Andrew Weaver and Catherine Schreffler
Husband Andrew Weaver
Born: 16 Sep 1781-1782 - Salem-Kantz area, Snyder Co, PA Christened: Died: 1870 - Pine Run Valley, Richland Twp, Venango Co, PA Buried: - Valley Cemetery, Richland Twp, Venango Co, PA 1
Father: Johannas Weaver (1751-1823) Mother: Eva Margaret Braun (1759-1804)
Marriage: Abt 1803
Wife Catherine Schreffler
Born: 6 Nov 1787 - Salem-Kantz area, Snyder Co, PA Christened: 25 Nov 1787 - Altalaha Evangelical Lutheran Church, Rehrersburg, Berks Co, PA Died: 1882 - Pine Run Valley, Richland Twp, Venango Co, PA Buried: - Valley Cemetery, Richland Twp, Venango Co, PA 1
Father: Carl "Charles" Samuel Schreffler (1762-1826) Mother: Magdalena Mertz (1766-Abt 1831)
Children
1 M Michael Weaver
Born: 8 Jun 1806 Christened: Died: 31 Oct 1877 - near Nickleville, Richland Twp, Venango Co, PA Buried: - Valley Cemetery, Richland Twp, Venango Co, PA 1Spouse: Susan Blauser (1812-1876)
2 M John A. Weaver 2
Born: 31 Oct 1807 - Haines Twp, Centre Co, PA Christened: Died: 14 Sep 1892 2 Buried: - Valley Cemetery, Richland Twp, Venango Co, PASpouse: Mary Polly Kribbs (1814-1889) 3 Marr: 14 May 1835 2
3 M Rev. Andrew Weaver
Born: 10 Aug 1809 - Haines Twp, Centre Co, PA Christened: Died: Bef 29 Aug 1859 - Richland Twp, Venango Co, PA Buried: - Valley Cemetery, Richland Twp, Venango Co, PA 1Spouse: Elizabeth "Betsy" Gilger (1817-1867) Marr: 1834 - Venango Co, PA
4 M Rev. Joseph Weaver
Born: 16 Jun 1812 - Haines Twp, Centre Co, PA Christened: Died: 27 Jun 1885 Buried: - Valley Cemetery, Richland Twp, Venango Co, PA 4Spouse: Sarah Ann "Sally" Myers (1823-1860/1866)
5 M Rev. Samuel Weaver
Born: 14 Mar 1814 - Haines Twp, Centre Co, PA Christened: Died: 21 Feb 1902 Buried: - Valley Cemetery, Richland Twp, Venango Co, PA 4Spouse: Eliza Alsbach (1820-1904) Marr: 15 May 1840
6 M Thomas Dotson Weaver
Born: 2 Dec 1816 - Haines Twp, Centre Co, PA Christened: Died: 2 Oct 1890 Buried:Spouse: Eva Starr ( - )Spouse: Lavina Hockman ( -1909) 5 Marr: Aft 1869
7 M Rev. Charles "Carl" Weaver
Born: 30 Jan 1820 - Haines Twp, Centre Co, PA Christened: Died: 25 Feb 1852 Buried:Spouse: Rebecca Everhart ( - ) Marr: 8 Nov 1840
8 F Magdalena "Molly" Weaver
Born: 18 Sep 1821 - Haines Twp, Centre Co, PA Christened: Died: 1861 Buried:Spouse: Rev. Absalom Teats ( - )
9 M David Weaver
Born: 6 Nov 1824 - Haines Twp, Centre Co, PA Christened: Died: 29 May 1875 Buried: - Valley Cemetery, Richland Twp, Venango Co, PASpouse: Sarah Emma Caton (1828-1885)
General Notes: Husband - Andrew Weaver
He served during the War of 1812.
The Venango County land on which the family would settle had first belonged to the Lancaster Land Company and was part of Tract 2499 which the company had purchased from the state of Pennsylvania. The land [company] sold the 212 acres to Jacob Kauffman and Christian Carpenter and on October 18, 1819 these gentlemen sold it to Jacob and Rebecca Sharar (Sherer/Shearer).
The first deed recorded in Venango County to Andrew Weaver, Sr. is found in Deed Book G, pp 92. Here we learn that Jacob Sherer, an innkeeper of the city of Lancaster, Pa., and Rebecca, his wife sold Andrew Weaver of Rockland Twp., Venango County, PA, 200 acres in Venango County, 'being part of Tract 2499'. The deed was dated December 6, 1830 and recorded February 23, 1836. The total price paid was $275. Arrangements for transfer of the land had taken place before the family arrived in the area, and in 1830 Andrew got deed to the property. It may have taken him five years to pay for the property or he may not have gotten to Franklin to record the deed until then. The old deed states that the fences went with the lands. Tract 2499 is located just E of Nickleville, in Richland Twp., and would be the property on which the Valley (or Weaver) Church was located and also the site of the Valley Cemetery where a great many of the family are interred.
Andrew was a successful farmer in Haines Township, [Centre County] where he lived just east of Aaronsburg, PA. In 1801 he already owned 144 acres in Lower Bald Eagle Twp., Centre County, PA. (this was an older name for present-day Haines Twp.) Andrew had heard of the wonderful opportunities in the western part of the state, the low price of the land, and the fact that there were very few settlers there. Land was scarce in Haines Twp. and was getting very expensive. Andrew decided that if his children were going to have greater opportunities in life, their chances would be greater in the wild frontier of western PA. He and one or two brothers, along with brother-in-law Charles Schreffler made an 1824 survey trip west. When they reached Pine Run Valley in Richland Twp., Venango County, they discovered much land for sale at a low price. Andrew and George Weaver and Charles Schreffler each arranged to buy a farm in the area; then they returned 150 miles to their Centre County farms to get ready to move all their worldly possessions to their new home and to sell their Centre County land.
