Preston County, West Virginia Biography of Lewis H. WEIMER This file was submitted by Tina Hursh, E-mail address: The submitter does not have a connection to the subject of this sketch. This file may be freely copied by individuals and non-profit organizations for their private use. All other rights reserved. Any other use, including publication, storage in a retrieval system, or transmission by electronic, mechanical, or other means requires the written approval of the file's author. This file is part of the WVGenWeb Archives. If you arrived here inside a frame or from a link from somewhere else, our front door is at http://www.usgwarchives.net/wv/wvfiles.htm The History of West Virginia, Old and New Published 1923, The American Historical Society, Inc. Chicago and New York, Volume II Pg. 360 & 361 Lewis H. Weimer was born and reared on the farm where he now lives in the Eglon community of Preston County. As a youth he had an ambition to become an undertaker, and achieved that profession after many difficulties and sacrifices, and is now one of the leading funeral directors of Preston County, conducting a business in his country locality, and a still larger at Bayard. Mr. Weimer was born April 11, 1877. His grandfather, George Weimer, was of German ancestry, a resident of Pennsylvania and Maryland, and spent his last years on his farm in Garrett county of the latter state. He married Barbara Klingaman, also of German stock. She survived him, and their children were: Samuel, who died near Salisbury, Pennsylvania; Jacob, who died on his farm in Grant County, west Virginia; Mrs. Mary Neff of Ohio; Jessie who was a farmer in Garrett County; John, whose records follows; Sarah, who died in Garrett County, wife of Asbury McCroby; Joseph, who was a Union Soldier in the Civil War and spent his life near Oakland, Maryland; Benjamin, who was accidentally killed in Garrett County; Silas, who was a Garrett County farmer, once a member of the Maryland Legislature, and for several years a teacher. John Weimer was born in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, November 22, 1832. He had a limited education and devoted his entire active career to his farm. He removed with his family to Maryland, and after spending a short time near Sang Run in Garrett County came into Preston County, where he married Magdalena Fike, daughter of Peter Fike and sister of Rev. Aaron Fike, a Brethren Minister whose life record is published elsewhere. John Weimer and wife had the following children: Frank M., of Fredericksburg, Virginia; Joanna, who died in Garret County, Maryland, wife of I.O. Thompson; Rachel, wife of D.G. Judy, of Eglon; Ed of Morgantown; Jemimah, Ephraim, Lida, and Christian, all of whom died unmarried; and Lewis Henry. John Weimer died October 21, 1921, when in his eighty-ninth year, after a residence on the old farm for more than half a century and in Preston County for six years. Lewis Henry Weimer attended the common schools and he was a helful factor on the home farm until passing his majority. On leaving the farm he took a correspondence course in undertaking, and was licensed to practice in the State of West Virginia. He had qualified for his chosen profession after many difficulties, and even than he was not equipped for business, having no capital. He secured practical experience while in the service of Mr. A. R. Fike, of Eglon, and he borrowed the capital to buy out his employer in 1906. He paid interest on borrowed money until his business profits replaced the loans and created his own capital. He moved from his cabin home back from the public highway to the vicinity of Maple Run, and there eventually erected a generous home and equipped himself with facilities for business. Later he established the branch at Bayard, which now does a larger business than the original establishment and, as it is in a railroad town, it seem likely that Mr. Weimer will in time concentrate his efforts there. He is now head of an extensive business, affording a great contrast to the situation when he started, without capital and with a family and home for which to provide. He has a complete equipment of automobile and horse drawn hearses and his business at Eglon is half a mile south of the village. Mr. Weimer is a member of the West Virginia Funeral Directors Association and the National Funeral Directors Association. He gave his first national ballot to Major McKinley in 1900, and has acted in the interest of that party steadily, serving many years as a committeeman for Union District. For years he was president of the Union District Board of Education, and in 1918 was elected county commissioner as successor to Allen Forman. The Chief business before the court of which he was a member was school consolidation, levys for school purposes, and routine business. Mr. Weimer is affiliated with the Knights of Pythias, and is a prominent member of the Lutheran Church, having been its councilman, secretary of the joint council for several years, and is now chairman of the joint council. In his home community December 24, 1899, he married Mis Lucinda Liller, who was born within two miles of Eglon, June 2, 1880, daughter of James and Catherine (Fike) Liller. Her mother was a daughter of David Fike, a brother of Rev. Arron Fike, above mentioned. Mrs. Weimer's parents were natives of Preston county and spent their lives as farmers here. Of their fourteen children, thirteen grew up: Mary, whose first husband was George Winters and she is now the wife of Joseph Rembolt of Eglon; David of Garrett County, Maryland; Jennie, who has been three times married and is living in Garrett County; Henry, of Garrett County; Ella, wife of Geroge L. Wotrig, of Byard; Louvina, who died as Mrs. Thomas Conn; Aaron, a farmer in Garrett County; Ida, who died at Horston, West Virginia, wife of Jacob Nester; Lizzie, Mrs. Lee Hurshman, of Philadelphia; Mrs. Weimer; Leola, who married Thomas Root of Preston County; Ressa, wife of Arthur Sell, of Union Bridge, Maryland; and Myrtle, who died when a young girl. Mr. And Mrs. Weimer have two children, Cleo and John Arnold, the latter attending the Eglon public school. Cleo completed a liberal education and is now the wife of Early F. Roth of Bayard.