BIO: Jacob WEYAND, Beaver County, PA Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Judy Banja & Joe Patterson Copyright 2005. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/beaver.html http://www.usgwarchives.net/pa/beaver/bios/bbios.htm Index for this bio book. _________________________________________________________________ BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES. This Volume Contains Biographical Sketches of Leading Citizens of Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Buffalo, N.Y., Chicago, Ill.: Biographical Publishing Company, 1899, pp. 33-35. _________________________________________________________________ COL. JACOB WEYAND, a retired publisher of Beaver, Pa., whose portrait is shown on the opposite page, enjoys the distinction of being the only living member of the convention that participated in the formation of the Republican party at Lafayette Hall, Pittsburg, Pa., February 22, 1856. He first saw the light of day on March 22, 1828, near Mount Jackson, Lawrence county, then a part of Beaver county. He worked on a farm until he attained manhood, and then attended Beaver Academy. In 1854 he became part owner of the Argus, and assisted in editing and publishing that paper until the winter of 1857 and 1858. Selling his interest in the Argus, he purchased the Free Press, at Carrollton, Ohio, where he was busily engaged at the breaking out of the Civil War. Catching the martial spirit of the times, Mr. Weyand sold the Free Press, and raised a company of volunteers. He was chosen captain, and marched the company to Camp Mingo, near Steubenville, Ohio, where it was at once attached to the 126th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., and mustered into service in 1862. During his service, Capt. Weyand was noted for sturdy courage and coolness in the midst of great danger, and although twice wounded in battle, he had no fears for his personal safety, but thought rather of the duty to be performed. He participated in nearly all the battles of the Potomac campaign. In the battle of Monocacy, Md., fought July 9, 1864, Capt. Weyand was placed in command of his regiment, and an officer on the staff of the commanding general that day, in writing a history of the battle, made use of the following language: "Capt. Weyand, who was commanding the 126th Ohio Vol., was on the extreme right of the line, with the right of his regiment resting near the Monocacy bridge. After the battle had progressed a short time, he was directed by General Wallace to set fire to the bridge, then face the regiment to the left, double quick it to the extreme left of the line, throw it across the pike, and hold the position as long as he could. The bridge was fired and the regiment started off on its perilous movement. It had almost reached the desired destination, when, as it came abreast of the line of the 'hundred day men,' it met a most unexpected obstruction. Immediately in its front was a farm ditch about six feet wide and the same depth, through which a sluggish stream of water was running. A few feet further was a board fence five or six feet high-both running at right angles with the line of battle. Just beyond the ditch and fence was the Washington pike. The ditch was literally alive with 'hundred day men,' who, totally unused to the sort of treatment they were receiving at the hands of the 34 BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES enemy, had taken shelter there from the raking fire which the Confederates had opened on the pike. With the view of keeping that thoroughfare open, the enemy were in line of battle on an elevation of about four hundred yards in our front, and every missile known to warfare seemed to be coming down that hard, dusty road; plowing shot, screeching shells, rattling grape and canister were hurled out, with sharp volleys of musketry, sending up puffs of dust, or tearing up great rifts of the highway. No one could command calmness enough to considerately behold the scene, yet this had to be done; the General had ordered it. Here Captain Weyand leaped the ditch, climbed to the top of the fence, and pointed forward. In an instant every file was moving after him, led by the gallant McPeck. Under the galling fire the men were falling like leaves before an autumn blast, and, realizing the dreadful havoc that was being made in the ranks, Capt. Weyand broke the battle line, and hurriedly moved his regiment some seventy-five yards forward, where a rise in the ground partly sheltered the men from the merciless storm they had just passed. Every officer came out of the conflict bleeding, and every man not hit or killed had his clothes riddled with bullets." In the eleven preceding battles in which the regiment had borne an honorable part, its splendid discipline and fighting qualities had never shown to greater advantage than in this field. Its brilliant conduct was the theme of officers and men who had no connection with it, and Captain Weyand, who had alreadybeen complimented highly by his superior officers for gallantry at Cold Harbor, was now honored with a recommendation to the Secretary of War for promotion as major and brevet lieutenant-coionel, Col. Fox, in his book, entitled, "The Three Hundred Fighting Regiments of the War," includes the 126th Ohio Vol. Infantry (Col. Weyand's) regiment as one of that number. After the war, our subject returned to Beaver, Pa., repurchased the Argus, and conducted it until 1874, when he consolidated it with the Radical, publishing both under the firm of Weyand & Rutan. From that time Col. Weyand practically retired from business, with the exception of dealing in real estate to some extent. He purchased the David Hall property of fifteen acres at Beaver, but just within the line of Bridgewater borough, and built a handsome residence. In 1893, Col. Weyand was elected to the legislature; two years later he was re-elected, and the duties of a legislator were performed by him in a very creditable and capable manner. The subject of this sketch was twice married. In 1857, Victoria Adams, a charming young lady of Beaver county, became his wife, and shared his joys and sorrows until 1892, when he was deprived of her pleasant companionship by death. She was born in 1837, and bore her husband the following children:; Emma; Romulus and Remus, twins; Milo Adams; Edwin Stanton; Blanche, and Paul. Emma is the wife of Harry W. Reeves, of Beaver; Romulus and Remus died in infancy; Milo Adams is deceased; Edwin BEAVER COUNTY 35 Stanton is an attorney-at-law in Beaver. He was a law student under ex-Judge Wickham, now deceased, and was admitted to the bar in 1895; he married Wilhelmina Thompson, of Marion, Ohio, who has borne him two children, Dorothy, and "baby," not yet named. Blanche is a stenographer, and Paul is a Methodist minister. He was educated at the Beaver High School and at Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania. He is now Superintendent of City Missions, at Pittsburg, Pa. Some time after the death of his first wife, Col. Weyand formed a second matrimonial alliance-this time with Mary E. Cooke, a daughter of Maj. William Cooke. Col. Weyand is a member of the U. V. L. and the G. A. R. He worships at the M. E. church. He is a son of Henry and Mary M. (Ginder) Weyand, and a grandson of Jacob Weyand, who was born in Alsace, Germany, and came to America about the year 1738, settling at Somerset, Pennsylvania, where he and his good wife both lived to a good old age. So far as is known, their children were as follows: Michael; Jacob; John, and Henry, father of the subject of this memoir. Henry Weyand was born July 31, 1791, in Somerset county, Pa., and there his marriage occurred. He wedded Mary Magdalena Ginder, a daughter of George Ginder. The young folks settled near Mount Jackson, and purchased a farm now known as the William Patterson farm. In his younger day, Henry Weyand taught schools during winters-teaching both German and English-and devoted his summers to working his farm. He was a man of prominence in his community, and served many years as constable. His death occurred at the age of fifty-two years, three months, and nine days. His devoted wife died in August, 1863, aged seventy-three years and eight months. Their family consisted of the following children: Agabus; Mary Ann; Michael; Jacob, and Elizabeth. Agabus died young; Mary Ann is the wife of Jacob Bender; this worthy couple recently celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary, at Mahoningtown, Pa.; Michael is the editor of the Beaver Times; Jacob is the subject of this biography, and Elizabeth is the wife of Joseph Strouck.