Book: Wintersville Citizen

              WIN                             RSYIllE CTIZE

         VOL. 1, NO. 49        THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 1963 -TWELVE PAGES       $5.00 per year 10
VOL. N . 49                                  THURSDAY, NOVEMB ER 71 1963 - TWELVE PAGES                                        50 e a I


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WELLS' FARM, A WAY OF LIFE




                                     By EVE SEITER


  The spring lay leaden under
sunless skies in the hollow, of
the hills. Tall evergreens
stirred' with the ,breeze as
Bert Wells recalled for this
writer the story of Old Gray
Beard. Richard Wells, great,
great, great grandfather of
Bert Wells, was dubbed Old
Gray Beard sometime after
emigrating from Maryland to
the shores of the Ohio river
about 1776. His farm rolled
back into the hills of what
we now know as West Vir-
ginia. Indians seeking his
spring (the selfsame one we
contemplated) constituted a
constant threat to the secur-
ity of Gray Beard's family.
By   controlling  the water
source they controlled life.
Practical- Gray Beard built a:
fort, 40 feet by 40 feet, of
carefully notched logs en-
closing his spring, securing
the pure water, for subsequent
generations of the Wells fam-
ily.
  The Wells' Farm Old Gray
Beard originated, situated on
Eldersville Rd. near Follans-
bee, West Virginia, is famous
in the Tri-State Area. It con-
tinues to link us with the
past through the long lived
line of the Wells family, Act-
ually the farm has borne the
Wells' name for 190 years!
Most of you know Wells' Farm
as a nursery for evergreen and
apple trees. A few of you will
know the farm as the way of
life Bert Wells and his late
wife began to create some
forty years ago.
  This writer sincerely be-
  lieves one cannot dissociate
  a man from his work. One re-
  flects the other. Well's Farm
  reflects the wisdom, industry
  and vision of Bert Wells. It
radiates his sense of grati-
tude. Driving leisurely over
the hills and through the val-
leys of the farm Mr. Wells un-
consciously revealed the se-
cret of its abundance.... "On
a farm," he mused, "every-
thing comes :from God; to
whom can you give thanks but
to Him? I'm so grateful, com-
pletely apart from any sense
of profit, for the opportunity
and the means to live here. I
would rather live here than
anywhere else on earth."


  Bert Wells' early business,
career did not seem to indi-
cate farm life. The day after
his High School gradaution in
1893 he began work as a cub
reporter for the old Steuben-
ville Herald. His first assign-
ment was his own Graduation
story! Seventeen years later
hewas Editor of the News, a


Daily of large circulation in
New Castle, Pa. The great
Evangelist,  Billy  Sunday,
preaching in New Castle urged
Mr. Wells to join his organiz-
ation. He was refused but a
seed miust have been sown, for
several years later Bert Wells
had originated his own method
of fund raising for churches,
hospitals, Universities and
other organizations. He left
the world of journalism. The
organization he founded has
since raised money for 16,000
churches. The Wells' Fund
Raising Organization conduct-
ed the first campaign for
money in this country for the
Boy Scouts of America. It al-
so conducted the first Salv-
ation Army Drive for funds in
New York city. Money has
been raised for 149 hospitals
including the Ohio Valley
Hospital of Steubenville. The
Wells' Fund Raising Organi-
zation is incorporated in many
countiies round tte world. Bert
Wells now serves as Honorary
Chairman of the Board and as
one of the Board of Directors.
His son, Lewis, who joined
the organization fresh out of
school, now lives in London,
England, carrying on the work.
  On his 85th birthday the
Steubenville       Rotarians
honored Bert Wells, one of
their members, with 100% at-
tendance   at their weekly
luncheon! The International
Institute of Fund Raising
honored him, too. They award-
ed him a handsome silver pla-
que, their first Annual Service
Award. Several engraved para-
graphs tell the graphic story
of a Christian gentleman who
long ago dedicated his par-
ticular talents to fund raising.
The tribute reads in part:
"Whereas: F. Herbert Wells
is credited with becoming
America's first professional
fund raiser when he took on
the task in 1910 of raising
funds for the Salem Hospital,
Salem, Ohio. Whereas: F.
Herbert Wells has lived to see
his methods raise billions of
dollars in the USA, Canada,
New    Zealand,   Australia,
South Africa, Ireland and Eng-
land by millions of citizens
who have shared in making
religious, charitable, edu-


cational institutions and or-
ganizations the best financed
in the world...Be it therefore
resolved: that the entire mem-
bership of the International
Fund Raising Institute is u-
nanimous in its selection of
F. Herbert Wells as the re-
cipient of its first Dis-
tinguished Service Award."


  This writer surmised that
Old Gray Beard would approve
of his 20th Century descend-
ant, Bert Wells, whose love
of the land and sense of his-
tory finds expression in the
beautiful Wells' Farm. He
would rejoice in finding that
Bert Wells cleaned and put
his cherished spring into ser-
vice early in his sojourn on
the farm. Today the spring
feeds great cisterns supplying
pure water for the entire farm.
His great, great, great gr and-
son's designation of wander-
ing, park-like roads cutting
through   the   farm  might
amuse him. There is for in-
stance, Honeymoon Lane, se-
cluded by trees... an escape
for those inclined! Oldr Gr ay
Beard's eye brows would
surely lift at the sight of pen-
ned game. Domestic raising.
of some 300 pheasants might
astonish him. He would sure-
ly applaud the creation of two
large ponds in the last four
years. The ponds drain 250
acres of woodland near the
Pennsylvania state line. Pic-
turesquely framed by tall
Beech trees, the ponds are
sanctuary .for wild fowl. A
small boat awaits the pleasure
of the angler daring to match
wits with the rainbow trout.
  Shadows were deep under
the pines; a cool wind blew
as this writer and her host
visited the ancient tomb of
Old Gray Beard. For a little
while we pondered the veri-
ties of life as we walked
ankle deep in pine needles
and periwinkle. Generations
of the Wells family lie buried
here near Old Gray Beard.
About them the life of the
farm goes on. Beneath the
quiet knoll the ponds reflect
the autumnal scene. Apple
orchards and acres of pine
trees stretch as far as the
eye can see. Wells' Farm is
away of life..unbroken, abun-
dant, linking a community
with the historic ,past. Old
Gray Beard must, indeed, be
pleased.


VISIT


YOUR

SCHOOL


The Well's Farm


Gray Beard's Spring


Unofficial Returns


           MAYOR
Thomas Albaugh------834
Stephen Krawson-------338

         COUNCIL
John Ford      --------358
Arthur Bartell ----------348
James Wallace-------- 343
George Thompson----------309
Richard Coleman------- 282
Anthony D'Angelo-------235
Russell Notti ngham-.........168
       TREASURER
Floyd Call -----------------962
BOARDOF PUBLICAFFAIRS
Joe Hook---- ---- ---  686
John Lenhart--------------642
Ernest Gardner---------657
LeRoy Baker--------594


           CLERK
Delbert Vance----- ----592
R.E. Wilson-----------497
        CROSS CR EEK
      SCHOOL BOARD
Walter Myers Jr.-------2214
Ruth Cunninghamn-------- 1935
Dorthey Krawson------------933

        CROSS CREEK'
     TOWNSHIP CLERK
Will i am Westcott------ -- 2347
Edward Aikey------------ 1385

        CROSS CREEK
        FIRE LEVY
Yes----------------1044
No-- ------------   -204

        CROSS CREEK
  SCHOOL LEVY RENEWAL
Yes------------       2086
No-----.--------- 911


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