Weyer

The Weyer Family

I have more details concerning Menrath Jr. & his wife Rosalia Force. My Great Aunt Elva also wrote and told me several of the family traditions concerning Menrath Sr. At this point, however, I do not have any further details on him. One of the traditions is that the name was originally Weyerhauser and that the family is related to the Weyerhauser's of lumber fame. It is my opinion that this tradition is highly unlikely.

Descendants of Menrath A. Weyer

Generation No. 1

1. MENRATH A. WEYER was born January 1798 in Bavaria, Germany and died 12 September 1865 in New York City, New York. He married ANNA MARIA LULSDORF around 1830 in New York. She was born 17 March 1802 and died 18 May 1862 in New York City, New York.

Tradition states that Menrath Sr. was a whaler. During his travels he is said to have carved his name on Napolean's tomb. A far stranger tradition states that he had brothers in Germany who were Catholic Priests. At some point he had a "falling out" with the Church and had relatives dug up and reburied in "non-Catholic" soil. Though a strong anti-Catholic sentiment pervaded the family for a couple generations, this particular tradition sounds more odd than probable since the brothers that were Catholic Priests would no doubt have had some say in the matter.

Children of MENRATH WEYER and MARIA are:

i. JOHN HENRY WEYER born about 1830.
ii. JOSEPH WEYER born about 1832.
2. iii. MENRATH A. WEYER, JR. was born 30 November 1833 in New York City, New York.
iv. GEORGE WEYER born 1837 and died August 1881 in New York. He married ISABELLE in 1857.
v. MATILDA WEYER born 1843 in New York, New York. She was married to WILLIAM E. CONKLIN around 1864.

Generation No. 2

2. MENRATH A. WEYER, JR. was born 30 November 1833 in New York City, NewYork and died 21 Oct 1889 in West Liberty, Iowa. He married ROSALIE VICTORINA FORCE on 3 Jul 1861 in Morristown, New Jersey, daughter of ELIAS FORCE and ELIZA POLLARD. She was born 28 April 1845 in Chatham, New Jersey and died 23 February 1915 in West Liberty, Iowa.

Menrath served in the Union Army during the Civil War, receiving a commission and attaining the rank of Captain upon retirement. His occupation was listed as "Baker" on his enlistment papers. He moved the family to Iowa, then to Missouri and then back to Iowa before he died. They owned a country store which Rosalie maintained after Menrath died.

Children of MENRATH WEYER and ROSALIE FORCE are:

i. WILLIAM ALBERT WEYER was born 8 March 1862 in Morristown, New Jersey. He married ELISA J. PARSONS
on 8 March 1887.
ii. LILLIE ROSE WEYER was born 8 May 1867 in Morristown, New Jersey. She married FREDERICK ALBERT LEHMAN on 1 January 1885 in Iowa.
iii. MENRATH WEYER born 1869.
iv. GEORGE WEYER born 1869.
v. BELLA L. WEYER born 1870 married CHRISTIAN ARTZ on 31 March 1890 in Muscatine, Iowa.
vi. FRED WEYER born 1870.
3. vii. PIERRE E. WEYER was born 14 April 1881 in Stone Co., Missouri.
viii. MINNIE F. WEYER born 5 August 1883.
ix. IVA BLANCHE WEYER born 18 March 1884 and married LORING T. MUNDY on 4 Sep 1907 in Muscatine, Iowa.

Generation No. 3

3. PIERRE E. WEYER was born 14 April 1881 in Stone Co., Missouri and died July 1958 in Huntsville, Arkansas. He married ETHEL GERTRUDE ROWLAND 31 December 1903, daughter of EBENIZER ROWLAND and ELVA CARLE. She was born 31 December 1885 in Oneida, South Dakota, and died May 1956 in Minnesota.

Children of PIERRE WEYER and ETHEL ROWLAND are:

i. ELVA GERTRUDE WEYER was born 12 September 1908 in White Township, South Dakota and died 17 September 1998 in Joplin, Missouri.
ii. VERN EUGENE WEYER was born 10 July 1911 in White Township, South Dakota.
iii. JOY ELAINE WEYER was born 24 May 1918 in Lake of the Woods, Minnesota and died 20 February 1990 in Las Vegas, Nevada. She married 1) EARL SMITH on 2 March 1940 in Minnesota. After their divorce, she married 2) RANDALL VERNON LAVERTY who was born 25 November 1892 in Pennsylvania and died 17 October 1979 in Jasper, Arkansas.
iv. FAITH MAURINE WEYER was born 20 July 1928 in Remer, Minnesota.

Photo of Pierre Weyer (sitting), Ethel (Rowland) Weyer (standing) and daugter Elva Weyer, c. 1910

Note: This ends the paternal line of my maternal grandmother, Joy Elaine Weyer.