Declaration of Intention for Herbert Alexander Wells
Dublin Core
Title
Declaration of Intention for Herbert Alexander Wells
Alternative Title
Declaration of Intention for Herbert Wells
Subject
Miami (Fla.)
Immigration
Description
A Declaration of Intention for Herbert Alexander Wells (1882-1960), the first African American hired by the Florida East Coast Railway Company (FEC). A Declaration of Intention was required for the naturalization of immigrants.
Born in the Bahamas in 1882, Wells migrated to Key West, Florida, via the Fearless in 1900 and began working for the FEC as a fireman around 1915. He worked for the FEC for 32 years before retiring in 1947. Wells also owned and operated a drug and grocery store that was located at Northwest 2nd Court and 17th Street in Miami. Wells married Mary Ellen Knowles Wells (1892-1948) in 1916 and had one daughter, Berdina Wells (b. 1930). This item was contributed by Cary Marshall Felton, the great grandson of Wells.
Born in the Bahamas in 1882, Wells migrated to Key West, Florida, via the Fearless in 1900 and began working for the FEC as a fireman around 1915. He worked for the FEC for 32 years before retiring in 1947. Wells also owned and operated a drug and grocery store that was located at Northwest 2nd Court and 17th Street in Miami. Wells married Mary Ellen Knowles Wells (1892-1948) in 1916 and had one daughter, Berdina Wells (b. 1930). This item was contributed by Cary Marshall Felton, the great grandson of Wells.
Creator
Williams, Edwin R.
Source
Digital reproduction of original 1-page typewritten document, August 2, 1935: Private Collection of Cary Marshall Felton.
Date Created
1935-08-02
Contributor
Fitzsimmons, Anna M.
Felton, Cary Marshall
Is Part Of
Miami Collection, Miami-Dade County Collection, RICHES of Central Florida.
Format
image/jpg
Extent
1.17 MB
Medium
1-page typewritten document
Language
eng
Type
Text
Coverage
Long Island, Bahamas
Key West, Florida
Miami, Florida
Accrual Method
Donation
Mediator
History Teacher
Civics/Government Teacher
Rights Holder
This resource is not subject to copyright in the United States and there are no copyright restrictions on reproduction, derivative works, distribution, performance, or display of the work. Anyone may, without restriction under U.S. copyright laws:
- reproduce the work in print or digital form
- create derivative works
- perform the work publicly
- display the work
- distribute copies or digitally transfer the work to the public by sale or other transfer of ownership, or by rental, lease, or lending.
Curator
Cepero, Laura
Digital Collection
Source Repository
Private Collection of Cary Marshall Felton
External Reference
"Herbert Wells." Ancestry.com. https://secure.ancestry.com/register/index/?rtype=1&fname=&lname=&dbid=2442&pid=133095498&flowId=dbid2442&returnurl=http%3a%2f%2fsearch.ancestry.com%2fcgi-bin%2fsse.dll%3fdb%3d1940usfedcen%26indiv%3dtry%26h%3d133095498%26nreg%3d1.
"Herbert Wells Dies In Sleep." RICHES of Central Florida. https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/7420.
Collection
Citation
Williams, Edwin R., “Declaration of Intention for Herbert Alexander Wells,” RICHES, accessed January 14, 2025, https://richesmi.cah.ucf.edu/omeka/items/show/7423.