Obituary of Charles M WEAVER, Williamson & Franklin County, Illinois This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Susan Merrell ************************************************************************ USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. ************************************************************************ Obituary clipping found among my grandmother and great grandmothers belongings. Obit of Charles N. Weaver There were articles about Charles N. Weaver found in my great-grandmothers belongs. The first, shorter one is below is dated Jan 15, 1957 and is clearly his obituary. The second, undated, is a longer write up and seems to be a biography. It has a picture of the subject setting on the front porch of what looks like someone's house. Obit of Charles N. Weaver. Dated Jan 15, 1957 in ink at the top of the clipping. Newspaper unknown but I think it was probably the Johnston City Progress. Aged Minister to Deliver Sermon at Own Funeral. An aged Johnston City minister will preach his own funeral Thursday afternoon. Elder C. N. Weaver, who would have been 90 years old February 15, several years ago had a recording made of a sermon he delivered for his own funeral. He died today. A minister friend, Rev. Homer Young, Nashville, who's church was close to Elder Weaver's when the Nashville minister was pastor of the Johnston City First Methodist church a few years ago, will conduct the service. Elder Weaver's church is the Pleasant Hill Baptist church on Pine Street in Johnston City. Its last service was conducted by him on October 28. The funeral service will be held at 2 pm Thursday at the Murman-Wilson funeral home in Johnston City, where the body will lie in state after 6 pm today. Burial will be in Lakeview cemetery, east of Johnston City. The aged man died suddenly at 7:30 am at his home, 601 East 9th Street, Johnston City. Although in failing health for several years, he had not been bedfast. Death is attributed to a heart attack. He was the son of Jess Weaver and Cynthia Hunter Weaver, pioneer Williamson county settlers. Ordained in 1892 at the Pleasant Hill Baptist church, then located south of Johnston City, he went to Illmo, Mo., where he resided several years. He returned to Johnston City 28 years ago. Survivors are his wife, Alice, three daughters, Mrs. Louis Eifert, Decatur; Mrs. Viola Moore, Chicago, and Mrs. Grace Smith, DuQuoin, and son Fred Weaver, Illmo. Four grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren also survive. Biography of Charles M. Weaver. Elder Charles Monroe Weaver, 601 E. 9th Street, Johnston City, is our Neighbor today. One of seven children, six sons and one daughter born to Jesse and Cynthia Hunter weaver, he was born Feb 15, 1867 near Carbondale, Jackson county. Elder Weaver's family background is connected with four pioneer families of Williamson County, the Weavers and Bakers, the Hunters and Duncans. While his ancestors were mostly farmers, among their immediate descendants are found ministers of the gospel, lawyers, doctors and schoolteachers. The first school Elder Weaver attended was that known as Young district school near the farm of Esq. Will Young. His first teacher was Dr. Matt Fowler. Following district schools, he attended a select term of school taught by Jack Gambrill at old Shake-Rag, east of Johnston City. R.W. Jones, owner and publisher of the Johnston City Progress was also enrolled in this school. In the year 1889, Elder weaver left Illinois and went into the state of Missouri, locating and finding employment on a farm near Commerce, in Scott County. In the spring and summer of 1891, he worked on the farm for Thomas A. Matthews, and on the 15th day of October of that year was married to Addie Alice Matthews, the eldest daughter of Thomas and Martha Matthews. He followed farming and stock raising for 35 years or until 1928, when he and his wife returned to Illinois to make their home. Elder and Mrs. Weaver were parents of five children, three daughters and two sons. Their first born, a son, died in infancy. Their surviving children are Mrs. Lola Eifert of Decatur, Mrs. Viola Moore of Chicago, Mrs. Grace Smith of DuQuoin and their son Fred P. Weaver of Illmo Mo, who is a railroad conductor on the Cotton Belt Railroad. Elder Weaver joined the Pleasant Hill Primitive Baptist church when he was 12 years old. The church was located one mile south of Johnston City. In 1882, he was ordained a minister and was immediately called by that church to serve as pastor and continued in that capacity for 55 years. The church is now located in Johnston City and Elder Weaver preaches there regularly twice a month. He has been moderator of the Bethel Association of Primitive Baptists in Southern Illinois for the past 51 years. The approximately number of funerals he has conducted in his 58 years in the ministry, reaches 1000 to 1500. Elder Weaver was a splendid singer in his youth and attended singing schools taught by John Hicks, and mastered the rudiments of vocal music and became an efficient teacher of vocal music and taught several schools. In 1917 he wrote a book of more than 200 pages, entitled "My God and My Salvation," and had it published by the Egyptian Printing Company of Marion. This book was read throughout the United States, Canada and in some countries overseas. In 1925 he wrote and had printed another smaller book treating the subjects of the state of the dead and future punishment. This book was printed by the Lewis Brothers Publishing Co, of Christopher. Elder Weaver has written many poems, some of which have been printed in different periodicals throughout Southern Illinois and elsewhere. His poems received the personal compliments of the noted Edgar A. Guest, telling Mr. Weaver that his poems compare favorably with those of James Whitcomb Riley. In 1908 Our Neighbor founded a religious paper, "Predestinarian Baptist" and his first publishers were the late Co. John Greer and his son David, who were publishing a county paper in DuQuoin at the time. In all his 58 years of ministry he has never prepared a sermon or even used notes but just speaks "out of my heart what the Lord gives me to say." Mr. and Mrs. Weaver will have been married 57 years on October 15th. He is 81 years old and she will be 76 next Monday.