Wells, on his father's side, has been very thoroughly traced in the " History of the Wells Family," by the late Albert Wells, of New York, a work of the greatest value, and embracing the results of extended research ; and his genealogy on his mother's side appears in the " History of the Kilbourne Family," written by Hon. | Payne Kenyon Kilbourne.

The children of Noah Wells were Eev. Noah H. ; Albert, who was thirty years principal of Peekskill

Military Academy ; Mary E., wife of Hiram Bell (deceased), of East Haddam, Conn. ; Francis H., a prominent lawyer of San Francisco, Cal. ; and Edward.

Noah Wells removed to Greene County in 1810, and died in June, 1829. His widow then removed to Fishkill Landing, in Dutchess County, and her son Edward was fitted for college at Newburgh Academy, which was then under the management of his brother Albert, who was his guardian. In 1835 they removed to Sing Sing, where he continued his studies at Mount Pleasant Academy, then under his brother's charge, and at the conclusion of his preparatory course entered Yale College and graduated in 1839. He returned to Sing Sing and studied law in the office of General Aaron Ward, who was associated with Albert Lockwood, and remained till 1842, being ' for a portion of the time assistant teacher in Mount Pleasant Academy. He then removed to White Plains and studied with Minott Mitchell, was admitted to the bar as attorney and solicitor in October, 1842, and in 1845 as counselor-at-law.