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Mary Wells
Other Name:
Polly Wells
Gender:
Female
Born:
Unknown
Died:
1809
Home Town:
Hartford, CT
Biographical Notes:
Mary Wells of Hartford, Connecticut was the daughter of Sylvester and Eunice Waterman Wells. Sylvester, being a doctor and a politician, likely understood the importance of education, and in 1805 Mary was sent to Litchfield to study at Sarah Pierce's Female Academy. Her brother Ralph would later study at the Litchfield Law School. Only four years after completing her studies Mary passed away in 1809.
Quotes:
John Pierce Brace wrote of Mary, "Mary Wells, a very beautiful little girl from Hartford, daughter of Dr. Sylvester Wells & sister of Ralph. She died very soon after this [after 1805] of Spotted Fever, very suddenly." (JPB History of My Poetry Vol. 1)
Education
Years at LFA:
1805
Immediate Family (Why only immediate family?)
- Ralph Wells
Brother
LLS (1812) - Eunice Waterman Wells
Mother - Sylvester Wells
Father
Related Objects and Documents
In the Ledger:
The Citation of Attendance provides primary source documentation of the student’s attendance at the Litchfield Female Academy and/or the Litchfield Law School. If a citation is absent, the student is thought to have attended but currently lacks primary source confirmation. Records for the schools were sporadic, especially in the formative years of both institutions. If instructors kept comprehensive records for the Litchfield Female Academy or the Litchfield Law School, they do not survive. Researchers and staff have identified students through letters, diaries, family histories and genealogies, and town histories as well as catalogues of students printed in various years. Art and needlework have provided further identification of Female Academy Students, and Litchfield County Bar records document a number of Law School students. The history of both schools and the identification of the students who attended them owe credit to the early 20th century research and documentation efforts of Emily Noyes Vanderpoel and Samuel Fisher, and the late 20th century research and documentation efforts of Lynne Templeton Brickley and the Litchfield Historical Society staff.
CITATION OF ATTENDANCE:
Brace, John Pierce. "History of My Poetry, Volume 1" (Litchfield Historical Society - Litchfield Female Academy Collection).
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