about being laid out on the lands comprising the Wells farm and named the town Girard, out of compliment to Stephen Girard, of Philadelphia.

Mrs. Hutchinson’s mother’s name was Irene Badger; she was descended from the Thurstons and Greenes of Rhode Island, and was not a very distant relative of General Nathaniel Greene, the Rhode Island blacksmith of Revolutionary fame. She was a good and true woman, and a kind and affectionate mother. She is survived by four children, namely Monroe, Mrs. Lydia Clemens of Erie, Mrs. Eliza Orr, and David Wells. Her funeral will take place from the residence of her son, Monroe Hutchinson, Esq., today (Tuesday) at 2 o’clock P.M.

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What This Obituary Tells Us

This is far more than a death notice—it’s a mini-biography packed with clues.

1. Clear Identification of Her Name

The obituary explicitly states:

“Her maiden name was Nancy Wells.”

This is important. While FamilySearch lists her as Irene Nancy Wells, the obituary suggests:

• Nancy was the name she used in life
• Irene was likely inherited from her mother (Irene Badger)

This may indicate:

• A naming tradition
• Or a later-added name in compiled trees rather than a contemporary usage

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2. A Multi-Generational Family Snapshot

The obituary provides a rare, well-structured family grouping:

Parents:

• Thurston Wells
• Irene Badger

Sibling:

• Joseph Wells

Husband:

• Judge Miron Hutchinson

Children:

• Monroe Hutchinson
• Lydia (Hutchinson) Clemens
• Eliza (Hutchinson) Orr
• David Wells Hutchinson

That’s essentially an entire family group sheet—something we usually have to piece together from multiple records.

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3. Migration Pattern: New York to Pennsylvania

The obituary traces a clear migration path:

• Born: Saratoga County, New York (1792)
• Married: Fenner, Madison County, New York
• Migrated: Girard, Pennsylvania in 1818

Even better—it shows this was a family migration, not an individual move:

• Her father moved first
• Then Nancy and her husband
• Then her brother Joseph

This is a classic example of chain migration, something we often look for when building FAN clubs.

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4. Founding of Girard, Pennsylvania

This is where the obituary becomes especially valuable.

We learn that:

• Thurston Wells purchased 200 acres
• That land became the foundation of the borough
• Joseph Wells donated the public square
• The town was named Girard after Stephen Girard

This places Nancy’s family at the very center of the town’s founding

For a genealogist, this is gold:

• It connects the family to land records
• It suggests potential early deeds and plats
• It elevates the family from “residents” to “founders”

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5. Deep New England Roots

The obituary also reaches further back:

• Nancy’s mother: Irene Badger
• Lineage tied to:
  • Thurston family
  • Greene family of Rhode Island
• Claimed connection to General Nathanael Greene

Whether fully provable or not, this gives:

• A research direction into Rhode Island families
• A potential Revolutionary War-era connection

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6. Personal Details That Bring Her to Life

Beyond names and dates, we get glimpses of Nancy as a person:

• Lived to age 87
• Mentally sharp until the end
• Blind in her final months
• Described as:
  • “a good and true woman”
  • “a kind and affectionate mother”

These are the kinds of details that help us move beyond facts into storytelling.

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Why This Record Matters

This obituary is a perfect example of why it pays to revisit old, unsourced documents.

In a single clipping, we gained:

• A full family structure
• Migration details
• Land ownership and community history
• Possible Revolutionary-era connections
• Insight into her identity and naming

And perhaps most importantly—it helps us evaluate conflicting online data.

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Final Thoughts

This “Monday’s Digging” is a great reminder:

Sometimes the records we already have—tucked away in folders—hold more information than we realized when we first found them.

Now the next step is clear:

• Locate the original newspaper source
• Correlate these details with deeds and census records
• And explore the Wells family’s role in the founding of Girard

Because this obituary doesn’t just tell us when Nancy died…

It helps tell the story of how her family helped build a community.

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