An Unplaced Biography of Captain David Wells Hutchinson
Have you ever found something in your files that should be incredibly useful… but raises more questions than it answers?
That’s exactly what happened when I came across an old, unsourced biography of Captain David Wells Hutchinson (1830–1894). It appears to be from a county or biographical history (page numbers 147–148), but unfortunately, no title page or source citation was saved with it.
And now—it has turned into a bit of a genealogy puzzle.
📜 The Discovery
The biography provides a detailed account of Captain Hutchinson’s life, including:
- Birth: June 21, 1830, Girard, Erie County, Pennsylvania
- Parents: Judge Myron Hutchinson and Nancy Wells
- Education: Kingsville Academy (Ohio), National Law School (Poughkeepsie, NY)
- Civil War service: 83rd Pennsylvania Volunteers
- Career: Attorney, land agent for the Nickel Plate Railroad, U.S. Land Office official
- Death: January 19, 1894, Erie County, Pennsylvania
But for me, the most intriguing part is this statement:
“the judge’s wife was of distinguished New England lineage, being a blood relative of General Nathaniel Greene of Revolutionary fame.”
That one sentence opens the door to a much larger question.
🔍 The Genealogical Puzzle
On FamilySearch Family Tree, David Wells Hutchinson appears here:
👉 https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/details/K2XP-VX6
According to that tree, his mother Nancy (Wells) Hutchinson descends from:
- Thurston Wells
- wife: Irene Badger
So far, so good… except this is where things get messy.
⚖️ Conflicting Parentage of Thurston Wells
In my own research, I have:
- Thurston Wells
- son of Nathaniel Wells and Mary Thurston
This line would make Thurston my 4th great granduncle.
However, the FamilySearch Tree currently:
- disconnects Thurston from Nathaniel Wells & Mary Thurston
- and instead associates him with:
- Nathaniel Wells
- wife: Jemima Treat
Two different Nathani el Wells families… two different wives… and likely two different lineages.
🧩 The Bigger Question: A Greene Connection?
Here’s where it gets even more interesting.
Both:
- this biography
- and a previously discussed obituary
state that Nancy (Wells) Hutchinson was related to:
👉 General Nathanael Greene
Now here’s the twist:
➡️ My own Wells line is also said to connect to General Greene
➡️ But I have not been able to prove that connection
So now I’m left wondering:
- Are these two Wells lines actually connected?
- Or are there two unrelated Wells families, each claiming (accurately or not) descent from Greene?
- And which Nathaniel Wells family does Thurston actually belong to?
📄 Transcription of the Biography
Below is a clean transcription of the biography as it appears in my files (pages 147–148). I am including it here in full in hopes that someone may recognize the source.
Captain David Wells Hutchinson
Captain D. W. Hutchinson, son of Judge Myron and Nancy (Wells) Hutchinson, was born at Girard, Erie County, Pa., June 21, 1830. His father, a native of Madison County, New York, was a pioneer settler of Girard and became a justice of the peace and also an associate judge of Erie County. The judge’s father was a soldier in the Revolutionary War, the judge’s wife was of distinguished New England lineage, being a blood relative of General Nathaniel Greene of Revolutionary fame. The Hutchinson family was of unusual prominence. One of the judge’s daughters became the wife of the late David Olin of Girard, a prominent merchant and one of our county’s foremost men. Another daughter became the wife of John Clemens of Erie, in his day, a prominent manufacturer and highly honored citizen. David W. was educated in the schools of Girard and at Kingsville, Ohio, Academy. He studied law with Hon. George H. Cutler and was also a graduate of the National Law School at Poughkeepsie, New York. He was admitted to the New York State Bar May 11, 1853, and on May 11, 1855, to our bar, when he entered upon the practice with offices at Girard.
Captain Hutchinson was a very patriotic citizen and I believe organized a company at the breaking out of the civil war. He was also a distinguished member of the Eighty-Third Regiment Pennsylvania Volunteers and won his title of “Captain” by heroic services. After the war he resumed his practice at Girard. He was a sound lawyer and a thorough gentleman of the highest type. He was tall, of slight build and most agreeable personal-
ty. He had the entire confidence of bench and bar, but seldom appeared in the trial of causes, his practice being largely confined to the office where he faithfully served many clients. He looked after the settlement of many estates and when the railroad known as the Nickel Plate was located through Erie County, about 1881, he was employed to secured the right of way. In this capacity he rendered the railroad company highly valuable services, but was also just to the land owners, for in the majority of cases, where litigation resulted, it appeared in the end that the Captain had made fair offers for the property. In 1886, probably at the suggestion of Hon. William L. Scott, he was appointed Receiver of Public Monies, United States Land Office at Bismark, Dakota, and ably discharged the duties of that office for four years. Returning home he again took up the practice of law in this county.
On November 25, 1861, he was united in marriage with Miss Mary T. Kaiser, of Girard. They had six children, three sons and three daughters, two died in infancy and the survivors are Myron Wells, Irene Elizabeth (now Mrs. Adelbert B. Gray, Frank Joseph and James Monroe Hutchinson. Captain Hutchinson, after the example of his father was a Universalist in religion, and a Democrat in politics. He died in Erie January 19, 1894, in the sixty-fourth year of his age, and was buried in the Girard Cemetery. He enjoyed the companionship of his friends, was fond of cards and dancing, but not much given to athletics. Probably no member of our bar ever lived a more upright life or left a more spotless record than David Wells Hutchinson.
🧠 Working Hypotheses
At this point, I see a few possibilities:
- Thurston Wells = son of Nathaniel Wells & Mary Thurston
- Would connect him to my existing Wells line
- May explain the shared Greene tradition
- Thurston Wells = son of Nathaniel Wells & Jemima Treat
- Suggests a different Wells line entirely
- Greene connection may come through a different path
- The Greene connection is exaggerated or misattributed
- Not uncommon in late 19th-century county histories
📣 A Call for Help
This is where I’d love your input.
- 📚 Does anyone recognize this biography or its source?
- 🌳 Have you researched this Wells / Hutchinson line?
- 🧬 Do you have documentation connecting this family to General Nathanael Greene?
- 🔍 Have you encountered Thurston Wells in New England or New York records?
Even a clue about the book title or county history would be incredibly helpful.
🧾 Why This Matters
This is a great reminder of something we all encounter in genealogy:
A detailed biography is only as useful as the sources behind it.
Right now, this document is:
- Rich in detail
- Potentially accurate
- But completely unsourced
And until I can place it in context, it remains a clue—not proof.
✍️ Final Thoughts
This find sits right at the intersection of:
- family tradition
- published biography
- and modern collaborative trees
And somewhere in that mix… is the truth.
I’ll keep digging—and I hope you will too.