Story goes that my Wellons family came from Wales and originally spelled their name Llewellyn. I've never been able to find any evidence of this though. My Wellons line can be (though not solidly) traced to Southampton, Virginia in the 18th century and later (and more solidly) traced to Pulaski, Kentucky. It was in Pulaski that my ancestor, George Washington Wellons was born. As an infant he and his family moved west and eventually settled in Warren, Iowa. George would go on to Colorado and married a fellow Colorado transplant (originally born in Indiana), Mary Anna Webb. George and Mary would leave Colorado, though, and settle along the California-Oregon border, more specifically Yreka.

Kentucky to California

    Whether Henry Wellons was born in Virginia or not, it undecided, but he did live in Pulaski, Kentucky most of his life (land records and early census returns validate this).  Henry was born in 1776, probably in Southampton.  His parentage has been guessed at (Henry or John Wellons with his mother possibly named Ellender) though I have never seen anything conclusion, which is why I start my Wellons tree with Henry and Kentucky.  Henry married Rebecca Chappel (or Chappell, Chapel, Chaple, etc.) on December 8th 1801 in Pulaski.  Nothing is known of Rebecca's family, though her father was possibly named John.  They had five children: John Chappel (1805-1896), Nancy (1810?), Mary (1810?), Ellender or Eleander (1811), and Henry J. (1814).  Rebecca died in 1825 and Henry remarried Thirzah Sayers.  They had at least one daughter together, possibly more children.

    John Chappel Wellons lived in Pulaski for the first 40 plus years of his life and married a fellow Kentuckian, Sarah Elizabeth Hudson on August 12 1831.  They had 14 children:

(Transcibed from her notes:)

What I Remember About Mother, Mary Anna Webb

"24 September 1980

    Mother [Mary Anna Webb] was the 10th child of Andrew and (I think Priscilla) Webb and was born in Wabash, Indiana in 1862.  Her father was not tall and quite fat- he I remember him.  He must have been blue-eyed and fair haired for mother was only 4ft. 10in., grey eyed and red haired when grown and the sisters and brothers I knew were dark-haired and brown eyed.  Her mother died when she was 13 months old- leaving a family of 6 boys and 4 girls (ages 19 to 13 months).  Two of her brothers were killed in the civil war (I remember this because my grandfather Webb received a small pension after a certain age).  My mother was the one who looked up the data and applied for it for him around the time I was born [1891].

    I knew two of mother's sisters very well after they all came to Oregon and California.  One of two stories they told of their childhood before they moved to Colorado, the sister Martha and mother were coming home from school in a severe storm and mother got so tired and sleepy she wanted to rest and her sister wouldn't let her but made her keep going.  Grandpa Webb remarried a young woman not much older than the boys and the girls used to do things to tease her and laugh at her.  These stories I heard about when the girls got together in 1905 (illegible) and they were ashamed of themselves then.  This marriage may have taken place after Grandpa Webb and family left Indiana. 

    I don't know just when the family left Indiana, but it must have been after 1870.  In crossing the mountains the 4th child was born and they named her Lilly Timberline because it was at the Timberline.  The mother died there so I guess the older girls took care of them.  I know nothing of those 4 children [the ones Andrew Webb had with his second wife] but the family settled in Colorado where they grew up and married.  Mother went to live in the home of a doctor- I think she was treated well and learned many things in housekeeping.  She was only 11 years old when she went to work.  I asked her one time, "Were you pretty, Mother?" she answered, "Well, some folks thought I was," her hair was red and her eyes blueish grey, a very fair skin, j(illegible) cheeks so her sister added.  Her sister Martha had dark brown hair and bright brown eyes.  I remember her well, but she too was overweight, they all seemed to enjoy life- laughed and sang but were very timid- but both married young, mother at 16 and a half and Martha at 18 and a half.