In the spring of 1825 Andrew and Catharine moved west on the Old State Road from Haines Twp., Centre County to Pine Run Valley in Richland Twp., Venango County, PA. A caravan of Weavers (Andrew and his brothers George and Samuel) and Schrefflers (Catharine's brothers Joseph and Charles and her sister Sophia (and her husband John Stover) started west in the spring of 1825 in their wagons loaded with farm implements and their household goods with their animals trailing along behind the wagons. There were 11 traveling in this family; 4 in the George Weaver Family; unknown number in the Samuel Weaver family, 14 in the John and Sophia Stover family and an unknown number in the Charles Schreffler family. It is not difficult to imagine that there were about 50 people in this caravan. They covered the tops of the wagons with canvas and they were called "tar" wagons - meaning tarpaulin-covered wagons. Andrew had a team of horses to pull his wagon. Some of the wagons were pulled by oxen. The going was very slow-although the road was 20 years old, it was barely a road. The hills were steep and it was often necessary to fasten several teams of horses and oxen to one wagon to get it up such steep places. They would sometimes have to remove trees before they could proceed. As there were no accommodations, the settlers slept in and under the wagons, cooked their meals over open campfires and made do the best they could. They traveled only about 5 or so miles per day. It took them over a month to move from Aaronsburg to Pine Run Valley. The route followed Old State Road from Aaronsburg to Old Fort, to Center Hall, to Bellefonte, to Milesburg, to Unionville, up the mountain and across it to Philipsburg, to Clearfield, to Curwensville, up Anderson Creek Hill to Chestnut Grove, to Luthersburg, to Reynoldsville, to Port Barnett, to Brookville, and to Corsica where they left the Old State Road. Between 1805 and 1825 the Old State Road had been given a new name: Bellefonte-Erie Pike. At Corsica this new road left the Old State Road and followed the Watterson-Olean Road to Watterson, to Strattonville, to the old stone house a short distance S of Clarion to Callensburg where it left the Watterson-Olean Road, crossed the Clarion River and went to Knox. There the Bellefonte-Erie Pike headed toward Kossuth but about a mile before Kossuth it headed down the Pine Run Valley. In the valley it went toward Van where it came out onto present day US Hwy 322 and followed it to Franklin; then on to Erie.
Andrew and Catharine stopped in the valley where Andrew had purchased his 200+ acres of land. There was and still is a good spring just below the public road. There was virgin timber covering the land, and they had to cut down these giant trees to clear it. The building of a log cabin commenced near the spring so that it would be easier to get water. The spring became known as Weaver Spring. After the log cabin was finished, a shelter was built for their farm animals. Following that, a pig pen and a Dutch Oven were built. In the 1826 Richland Twp. tax assessment, Andrew was listed as owning 200 acres, 2 horses and 2 cows!
The Andrew and Catharine Weaver farm started at the public road that leads from the Valley Church to Peg 'n Awl at the NW corner of the Valley Cemetery. About 2/3 of the way up across the cemetery there is an E and W driveway. This is the N boundary line of the farm. The boundary goes E across the cemetery for about 181 perches (a perch is 16½ feet) to the present-day Clarion-Venango County line. The farm boundary then turned S for a distance along the county line, then E again over into Ashland Twp., Clarion County The line then goes S for 220 perches to about the top of Cupp Hill, where it stopped E of the public road. Then the boundary turned W and followed the present county line for about 169 perches. The farm line then turns N, goes down over the hill to the Nickleville Road, where it turns and follows the public road back to the Valley Church. It then turns NW and follows the Valley and Peg 'n Awl road up to the Valley Cemetery, where it began. The W side is about 212 perches. The farm contained 200 acres plus another 6% (12 acres) for public roads.
All of the Weaver children married local people and settled nearby - in present-day Richland, Ashland, and Rockland Townships. All of their homes were within 1½ miles of their parents' home. There were soon so many Weavers that the area became known locally as the Weaver Settlement!
Andrew was instrumental in helping to start the Bell School, located 1½ miles south of Nickleville and about 3 miles from the Weaver home in the Valley. There were many Weaver grandchildren as well as neighbors, and he gave a piece of ground (about 47 perches) in the NW corner of his farm along the public road. Today, this is the site of the Valley Cemetery, where both Andrew and Catherine (and many family members) are buried.
The school became known as the Weaver School. Books available included the New Testament, Murray English Reader, the Webster Spelling book, Pike's Arithmetic Book and Daboll Arithmetic book. Teachers received very little pay and usually boarded around the homes of the children. A short time later the school building was also used as a place of worship - considered the first Valley church. It was known as the "Log Place of Worship". [VJM, 85]
General Notes: Wife - Catherine Schreffler
She was born Nov 22, 1786. [WFT, 165]
1 Venango County Historical Society, Venango County Pennsylvania Cemetery Records and Early Church Histories, Vol. 4, Richland Township (Franklin, PA: Venango County Historical Society, 1996), Pg 52.
2 John W. Jordan, LL.D., Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Pennsylvania (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1913), Pg 926.
3 —, Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania, Including the Counties of Centre, Clearfield, Jefferson and Clarion. (Chicago: J. H. Beers & Co., 1898), Pg 1447.
4 Venango County Historical Society, Venango County Pennsylvania Cemetery Records and Early Church Histories, Vol. 4, Richland Township (Franklin, PA: Venango County Historical Society, 1996), Pg 53.
5
John W. Jordan, LL.D., Genealogical and Personal History of the Allegheny Valley, Pennsylvania (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1913), Pg 932.
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