I have written before about my search for the family of origin of my great-great-grandfather John Weaver, who was born in Lancaster, Pennsylvania in 1836, and died in Los Angeles, California in 1927. Though born in Pennsylvania, John was in Iowa by 1850, where he married Phebe Ann Linnens in 1860 and enlisted in the Civil War in 1862. After the Civil War, John returned to Iowa. John and Phebe’s 12 children were born there between the years of 1860 and 1887. After 1902, John and Phebe moved to Nebraska, where they remained until the early 1920s, when they moved to Los Angeles.
Through my research in census records, marriage records, and Civil War pension file records, I have found evidence that John Weaver was the son of Henry Weaver and Christine or Susan[nah] Weaver. This relationship is supported by autosomal DNA evidence.
Research Findings
John Weaver married Phebe Ann Linnons on February 6, 1860, in Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa. (1) He enlisted in the Civil War in Grinnell, Iowa on 13 August 1862. (2) After the Civil War, John applied for a pension. Documents in a Civil War pension file often spanned several decades. Veterans applied for an original pension, and then applied for increases over the years as laws were passed to allow additional compensation. In a 1911 affidavit John made as part of the process, he stated that his father was Henry Weaver.
“I am unable to furnish a verified copy of a public record of my birth as none was kept nor a baptismal record as none was made. There was a family record made and kept by my father Henry Weaver giving my birth as February 27, 1836 at Lancaster County, Pa but that record was lost while moving to Lebanon Co., Pa and I do not know its whereabouts. I have a family record kept by myself but taken from my Father’s Family record giving my birth as stated above. Is all the record I have or know of at the present time. At my enlistment in co. ‘H.28’ Reg Iowa Vol Inf. a mistake was made in recording my age as 24 years when my age was 26 years.” (3)
This affidavit provided a name for John's father, but it didn't help place John in a family group. To find John's family, I searched for other Weavers who lived in Mahaska County, Iowa at the same time. I also reviewed Civil War enlistment records and company rosters. The roster for the Iowa 28th Infantry shows that John served with another young man by the surname of Weaver:
Weaver, Cyrus. Age 19. Residence Grinnell, nativity Pennsylvania. Enlisted Aug. 21, 1862. Mustered Sept. 10, 1862. Mustered out July 31, 1865, Savannah, Ga.
Weaver, John. Age 24. Residence Grinnell, nativity Pennsylvania. Enlisted Aug. 13, 1862. Mustered Sept. 10, 1862. Wounded, Vicksburg, Miss. Taken prisoner April 8, 1864, Sabine Cross Roads, La. Mustered out July 7, 1865, Davenport, Iowa. (4)
Since Cyrus Weaver resided in the same town as John in 1862 (Grinnell, Iowa), and since he enlisted shortly after John, I obtained Cyrus's Civil War pension file. His file included a direct connection to our John Weaver. On March 13, 1882, Cyrus applied for a pension. The claim form asked questions about his military service. As part of the process, two witnesses had to verify that Cyrus was who he claimed to be. The witnesses Cyrus selected to appear before a court clerk and confirm his identity were John Weaver, and John's son Oliver E. Weaver.
Extract from Declaration for Original Invalid Pension
Name: Cyrus Weaver
Current residence: Knoxville, Iowa
Service: Co. I, 7 Iowa Volunteers and Co. H, 28 Iowa Volunteers
Res. since service: Oskaloosa and Knoxville, Iowa
Occupations: Coal miner and stonemason
Witnesses: John Weaver, Oliver E. Weaver, both of Knoxville, Iowa (5)
In 1920, Cyrus completed another pension questionnaire. He was asked to provide his birthplace, which he said was Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. (6) This is the same county John said his family moved to from Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.
Additional research in Civil War records led to a third young man with the surname Weaver, who had ties to Oskaloosa, Iowa. His pension file shows that he used two names - Henry W. Weaver, and William Henry Weaver. Henry served in Company I of the Iowa 47th Infantry.(7) He also said he had served in the Iowa 28th, but since his application had inconsistencies, he was deposed by a special examiner from the pension office on June 1, 1895. In his responses, he mentioned two brothers by name:
Q: You state in your declaration that you were in Co. I., 28th Iowa Vol. from about November 1864 to about April 1865.
