JOHN WEAVER, County Treasurer and Assessor, New Grand Chain. The public
affairs of a single county, as well as those of a State or the country at
large — though of less magnitude — require, nevertheless, nearly as much
ability and quite as much honesty in the successful management thereof.
Ability and integrity are two pre-requisites which, when possessed by the
same individual, assure the public, who may favor him with positions of the
highest trust, that the duties thereof will be ably and faithfully
discharged. It is a fact greatly to be deplored that many of our public men
do not possess both of these essential characteristics to any creditable
extent. Their abilities on the one hand may be remarkable, while their
integrity of purpose on the other may be justly questioned and vice versa.
The people understand this, and so it is that they are loath to part with
the services of one who possesses the necessary qualifications of which we
speak, and this is plainly shown by the tenacity with which they cling to
them. The subject of these lines, Mr. John Weaver, a portrait of whom will
be found elsewhere in this volume, though comparatively a young man, has
been prominently and largely identified with the public interests of Pulaski
County; elected, in 1873, to the responsible position of County Assessor and
Treasurer, he has served continuously ever since, having been many times
re-elected. The duties of impartially distributing the expenses of the
county upon her citizens, and the duties pertaining to the proper handling
of her funds, he has faithfully discharged for many years, with an eye
single to the interests of the people as a whole. Upon the services of such
a man, the public assume to have a claim, as is clearly indicated by the
contents of the ballot box year after year.
Mr. Weaver is an
Illinoisan by birth, Johnson County, this State, being his native county. He
was born June 27, 1843, the youngest child born to Barnett and Nancy N.
(Madden) Weaver, he a native of Pennsylvania and she of Kentucky. The father
was a carpenter by trade, but in later years engaged in farming pursuits. He
died, as did his wife also, when John was only about six years old. Their
union had been blessed with eight children, five of whom still survive:
Charlotte T., wife of Dr. J. B. Ray, of Franklin County, this State;
Barnett; Catharine, wife of Matthew Hood, of Union County, Ill.; Jasper N.
and John. The latter being left an orphan at a tender age, went to live with
his brother-in-law in Johnson County, and there obtained what little
education was afforded by the early schools. He continued his studies at
Duquoin, Ill., and afterward attended a select school in Johnson County,
which numbered about seventy-five scholars, all of whom, with the exception
of a few, enlisted in the Union service when the war opened.
August
22, 1861, our subject joined Company F, Thirty-first Illinois Voluntary
Infantry, Col. J. A. Logan. They did valuable service at Belmont, Fort
Donelson, Corinth, Vicksburg and Atlanta, near which latter place Mr. Weaver
was discharged, his time of enlistment having expired. He came to Pulaski
County and attended school a year, and was afterward for five years engaged
in teaching in this county.
In 1867, he wedded Esther H. Youngblood, a
daughter of Absalom and Margaret (Daniel) Youngblood. Five children have
blessed this union, four of whom are living — James H., Margaret M., Frank
and Frederick twins.
Besides his official duties, Mr. Weaver has
farming interests to look after, having in the county about five hundred
acres of land, which he is putting into condition for stock-raising. He is a
member of the I. O. O. F., and also K. of H. Politically, he is a
Republican.
Extracted 02 Nov 2014 by Norma Hass from 1883 History of Alexander, Union and Pulaski Counties, Illinois, Part V - Biographical Sketches, pages 310-311.
| Union | Johnson | |
| Alexander |
 |
Massac McCracken KY |
| Ballard KY |
