The Weaver's
Loudoun County, Virginia
Amelia Weaver Roberts
affectionately known as "Milly"
April 15, 1835 - June 03, 1921
Amelia Weaver, my great grandmother was born on April 15, 1835 in Loudoun County, Virginia, in the area around Snickersville, to Lewis Weaver and his wife Delia, known as "Neely". I do not know Delia's maiden name, or much about either of them for they were slaves.
What I do know was passed down as an oral tradition in my family, and much of my research in Loudoun county is now focused on learning more about my Weaver line. Slowly, but surely, I am making progress.
According to family oral history, she learned her skills as a midwife from her mother, and had a great knowledge of healing herbs and remedies. Access to doctors was limited for slaves, and Milly did a lot of the doctoring in the area.
She learned to boil all of her midwifery tools, and also boiled and baked all of the clothes she wore to a birthing both before and after attending. This was in a time period when infant mortality rates were quite high, and medical doctors knew little about sterile conditions. After her marriage in 1865 to Presley Roberts, a stone mason who had been recently freed from slavery, she started her own family. Because she didn't trust doctors, or many other midwives, Milly birthed all her own children and raised 7 healthy children to adulthood.
Have had a hard time researching the Weaver family and am still not sure how they are related.
My great grandmother's brother was Dennis Weaver. He served in the Civil War, and received a pension. After his death,. his wife Delia Fields Weaver also received his pension.
I have received Dennis Weaver's civil war pension files from NARA and was stunned when they arrived - the package was over 200 pages.
According to the death certificate enclosed in the files his Date of Death was 27 Jun 1911.
He and his wife Delia are buried in Rock Hill Cemetery in Loudoun.
Weaver, Dennis W
Birth Date:
Death Date:
Cemetery: Rock
Hill
Location: Unison
Memo: NO DATES / "C.O.D. / I U.S.O.I."
(from Balch Library Loudoun Cemetery Database)
Maria Weaver, her sister, married Richard Jackson, brother of George Jackson in the slave narrative.
Dennis and Robert Weaver had land right next to each other. Robert's mother is listed as Evaline Weaver when he married Isabelle Randoph from Clarke County VA, in Loudoun.
I believe that Robert was a first cousin to Dennis, Amelia and Maria - am now trying to make the connections.
Another related Weaver - but not clear how, is an older Maria Weaver, wife of an unknown Weaver. When her son Thomas was married, in 1867, my great great grandfather Lewis Weaver proved his age.
GOING BEHIND THE "BRICK WALL" OF SLAVERY
In order for me to begin to piece together the Weaver family and relationships - some will have to be speculative at this point. I have collected information on all the Weaver family units in the small community outside of Snickersville up on the mountainside, because my older relatives have told me that "everyone up on the hillside was related - if not by blood then by marriage".
In order to find my family history, I must become very familiar with the families of the slaveholders - their marriages, cousins and other relations - because my family was passed from one branch of a slaveholders family to another.
Slaveholder John BEAVERS died at age 87 in about 1858 in
Loudoun County, but 14 years prior to his death on
They were a Maria WEAVER and her 3 children; Lucinda, Tom and Martha Ann.
It stated "the following slaves to wit, Negro Maria, commonly called Maria Weaver, and her three children, Martha Ann aged about seven years, Lucinda aged about four years and Thomas aged about two years together with the future increase of the family of them."
I
I believe this Maria WEAVER was the sister-in law of my gr gr grandfather Lewis WEAVER. Lewis and Delia named their daughter Maria, and given family naming patterns, she was probably named for the Maria WEAVER in the document above.
After John BEAVERS died, his wife Margaret came down with consumption (Loudoun County Death Register, 1853-1896, Frain & Hiatt) and died in 1859. Prior to her death drew up her will, dated 7th day of November 1859 and signed “her mark”.
The will included a list of items:
Item 1st: I give to Milton VB Waltman my servant boy Tom and my servant girl Lucinda, also one set of silver teas spoons in absolute right
Item 5th: I give to John W Allen, son of Edmund Allen, my servant woman Maria in absolute right.
She is widowed by 1880 and living with her son Thomas Weaver in Loudoun, listed as Maria TURNER. (not to be confused with another Maria Turner found in Loudoun with husband Richard)
John W 22 - given Maria (Weaver)
Jane 21 - given Amanda
James 20, Mary 17, Margaret 15, Sarah 13,
Martha 11, Susan 9,
Name:
Edmund Allen Age in 1870:
60 Estimated Birth Year:
1809 Birthplace:
Edmund ALLAN Self
M
M
W
70
VA Occ:
Farming
Margaret ALLAN
Wife F
M
W
66
VA Occ:
Keep House
Eliza ALLAN Dau F S W 45 VA
Jane ALLAN Dau F S W 43 VA
Sarah ALLAN Dau F S W 38 VA
Martha ALLAN Dau F S W 35 VA
Susan ALLAN Dau F S W 30 VA
Lue JAMES Other F S B 14 VA Occ: Servant
I am now trying to figure out how they are all related to Margaret BEAVERS.
He is listed in both the slave schedules and the census for Loudoun in 1860:
Name: MILTON V. B. WALTMAN
State: VA County:
By 1856 - Maria’s daughter Lucinda would have been 16, and not yet the property of the Waltman's. I think this is Lucinda WEAVER.
Lucinda WEAVER ironically married an Addison BEAVER (also listed in other records as Adam BEAMER, BEVER) Aug 10, 1868 in Loudoun.