Tom Wells Collection
Biographical Sketch
Tom Wells, a native of Austin, Texas, earned his undergraduate degree from The United States Naval Academy in 1940. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1935 until 1960, when he retired as commander. In 1943 he married Carol McConnel, a reserve Navy officer at the port director's office in Boston. During his service, he was executive officer of the Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps at the University Of Texas and a commanding officer on a destroyer during World War II. Wells received his master's degree in 1961 and his doctorate in 1963, both from Emory University.
In 1963 Wells joined the faculty at Northwestern State University of Louisiana as Associate Professor of History. He became active in historical associations on state, regional and national levels. Wells authored a number of publications, and was known as a national authority on naval history . He also worked with his wife Carol on the restoration of their home, one of the oldest still existing in Northwest Louisiana. Wells died in 1971 from complications of an automobile accident a few weeks before. He was 53 years old and the father of seven children.
Scope and Content
The materials include correspondence, photographs, clippings and various other printed materials documenting the life of Tom Wells. Included in the correspondence are letters written to family, friends and his fiancé during his military service. The collection also contains materials that Wells collected while researching his publications on such topics as the navy of South Carolina, the navy of The Republic of Texas, the slave ship Wanderer and related legal cases and a race riot in Phoenix, South Carolina.
See also Carol Wells Collection
Inventory1 Photostatic and Xerox material, Am. Revolution at Charleston, S. C.
2 Photographs of items related to the Texas Navy
3 Photo static copies of material dealing with the Texas Navy
4 Photo static copy, constitution of the Republic of Texas
5 Correspondence relating to the navy of the Republic of Texas
6 Photo static copy: A Slave Traders Letter Book.
7 Photostat: United States vs. Schooner Wanderer
8 Xerox copies: Slave ship cases
9 Xerox copies Civil War items
10 Article from Cornhill magazine, 1863
11 Catesby ap R. Jones items
12 Printed material, Civil War.
13 Hattie Lake, women’s education material.
14 Phoenix riot papers.
15 Correspondence, Mrs. Simon Baruch awards, U. D. C.
16 Correspondence about William Ross Postell.
17 Correspondence about William Ross Postell.
18 Manuscript about Colombia, 1950s.
19 Zig Heilman 1974 xerox diary, Colombia.
20 Manuscript and published article, Chris Wells.
21 Texas Navy material.
22 Slave ship materials: British
23 Slave ship materials: federal lawsuits.
24 Civil War material.
25 Xerox copies documents from S. C. and Georgia dealing with W. R. Postell.
26 Draft articles of in corporation, Toledo Bend Culture and History Society.
27 Oversized – Melrose Controversy, 1973, newspaper shelves 9-F-3
27b Eight letters from John Heard Burns, Caddo Parish, 1853.
28 Letters from Sarah Brown, East Baton Rouge Parish, 1866.
29 Letters from Sara Brown, East Baton Rouge Parish, 1867.
30 Letters from Sarah Brown, East Baton Rouge Parish, 1868, 1870, 1874.
31 Letters from Sarah Brown, and one typed copy, 1875, 1879.
32 T. S. Henderson bankruptcy proceedings, (Xerox), 1868.
33 Song book “Sung by Leading Minstrels” (cover missing), 1881.
34 Annie Vaughan, Eleanor Lake, John Lake, Sarah Brown, 1885-1898.
35 Eleanor Lake, Annie Vaughan, Sarah Brown, 1899-1901.
36 Program, clipping, Eleanor Wells, Tom Henderson, O. J. Johnson, 1904-1919.
37 Tom Wells, clipping about Boyd Wells, Carol McConnell, 1923-1928.
38 Ton Wells’ school essays, 1920s.
39 Jump rope rhymes, remedy, correspondence about Naval Academy, 1933-1934.
40 Tom Connally, Naval Academy, Tom Wells, 1935.
41 Tom Wells, January-March 1936.
42 Tom Wells, April-June 1936.
43 Tom Wells, July-September 1936.
44 Tom Wells, October-December 1936.
45 Tom Wells, T. S. Henderson, January-March 1937.
46 Tom Wells, Boyd Wells, Arthur Riegel (Germany), April-June 1937.
47 Tom Wells, July-December 1937.
48 Tom Wells, Arthur Riegel, (Germany), January-September 1938.
49 Tom Wells, October 1938-March 1939.
50 Tom Wells, April-September 1939.
51 Tom Wells, October 1939-June 1940.
52 Tom Wells, Carol McConnell, January-June 1941.
52b Tom Wells, July-December 1941.
