BIO: Jacob WEYAND, Beaver County, PA
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BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES. This Volume Contains Biographical Sketches
of Leading Citizens of Beaver County, Pennsylvania. Buffalo, N.Y.,
Chicago, Ill.: Biographical Publishing Company, 1899, pp. 33-35.
_________________________________________________________________
COL. JACOB WEYAND, a retired publisher of Beaver, Pa., whose portrait is
shown on the opposite page, enjoys the distinction of being the only living
member of the convention that participated in the formation of the Republican
party at Lafayette Hall, Pittsburg, Pa., February 22, 1856. He first saw the
light of day on March 22, 1828, near Mount Jackson, Lawrence county, then a
part of Beaver county. He worked on a farm until he attained manhood, and
then attended Beaver Academy. In 1854 he became part owner of the Argus, and
assisted in editing and publishing that paper until the winter of 1857 and
1858. Selling his interest in the Argus, he purchased the Free Press, at
Carrollton, Ohio, where he was busily engaged at the breaking out of the
Civil War. Catching the martial spirit of the times, Mr. Weyand sold the Free
Press, and raised a company of volunteers. He was chosen captain, and marched
the company to Camp Mingo, near Steubenville, Ohio, where it was at once
attached to the 126th Reg., Ohio Vol. Inf., and mustered into service in
1862. During his service, Capt. Weyand was noted for sturdy courage and
coolness in the midst of great danger, and although twice wounded in battle,
he had no fears for his personal safety, but thought rather of the duty to be
performed. He participated in nearly all the battles of the Potomac campaign.
In the battle of Monocacy, Md., fought July 9, 1864, Capt. Weyand was placed
in command of his regiment, and an officer on the staff of the commanding
general that day, in writing a history of the battle, made use of the
following language:
"Capt. Weyand, who was commanding the 126th Ohio Vol., was on the extreme
right of the line, with the right of his regiment resting near the Monocacy
bridge. After the battle had progressed a short time, he was directed by
General Wallace to set fire to the bridge, then face the regiment to the
left, double quick it to the extreme left of the line, throw it across the
pike, and hold the position as long as he could. The bridge was fired and the
regiment started off on its perilous movement. It had almost reached the
desired destination, when, as it came abreast of the line of the 'hundred day
men,' it met a most unexpected obstruction. Immediately in its front was a
farm ditch about six feet wide and the same depth, through which a sluggish
stream of water was running. A few feet further was a board fence five or six
feet high-both running at right angles with the line of battle. Just beyond
the ditch and fence was the Washington pike. The ditch was literally alive
with 'hundred day men,' who, totally unused to the sort of treatment they
were receiving at the hands of the
34 BOOK OF BIOGRAPHIES
enemy, had taken shelter there from the raking fire which the Confederates
had opened on the pike. With the view of keeping that thoroughfare open, the
enemy were in line of battle on an elevation of about four hundred yards in
our front, and every missile known to warfare seemed to be coming down that
hard, dusty road; plowing shot, screeching shells, rattling grape and
canister were hurled out, with sharp volleys of musketry, sending up puffs of
dust, or tearing up great rifts of the highway. No one could command calmness
enough to considerately behold the scene, yet this had to be done; the
General had ordered it. Here Captain Weyand leaped the ditch, climbed to the
top of the fence, and pointed forward. In an instant every file was moving
after him, led by the gallant McPeck. Under the galling fire the men were
falling like leaves before an autumn blast, and, realizing the dreadful havoc
that was being made in the ranks, Capt. Weyand broke the battle line, and
hurriedly moved his regiment some seventy-five yards forward, where a rise in
the ground partly sheltered the men from the merciless storm they had just
passed. Every officer came out of the conflict bleeding, and every man not
hit or killed had his clothes riddled with bullets."
In the eleven preceding battles in which the regiment had borne an
honorable part, its splendid discipline and fighting qualities had never
shown to greater advantage than in this field. Its brilliant conduct was the
theme of officers and men who had no connection with it, and Captain Weyand,
who had alreadybeen complimented highly by his superior officers for
gallantry at Cold Harbor, was now honored with a recommendation to the
Secretary of War for promotion as major and brevet lieutenant-coionel, Col.
Fox, in his book, entitled, "The Three Hundred Fighting Regiments of the
War," includes the 126th Ohio Vol. Infantry (Col. Weyand's) regiment as one
of that number. After the war, our subject returned to Beaver, Pa.,
repurchased the Argus, and conducted it until 1874, when he consolidated it
with the Radical, publishing both under the firm of Weyand & Rutan. From that
time Col. Weyand practically retired from business, with the exception of
dealing in real estate to some extent. He purchased the David Hall property
of fifteen acres at Beaver, but just within the line of Bridgewater borough,
and built a handsome residence. In 1893, Col. Weyand was elected to the
legislature; two years later he was re-elected, and the duties of a
legislator were performed by him in a very creditable and capable manner.
The subject of this sketch was twice married. In 1857, Victoria Adams, a
charming young lady of Beaver county, became his wife, and shared his joys
and sorrows until 1892, when he was deprived of her pleasant companionship by
death. She was born in 1837, and bore her husband the following children:;
Emma; Romulus and Remus, twins; Milo Adams; Edwin Stanton; Blanche, and Paul.
Emma is the wife of Harry W. Reeves, of Beaver; Romulus and Remus died in
infancy; Milo Adams is deceased; Edwin
BEAVER COUNTY 35
Stanton is an attorney-at-law in Beaver. He was a law student under ex-Judge
Wickham, now deceased, and was admitted to the bar in 1895; he married
Wilhelmina Thompson, of Marion, Ohio, who has borne him two children,
Dorothy, and "baby," not yet named. Blanche is a stenographer, and Paul is a
Methodist minister. He was educated at the Beaver High School and at
Allegheny College, Meadville, Pennsylvania. He is now Superintendent of City
Missions, at Pittsburg, Pa.
Some time after the death of his first wife, Col. Weyand formed a second
matrimonial alliance-this time with Mary E. Cooke, a daughter of Maj. William
Cooke. Col. Weyand is a member of the U. V. L. and the G. A. R. He worships at
the M. E. church. He is a son of Henry and Mary M. (Ginder) Weyand, and a
grandson of Jacob Weyand, who was born in Alsace, Germany, and came to
America about the year 1738, settling at Somerset, Pennsylvania, where he and
his good wife both lived to a good old age. So far as is known, their children
were as follows: Michael; Jacob; John, and Henry, father of the subject of
this memoir.
Henry Weyand was born July 31, 1791, in Somerset county, Pa., and there his
marriage occurred. He wedded Mary Magdalena Ginder, a daughter of George
Ginder. The young folks settled near Mount Jackson, and purchased a farm now
known as the William Patterson farm. In his younger day, Henry Weyand taught
schools during winters-teaching both German and English-and devoted his
summers to working his farm. He was a man of prominence in his community, and
served many years as constable. His death occurred at the age of fifty-two
years, three months, and nine days. His devoted wife died in August, 1863,
aged seventy-three years and eight months. Their family consisted of the
following children: Agabus; Mary Ann; Michael; Jacob, and Elizabeth. Agabus
died young; Mary Ann is the wife of Jacob Bender; this worthy couple recently
celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary, at Mahoningtown, Pa.; Michael
is the editor of the Beaver Times; Jacob is the subject of this biography,
and Elizabeth is the wife of Joseph Strouck.