Eighteen miles east of Lancaster, two miles northeast of Blue Ball, in East Earl Township, Lancaster County. Pa., near the hard road leading from Blue Ball to Terre Hill, a short distance northwest from the Weaverland meeting houses, is a small grave yard, enclosed with a five rail post fence, which was kept and protected by such fencing nearly two hundred years by the descendants of the several families whose ancestors had planned to bury their dead in this sacred spot; but to the average resident of the community and to the stranger it was a spot of neglect, because it was often overgrown with weeds before the weary relatives thought of mowing and cleaning it, which was done about twice a year.

Within this small, enclosure the dust of the earth has mingled with the mortal remains of the first white settlers of the beautiful vale known and remembered as "Weber's Thal," "Weaver's Dale," now Weaverland, since the organization of the first Mennonite congregation, by that name in 1730.

Henry Weber: In May or June, 1745, the remains of Henry Weber, owner of the land from which half of the graveyard was taken, were borne across the fields from his humble home on the east banks of what is now known as Blue Ball Run, a home which he had erected during the summer of 1722, and occupied by his family since the spring of 1723, which with the homes of his brothers, were the first real homes for family life in this dale.

This home was midway between the present farm seats of Joseph M. Weaver and Henry M. Weaver. Henry Weber was about 54 years old and left his widow, who was Maudlin Kendig, before marriage, a daughter of Jacob Kendig, and a granddaughter of Martin Kendig, of the first ship load of Mennonite colonists on the Pequea, who with two sons, Henry, aged 9 and Christian, fourteen years with six daughters, several of them married, one of them, Eva, who afterwards became the wife of John Wissler was an infant. To this pioneer widow, it became the lot to manage a farm of nearly four hundred acres and rear her family. He had made a will shortly before his death, written in German. It was never recorded and by some means it was lost or destroyed; but the record of its proving remains at Lancaster, and in the recitals of numerous deeds when his land was disposed of after the death of his wife, in 1758, when all the children had attained the age of twenty-one years, excepting Eva. By the recital of several deeds dated July 30, 1765, recorded at Lancaster in Deed book H, page 302, etc. , it is shown that the family mothered by the brave young widow, followed the outline given in the German written will of the father, (no doubt penned by his own hand); but when Eva Wissler arrived at the age of twenty-one years, she relinquished the part of the farm, given to her, and the entire original farm of 365 acres with its various allowances which made it to contain about 400 acres, was vested in the ownership of the two sons, Henry and Christian, and nearly all of it is still retained by their lineal descendants (1933) being eight farm seats and several smaller homes.

Jacob Weber: In 1747, two years after the death of his brother Henry, the older brother, Jacob, also the father of a large family, who were older than Henry's family, died in the home founded by him, also on the east banks of Blue Ball Run, at or about the same place where the farm home of Isaac H. Nolt is maintained. His home farm contained over 500 acres, which is now divided into eleven separate farms, and at several places being parts of other farms. The stone meeting house, where the Weaverland Conference Mennonites worship, and the large graveyard, containing over two thousand graves, are also parts of this original farm. One half of the village of Blue Ball also occupies a strip of this plantation.

His will, made a short time before his death, was also set aside and the family made a division of the real estate to suit themselves, by a mutual agreement, and a Benjamin Bowman administered on the personal property, filing his account (which remains in the Lancaster Court House records) in 1762. Bowman, was no doubt a brother, or at least a near relative to the widow, as she was, Anna Bauman, a daughter of Wendel Bauman, who belonged to the first Swiss settlement on the Pequea. She, like the widow of his brother, Henry, also survived her husband many years. It is safe to believe that tradition is correct in the saying that these brothers were interred in this enclosure, close together.

This I believe to be the resting place of Anna Bauman Weber, widow of Jacob Weber, the first settler. A limestone by its side has the faintly visible inscription "Weber," 1780, another B. W. and another M. W. with dates not plainly preserved.

All the stones in this corner have the appearance of having been brought from the same quarry of soft limestone; they also indicate that they were carved by the same hand, pointing to the information that they were of the same family relationship, or close of kin.

To me it is quite logical that they and the Shirk family were closely connected, and the fact that Anna Weber Shirk, who died in 1796, at the age of 45 years, who was a granddaughter of Jacob Weber and Anna Bauman Weber, was buried in the same row, when she was the first one to die out of the family of her husband, John Shirk, gives force to the relief that the family is that of Jacob Weber, one of the pioneers.

With its first letter or initial broken and worn into the carving around the initial makes it uncertain but the date of the deeds when the real estate of Henry Weber was disposed and divided by his family, without the name of the mother appearing thereon, makes it self-evident that she died during the early part of the year, 1758, and I believe that this stone, having been found in the third row near several of her children's marble markers, was erected to her memory and that Henry Weber, her husband also lies near and that his ashes mingle with the dust of the earth there.

