George Herr Weaver

George Weber: The remains of George Weber, who is supposed to have been the youngest of the three original settlers in the vale, were carried hither from his home erected at the beautiful springs, the present home of Benjamin F. Weaver, a little east from the brick meeting house, in 1772, while those of his wife, Barbara, who is supposed to have been a sister to Jacob and Christian Good, the ancestors of the numerous clan of that name in Brecknock Township, were carried and laid by the side of her husband, in 1782; these two graves are plainly marked with their initials on well preserved, smooth sandstones, to wit: "G. W. 1772," and B. W. 1782," being in the first row of graves on the western side of the enclosure.

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The small field stones in front of the memorial were the original grave stones marked with the year of death and initials.

George used the German spelling of Weber as seen on the smaller engraving but his descendants later changed to the English spelling of Weaver. George is one of the pioneers for whom the Weaverland Valley is named.

To escape religious persecution and achieve greater economic opportunity, the Mennonites accepted Penn’s invitation to settle in the New World. Arriving in Germantown as early as 1683, some of these immigrants moved westward to establish their homes. Early in the 18th century, several Webers emigrated from the Palatinate to Lancaster County. The brothers Jacob, Henry, George, and John Weber are known to have arrived before 1718. In 1723 the first three established a settlement in the fertile valley along the Conestoga Creek that we know today as Weaverland. Other families soon followed. By 1733 a congregation was formed and organized, with ministers from the older settlements preaching and reading the Word of God in the private homes of the early settlers. While there is no town named Weaverland, the community and Weaverland Mennonite Church have been a strong Mennonite center since these days. History records the growth of this congregation by documenting the size and capacity of its meetinghouse throughout the years.

Weaver (Weber) family Weaver is an old Mennonite family name of Swiss origin. As early as 1664 the Palatine Mennonite Census Lists reported two Webers, Peter at Oberflörsheim and Christian at Spiesheim. In 1685 Peter Weber was still living at Oberflörsheim (6 sons and a daughter), but there was a second Peter Weber at Waltzheim, Johannes Weber at Osthofen, and Heinrich Weber and Dietrich Weber at Gundersheim. In 1732 Peter Weber was a minister at Oberflörsheim. In 1738, in addition to the Weber families at Oberflörsheim (Peter Sr., Peter Jr., Dietrich, and Christian), there were also families at Gundersheim (Peter), Spiesheim (Johannes), Wolfsheim (Mathias, Johannes), and four Weber families at Heppenheim an der Wiese near Alzey (Johannes, Heinrich, Martin, and Matthäus). All of these locations were in the Palatinate and west of the Rhine. The Weber family name has been well represented in this region since these beginnings. In 1940, according to the Franz Crous lists, there were 67 Mennonite Webers (including children) in the South German Mennonite churches, with only one elsewhere in Germany, at Krefeld. Of these families, 46 were in the Palatinate (Monsheim congregation leading with 22, Kühbörncheshof 8, Neudorferhof 7, Uffhofen 5, three other congregations 4), one in Frankfurt and two in the Ingolstadt congregation in Bavaria. Outstanding among the Webers in the 18th century was Peter Weber of Kindenheim (1731-1781), a very influential preacher and a strong Pietist.

Several Webers emigrated from the Palatinate to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania in the early 18th century. The brothers Jacob, Henry, George, and John Weber are known to have arrived before 1718. The first three established a settlement in the rich bottom land between Blue Ball and Conestoga, which came to be known as Weberthal or Weaverland, and from which the present Mennonite Church (MC) congregation, Weaverland Mennonite Church, takes its name. Among their descendants were two early bishops serving the Weaverland-Groffdale district (George, served from 1854-83, and Benjamin, from 1902-8) and a host of ministers serving both in the Weaverland district (MC) and elsewhere, chiefly in Virginia, Indiana, Ontario, and Kansas, as well as Old Order Mennonite Weavers in the Blue Ball-New Holland area. M. G. Weaver, himself a descendant, listed in his Mennonites of Lancaster Conference in 1931 a total of 32 ordained men (10 being deacons) bearing the name (3 Weber, 29 Weaver). Of these 32, 31 were serving in the Mennonite Church (MC), including four bishops, mostly in the Lancaster Conference and the Virginia Conference. In addition there were four Old Order Mennonite ministers with the name Weaver, seven Old Order Amish Mennonite ministers, and one General Conference Mennonite Church minister. J. W. Weaver (d. 1944) was the founder and manager of the Weaver Book Store at New Holland, Pennsylvania as well as a prominent Lancaster Conference evangelist. Edwin Weaver was a missionary bishop in India. Urias K. Weber served for a long time as pastor of the First Mennonite and Stirling Avenue Mennonite churches in Kitchener, Ontario.

Weaverland Valley named after his family. The small field stones in front of the memorial were the original grave stones marked with the year of death and initials.

George used the German spelling of Weber as seen on the smaller engraving but his descendants later changed to the English spelling of Weaver. George is one of the pioneers for whom the Weaverland Valley is named.

George recorded the births of his children in German script in his Family Bible. The English translation is:

1. Today, on the 13th of January, under the sign of the fish, Anno 1727, a daughter by the name of Magdalena Weberin is born to me, Georg Weber 2. Today, on the 10th of February, under the sign of the crab, Anno 1728, a son by the name of Johannes Weber is born to me, Georg Weber 3. Today, on the 31st [30th] of April, under the sign of the scorpion, Anno 1729, a daughter by the name of Anna Weberin is born to me, Georg Weber 4. Today, on the 30th of December, under the sign of the bull, Anno 1730, a daughter by the name of Marey Weberin is born to me, Georg Weber 5. Today, on the 8th of August, under the sign of the archer, Anno 1732, a son by the name of Samuel Weber is born to me, Georg Weber 6. Today, on the 11th of March, under the sign of the crab, Anno 1734, a daughter by the name of Barbara Weberin is born to me, Georg Weber 7.Today, on the 20th of October, under the sign of the scales, Anno 1738, a son by the name of Heinrich Weber is born to me, Georg Weber.

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jun 28 2017, 18:39:18 UTC