Biography - William Weakly
WILLIAM WEAKLY. Among the best farms on section 34, Ridge Township,
Shelby County, will be noticed by every stranger or passer-by the finely
cultivated acres and good, neat buildings of the excellent farmer whose name
appears at the head of this paragraph. His father, Benedict Weakly, was born
in Maryland, March 24, 1787, and his mother, Margatha Mathews, a native of
the same State, was born May 1, 1797. They were married December 22, 1816,
and made their first home in their native State removing afterward to
Fairfield County, Ohio, and in the summer of 1843 emigrated to Illinois and
settled in Ridge Township, Shelby County, where they spent the remainder of
their days; the father was called hence November 14, 1858, and the mother
followed him to the grave April 15, 1878.
This worthy and venerated couple had ten children: Robert, Rebecca, Nancy,
John, Henry, James, Margaret, Mary, William, and George. Robert is a farmer
in Kansas; Rebecca was the wife of David Ewing and died in Ridge Township,
September 16, 1843; Nancy married Richard Keirn and died in Assumption,
Ill.: John died in South Dakota, July 25, 1888; Henry is a clergyman and
farmer residing in Ross Township; James died in Kansas, in Harper County in
July, 1889; Margaret was the wife of Samuel Smith and passed away in Tower
Hill Township, September 21, 1885; Mary died in infancy; William is a farmer
in Ridge Township; and George died in infancy.
William Weakly was born in Fairfield County, Ohio, August 5, 1835, and was
about eight years old when he came to Shelby County with his parents and
here in Ridge Township, where he grew to manhood he has made his home from
that day to this. He has always followed agricultural pursuits and is the
owner of two hundred and eighty acres of land which are highly cultivated
and in a splendid productive condition. In his political views he is
strongly inclined to believe in the doctrines which are promulgated in the
platform of the Republican party.
Extracted 11 Jan 2018 by Norma Hass from 1891 Portrait and Biographical Record of Shelby and Moultrie Counties Illinois, pages 333-334.