    While still in Colorado they [Mary Anna and George Wellons] had 4 children.  Before Flora was born my father sold his property for around $200 and planned to invest in a saloon but I guess you'd (tell or call) a con man persuaded him and a neighbor to invest in some new product with headquarters in New York so Dad settled mother with Ebb in two rooms and money for groceries and the two men went to New York, found the place where they had invested their money "gone out of business(?)" and the guys skipped out- a counterfiting gang- so Dad came home broke.  He said afterward he was sore(?) glad he hadn't invested in the saloon.

    (illegible) (illegible) Mother was alone those 2 months he was gone and she said she was so afraid to go out the door- but never a complaint I guess, she was a spunky little thing.

March 26 1981

    I don't remember when I started writing about mother, but I do want to write much much more, so I'll start again after resolving to write a little every day and before my handwriting becomes any worse.

    Mother was such a wonderful person.  The older I get, the more I realize her greatness- yes greatness- she was patient, kind, merciful, loving, forgiving, (illegible- maybe resourceful), (illegible), never complaining and asking for nothing for herself.  I could add many more fine attributes, such as humming as she worked, teaching (me or us) happy songs and helpful stories.  She was a fine seamstress, proud of her old peddle sewing machine, knitted lace or bleached flour (illegible- maybe sack?) underwear(?), and her bread, cakes, doughnuts, and cookies, fried chicken, white lard(?) which of course she rendered(?) and her white clothes(?) which clothes after they hung on the line washed by the soap she made.  Guess I'd better get back to their leaving Colorado.

    After father got back from that trip to New York, Dad took up farming again.  They soon had 4 children, 2 boys and 2 girls.  When John was 2 Dad decided he wanted to come to Oregon or California.

    Mother's sister Martha had married and (illegible) of her brothers George.  Martha's husband, J(illegible- maybe Jule?) Nickerson and George Webb, who had just married, and another brother, William, all wanted to come too.  Grandpa Webb was willing to come with them so the 4 families left Colorado for Oregon.

    I don't know the route they followed, but I know they went through Utah for she and her sister [Mary Anna and Martha] would talk about being afraid of the Mormon men and would hide in the covered wagon if they saw any riding by their camps or on the road- more afraid of them than the Indians.  They mentioned crossing the Mesa and the Snake(?) River at least 3 times- the men would take the wheels off the wagon and float it across the river.  The Snake River is the only one they mentioned.  How they crossed the mountains I don't know but I supposed they took the Oregon Trail for they finally arrived in Oregon at a town called Lakeville or near there.  One brother stayed in Eastern Oregon but the rest of the family came south and arrived near Klamath Falls.  What an experience, seeing the Klamath Lakes, flocks of wild birds, wild animals.  The winter was severe but they stayed(?) in red (couldn't have been very red) sheds and barns and there was plenty of game.  At one place they stayed, Sadie was born, so now there were five children (the other two couples didn't have any).  The earlier settlers were kind and hospitable.  Dad was a good worker and a Jack of all trades but master(?) or none.  By this time he was in his early forties, mother 25.

     The party seemed to have gone their separate ways by the time they reached Klamath Falls.  Klamath Falls was quite a good sized town.  There were little steamers on the lake and transportation was carried on the water- shipping lumber, grains, produce, etc. as well as for passenger services.

    I don't know why my father didn't stay there, but he took the family about 10 miles south on the river to a town called Keno- there they stayed 5 years.  Another baby girl was born in the house Dad built a little distance from the river.  They made many good friends there, one familym the McCammarks(?) had 14 children, the father was named Tom and the mother Anna.  They must have been well(?) [her question mark, not mine] educated for the older girls taught the lower grade in the 2 room schooll house.  They knew their 3 R's well anyway and Ebb, Flora, Edna, and John went to school there.  The little girl died when she was (blank) months old.  Mother and Dad really grieved over her loss.  She was buried in the yard- by the house.  Years later (about 6) Dad walked the 50 miles back to Keno when he heard they were going to plow up the field where her grave was.  He moved it into the cemetery- I can remember about it because I listened to him tell mother about it when he got (illegible- looks like him but is probably home) and they cried and cried.  That was unusual to anyone cry, especially your mother and father.

