Person:Voltine Wehmeyer (1)

Born Johan Voltine Weymeyer about 1697 in Germany. His wife's name is unknown. He had a least three children:

John Rudolph Waymire and two daughters.

John Valentine and his son, one of the bodyguards for Frederick William I, both joined the Quaker movement and

became more and more outspoken against military actions. After his son was jailed twice for publicly speaking out, they

decided to take their families and go to AMERICA. In the summer of 1753, the 56 year old John Valentine left Germany

forever. He took his wife and 2 daughters, his 28 year old son John Rudolph, his daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.

They all left on The Leathley out of Hamburg.

On the 3 month ocean journey, his wife became ill and died. She was buried at sea.

When the remaining family docked at Philadelphia in September, his two daughters were somehow separated from them

in the crowds. Although he looked and looked, he never saw his daughters again or had any explanation what had

happened to them. It's as if they vanished out of sight.

He stayed in Pennsylvania and began farming. After only 4 years, John Valentine died at the age of 60. His decision to

leave his homeland, the terrible voyage and the loss of his wife and daughters had taken its toll on his spirit.

The trunk that John Valentine brought with him across the ocean in 1753 still exists. It was handed down through the

generations and for a time was exhibited in the Richmond, Indiana library. One of his grandsons stored it away in his

attic, where it stayed for several years. After the grandson died in 1909, the house was sold and new owners moved in

the house. They found the old trunk in the attic but did not know its history, so they stored it in the hayloft of the horse

stable. In 1921 its history was discovered and the owners gave it back to the Waymire family. The trunk was still

covered with the original animal hide, and the hinges and straps made of rawhide, were still usable!

In 1925 Dr. William M. Reser. John Valentine's great-great grandson, wrote the Waymire Family History and published

it in LaFayette,Indiana. At that time, Dr. Reser owned the trunk and an original wedding photo of his parents from 1857.

A special THANKS goes to Margo McBride a descendant through her great-great-great-great grandmother Eleanore

Malinda Waymire who married Jacob Fouts. Margo wrote the above biography from her Genealogy research, and sent

me a copy. Research: *Broderbund Family Archive #17, Ed 1, Birth Records: United/Europe, Birth Records, CD #100,

AAI Birth Records Extraction for Waymire/Weymeyer,Voltaine, Birth date: Abt 1697, place: Germany