Weaver family (North Carolina)
| Weaver Pennsylvania Dutch: Weber | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Log cabin of Frederick Weaver (1750–1839) in Piney Flats, Tennessee | |
| Country | United States |
| Current region | Weaverville, North Carolina |
| Place of origin | Dutch Republic |
| Founder | Unknown German linen weaver and refugee from the Holy Roman Empire |
The Weaver family of North Carolina is a locally prominent Pennsylvania Dutch family that founded Weaverville along Reems Creek in North Carolina.[1][2]
Origins[edit]
The progenitor of the family was an unknown linen weaver, surnamed Weber, that fled from the Holy Roman Empire to the United Provinces of the Netherlands due to religious persecution, likely because he was a member of the Reformed church. He married a Dutch woman and fathered John, Frederick, and two other sons in the Netherlands.
John Weaver (1763–1830) was a German-Dutch settler, immigrant, and Revolutionary War veteran who came to the Province of Pennsylvania from the United Provinces in the 18th century with his 3 brothers. Eventually, John would settle in the Reems Creek valley in North Carolina, where his son, Montraville Weaver (1808–1882) would found the town of Weaverville.[3][4]
Per the FTDNA Weaver DNA Project, the Weaver family has the Y-DNA haplogroup J-FTC77280, originating in the Balkans.[1]
History[edit]
Initial settlement[edit]
John Weaver maintained friendly relations with the local Cherokee in the valley and built an Indigenous-style house, before purchasing 320 acres of land to construct a European log cabin as his family's permanent residence.[5]
Slavery and the Civil War[edit]
John's son, Montraville, became a slaveholder.[6] Despite the vast majority of Germans in the Antebellum South not using slaves and many being generally opposed to the practice, there was a minority of German slaveholders located primarily in the Shenandoah Valley and other parts of the region.[7]
As a slaveholding family, many members of the Weaver family fought for the Confederacy during the American Civil War, such as Captain Elbert Weaver (1841–1935), who was Montraville's first son, and Private Abraham Weaver (1832–1913), who deserted in northern Georgia after his unit was slaughtered during Wheeler's October 1863 Raid. Abraham was the grandson of Frederick Weaver (1750–1839), John Weaver's brother, Revolutionary War veteran, and slaveholder in Sullivan County, Tennessee.[8]
Weaver College[edit]
Weaver College, founded in 1851 as Weaverville College, was a co-educational Methodist academy located in Weaverville. It was founded on land gifted by the town's founder, Montraville Weaver, and operated from 1873 to 1934 before being merged with Rutherford College to form modern-day Brevard College.[9]
Members[edit]
- Richard Malcolm Weaver Jr (1910–1963) – University of Chicago professor of English and political philosopher[10]
- Zebulon Weaver (1872–1948) – North Carolina congressman[11]
- William Trotter Weaver (1858–1916) – President of the National Bank of Asheville and businessman who brought electricity to western North Carolina[12]
- Lieutenant Colonel James Thomas Weaver (1828–1864) – Commander of the 60th North Carolina Infantry Regiment killed during the Battle of Murfreesboro[13][14]
- Frederick Weaver (1750–1839) – Revolutionary War veteran who fought at the Battle of King's Mountain[15], who was married to his wife by Samuel Doak, a prominent Presbyterian reverend and abolitionist.
- Colonel Charles Owen Hobough – Retired NASA astronaut descended from Frederick Weaver (1750–1839)
- Command Master Sergeant David Weaver y Pérez (1970 – ) – Command chief of Osan Air Base in South Korea[16], descended from Confederate deserter Abraham Weaver (1832–1913)
Sources[edit]
- ^ Neufeld, Rob. "Visiting Our Past: There will be peace in the valley, Beech shows". The Asheville Citizen Times. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ "Weaver, Zebulon | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ "Wandering Weaverville: Main Street in the Countryside". Explore Asheville. 2015-09-23. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ "Biffle Researchers: History of Rims Creek Valley, North Carolina". biffle.org. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ Families, Filed under (2013-05-31). "Weaver, John". OBCGS. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ "Slavery in the Reems Creek Valley | NC Historic Sites". historicsites.nc.gov. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ Barkin, Kenneth (2008). Kamphoefner, Walter; Helbich, Wolfgang; Vogel, Susan Carter; Gerstäcker, Friedrich; Di Maio, Irene S. (eds.). "Ordinary Germans, Slavery, and the U.S. Civil War". The Journal of African American History. 93 (1): 70–79. ISSN 1548-1867.
- ^ Newsome, Kaye Allen; Brittain, Jan (2019). "A Personal History of Salem United Methodist Church: This Place is Holy" (PDF). Salem UMC Weaverville. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
- ^ "Weaver College | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ "Weaver, Richard Malcolm, Jr. | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ "Weaver, Zebulon | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ "Weaver, William Trotter | NCpedia". www.ncpedia.org. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ "Battle Unit Details – The Civil War (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ Bubenik, Christo (2023-08-17). "Park Views: W. T. Weaver Park". The City of Asheville. Retrieved 2024-06-08.
- ^ "Pension application of Frederick Weaver" (PDF). Southern Campaigns Revolutionary War Pension Statements & Rosters. 1855. Retrieved 8 June 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "SecAF visits Osan Air Base". Pacific Air Forces. 2023-03-21. Retrieved 2024-06-08.