Alethea Lilburn Randall Wells 1874-1960

RANDALL, WELLS

Posted By: Fred Rucker (email)
Date: 5/11/2006 at 22:15:31

Alethea Lilburn Randall was born 16 June 1874 in Utica, Van Buren County, Iowa. She was named for a cousin in Keokuck. Her middle name was taken from her Uncle, Thomas Lilburn Randall, who was killed at Chicamanga. She was the second of five children of Dr. Jason Milburn and Sarah Olive Randall of Utica.

In 1898, she earned a music degree from Iowa Weslyan College. She was Director of Music for public schools in Fairfield Iowa until her marriage in 1902 to Thomas Wells. He was a farmer and had a grocery store. After their wedding, they moved to his home in Burlington, and later to Waterloo where they resided until 1930. They had three sons who attended I.W.U. In 1931, they moved west and settled in Eugene Oregon.

Source: family letter