52 in 52 "Close to Home" The Weller Homesteads (4 of 52)

"The first Weller to immigrate to America came from Germany, and the first Weller to live in South Palmyra township was Thomas Jefferson Weller.  Born May 1, 1808 in Kentucky, he married Eliza Ann Conlee October 13, 1831.  Family history states  the young couple walked into S Palmyra township with packs on their backs and proceeded to hew a home out of the wilderness.  The story is told that they built a log cabin on the South side of the road somewhere between present-day Concord Church and the East corner of it.  Their thirteenth child was also named Thomas Jefferson, and (I am) his direct descendant.  He lived his entire life less than a mile from his birthplace, and the home he built is now occupied by his great-grandson (my grandfather) Lawrence."

-A Brief History of the Ancestors of Ralph Weller

Almost all the way up until my grandparent's children, most of my Weller family has been on the same adjoining plots of land since it was purchased by my 4th great grandfather August 8th, 1834.  From the description of the original homestead being between Concord Church and the curve just East of it, and the location of Weller Cemetery (and knowing that you buried your dead in your backyard in those days) by our estimations Thomas Jefferson Weller built his original homestead about where "X" is on the map.

So then his son, Thomas Jefferson JR built the house to the West on the corner and lived his whole life there.  Thomas JR's son Andrew then built his house just to the West of that on the adjoining corner, which went to his daughter Lucille, who married Charles Thursby.  Andrew and Ella's son, Ralph, my great grandfather, built his home to the West of Thomas JR's.  I have diary accounts from great grandma Irene of she and Ralph living with his parents until 1931, when they "moved onto a farm owned by his father, 1/2 mile due West of his parents."

These homes are all still in our family, and we still actively use and bury in Weller Cemetery.  I myself will be buried there one day.  My uncle lives in Ralph's home and his daughter in Lawrence's, and Thursby's still own the Andrew Weller/Thursby home.  The rest of us have scattered; Illinois, Florida, South Carolina, Texas, but we all have roots on this 40 acre plot of land.  Mom and I were talking yesterday of the time before we were all grown, and Ralph and Irene (my great-grandparents) will still alive.  That house would be filled to the brim with people for the Holidays.  Us kids had to eat in the basement, the three-story home had table and chairs set in every bedroom, in every available space, and each seat would be filled.  I hadn't known it at the time but great-grandma had made all that food for everyone every year.  I miss those days, but find comfort in the fact that these homes have been here for a really long time, and by all accounts they'll stay in the family for as long as we're here.

Thomas Jefferson Weller (X on map) (my 4x gr grandfather)
- Thomas Jefferson Weller JR (TJ JR on Map) - Thomas Jefferson SRs son (my 3x gr grandfather)
--Andrew Weller (Andrew Weller on Map) - Thomas Jefferson SRs grandson (my 2x gr grandfather)
---Ralph Weller (Ralph Weller on Map) - Thomas SRs great grandson (my great grandfather)
---Lucille Weller Thursby (Andrew Weller on Map) - Thomas SRs great granddaughter
----Lawrence Weller (TJ JR on Map) - Thomas SRs 2x great grandson (my grandfather)
-----Wayne Weller (Ralph Weller on Map) - Thomas SRs 3x great grandson (my uncle)
------Katie Weller (TJ JR on Map) - Thomas SRs 4x great granddaughter (my cousin)