John Wells ( -1776) was a blacksmith, and inherited "a Negro man" from his father John Wells (1670-1748).

His father John [Senior]'s 1748 will had no specific mention of servants, just "I give and bequeath unto my said son John Wells and my said daughter Hannah Goodwin ... every part and parcel of my estate, real and personal, of what name, nature or kind soever it be, not otherwise disposed of, to be equally divided between them." But the subsequent 1749 estate inventory includes "a Negro man, at £100."

John Jr was described in deeds as a blacksmith. He married Deborah, the daughter of Dependence Stover of York, ME on Oct 11, 1733 and they had eight children. - Charles K. Wells, pp. 13, 16-17

He served as a Selectman in 1740-41 and 1745. - Hope Shelley, p. 295

John Jr.'s will dated October 29, 1776 is included in the Appendix of the Genealogy of the Wells Family of Wells, Maine, and has no mention of a "servant." The originals of his will and estate inventory on file at the York County Registry of Probate also have no mention of a "servant."

Note that there were at least four successive generations with a John Wells. The first John Wells married Sarah Littlefield, and died in Wells in 1677. His son, the second John Wells in this line, lived from 1670-1748. His son, the third John Wells, was a blacksmith who married Deborah Stover and died in 1776. He was referred to as John Junior in his father's will. His son, the fourth John Wells, was born 1736, and is referred to, also in the will of the second John Wells, as "my grandson John Wells a minor." The source of this information is Genealogy of the Wells Family of Wells, Maine.

Bibliography:

Genealogy of the Wells Family of Wells, Maine - Charles K. Wells (1874)

York County Registry of Probate

My Name is Wells - Hope Shelley (2002)

Maine Probate Abstracts Vol I 1687-1775 - John Eldridge Frost (1991)