WellsBurgIowa.com
Title
Welcome to Wellsburg
Description
George Wells was born on May 14, 1821, to Ralph and Julia Roberts Wells in Connecticut. At the age of 27, he left his parents' home to live on his own. He then married Sarah Underwood from Worcester County, Massachusetts, on November 27, 1848. Five years later they had a son, Frank. In 1861, at the age of eight, young Frank died. By this time George and Sarah had already begun to establish themselves as the oldest and most extensive farmers in Grundy County.
George and Sarah actually arrived in the area that was later to bear their name in the early months of 1860. Along with partner Martin Armour of Chicago, Wells sought land favorable for raising livestock and purchased 1,500 acres of virgin prairie from a real estate company for $2.50 an acre. After a short stay in Iowa, Armour returned to Chicago and there helped found Armour and Company, one of the nation's major meat-packing industries at that time. Wells stayed in the area with the assistance of foreman Robert Hamilton to concentrate on the management of a highly successful livestock business.
The first recorded assessment of Wells' inventory in 1863 showed that he had 1,200 sheep, three horses, and two mules. In later years, the emphasis on sheep was changed to cattle. Because cattle need more attention than sheep, Wells then hired 30 farmhands from New England states and Ireland.
Contact
- Dv8ion Studios
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- Wellsburg Iowa
- United States 50680
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- (641) 869-3474
