Biographical Sketch of John L. Weaver, Jefferson County, Missouri >From "History of Franklin, Jefferson, Washington, Crawford and Gasconade Counties", Biographical Appendix, Goodspeed Publishing Company, 1888. ********************************************************************** John L. Weaver, farmer and ex-sheriff of Jefferson County, Plattin Town- ship, was born in the same in 1844, and is the youngest of four children born to John W. and Isabella (Morris) Weaver. The father was born in Cape Girardeau County in 1811, and when about twenty-one years of age came to Jefferson County. He was married about 1834, and spent the re- mainder of his life near the line of Ste. Genevieve County, where he died in 1880. He was a man of considerable prominence, very generous, and a man of many friends and no enemies. He was for many years justice of the peace, giving good satisfaction. He served on several important commissions, and assisted in assessing the damages for the Iron Mountain Railroad. He was a prominent Mason, charter member of Joachim Lodge, which he was instrumental in organizing, it being the first lodge in Jefferson County. Both he and wife were members of the Baptist Church. Mr. Weaver was an exhorter and an active church worker. His father, John Weaver, was a German, and an early settler of Cape Girardeau when the country was a part of the Louisiana Territory. He followed keel- boating to New Orleans, settled at Charleston, Mississippi County, before the town was laid out, and owned the land upon which the town is now situated. The mother of John L. was born in Missouri, and died in 1857; she was her husband's senior by a few years. Mrs. Weaver came to Missouri with her mother, her father having died in Maryland. He was a soldier in the Revolutionary War. The subject of this sketch was ed- ucated in the pioneer style log school houses, dirt floors, slab seats, etc. In 1861 he served six months under Col. J. Thompson, in the Con- federate army. In 1870 he married Miss Eddy A., daughter of Felix G. and Martha Poston, of Ste. Genevieve County, where the father is still living and where Mrs. Weaver was born. Four children, three of whom are living, were born to Mr. Weaver's marriage: Della K., Mattie I., and Olive P. Mr. Weaver lived on his farm, on the Mississippi River, one mile below Rush Tower, until 1876, when he was made deputy sheriff under John Williams, and served in that capacity for two years. He also occupied that position under T. J. Jones nearly four years, and during that time was public administrator, and was appointed to fill the unexpired term of Sheriff Jones. In 1882 he was elected to the office, which he held for two years. He remained in Hillsboro until 1886, when he returned to Rush Tower, and in 1887 to his present farm (two miles below Rush Tower) of 250 acres, 150 bottom land, all the result of his own labor, working for $6 per month when a young man, and working from sun to sun. He is a Democrat in politics, and his first presidential vote was for Horatio Seymour, in 1868. He is a member of the A. O. U. W., and his wife is a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church. ==================================================================== USGENWEB NOTICE: In keeping with our policy of providing free information on the Internet, data may be used by non-commercial entities, as long as this message remains on all copied material. These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or for presentation by other persons or organizations. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material for purposes other than stated above must obtain the written consent of the file contributor. This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by: Joe Miller Penny Harrell ====================================================================