JOHN P. WEBER

WEBER

Posted By: Jake Tornholm (email)
Date: 4/21/2020 at 16:23:42

JOHN P. WEBER, of section 3, Mercer township, was born in Wittenberg, Germany, September 12, 1830, the eldest child of John and Eva (Weber) Weber, natives of the same country. In 1844 the family emigrated to America and settled on a farm near Williamsport, Lycoming county, Pennsylvania, where the parents passed the remainder of their days. The father died in 1861, at the age of seventy-three years, and the mother in 1865, at the age of sixty-three.

Our subject resided on his father's farm until he had reached his majority. In 1854 he came to Illinois, and two years later to Iowa, settling in Johnson county. He was married March 18, 1858, to Miss Sarah Jane Smurr, a native of Dalton, Wayne county, Ohio, and a daughter of Hugh A. and Margaret Hemperley Smurr, natives of Pennsylvania. April 1, 1858, Mr. Weber came to Adams county. He purchased 160 acres of unimproved land on sections 5 and 6, Quincy township, which he was engaged in improving until the breaking out of the late war, enlisting August 13, 1862, in Company D, Iowa Volunteer Infantry. He participated in many hard-fought battles; was with Sherman's expedition through Yazoo Pass, in the battle of Helena, Arkansas, Shell Mound, where they were under fire for nearly a month; was in the White river expedition, battle of Little Rock, Arkansas, Camden, Mobile, Fort Blakely and Spanish Fort. From there he went to Galveston, Texas, and up the Rio Grande for the purpose of guarding the frontier survey, where he served until the close of the war. He was mustered out of service and honorably discharged at New Orleans, September 15, 1865, and paid off at Davenport. He returned home and followed farming in Quincy township until 1873, when he sold out and purchased 160 acres of wild land, which constitutes his present farm, and now has one of the finest places in Mercer township. He has a fine orchard of two and a half acres and 400 trees, being the best in the county.

Mr. and Mrs. Weber are the parents of eight children, six of whom survive: Ella M., the wife of Elmer C. Mitchell of Mercer township; John E., Cora Leona, Charles A., Jasper P., Eva A., Maggie, who died when three years old, and Minnie, who died at the age of eighteen years. Mr. Weber and wife are consistent members of the Methodist Episcopal Church. He is a member of the G. A. R., Llewellyn post, No. 334. Politically he is a Republican.