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Below is a family biography included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Grant County, Arkansas published by Goodspeed Publishing Company in 1889.  These biographies are valuable for genealogy research in discovering missing ancestors or filling in the details of a family tree. Family biographies often include far more information than can be found in a census record or obituary.  Details will vary with each biography but will often include the date and place of birth, parent names including mothers' maiden name, name of wife including maiden name, her parents' names, name of children (including spouses if married), former places of residence, occupation details, military service, church and social organization affiliations, and more.  There are often ancestry details included that cannot be found in any other type of genealogical record.

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George T. Wells. One noticeable feature connected with Grant County, is the spirit of enterprise that seems to pervade and infect its residents. Chief among the merchants and farmers of that section is Mr. Wells. He is a native of Grant County, and was born on February 5, 1853, and is a son of Adolphus and Martha (Clegg) Wells, of Tennessee and Arkansas, respectively, the father born in the year 1827, and educated in his native State. The elder Wells moved to Arkansas, in 1848, and there met and married his wife, by whom he has had six children, two of them living only and residing in this State. He was a successful farmer and a prominent citizen of Grant County. In secret societies he belonged to the Knights of Honor, and was one of the first charter members of his lodge. He and wife were members of the Methodist Church, and devout Christian people. Several years after his death, which occurred on January 8, 1859, his widow was again married, her second husband being Mr. J. R. Henry, by whom she had three sons, two still living. George T. Wells was reared and educated in Grant and Jefferson Counties, and the good moral training he received in his youth has still clung to him in later life. On October 18, 1874, he was married to Miss Adaline Akin, daughter of Arthur and Nancy J. Akin, old settlers of Arkansas. Four children were born to this union, three boys and one girl, of whom there are three still living: Martha T., Arthur A. and Karl A. Mr. Wells has been very successful in his agricultural and business ventures, and now owns about 420 acres of the best land in that section, with about seventy-five acres under cultivation. His store is largely patronized, and will invoice about $500 of first-class merchandise, and his legitimate methods of doing business and treating his customers fairly in every respect, have made his name one of the staunchest in commercial circles. In religious belief, both he and wife belong to the Methodist Church, and are among its most liberal supporters.

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This family biography is one of 68 biographies included in Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Grant County, Arkansas published in 1889.  For the complete description, click here: Grant County, Arkansas History, Genealogy, and Maps

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