Samuel M. Wells was born on November 11, 1834, in Orwell, Pennsylvania, to Henry Wells and Betsie Baily. His father was a mechanic and singing teacher who died in 1850. Wells grew up and attended school in Bradford County, Pennsylvania, and he reportedly “learned the carpenter’s and joiner’s trade.”

 

He married Anna Matilda Murphy around 1857, and they had at least eight children: Charles, born around 1858; Grove, born around 1859; Alonzo, born around 1862; Burton, born around 1865; Milton, born around 1865; Frederick, born around 1869; John, born around 1870; and Ora, born around 1872. By 1860, they were living in Herrick, Pennsylvania. Wells was working as a farm hand, and he owned $100 of personal property.

 

He enlisted in the Union army on May 13, 1861, and he mustered in as a private in Company F of the 5^th Pennsylvania Reserves. The regiment later became the 34^th Pennsylvania Infantry, and it took part in the Seven Days’ Battles, the Second Battle of Bull Run, the Battle of Antietam, the Battle of Fredericksburg, the Battle of Gettysburg, and the Overland Campaign. He was wounded in the left calf during the Battle of the Wilderness and wounded in the head during the Battle of Bethesda Church. The latter wound reportedly fractured his skull and gave him “great trouble” for the rest of his life. He mustered out on June 11, 1864.

 

Wells settled in Orwell after the war and earned a living as a carpenter. By 1870, he owned $1,200 of real estate and $175 of personal property. His wartime injuries continued to plague him. He applied for a federal pension in February 1878 and eventually secured one. He was unable to work for at least six months in 1880, and he retired altogether in 1882. His wife died on August 8, 1889, and he married Susanna Roberts on July 5, 1890. He supported the Republican Party, and he was a member of the local Baptist Church and the local chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic. He died in Pennsylvania on June 9, 1898.

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