David Weir 1829-1899

WEIR, WIER, RICHMOND

Posted By: Merllene Andre Bendixen (email)
Date: 1/6/2011 at 23:15:54

Death of David Weir
David Weir was born in Ireland, Oct.24, 1829; moved to Canada when he was thirteen years old; married Christina Richmond in 1854; came to Emmet county, Iowa in 1869; died at the home of his son George six miles north of Estherville Friday evening, Dec. 29, 1899.

Mr. Weir was one of our old settlers, having resided in this county over 30 years. He was a prominent, intelligent and influential citizen. He was one charter member of the Presbyterian church in Estherville and its first ruling elder. Funeral services conducted by the Rev. W. M. Evans were held in the Presbyterian church Sunday afternoon and the remains were laid to rest in the Oak Hill cemetery beside those of his beloved wife and daughter. Two sons living in Oklahoma and Kansas, respectively, could not be present, the six remaining sons, all living near, acted as pall-bearers in the last but loving service they could render their father.

Mr. Weir had been in feeble health for many years, but failed more rapidly in the last few months, his decease having been expected at any hour during the last week that he lived. He was a great reader, taking pleasure in keeping himself posted on all events of local or general interest. But as the end of life gradually approached he found greatest comfort in the study of the bible; having read the greater portion of the old and new testaments through twice within the past year. The one event of chief interest to him was the ascension of our Lord. He believed in the living, ascended, glorified Christ. In that blessed hope he passed from the scenes on earth to meet his Savior and the dear ones gone before. E. (Emmet County Republican, Estherville, IA, January 4, 1900)

A Tribute to David Weir by Frank Davey
Portland, Oregon, January 8, 1900 – James Maber, myself and our wives have read with sorrow of the death of David Weir, whom I knew to be an upright man and citizen, and an unfailing friend where his friendship was bestowed. Few men in Emmet county outside of his family were as intimate with Mr. Weir as I had the pleasure of being for several years. His children all went to school to me in the years gone by and I visited at his house in Armstrong Grove and Emmet township as one of the family, so that I had every opportunity of seeing beneath the rough bumps which he sometimes had a faculty of exhibiting, of recognizing in spite of those the genuine goodness that was always to be found within. I had many a battle-royal with him over local and general politics, also over the merits and demerits of Iowa as an abiding place. In 1876 he sold out his fine farm in Armstrong Grove and determined to go back to Canada, where he thought he could do better. I argued with him on what I believed an unwise move, but he was very set in his decisions, so I finally gave him the joking assurance that I would keep my door open for a home for him when he decided to return to Emmet county. Sure enough he came back the next spring and I was the first man he came to, warning me with that well known twinkle of his eye: “Don’t say a word now, keep down your jokes or I’ll take a stick to you. Just point me to a good place to buy and I’ll be a neighbor of yours.” Before long, I had a trade made between him and Welcome Barber which made him a fixture on the southeast quarter of section fourteen, Emmet township, where he spent many prosperous years, and where I presume he breathed his last.

David Weir was a good man. To passing acquaintances and to those for whose friendship he did not care, he appeared irritable and irascible, but to friends and intimates he was kind, considerate and companionable. Few men who suffered physically so much and so long as he did could have maintained so fair an exterior or performed as much good work as he did. He was a constant seeker after knowledge and his disposition in that line made him a persistent controversialist on all subjects, and it was a pleasure to spend an afternoon or evening with him, in the presence of his devoted and interesting family, enjoying the vigorous “give and take” of argument, in which he was an adept.

In Mr. Weir’s death Emmet county has lost a valuable citizen and the Estherville contingent in Salem feel they have lost an old time friend. (Emmet County Republican, Estherville, IA, January 18, 1900)