A: I volunteered to go but I never went. I came home. I had two brothers in that and I wanted to go where they were, and they said they did not need any more men in that.
Q: What were their names?
A: John Weaver, he is in Des Moines, Iowa, and Cyrus Weaver, he is in Knoxville, Iowa.(8)
Also during the 1895 deposition, Henry W. Weaver gave this statement:
“I am 53 years old past, a plasterer and bricklayer . . . at the time of my enlistment I resided in Oskaloosa Mahaska Co Iowa. I had been living there about 10 or 12 years, I lived with my folks Henry Weaver, since deceased and Christina Weaver, since deceased. There was one girl I believe living at home with me Clara Weaver, now the wife of James Small, Oskaloosa, Iowa . . . my occupation then was plasterer. I most generally worked with my father he took the contracts of course.”(9)
Henry continued for the next 20 years to communicate with the census board about his pension. A statement in a letter dated January 29, 1917 lists other members of his family:
“I beg to advise that during the summers of 1850 and 1860 I lived in what was known as Middleton, Iowa about 10 miles west of Burlington, Iowa, Des Moines County, during this time I lived with my father Henry Weaver and my mother Christine Weaver, and the name of my brothers and sisters were as follows: Mary Weaver, John Weaver, Cyrus Weaver, and Fanny Weaver. . . Signed Henry W. Weaver (his mark)”(10)
Henry’s statements provide evidence that he and the John Weaver and Cyrus Weaver who served in Co. H, 28th Iowa, were brothers. The statements also provide a family grouping, which correlates with several census records. The first is an 1850 census record in Danville Township, Des Moines County, Iowa. Middleton, the town mentioned by Henry Weaver is located in the southeast corner of Danville Township.
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| 1850 U.S. Census, Danville Township, Des Moines County, Iowa (11) |
The 1850 census record shows Henry and Christeine Weever and several children, including a 13-year-old John. Our John's stated birthdate was February 27, 1836, which would have made him 14, not 13, when this census was taken. The age difference cannot be explained with certainty, however this type of error was not uncommon on census records. Henry Weever was a shoemaker, which does not match the later occupation of Henry Weaver as plasterer. Another anomaly is this record lists "Ten" for Tennessee as the birthplace for several family members. However, I believe the birthplace Tennessee is an error. One possibility is that the census taker recorded "Pen" in his notes and then wrote "Ten" on the official census record. In spite of these discrepancies, the children’s names and ages match a family that can be seen in two later censuses - one in 1856 and one in 1860.
In 1856, we find a Weaver family in Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa, that closely matches the Weever family in Danville Township in 1850.
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| Iowa State Census, 1856, Oskaloosa Township, Mahaska County (12) |
Henry’s wife’s name is different from what was shown in the 1850 U.S. census. This could indicate that Christeine died, or Susannah may also be known as Christeine (perhaps a first and middle name). John, who would have been 17 or 18, is not living at home. Mary has married Ernest Keller and the couple is living with the family. Finnah’s age matches the age of the daughter named "Virginia" in 1850. David is no longer with the family; he likely died between 1850 and 1856. A new child, Clarinda has been added. Henry now has the occupation of plasterer, which matches the occupation his sons will follow throughout their lives.
In 1860, we find the same Weaver family living in Oskaloosa, Mahaska County, Iowa. Finnah has left the household, leaving four children whose names and ages correlate with those on the 1856 census. Henry (father) and Cyrus both have the same occupation
– plasterer.
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| 1860 U.S. Oskaloosa Township, Mahaska County, Iowa (13) |
Henry (son) said only his sister Clara was living at home when he enlisted in 1864. The Clara he was referring to is likely the same person who was listed as "Clarinda" in the 1860 census.