    Well, I came along two years later, so there were 6 of us.  That was in 1891.  The railroad was being built to Oregon and would cross the Klamath River about 20 miles south of the Oregon border in California.  There was a large lumber industry developing at a place called Pokegama(?) but they needed a railroad (illegible) so the company John Cook and Co. moved their operation to a place on the Klamath River and called it Klamathon.

    My father decided to move from Keno so in April 1892 the covered wagon was put into use again.  I like to think it was the same one, but of that there is no proof.  The covered wagon were the motor homes of that day.  Six children and mother and Dad started on the 50 mile trip over the Topsey(?) (illegible) through beautiful timber down the Klamath River- sorry I describe(?) the trip, as I wasn't quite a year old.

    There were quite a few farms along the way for the soil was fertile and cheap.  A Health Resort had sprung up called Klamath Hot Springs and was even(?) then becoming known.  It must have taken at least 2 weeks before we got to a town.  Ager(?) where the railroad(?) was (blank) a roadhouse hotel and store owned by the Ager family was operating a good business.  One of the young women who worked there was a S(illegible, I don't think is says Spanish though) girl.  She might have been married to Jud Ager at that time.  Anyway, told me this story of our family when we arrived there when I was 1 year old.Not really a story, but her impression of the family.  She and Jud owned(?) the hotel, store(?) and just about everything at that time.  But of all the people who came there mostly because of mother- a little 4ft. 10in. red headed little woman, timid and gentle and kept everything so clean and becuase all the children were so well behaved- I take no credit for my behavior for if I was a good 1yr. oldit was because all the rest of the kids spoiled me- there had been no babies in the family for five years- Ebb was 14 and on down every two years to Sadie 5 and me.

    Back to the trip down to the town Klamathon.  It was raining hard when they arrived in Ager and so Dad decided to stay there.  I think they stayed in a little house for two weeks.

    It was only five miles on to Klamathon but there was quite a grade(?) to go over and no place to live when they goto Klamathon except in the wagon.  John said they left Keno on his birthday, the 11 of April so it was nearly May when they arrived in Klamathon.  He settled the family near a creek on the north side of the river- the railroad was on the south side.  I'm sure I have the directions right.

    Dad took up a homestead about a mile away towards Hornbrook and built a small 4 room house- it is still standing.  Sometime during the spring and summer they moved there- used a large tent for a bedroom for the boys.  It could have been the top of the covered wagon for I'm sure it was water proof, used it for storing things.  Soon they had a garden- first(?) trees(?) a barn for the horses- bought 2 cows and of course had chickens and a pig or two- were doing well enough.

    Mother began doing washing for the families who owned(?) the mill and did some baking.  She must have been a good manager of her time with garden and chickens and family to feed and 4 girls to sew(?) for and quilts(?) to make, etc.  That sewing(?) machine(?) surely paid for itself.

    Ebb and Dad got work for the lumber company and (illegible) fall.  There was no school in Klamathon so in the fall Ebb went to work for a drugist(?) in Fort Jones and went to school there.  Mama's sister Martha came often to see us.  She always brought presents and helped mother with her work.  We all loved her very much- she was a happy, jolly, person.  So we lived on (illegible- looks like Dorky?) Hill for five years when we... (ends there and is marked with the words 'last page' on the bottom)"

    George and Martha had eight children in all, seven surviving to adulthood:

Related Surnames:

Berger  Webb  Hudson

Allied Surnames:

Bentley, Kelley, Thomas, Sargent, Freshour, Benson

Phillips, Corzatt, Shetterly, Barnhizer, Hurst, Viers, Sherman, McCoy, Guthrie, Ellsworth, Owen, Myrick, Ridgeway

Weaver

Coffman, Massey, S. Dandridge, Nicholson, R. Dandridge

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