Person:Joseph Wier (1)

To read a bit of this battle in which Capt. Wier died, see: http://americancivilwar.com/statepic/la/la023.html

Notes about Capt. Joseph Wier rec'd from desc John Wier: Capt. Joseph P. Wier's parents were Dr. Robert Napolean Wier, (b. 01-26-1807, Fincastle, Botetourt Co., Virginia, d. 12-24-1858 in Mississippi) and Mary Jane Reid (b. 12-23-1809, Virginia, d. between 1870-1880). Capt. Wier is buried in Covington Cemetery in Hill County, Texas. I have a lot of info on Capt. Wier and state a few highlights here. He was educated at the University of Alabama, Wier came to Texas in about 1853-1854. He established the first law practice in the city of Hillsboro, Hill County, Texas and started the first newspaper in Hill County (the Hillsboro Express). The newspaper operated for about two years beginning in 1859, though no remaining copies of the paper have ever been found by this author. On January 15, 1861, Joseph P. Wier was elected to represent Hill County as the delegate to the Texas Secession Convention. The book "East Texas: Its History and Its Makers", page 770, states "A paper was published at Hillsboro by J. P. Weir, 1859-1860, but the type was melted up for bullets and nothing was left but the legs of the press in 1870." (Lead was in short supply in 1861. Capt. Wier had raised a cavalry company, the Hill County Volunteers and he had responsibilities to equip them.) This unit later became the Company A, 12th Texas Calvary, Parson's Brigade. He was killed in action at the Battle of Yellow Bayou May 18. 1864. During the Civil War, a soldier killed in action had a one in three chance of not being identified, or of being buried in an unidentified grave. Capt. Wier was first buried by his fellow soldiers in a church yard near Callahans Yellow Bayou, La.; his remains were later taken up & buried in the Cemetery near the Gathings College, near Covington, Texas. The land for the cemetery was set aside by his father-in-law James J. Gathings when Gathings and his brother Philip founded the town. Capt. Wier's grave is the oldest marked grave in the Cemetery.

1. ↑ Research of John Wier JohnW AT WierAssociates DOT com.
2. ↑ Notations of Gathings Family Records Contributed by Desiree McDonough
   VIII, pg 31.
3.   Notations of Gathings Family Records Contributed by Desiree McDonough.