Recollections of Mr. Wells, 1931

File — Box: 1, Folder: 8

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

From the Collection: The Edward P. Wells Papers consists of several letters, subject files, two of Mr. Wells' scrapbooks and a file of photocopies documents from the Wells family papers located at Minnesota Historical Society. The papers have been divided into three series: Correspondence, Subject Files, and Scrapbooks. The Correspondence Series consists of three letters. The first letter of June 11, 1890 is from Mr. Wells to M. J. Jewell in which he denies any influence on Senator Lyman Casey on the subject of the Louisiana Lottery. The other two letters of 1893 are from Senator Casey to Mr. Wells and Alexander McKenzie-one concerning Senator Casey's appreciation for his work towards his reelection and the other concerning a problem with George Walsh and Grand Forks appointments. The Subject Files Series includes various family related materials. Included are a biographical tribute to Mrs. Wells, a two-page sketchy chronology of major events in Mr. Wells' life, historical item on early Jamestown and early telephone service at Fargo and Bismarck, several family related newspaper clippings, cards listing the members of the 1889 and 1893 North Dakota legislatures, and a complimentary frank stamp book issued to Mr. Wells in 1904 by Western Union. Of special note is a nine-page typed reminiscence of Mr. Wells done in 1931 concerning early Jamestown, and a five-page typed reminiscence of daughter Marguerite Wells done in 1941 concerning her childhood and teaching. In 2005 a number of photocopy pages from the Wells papers located at the Minnesota Historical Society were deposited at the Institute. The person responsible for copying them and presenting them to the Institute is unknown. These photocopies are filed in one file in the order received. It begins with two pages of genealogical data. The major portion is pages 40-111 of a typed reminiscence which covers from 1878 to 1905. It documents family life and his business and political career. In addition there is a twopage copy of ‘Thomas Lowry Memorial,’ and “A Brief History of the So-called ‘Panics’ of the Past 100 Years” (five pages).

The Scrapbook Series represents the major items in the collection. The first scrapbook is exclusively newspaper clippings from the periods 1882 to 1883 and 1890 to 1898. There are extensive clippings on the Louisiana Lottery controversy, seed wheat for farmers through the North Dakota Seed Wheat Commission, and on the early settlement of La Moure, North Dakota. Other topics include Martin N. Johnson, the Wells' silver wedding anniversary, death of a Dr. William Pepper, impeachment of Judge G.L. Glaspell, death of Alfred Dickey, and general Dakota politics (1883). The second scrapbook again is exclusively newspaper clippings covering the years 1883 and 1888 to 1894. Here the topics covered are railroads including the Aberdeen, Bismarck, and Northwestern Railway, the failure of Lloyds National Bank of Jamestown, defeat of Senator Casey in 1893, Judson LaMoure, Jamestown city affairs and the Dakota coal fields (1883).