| The family Bible
of Henry and Jane (Nowell) Weir was for many years on Henry Mack Weir's
desk located in the living room of the residence at 50 Panola Street, Asheville,
Buncombe County, NC. After Mrs. Weir's death on January 12, 1969, Mr. Weir
having previously died on November 14, 1955, many of the family possessions
continued in the house as Mrs. Weir's longtime, since 1955, housekeeper
and companion Blanche Bradburn Worley continued to live there until shortly
before she died on December 28, 1955 at the age 91. She was considered
a member of the Weir family.
After his mother's
death, Charles Luther Weir gathered all the family pictures and memorabilia
and placed them in a trunk kept in his house at 79 Herron Avenue in West
Asheville. After Ms Worley's death James Weldon Weir took possession of
a few pieces of furniture which included his father's desk and kept them
in his home at 145 Lakeshore Drive in Asheville. Shortly after James Weldon
Weir died on 17 December 1987, his son James Weldon Weir, Jr. having acquired
most of the furniture, furnishings and personal items of the estate, moved
the items to his home at 1604 Foard Drive, Morristown, Hamblen County,
TN. Interestingly, among these items was the suitcase of family pictures
and memorabilia Charles Luther Weir had removed from 50 Panola Street;
his daughter, Mr. Ruth Elizabeth Weir Shipman, had given then to James
Weldon Weir after the death of her mother and father and sale of the family
home. Upon examining these items, James Weldon Weir, Jr. discovered that
the Weir Family Bibl except for one page, was missing. He contacted each
Weir descendant in an attempt to locate the Bible, but no one had any knowledge
of its whereabouts or even when it was lost. The one page found, confirmed
by Mrs. Ruth Gladys Weir Pennington to be in the handwriting of her father,
was from the Family Register. It was very legible but in poor condition.
The found page on one side gives vital information about the parents and
on the other side vital information about their children.
Thus the family
must rely on a transcription of the Weir Family Bible made by the oldest
daughter, Mrs. Ruth Gladys Weir Pennington, which she presented to her
mother on her mother's birthday November 7, 1957. Comparing this transcription
to the page from the original, the transcription is exact. The Bible which
subsequently came into the possession of James Weldon Weir, Jr. has been
kept updated and annotated by him. The Family Register in this Bible, published
in 1945 by The World Publishing Company, Cleveland and New York, contains
the following:
Presentation
Presented to
Mama
By Ruth and Coty
Date November
7, 1957
Family Register
Henry Mack Weir,
son of Samuel Bell Weir and Cynthia E. Park Weir
Ida Jane Nowell,
daughter of James William Nowell and Pamela Thomas Nowell
were united in
Holy Matrimony in Jackson County, Georgia
the 14th
day of August 1892.
Births
Arthur Lafayette
Weir - born June 7, 1893 in Hoschton, Jackson Co., GA
unnamed infant
buried in Weir section of Hoschton City Cemetery, Jackson Co., GA
Ruth Gladys Weir
- born September 24, 1901 in Concord, Carrabus Co., GA
Charles Luther
Weir - born April 16, 1903 in Gainesville, Hall County, GA
Hal Mack Weir
- born November 23, 1904 in Asheville, Buncombe Co., NC
James Weldon
Weir - born August 28, 1906 in Asheville, Buncombe Co., NC
Alice Elizabeth
Weir - born March 6, 1908 in Asheville, Buncombe Co., NC
Margaret Idalia
Weir - born June 19, 1915 in Asheville, Buncombe Co., NC
Father: Henry
Mack Weir - born June 24, 1871 in Hoschton, Jackson Co., GA
Mother: Ida Jane
Nowell - born November 7, 1875 in Thompson Mill, Clarke Co., GA
Marriages
Henry Mack Weir
and Ida Jane Nowell were remarried by the Rev. A. C. Thomas on Friday night
26 January at the Arlington Hotel in Gainesville, Hall Co., GA, having
filed for divorce 25 August 1896 which was granted by the State of Georgia,
Jackson County Superior Court in the February Session meeting on First
Monday 1897.
Arthur Lafayette
Weir and Violet May Slater of Banaff, Alberta, Canada married 3 February
1915 in San Francisco, San Francisco Co., CA
Charles Luther
Weir and Mary Lee Fowler of Gainesville, Alachua Co., FL married ca. Early
1920's in Gainesville, Alachua Co., FL. They were later divorced, but remarried
about c. mid-to-late 1920's in Decatur, Dekalb Co., GA
Ruth Gladys Weir
and William Courtney "Coty" Pennington of Pennington, Morgan Co., GA married
19 October 1927 in Asheville, Buncombe Co., NC
James Weldon
Weir & Lilly Belle "Billie Russell" of Birminghan, Jefferson Co., AL
married 9 October 1932 in Birmingham, Jefferson Co., AL
Alice Elizabeth
Weir & Joseph Everett Beamon of Elizabeth City, Pasquotank Co., NC
married 9 March 1933 in Asheville, Buncombe Co., NC
Hal Mack Weir
and Martha Glenn Gibson of Buncombe Co., NC married 11 May 1935 in Asheville,
Buncombe Co., NC
Margaret Idalia
Weir & Robert Vernon Brandon, M.D. of Chattanooga, Hamilton Co., TN
married 12 June 1936 in Atlanta, Fulton Co., GA
Charles Luther
Weir & Myrtle Edna Wilson of Burnsville, Yancey Co., NC married 13
January 1941 in Greenville, Greenville Co., SC
Arthur Lafayette
Weir and Evelyn Otelia Morgan of Candler, Buncombe Co., NC married 5 November
1948 in Decatur, DeKalb Co., GA
Margaret Idalia
Weir & Newton Jasper Lacey of Griffin, Spalding Co., GA married 22
August 1972 in Jacksonville, Duval Co., FL
Deaths
Henry Mack Weir
(aged 84) died November 14, 1955 in Asheville, NC
Ida Jane Nowell
Weir (age 93) died January 12, 1969 in Asheville, NC
Charles Luther
Weir (age 76) died August 10, 1979 in Asheville, NC
Arthur Lafayette
Weir (age 91) died April 30, 1985 in Asheville, NC
James Weldon
Weir (age 81) died October 17, 1987 in Asheville, NC
Hal Mack Weir
(age 86) died June 2, 1991 in Asheville, NC
Mary Lee Fowler
Weir (age late 20's) died c. early 1930's in Gainesville, Alachua Co.,
FL
Violet May Slater
Weir (age 70) died October 11, 1964 in Palm Springs, Riverside Co., CA
Joseph Everett
Beamon (age 64) died January 11, 1969 in High Point, Guilford Co., NC
Lilly Belle "Billie"
Russell Weir (age 61) died 5 January 1975 in Asheville, NC
Myrtle Edna Wilson
Weir (age 70) died 9 May 1981 in Asheville, NC
William Courtney
"Coty" Pennington (age 96) died 16 August 1986 in Decaur, Dekalb
Co., GA
Evelyn Otelia
Morgan Weir (age 87) died 23 September 1990 in Asheville, NC
--information
provided by: James Weldon Weir, Jr. 1604 Foard Drive,
Morristown,
TN 37814 (615 587-3613
--printed
in ALOB May 1998
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