My Family History: Jesse and Elizabeth (WELLS) HAKES

Most of my information on Elizabeth "Bessie" & her children comes from her own memories that she wrote down. I have a copy that her granddaughter transcribed. A PDF is available upon request by sending your email using the "contact me" section in the sidebar.

Jesse Monroe HAKES was born 21 Sep 1873 most likely in Covington township, Tioga county, Pennsylvania. He's the only child of James and Rosella HAKES, although Jesse has many 1/2 siblings that will be listed in a later post on his father.

Elizabeth Sophia "Bessie" WELLS was born 31 Mar 1880 in Chippewa Falls, Chippewa county, Wisconsin to Leonard and Artemesia (SNOW) WELLS. Bessie was the 2nd of their 3 children, but also had 3 younger 1/2 siblings. (More on that in Leonard and Artemesia's post.) Bessie and her brother and sister lost their mother young in Iowa (in 1886). Bessie and Sadie ended up split up from each other and their brother and father until he remarried. They again lived with their father along with their stepmother in Iowa until their father's death in 1894.They were both passed around from relative to relative in Wisconsin after that, and not always together. They ended up with their grandmother Hannah SNOW and uncle William. Hannah later moved out and lived with her daughter for a time. While she was away, Bessie got pregnant and married her uncle William J SNOW 16 Dec 1895 in Chippewa Falls, Chippewa, Wisconsin. Irene Roxana was born less then a month later on 28 Dec in Chippewa Falls. She lived for a month and died 29 Dec 1986 in Chippewa county, Wisconsin. From what Bessie wrote, William became unkind to both her and her sister Sadie, who was living with them. A second daughter was born 5 Apr 1898 in Layette, Chippewa, Wisconsin and named Elvira E "Lenora." Shortly after Lenora's birth, Bessie left William and found a place and work. She eventually met Leonard, who suggested she divorce William (I believe this was after 1900) and offered to pay for it (and did pay for it according to Bessie).

Jesse and Bessie's wedding photo

Jesse moved to North Dakota for work and was followed by Bessie and Lenora. From what Bessie wrotes, she and Jesse were married the day she arrived in North Dakota on 3 Oct 1901 in Church's Ferry (of Ramsey county). While they were in North Dakota, Lenora died (21 Jan 1904) and Leonard James was born. (Leonard was born in Minnewaukan of Benson county. I'm guessing that Lenora died in the same city). Jesse and Bessie ended up moving back to Chippewa Falls, Chippewa, Wisconsin where Wallace Corwin (18 Feb 1907) and Edmond Stanley (30 Sep 1914) were both born. They moved around a bit, eventually ending up in Buffalo Lake, Renville, Minnesota (where they are both buried.) Jesse died 3 Nov 1950 in Chippewa Falls, while Bessie died 12 Feb 1973 in Buffalo Lake.

Back row: Bessie, Jesse
Front row: Wallace, Edmond, Leonard

I do not have obits for either Jesse, Bessie, or William. I don't even have a death date for William at this time. There are memorial for both Jesse and Bessie on findagrave however.