Welch was born in
St. Stephens,
Washington County,
Alabama, and his parents moved to
Mississippi when Welch was a child. A wealthy
planter, Welch held 54 people as slaves in 1860. He represented
Noxubee County in the
Mississippi Legislature in 1858, and was a strong advocate of secession. In the House of Representatives, Welch supported removing as many exemptions as possible from the
Confederate conscription acts to maximize the manpower available to the South's armed forces. After the end of the Civil War, Welch returned to
Macon, Mississippi to practice law. He died in Macon on May 18, 1869. ==Notes==