Charles F. Wells

From Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Southern Arkansas, Vol II, pg 1087-88

Charles F. Wells. Among the representative and progressive business men of this county, none are more favorably known or more highly respected than he whose name heads this sketch. His father, Thomas S. Wells, was born in Tennessee, on January 18, 1810, and in 1840 re-moved to Arkansas and settled in Drew County, where he followed the occupation of farming, very successfully, until his death, May 1, 1876, near Monticello. He was first married to Miss Sarah Rogers, of Tennessee, by whom he had four sons and one daughter: Rev. Marshall H. (a resident of Louisville, Ky.), Thomas L. S. (a farmer of Lincoln County, Ark.), Nannie E. (wife of James N. Slemons, a resident of Monticello), Frank S. (who died while serving in the Confederate army, in Virginia), and Richard D, (whose death occurred in Drew County, Ark.). His second wife, who was formerly Mrs. Eliza Clark, was born, reared and educated in Virginia, but was married in Bradley County, Ark., in 1850, and on March 3, 1853, gave birth to the subject of this sketch, becoming, afterward the mother of four other sons and a daughter. Only two sons are now living: Wallace B. (who resides in Texas) and Charles F. Those deceased are: Roscoe, Ellis and Travis (twin sons), and Lumbia (wife of Richard B. Soppington). Mrs. Wells was born in 1820, and was called to her long home December 18, 1870, after which her husband married, in 1873, Miss Lumbia Blankenship, a sister of his second wife. She is now living, and resides in Cleveland County, Ark. Mr. Wells was a Master Mason, a Democrat in politics, and being an upright and honorable man of business, was honored by all.

Charles F. Wells was reared in Drew County, but owing to the opening of the war ho received but little early schooling but in later years managed to remedy this deficiency by private study and reading. At the age of eighteen he became a salesman and book-keeper in a store in Collins, and since that time has given much of his attention to mercantile pursuits, but he has also been engaged in farming a portion of the time, which calling is now receiving the most of his attention. He is the owner of 215 acres of fertile land, a portion of which is in Chicot County, and of this 125 acres are under cultivation. Besides this he owns an interest in 1,100 lying in Chicot and Ashley Counties. He is also interested in a general mercantile establishment in Dermott, the firm being Morris, Kimpel & Wells, and their stock of goods is valued at about $5,000 or $6,000. He was married in Chicot County. Ark., October 25, 1876, to Miss Annie C. Anderson, a native of the county, born in 1857, and a daughter of Capt. James A. Anderson, who now resides in Chicot County, his wife dying there in 1882. To her union with Mr. Wells the following family has been born: Ethel I., Floyd A., Richard S., Erie A., Emmett Douglas and Edwin (who died in infancy). Mr. Wells is now a resident of Dermott, where he has a comfortable home, near his place of business. He belongs to the K. of H., the K. of P., and his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South. Politically he is a Democrat.