Person:Ebenezer Weston (4)

Obituary of Eben Weston from the Canon City Record, May 5, 1894, p. 4, col. 4

Died April 30th, 1894, at Canon City, Eben Weston aged 91 years, 8 months, and 5 days.

Eben Weston, whose familiar figure has been well known in Canon City for more than twenty years was born at Bloomfield, now Skowhegan, Maine, August 25th, 1802.

His ancestors were prominent from the earliest dates in English history as well as in the settlement of New England. One of them furnished the money to buy and outfit the Mayflower.^[4] As early as 1634^[5] his direct ancestor was a promoter of the colony that settled Salem, Mass., and adjacent country. Always pioneers, his father and mother with other relatives pushed far up into the wilds of Maine, some years before the American Revolution. Never of robust constitution yet he qualified himself for a teacher at eighteen years, following that profession for many years. He was a good mathematician, while in Greek, Latin, and French, astronomy, botany, and the science of the day he excelled, and up to his decease was fully abreast of the times. He taught many years in Virginia and Georgia and in the latter state became acquainted with Delia Bliss of West Springfield, Mass., to whom he was married in 1834. To them there were born eight children, six of whom are now living. He cast his first vote for John Quincy Adams thus identifying himself with the Whig party. He was straight out of that and later of the Republican party, and was thoroughly conversant with political history and incident for seventy-five years of our national existence.

Early in the 40's he lectured on chemistry and applied electricity, illustrating with all the appliances of the laboratory. Later he left the state of Maine, for the great comparatively unexplored West, but tarried a few years engaging in the mercantile business near Springfield, Mass., but in 1850 removing to Illinois, where he lived till 1871, at that time coming to Canon City, where he resided with his son Eugene Weston. He wrote for years for the Eastern press, his last article appearing in a paper, received on the day of his death. His retentive memory retained all its force till but a few days previous to his death, and covered nearly eighty years of minute information on nearly every point.

He filled his appointed place and has passed away, but will be long remembered by all who knew him as an exponent of the inflexible, stern New England principles that have been marked in the social, educational, and political history of our nation.

1. ↑ Burrage, Henry Sweetser; Albert Roscoe Stubbs; and George Thomas Little. Genealogical and family history of the state of Maine. (New York, New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, c1909)
   3:1142.
2. ↑ ^2.0 2.1 Obituary of Eben Weston, in Charles L Patterson. The Patterson Family.
3. ↑ Eben Weston, in Find A Grave
   Find A Grave: Greenwood Cemetery.
4. ↑ This refers to Thomas Weston, no known relation to John Weston, the first of Ebenezer's Weston ancestors to come to America.
5. ↑ John Weston arrived about 1644.
6. ↑ Case no W-5-R Warren, Margaret to W-6-R Weston, Samuel, 1799-1865, in Kennebec, Maine, United States. Maine, Kennebec County Probate Estates Files, 1779-1915. (Augusta, Kennebec, Maine: FamilySearch Historical Records, 1779-1915)
   Image 1055 and Image 1056.

   Share No twelve to Ebenezer Weston
   being a certain tract of land out of the home place
   on Lot Number Eleven Viz begining on the West side
   of the Road at a stake & stones which runs through sd
   Lot North & South thence running South sixty one
   degrees West between the House & Store crossing the
   Well in its center & being the Northerly line of the Land
   set off to the Widdon Weston twenty Rods to a stake
   and Stones thence South twenty Nine degrees East
   three & half Rods to a stake & stones thence South sixty
   one degrees West on a parrallel line with the Lot line
   two hundred and eighty seven Rods to a stake & stones
   in the Wooddend thence North twenty nine [?] West thirty one
   & half Rods [?] line of Lot No twelve owned by Joseph
   Weston thence North sixty one degrees east
   sixty one Degrees East following said line Lot
   Number twelve to the West side of the Road
   aforesaid thence following said Road to
   the first mentioned bounds containing
   sixty Acres more or less
   Being his share of the real Estate of sd Deceased

7. ↑ The early settlers of canaan by Eben Weston.

   Notes: " ... the first settlers of that part of Canaan known in later times as Bloomfield."--Leaf 1.
   Description: 178 leaves ; 27 cm.
   Other Titles: Somerset Reporter (Skowhegan, Me.)
   Responsibility: written for the Somerset Reporter by Eben Weston.

8. ↑ Peter Heywood and Joseph Weston, in Charles L Patterson. The Patterson Family.

   This webpage quotes a portion of the series concerning the first two settlers of Canaan, Peter Heywood and Joseph Weston.