53 Tom Wells, 1942.
54 Tom Wells, Carol McConnell, January-March 1943.
55 Correspondence, April-May 1943.
56 Correspondence, May 1943.
57 Correspondence, June 1943.
58 Correspondence, July 1943.
59 Correspondence, August 1943.
60 Correspondence, September 1943.
61 Correspondence, October 1943.
62 Correspondence, November 1943
63 Correspondence, newspaper clippings, pictures, December 1943.
64 Correspondence, newspaper clippings, January1944.
65 Correspondence, February 1944.
66 Correspondence, March 1944.
67 Correspondence, Commission of U.S.S. Wisconsin, April-May 1944.
68 Correspondence, June-August 1944.
69 Correspondence, September-October 1944.
70 Correspondence, pictures, November 1944.
71 Correspondence, December 1944.
72 Tom Wells, Thomas McConnell, January 1945.
73 Correspondence, February 1945.
74 Correspondence, March-May 1945.
75 Correspondence, June-July 1945.
76 Correspondence, August 1945.
77 Landing in Japan, 1945.
78 Correspondence, September 1945.
79 Correspondence, October-December 1945.
80 Correspondence January-February 1946.
81 Correspondence, March-June 1946.
82 Correspondence, July-August 1946.
83 Correspondence, September-October 1946.
84 Correspondence, November-December 1946.
85 Correspondence, January 1947.
86 Correspondence, February 1947
87 Correspondence, March 1947.
88 Correspondence, April 1947.
88b Correspondence, August-September 1947.
89 Correspondence, May-June 1947.
89b Correspondence, October-November 1947
90 Correspondence, December 1947.
91 Correspondence, January-February 1948.
92 Correspondence, March-April 1948.
93 Correspondence, May-June 1948.
94 Correspondence, July-August 1948.
95 Correspondence, September-October 1948.
96 Correspondence, November-December 1948.
97 Correspondence, pictures, January-April 1949.
98 Correspondence, May-August 1949.
99 Tom Wells, Carol Wells, September-November 1949.
100 Correspondence, December 1949.
101 Correspondence, January-February 1950.
102 Correspondence, March-April 1950.
103 Correspondence, May-August 1950.
104 Correspondence, September-October 1950.
105 Correspondence, January-February 1951.
106 Correspondence, March-August 1951.
107 Correspondence, September-December 1951.
108 Correspondence, January 1952.
109 Correspondence, February 1952.
110 Correspondence, March-June 1952.
111 Correspondence, July-December 1952.
112 Correspondence, 1953
113 Correspondence, January-June 1954.
114 Correspondence, July-September 1954.
115 Correspondence, October-December 1954.
116 Correspondence, January-February 1955.
117 Correspondence, March-April 1955.
118 Correspondence, May-December 1955.
119 Notes pertaining to Commander Moore
120 Correspondence, July-September 1955.
121 Correspondence, October-December 1955.
122 Correspondence, January-February 1956.
123 Correspondence, March-May 1956.
124 Correspondence, June-July 1956.
125 Correspondence, August-December 1956.
126 Correspondence, January-June 1957.
127 Correspondence, July-December 1957.
128 Correspondence, January-June 1958.
129 Correspondence, July-December 1958.
130 Correspondence, January-February 1959.
131 Correspondence, March-May 1959.
132 Correspondence, June-August 1959.
133 Correspondence, September-December 1959.
134 Correspondence, January-July 1960.
135 Correspondence, April-June 1961.
136 Correspondence, July-August 1961.
137 Correspondence, September 1961.
138 Correspondence, October 1961.
139 Correspondence, November 1961.
140 Correspondence, December 1961.
141 Joint Resolution of the Legislature of Texas, 1852
142 Correspondence, 1970-1971.
143 Correspondence, 1961-1962.
144 Correspondence, January-February 1962.
145 Correspondence, February-May 1962.
146 Correspondence, June-August 1962.
147 Correspondence, August-November 1962.
148 Correspondence, 1950-1960.
149 Correspondence, 1960.
150 Correspondence, 1960.
151 Correspondence, 1960-1961.
152 Correspondence, 1963.
153 Correspondence, 1963.
154 Correspondence,1963.
155 Correspondence, 1963-1964.
156 Correspondence, 1965.
157 Correspondence, 1965.
158 Correspondence, 1965-1967.
159 Correspondence, 1967.
160 Correspondence, 1967.
161 Correspondence, undated.
162 Correspondence, undated.
163 Correspondence, undated.
164 Certificates, 1964-1967
165 Publications, 1838 (copy), undated
166 Photographs, 1924-1965
167 Reports, 1946-1960
168 Legal documents, 1960-1963
169 Clippings, 1961-1967
Art Drawer 10
Print of sketch by Pt. James J. Kelly, Co. F, 6th Parish Regiment, of Battle of
Baton Rouge, 1862Addition 1971
This collection contains notes and transcriptions of an interview of Ozeder Bayonne by Tom Wells conducted in 1971. In the interview, Bayonne discusses growing up in the Cane River area during the early twentieth century.
Oversized U. S. Navy History prints at 9-B-5
