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Andrews Genealogy
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Rev. Wells Andrews Genealogy
(Rev.) Wells Andrews (Asa5, Nehemiah4, Samuel3, Thomas2, William1), born Nov. 21, 1787, at Hartland, Conn. Died Feb. 14, 1867, at Washington, Ill. Moved to Hartford, Ohio, 1804, with his father, Asa Andrews. Married at Alexandria, Virginia, Sept. 14, 1819, to Nancy Harper, who was born in Fairfax county, Va., May 4, 1795, and died July 12, 1871, at Washington, Ill. She was the 28th of 29 children of (Sea) Captain John Harper and the 8th by his second wife, Mrs. Mary (Reynolds) Cunningham. Capt. Harper, a prominent resident on an estate in Fairfax Co., Va., owned slaves, some of whom he freed, and is designated by the Sons of the American Revolution as "a patriot, who furnished ammunition to Washington during the Revolution." He was a Quaker and owned ocean going ships, a warehouse and wharf at Alexandria. Erected two blocks of brick houses of 2 and 3 stories beside a town residence. After his death (1804) his oldest son James, by his wife Mary above, voyaged to Spain in 1809 with merchandise as supercargo, while the youngest child Joshua made a similar venture to Rio Janeiro and Buenos Ayres in 1823. Family tradition through several of Nancy's children, reports that she danced with General LaFayette at a reception at Alexandria at the time of his visit to the U. S. A. in 1824-26. Her auburn hair, in a portrait painted by E. King at Baltimore 1816, is identical in tint with that of her descendants of the 3rd and 4th generations. Wells Andrews taught school at Hartford, O., 1805, east of Town Hall site and later in a higher school with Miss Caroline Andrews. Attended Jefferson College at Cannonsburg, Pa., graduated 1812. Taught Bedford (Pa.) Academy two years; entered Princeton Theological Seminary 1814; graduated 1816. Home Missionary, Wilmington, N. C.; called 1817 to Second Presbyterian church at Alexandria, Va.; served 10 years; became pastor of new church at Hartford, O., 1827; in 1837 called to professorship at Athens, O., University. To Illinois in 1843; Washington one year; pastor Tremont Congregational church 10 years, residing on a farm. He returned to Washington Presbyterian church 1854, where he preached regularly six years, and occasionally till his death.
In 1826 Rev. Wells Andrews, pastor of, the Second Presbyterian church at Alexandria, Va., accepted a call to the church at Hartford, O., and for some years remained there. He was a brother of Chester Andrews and son of Asa Andrews, and related to many of the inhabitants and early cleared up a farm, chopping days and studying nights during his preparation for college, being one of the pioneers of the township. This seems to have been the Golden Age for the church, Mr. Andrews having been able to exert a great influence in the community.
The Old Fashioned Tomb in the Center Cemetery at Hartford, Ohio,
and the History of the Lady who is Interred There.
In the old cemetery at the Center of Hartford, township, Ohio, there is one of
the old fashioned tombs, such as was in general use in England in early times,
and also extensively in the New England and other Colonial states, along the
eastern coast during the early years of the settlement of our country. It is a
box-shape tomb, about three feet high, built up to cover the whole of the grave,
and the engraving, placed on a flat stone, lying flat on the top of the tomb.
There are probably few people, now living, that know anything of the history of
the lady who is buried in that tomb, and many who may have wondered who she was,
and why buried in the cemetery at Hartford.
She was Mrs. Mary Harper, widow of Capt. John Harper of Virginia, and the mother
of Nancy Harper Andrews, wife of the Rev. Wells Andrews, who was pastor of the
church at Hartford from about 1826 to 1836 or 1838. Her maiden name was Mary
Reynolds. She married when young a Mr. Cunningham, who being in ill health, died
on a vessel on which he was returning home to Virginia. The Captain of the
vessel was Capt. John Harper, considerably older than she was, and a widower and
a member of a wealthy and influential family of Virginia. The Captain felt sorry
for the young widow, and helped her all he could, and after a time married her.
They had nine children, the eighth being Nancy Harper, who married Rev. Wells
Andrews while he was pastor of the church at Alexandria, Va., 1819. After Capt.
Harper died, she came to Ohio to live with her daughter, where she died in 1832.
As there were no facilities for taking her back to Virginia, she was interred in
the cemetery at Hartford and this old fashioned tomb erected over her grave. It
is the only one of the kind in the cemetery. Rev. Wells Andrews was son of Asa
Andrews, and brother of Deacon Chester Andrews, and his wife, Lucy Ackley, who
are also buried in the cemetery.
Rev. Wells Andrews and his wife Nancy moved west to Illinois with his family, most of whom were born at Hartford. He died Feb. 14, 1867, at Washington, Ill., age 80, and Nancy Harper Andrews died July 12, 1871, at Washington, Ill.
Children:
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Mary Harper Andrews, born May 2, 1821, at Alexandria, Va. Died Oct. 29, 1856, at Washington, Ill. Married Sept. 29, 1845, to John Milton Bush, who died at Chicago, Ill., Aug. 14, 1860. Children:
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Thomas H. Bush, born April 3, 1847, at Tremont, III. Died May 27, 1887, in Chicago. Unmarried. Co. K, 139th Reg. Ill. Inft. Vols. Buried at Geneseo, Ill.
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