| Weaver Pennsylvania German: Weber | |
|---|---|
 Log cabin of Frederick Weaver (1750–1839) in Piney Flats, Tennessee | |
| Country | United States |
| Current region | Weaverville, North Carolina |
| Place of origin | Dutch Republic |
| Founder | Unknown German linen weaver and refugee from the Holy Roman Empire |
The Weaver family of North Carolina is a locally prominent Pennsylvania German family that founded Weaverville along Reems Creek in North Carolina. [1] [2] [3]
The progenitor of the family was an unknown German linen weaver, surnamed Weber, that fled from the Holy Roman Empire to the United Provinces of the Netherlands due to religious persecution, likely because he was a member of the Reformed church. He married a Dutch woman and fathered John, Frederick, and two other sons in the Netherlands.
John Weaver (1763–1830) was a German-Dutch settler, immigrant, and Revolutionary War veteran who came to the Province of Pennsylvania from the United Provinces in the 18th century with his 3 brothers. Eventually, John would settle in the Reems Creek valley in North Carolina, where his son, Montraville Weaver (1808–1882) would found the town of Weaverville. [4] [5] [6] [7]
Per the Family Tree DNA Weaver DNA Project, the family has the Y-DNA haplogroup J-FTC77280, originating in the Balkans.
John Weaver maintained friendly relations with the local Cherokee in the valley and built an Indigenous-style house, before purchasing 320 acres of land to construct a European log cabin as his family's permanent residence. [8] [9]
John's son, Montraville, became a slaveholder. [10] Despite the vast majority of Germans in the Antebellum South not using slaves and many being generally opposed to the practice, there was a minority of German slaveholders located primarily in the Shenandoah Valley and other parts of the region. [11]
As a slaveholding family, many members of the Weaver family fought for the Confederacy during the American Civil War, such as Captain Elbert Weaver (1841–1935), who was Montraville's first son, and Private Abraham Weaver (1832–1913), who deserted in northern Georgia after his unit was slaughtered during Wheeler's October 1863 Raid. Abraham was the grandson of Frederick Weaver (1750–1839), John Weaver's brother, Revolutionary War veteran, and slaveholder in Sullivan County, Tennessee. [12] [13] [14]
Weaver College, founded in 1851 as Weaverville College, was a co-educational Methodist academy located in Weaverville. It was founded on land gifted by the town's founder, Montraville Weaver, and operated from 1873 to 1934 before being merged with Rutherford College to form modern-day Brevard College. [15] [16]
McDowell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 44,578. Its county seat is Marion.
Iredell County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. As of the 2020 census, the population was 186,693. Its county seat is Statesville, and its largest community is Mooresville. The county was formed in 1788, subtracted from Rowan County. It is named for James Iredell, one of the first justices of the Supreme Court. Iredell County is included in the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC Metropolitan Statistical Area, as defined by the Office of Management and Budget, with data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Buncombe County is a county located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is classified within Western North Carolina. The 2020 census reported the population was 269,452, making it the 7th-most populous county in North Carolina. Its county seat is Asheville. Buncombe County is part of the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area.
Asheville is a city in and the county seat of Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. Located at the confluence of the French Broad and Swannanoa rivers, it is the most populous city in Western North Carolina, and the state's 11th-most-populous city. According to the 2020 census, the city's population was 94,589, up from 83,393 in the 2010 census. It is the principal city in the three-county Asheville metropolitan area, which had an estimated population of 417,202 in 2023.
Weaverville is a town in Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The population was 4,567 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Asheville metropolitan area.
Zebulon Baird Vance was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 37th and 43rd governor of North Carolina, a U.S. Senator from North Carolina, and a Confederate officer during the American Civil War.
Zebulon Weaver was an American lawyer and politician who served 14 terms as a Democratic U.S. Congressman from North Carolina between 1917 and 1929 and again between 1931 and 1947.
Brevard College is a private college in Brevard, North Carolina. The college grants Bachelor of Arts, Bachelor of Science, and Master of Science degrees.
Robert Brank Vance was a Congressional Representative from North Carolina.
Robert Brank Vance, nephew of the earlier Congressman Robert Brank Vance (1793–1827) and brother of Zebulon B. Vance, was a North Carolina Democratic politician who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for six terms (1873–1885). He was chairman of the United States House Committee on Patents. During the American Civil War, Vance served in the Confederate States Army, where he reached the rank of brigadier general.
The Asheville metropolitan area is a metropolitan area centered on the principal city of Asheville, North Carolina. The U.S. Office of Management and Budget defines the Asheville, NC Metropolitan Statistical Area, a metropolitan statistical area used by the United States Census Bureau and other entities, as comprising the four counties of Buncombe, Haywood, Henderson, and Madison. The area's population was 424,858 according to the 2010 census, and 469,454 according to the 2020 census.
Colonel David Vance was an American soldier during the Revolutionary War.
The Zebulon B. Vance Birthplace is a historic site located in Weaverville, Buncombe County, North Carolina, United States. The site is owned and operated by the North Carolina Division of State Historic Sites.
The Anson County Regiment was authorized on September 9, 1775 by the Third North Carolina Provincial Congress. The regiment was engaged in battles and skirmishes against the British and Cherokee during the American Revolution in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia between 1776 and 1781. It was active until the end of the war.
The Washington District Regiment was authorized on December 23, 1776 by the Province of North Carolina Congress. It was subordinate to the Salisbury District Brigade of militia. The regiment was renamed the Washington County Regiment. The regiment was engaged in battles and skirmishes against the British and Cherokee during the American Revolution in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia between 1776 and 1782. It was active until the end of the war.
Reems Creek is a stream in the U.S. state of North Carolina. It is a tributary to the French Broad River.
Weaver College, originally Weaverville College (1873–1934), was an American co-educational school and college in Buncombe County, North Carolina.
Bailey Law School was a private law school located in Black Mountain and Asheville, North Carolina. It was established in 1859 by judge John Lancaster Bailey in Black Mountain but moved to Asheville after the Civil War. It operated in Asheville for ten years before closing.