BIO:  John Wiest, York County, PA

Contributed for use in the USGenWeb Archives by Kathy Francis

Copyright 2005.  All rights reserved.
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History of York County, Pennsylvania.  John Gibson, Historical Editor.
Chicago: F. A. Battey Publishing Co., 1886.
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Part II, Biographical Sketches, Jackson Township, Pg 121

JOHN WIEST was born in Jackson (Paradise) Township, July 19, 1810, and is the son 
of Michael, a native of the township and Magdalena (Myers) Wiest, of Adams 
County, Penn.  His great-great-grandfather, Wiest, came from Switzerland, and 
settled as a farmer in Jackson (Paradise) Township.  John Wiest is the third in a 
family of five children, consisting of himself and four sisters:  Catherine (Mrs. 
Michael Emig), Elizabeth (Mrs. Henry Rebert), Mary and Eliza (Mrs. Charles 
Rebert).  Elizabeth died February 19, 1880, and Mary died in 1878.  Mr. Wiest’s 
homestead comprises twenty-two acres, one-half mile northwest of Spring Grove, 
beside which he owns a farm of 150 acres in Carroll County, Md.  He had held the 
office of school director of his township several terms and that of township 
auditor one term; he was also for several years captain of a militia company with 
headquarters near Nashville, same township, and since early manhood has been a 
member of Roth’s Reformed Church, in which for many years he has served as elder.  
February 8, 1838, he married Elizabeth, daughter of Jacob and Sarah Maus, of 
Carroll County, Md., and to this union with her have been born Eliza, Michael, 
Jacob, Henry, John, Magdalena, Peter, Mary and Levi D.  Levi David Wiest was born 
January 20, 1859; was reared on the home farm.  In 1874 he entered upon a four 
years’ course at the York County Academy.  In the winter of 1876-77 he taught 
school in Jackson Township, and in 1879 entered Pennsylvania College at 
Gettysburgh, where he passed two years in the classical course.  In 1881 he 
entered the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, and for two years followed the 
study of civil engineering, which he has adopted as his life profession.