In addition to the evidence from traditional records cited above, analysis of my DNA matches in Ancestry DNA and 23&Me's databases shows that several are descendants of the children of Henry and Susan/Christina Weaver. To protect the privacy of the matches, their usernames have been replaced by codes (in the second column). The information in the fourth column is from the Shared cM Project.(14)
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| Most matches are from Ancestry DNA; CL1 is from 23&Me.(15) |
© Copyright 2019 applies to the analysis and figures in this post.
I will be writing additional posts about this Weaver family. In the meantime, I welcome questions and feedback. I encourage researchers to review the original records themselves and I am happy to share records I have obtained.
Sources
1. Mahaska County, Iowa, Marriage Register, vol. 3: 57, John Weaver and Phebe A. Linnons, 6 February 1860; image, “Iowa, County Marriages, 1838-1934,” Family Search (http://www.familysearch.org > Iowa County Marriages, 1838-1934 > 004309796 > Image 498: accessed 11 October 2019); citing FHL microfilm 985381.
2. Compiled service record, John Weaver, Pvt., Co. H., 28 Iowa Inf.; Carded Records, Volunteer Organizations, Civil War, Record Group 94: Record of the Adjutant General’s Office, 1780s-1917; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
3. General Affidavit, 20 March 1911, John Weaver (Pvt. Co. H, 28th Iowa Inf., Civil War), pension application no. 301,733, certificate no. 192,926, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications…, 1861-1934, Civil War and Later Pension Files, Record Group 15, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
4. Iowa. Adjutant General's Office, Roster and Record of Iowa Soldiers in the War of the Rebellion, Vol III: 17th-31st Regiments, Infantry. (Des Moines, Iowa: Emory H. English, state printer, 1910), 1337; digital images, Archive.org, (https://archive.org/details/rosterandrecord04offigoog/page/n1364 : accessed 9 November 2019); transcription at “Iowa in the Civil War,” IowaGenWeb.org, (http://iagenweb.org/civilwar/books/logan/mil512.htm : accessed 9 November 2019).
5. Declaration for Original Invalid Pension, 13 March 1882, Cyrus Weaver (Pvt. Co. H, 28th Iowa Inf., Civil War), pension application no. 443,816, certificate no. 302,425, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications…, 1861-1934, Civil War and Later Pension Files, Record Group 15, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
6. Declaration for Pension, 2 October 1920, ibid.
7. Declaration for Original Invalid Pension, 27 May 1882, Henry W. Weaver (Pvt. Co. I, 47th Iowa Inf., Civil War), pension application no. 451,502, certificate no. 720,228, Case Files of Approved Pension Applications…, 1861-1934, Civil War and Later Pension Files, Record Group 15, Records of the Department of Veterans Affairs, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
8. Deposition A, page 13, 1 June 1895, ibid.
9. Deposition A, page 6, 1 June 1895, ibid.
10. Letter to Bureau of Pensions, 29 January 1917, ibid.
11. 1850 U.S. census, Des Moines, Iowa, population schedule, Danville Township, p. 422B (stamped), dwelling 767, family 800, Henry Weever; digital image, Ancestry.com, 1850 United States Federal Census > Iowa > Des Moines > Danville > image 2 (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 2 November 2019,) citing National Archives microfilm publication M432, roll 183.
12. State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa State Census, 1856, Mahaska County, Oskaloosa Township, page 912 (stamped), dwelling 11, family 12, Henry Weaver, and family 13, Ernest Keller; accessed as a digital image 3 November 2019, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com > Iowa State Census Collection > 1856 > Mahaska > Oskaloosa > image 2).
13. 1860 U.S. Census, Mahaska, Iowa, population schedule, Oskaloosa Township, p. 132 (penned), dwelling 957, family 965, Henry Weaver; digital image, Ancestry.com, 1860 United States Census > Iowa > Mahaska > Oskaloosa > image 55 (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 3 November 2019), citing National Archives microfilm publication M653, roll 334.
15. User names of DNA matches are withheld to protect individual privacy rights.
