Clement Weaver

Clement Weaver
Born c.1620
Glastonbury, England
Died 1683
Newport, Rhode Island
Other names Sergeant Clement Weaver
Occupation Wall builder, Farm owner, Member of House of Deputies
Spouse(s) Mary Freeborn
Children Clement, William, John, Thomas
Parents Clement Weaver Sr. and Rebecca Holbrook

Clement Weaver (c. 1620-1683), also known as Sergeant Clement Weaver, was a member of the House of Deputies of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in 1678,[1][2] one of the founders of East Greenwich,[2][3][4] and the immigrant ancestor of thousands of Weaver descendants in the United States.[4] Clement Weaver and his ancestry and descendants are the subject of a 740-page volume, History and Genealogy of a Branch of the Weaver Family,[4] published in 1928.

The y-DNA markers for Clement Weaver can be found in the Weaver DNA Project.[5]

Early life and family

Clement Weaver was born in Glastonbury, England around 1620. He was the son of Clement Weaver Sr. and Rebecca Holbrook, daughter of William Holbrook, a resident of that town. Clement Weaver Sr. was the son of Thomas Weaver and Margaret Adams. There is some indication that Thomas Weaver was the son of John Weaver of Presteigne/Stapleton and London, and cousin of Richard Weaver (MP).[2][4]

Clement Weaver Sr. and Rebecca Holbrook had three known children: son Clement, and daughters Elner and Elizabeth. All were born in Glastonbury.[2][4]

↑Jump back a section

Life in New England

Clement Weaver and his family were part of the Great Migration to the Massachusetts Bay Colony, arriving probably between 1632 and 1635. Clement Weaver Sr. is listed as a property owner in Weymouth in 1643, and some of his property adjoined that of his brother-in-law Thomas Holbrook who came to Weymouth with Rev. Joseph Hull's company in 1635.[2][4]

The Weaver family's religious views at the time of their migration are not known, but they had been affiliated with the Anglican churches of Glastonbury, and were associated by marriage to the Holbrook family who held views that were in conflict with the strict Puritans of Massachusetts. Some time after 1643, Clement Weaver and family moved to the more religiously tolerant Colony of Rhode Island.[2][4]

Clement Weaver married Mary Freeborn, the daughter of William Freeborn of Essex, England, one of the signers of the Portsmouth Compact and a member of the Society of Friends. Clement Weaver and Mary Freeborn had four children between 1647 and 1661: Clement, William, John and Thomas.[4] Clement also appears to have become affiliated with the Society of Friends, which was common in Rhode Island at that time.[4]

The Clement Weaver House in East Greenwich, RI, built in 1679

By 1655, Clement and his father are listed as Freemen in the Newport settlement. Clement is thought to have been a "wall builder" by trade.[2][4] In Newport town records, Clement Weaver is referred to as Sergeant - the origin and significance of the title is unknown. Sergeant Clement Weaver is known to have owned land in Newport, Portsmouth, Westerly, Providence and East Greenwich.[2][4]

Clement Weaver is listed among the 48 founders of East Greenwich who were granted 100-acre tracts in 1677 "for the services rendered during King Philip's War".[2][3][4] In 1678 Sergeant Clement Weaver was elected a member of the House of Deputies of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, representing the new settlement of East Greenwich, under then Governor Benedict Arnold. He also served on the Grand Jury at various times from 1671 through 1683.[1][2]

In 1680 Sergeant Clement Weaver is known to have deeded 90 acres of his grant in East Greenwich to his son Clement, also known as Captain Clement Weaver.[4] The Clement Weaver House built in East Greenwich in 1679 is still standing. It is the oldest documented dwelling house in Kent County and one of the oldest homes in Rhode Island.[6]

Sergeant Clement Weaver died in Newport in 1683, as his will was probated in that year. According to Quaker death records, he and his wife are buried in the Friends Cemetery in Newport (unmarked).[7] Clement Weaver Sr. also died in Newport in 1683, "nearly a hundred years old".[4] Captain Clement Weaver continued to represent East Greenwich in the House of Deputies at various times from 1683 to 1690.[1][2]

↑Jump back a section

Descendants

Clement Weaver's descendants include veterans of the Revolutionary War and other colonial and U.S. wars, and entrepreneurs and corporate executives, too numerous to list individually. Following are some documented[4] descendants that are notable in the areas of politics, entertainment, etc.

  • Wanton Arnold Weaver (1795-1866), member of the Connecticut State Legislature
  • Russell Weaver (1795-1866), member of the New York State Legislature
  • Benjamin Weaver (1781-1863), member of the Rhode Island General Assembly and State Senate, and sons Joseph and John, also members of the General Assembly
  • George Sumner Weaver (1818-1908), successful author, established the Marietta Liberal Institute in Marietta, Ohio
  • Oren Wiley Weaver (1840-1900), Chief Clerk in U.S. Dept. of Labor, and primary genealogy researcher for the early Weaver family
  • Silas Matteson Weaver (1843-1923), Mayor of Iowa Falls, member of the Iowa State Legislature, Chief Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court
  • Lucius Egbert Weaver (1846-1936), author of History and Genealogy of a Branch of the Weaver Family
  • Lucetta Belle Weaver Cole (1853–1905), well-known operatic singer of the late 1800s
  • Franklin Everett Weaver (1870-1954), one of the first to cross the U.S. by bicycle in 1890
  • Mary Baker Weaver (1887-1977), women's suffrage activist, member of the Connecticut State Legislature
  • Sylvester Barnabee "Pat" Weaver (1908–2002), president of NBC television and father of actress Sigourney Weaver
↑Jump back a section

References

  1. ^ a b c Bartlett, John R. (1858). Records of the Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations in New England: Volume 3. 1678 to 1706, Providence, RI: Knowles, Anthony & Co., pp.3,121,260
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Haines, Blanche M. (1937). Ancestry of Sharpless Moore and Rachel (Roberts) Moore, Three Rivers, MI, pp.137-142
  3. ^ a b Original proprietors of East Greenwich
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Weaver, Lucius E. (1928). History and Genealogy of a Branch of the Weaver Family, Rochester, NY: Dubois Press, pp.26,31,59-66,615-650
  5. ^ Weaver DNA Project
  6. ^ List of the oldest buildings in Rhode Island
  7. ^ Grave of Sgt. Clement Weaver - findagrave.com
↑Jump back a section

External links


↑Jump back a section
Last modified on 17 November 2012, at 14:09