John R. Weaver Biography


	This biography appears on pages 1757-1758 in "History of South 
	Dakota" by Doane Robinson, Vol. II (1904) and was scanned, 
	OCRed and edited by Maurice Krueger, mkrueger@iw.net.

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	JOHN R. WEAVER, a successful merchant and representative citizen of 
Claremont, Brown county, was born at Eureka, Montcalm county, Michigan, 
on the 28th of December, 1858, and is a son of Benjamin A. and Betsy 
(Clark) Weaver, both of whom were born and reared in the state of New 
York, the former having been a son of Aaron Weaver, who was a native of 
Rhode Island. The last mentioned was a son of John Weaver, who was 
likewise born in Rhode Island and who married a Miss Chase, whose 
original ancestor in America was one of two brothers who came over in 
the historic Mayflower, while their sister remained in England and 
became the wife of Sir John Townsend. Representatives of the Chase 
family were valiant soldiers in the Continental line during the war of 
the Revolution, and through their thus giving allegiance to the colonial 
cause they sacrificed a large estate in England. The paternal 
grandfather of the subject continued to reside in Troy, New York, until 
1845, when he removed to Michigan and became one of the pioneers of 
Ionia county, where he passed the residue of his life. The father of the 
subject became the owner of a farm in Montcalm county, that state, where 
he remained until 1859, when he then removed to Ionia county, same 
state, then removed to Stearns county, Minnesota, being one of the 
pioneers of that section of the state. They passed on their way only 
three miles distant from the point the memorable Indian massacre at New 
Ulm, he and his family fortunately being unmolested. For a quarter of a 
century he resided in the city of Chicago, where he was a prominent 
contractor and builder, finally meeting with an accident which compelled 
him to retire from active labors. He is now living in the home of the 
subject, being seventy-four years of age at the time of this writing. 
His present wife is living with a daughter in Chicago. They became the 
parents of four children, all of whom are living. The subject's mother 
died in July, 1861; she was the mother of four children, three of whom 
are dead.

	John R. Weaver, the immediate subject of this review, passed his 
school days in Michigan, and as his mother died when he was but eighteen 
months of age he was reared in the home of his paternal grandfather, 
with whom he remained until the spring of 1885, when he came to Brown 
county, South Dakota, and located in Detroit township, where he took up 
government land and engaged in farming. Two years later, upon the 
completion of the line of the Great Northern Railroad through this 
section, he engaged in the draying and freighting business, in which 
line he continued operations one year, at the expiration of which he 
established himself in business in Claremont, where for the ensuing 
decade he conducted a lumber yard and also dealt in coal and farming 
machinery and implements, building up a most prosperous enterprise. In 
1899 he disposed of his business and purchased a farm southeast of the 
town, where he established the family home, and thereafter he was 
engaged as traveling representative for the Plano Manufacturing Company 
until March, 1904, when he entered into partnership with his brother, 
James A., and became associated with him in the carrying on of the 
general merchandise business which the latter had established in 
Claremont in the preceding September, and the enterprise has been since 
conducted under the firm name of Weaver Brothers. They carry a large and 
complete stock of general merchandise and also handle farming machinery 
and implements, and their trade has been most satisfactory from the 
start and is constantly increasing in scope and importance. It may be 
noted in the connection that our subject's brother and partner was the 
first white child born on the Indian reservation across the river from 
Sauk Center, Minnesota, and is the offspring of the second marriage of 
their father. He came to South Dakota in the autumn of 1903. In politics 
the subject is a staunch Republican, and fraternally is a member of the 
Masonic order, in which he has passed the capitular degree, and also of 
the Ancient Order of United Workmen, the Modern Woodmen of America and 
the Knights of the Maccabees.

	On the 31st of December, 1878, Mr. Weaver was married to Miss Janett 
Cole, who was born in Eureka, Montcalm county, Michigan; being a 
daughter of Leander T. and Sarah J. Cole, who were numbered among the 
pioneers of Brown county, South Dakota. Mr. and Mrs. Weaver have two 
children, Clarence J., who has charge of our subject's farm, previously 
mentioned, and Maud J., who is the wife of M. Hugh Miller, a successful 
young farmer of this county.