Encyclopedia of Connecticut biography, genealogical-memorial ...

(I) "Gentleman" John Weed, the great-
grandfather of Richmond Weed, directlydescended
from the immigrant, was
born October 15, 1771. He saw service
in the Connecticut Legislature. He married,
December 23, 1799, Sarah Waterbury,
a widow.
(II) Henry Davis Weed, son of John
and Sarah (Waterbury) Weed, was born
August 30, 1803, and died February i,
1875. As a boy he went to Savannah,
Georgia, making the greater part of the
journey on foot. There were no railroads
in that day and probably no vessel bound
for the port he desired. In association
with his brother, Nathaniel B. Weed, he
established a hardware business in Savannah
under the firm name of N. B.
Weed & Company, which is still carried
on by descendants and is the oldest hardware
concern in the United States. In
the course of time Mr. Weed became the
head of the firm, the name being changed
to H. D. Weed & Company. When the
business was started it was retail, but in
the passing years has grown to such pro-
portions that it has been largely whole-
sale. The territory extends into neigh-
boring states and many of the surround-
ing country stores are supplied. At the
outbreak of the Civil War the financial
situation of the South was such that Mr.
Weed was not able to make his collections,
and he accepted cotton in payment
of the accounts, which was stored in a
building in Savannah. When the army
of General Sherman entered the city the
cotton was destroyed. It had always been
the custom of Mr. Weed to spend his
summers at the old homestead in Darien,
and during the war he ran the blockade
eight times in order to reach the North.
In his claim against the United States
Government for the cotton destroyed, Mr.
Weed was allowed $90,000, and with this
money the brick Weed house now stand-
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF BIOGRAPHY
410
ing in Noroton was built. Immediately
after the return of peace, Mr. Weed as-
sisted in the establishment of the Freedmen's
Bank, but the Southern whites
were not yet ready to support such an in-
stitution and the venture was necessarily
abandoned. This unsuccessful undertak-
ing was the cause of Mr. Weed losing
many thousands of dollars, but the episode
serves to indicate the fine spirit of the
man and also his far-reaching business
instinct.
Mr. Weed married Sarah M. Dunning,
December 10, 1835, daughter of Sheldon
C. and Gertrude (Russell) Dunning, of
Savannah, Georgia. Mrs. Weed died
August 16, 1865. Their children were
Joseph Dunning; John Waring, of further
mention ; Edwin G., who is the Pro-
testant Episcopal Bishop of Florida ; Ger-
trude, who died at the age of sixteen
years. The family were members of the
Christian church, a denomination sometimes
known as the Campbellites. Henry
Davis Weed died February i, 1875, ii"*
Savannah, Georgia.
(Ill) John Waring Weed, son of
Henry Davis and Sarah M. (Dunning)
Weed, was born July 5, 1845, in Savan-
nah, Georgia. He graduated from the
University of Georgia in Athens, receiving
his degree in 1915. Mr. Weed had
only been a year there when the Civil
War broke out and he went into the Con-
federate army. He was in the Signal
Service and was out four years, and after
the war he returned to Georgia with his
horse. He subsequently travelled in
Germany a year for his health. On his
return he entered Columbia Law School,
from which he was graduated in 1869,
and was admitted to the bar in New York
City. During his lifetime he was engaged
in the practice of his profession
there, and was at one time in partnership
with John D. Townsend previous to this
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