Peggy Smith-Hake's
"Window to the Past"
​​JOSHUA R. WELLS AND THE WELLS HOME NEAR TUSCUMBIA...
By Peggy Smith Hake​
​​(Printed in THE MILLER COUNTY AUTOGRAM-SENTINEL in the column, 'WINDOW TO THE PAST', Dec. 20, 2012)
Joshua R. Wells (pictured on left) was born in Sistersville, West Virginia on December 31, 1852, a son of Charles V. Wells.
His father had purchased a large farm (640 acres) in Miller County before the Civil War. It was located 3 miles downriver from Tuscumbia near the Osage River.
About 1860, J. R./Joshua and his parents were visiting at Bowling Green, MO and they came on to Miller County by horse and buggy to see the land which had been purchased a few years earlier. Joshua immediately decided he liked this Osage River country.​ In 1890, William returned to his West Virginia home and J. R. came into full ownership of the Miller County farm after some trades with his brother.
Joshua/J. R. becames a very prominent man in Miller County. He was a stockholder of the Anchor Milling Company and also owned stock in the Bank of Tuscumbia.​​
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At the age of 38, on February 25, 1891, J.R. married Lucy Ellen Lawson (pictured on right), a daughter of Benjamin and Anna Lawson of Tuscumbia. Lucy was born in Miller County in January 1873 and was 21 years younger than her husband. They became parents of seven children:
WILLIAM R. WELLS b. 1892; SUSAN WELLS SPEEDY b. 1893; RALPH V. WELLS b. 1895; LUCY WELLS STILLWELL b. 1898; ​​RUTH WELLS SONE b. 1899; J. RUSSELL WELLS; EDITH WELLS.
Joshua R. Wells died in November 1933 at the age of 83 years. He was survived by his wife, seven children, and his brother, William (who was living in Florida in 1933). Funeral services were conducted from his farm home by Rev. A. B. Jackson with burial in the Riverbiew Cemetery in Jefferson City. He and Lucy Ellen had maintained homes in both Jefferson City and Tuscumbia.
Back east, he had interests in several oil wells in his native West Virginia. Anchor Milling Company named one of their steamboats, the J.R. WELLS, in his honor and it plied the waters of the Osage for many years.
A later boat was named for his daughter, the RUTH. (pictured on left)
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Today, their Miller County home, a three-storied Victorian-style structure, still stands on the old Wells farmland downriver from Tuscumbia. After the flood of 1943, the house was moved farther up the hillside and is sitting on a grassy knoll overlooking the mighty Osage to the east.
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​​​​​The old Wells home, located downriver from Tuscumbia, was destroyed by fire in early December 2012. It was one of the oldest homes in the county (built c/1889-90) and had been an important Miller County structure of unique architecture for many decades......There are still some old barns and outbuildings on the farm and have been popular over the past 2 centuries in the outlay of the land. It is such a loss of heritage and history for Tuscumbia and the Osage River Country.
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An UPDATE on the WELLS HOME
By Kelly Warman-Stallings​
​​The first time I drove by the Wells home after the fire had destroyed it, I was just mortified to see the charred shell that remained of this grand, antebellum house. This destruction not only took away a beautiful historic house, but much of Miller County's history with it. I am so happy to report (as of January, 2014) the Wells home has been renovated and restored to its former glory. Thank you for restoring not only Tuscumbia's Osage River country history, but for renewing our Miller County annals!
For further history about this wonderful, pioneer family home, please visit: The Wells Home
THE "WELLS HOME" THROUGH T​​​​​​HE YEARS
c/1880 c/1886
c/1903 c/1940s
c/1980s Wells Home in Jefferson City, Mo.
2012 (before the fire)
2014 (after the fire)
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