George Weber: The remains of George Weber, who is supposed to have been the youngest of the three original settlers in the vale, were carried hither from his home erected at the beautiful springs, the present home of Benjamin F. Weaver, a little east from the brick meeting house, in 1772, while those of his wife, Barbara, who is supposed to have been a sister to Jacob and Christian Good, the ancestors of the numerous clan of that name in Brecknock Township, were carried and laid by the side of her husband, in 1782; these two graves are plainly marked with their initials on well preserved, smooth sandstones, to wit: "G. W. 1772," and B. W. 1782," being in the first row of graves on the western side of the enclosure.

David Martin: Near the grave of George Weber and his wife, are the graves of David Martin, and his wife, Elizabeth Miller. She died in 1774, and he was carried to his last resting place in November, 1784, having died on the tenth day of the month. His will was proven on December 4, of that year, proving that this stone, with his initials "D. M. 1784," and the one "E. M. 1774" mark the resting places of these two people, from whose land the southern half of the graveyard was taken by mutual consent between him and Henry Weber, as the plot was accurately surveyed so that it contained forty perches of land, twenty perches taken from the farm of Henry Weber, now owned by one of his descendants, Joseph M. Weaver, and twenty perches taken from the farm of David Martin, that part of the farm now owned by one of his lineal descendants, Phares M. Zimmerman, the imaginary line passing diagonally through the burying ground. The next grave to the south of Elizabeth Martin, is one marked "A. M. 80" 17-. In 1912, when a record of the stones in this God's acre was taken the notes give the missing figures to have been 1759.

Andreas Martin: Very reliable traditional information, with proofs of its accuracy, tells us that Andreas Martin, the father of David Martin, having been imprisoned and detained in Switzerland, when his son sailed for America in 1728, came over many years later and made his home with his son, where he died. Rupp's "Thirty Thousand Names" gives the name of Martin Andras, who came to the port of Philadelphia in 1749.

A saying came to the writer from a descendant of David Martin, through George, Abraham, George and Isaac W., that his grandchildren often spoke about the heavy swaths of grass which were cut and mowed by their grandfather with his large German scythe, which he brought with him from Europe, because his rows were harder to spread for drying. The same story came. to the writer from the descendants through another line of descent, as being told and repeated in Canada. Another line of lineal descendants told and retold the sayings to their children and it came from Indiana back to the old home. All these graves are found in the first row, along the western side of the enclosure.

Peter Shirk: In 1770, Peter Shirk, the first known resident preacher at Weaverland, died, leaving a widow, Mary Shirk, and about the same time his brother, Michael Shirk died, leaving a widow, Elizabeth Shirk. Peter lived on a bluff, just north of the Conestoga, on a farm seat long in the possession of his descendants, but now owned by Rufus Martin; and Michael Shirk having his farm seat on the same side of the creek, farther down the stream, at the farm long known as the home of blind John S. Wenger, are both believed to have been borne to this sacred spot as their last repose, and that their place of burial was along the eastern side of the plot, since in that section are found many of their descendants who were the offspring of their intermarriage with the Weber and Martin families.

These six families, all of whom resided within shouting distance of the graveyard, excepting possibly the family of Michael Shirk, constituted the very first families of white people, to settle and to develop this immediate community, which makes this spot sacred to the memory of many hundreds of people whose ancestors scattered far and near this, their first American home.

Christian Weber: Passing on to the second generation in America, we notice the grave of Christian Weber, in the first row. He was the oldest. son of Henry Weber, born December 25 (Christmas Day), 1731. Married Magdalena Rutt, (said to have been a sister to Christian Rutt, of Cedar Run), September 30, 1749. They lived together for fifty-five years on the homestead built for them, and now owned by Christian M. Zimmerman, on a section or half part of the original Henry Weber purchase. His wife died February 16, 1804, being in the 71st year of her age. Sixteen years later, February 13, 1820, he died and was laid to rest beside the remains of his wife, aged 88 years, 1 month and 9 days.

From a letter in German, printed after his death, we learn that these venerable people were the parents of seventeen children, nine daughters and seven sons. Seven sons and five daughters had ninety-nine children at the time of his death. He also had 188 great-grandchildren, and five great-great-grandchildren at the time of his death, leaving a total of 309 descendants.

His lifelong friend, and one of his nearest neighbors, Bishop Henry Martin, preached the funeral sermon from the text: Revelation 14: 12 - 13. He announced the hymn, now numbered 203 in the old German hymn books, "Mieni Sorgin, Angst und Plagen Laufen Mit Der Zeit Zu End."

Heine, or Henry Weber: In the third row, we find the tomb of his younger brother, Henry, who was known from his youth as "Heine" Weber. He followed his brother to their final resting place six years and twenty-four days later, he having died in the large stone mansion still standing and occupied by Henry M. Weaver (the seventh) and his family, and which he built for himself in 1764. He died March 20, 1826, aged 89 years and 11 months. His wife, who was Eva Hershey, died May 7, 1799, aged 62 years and 4 months.

Their six sisters married and moved from the immediate vicinity and scenes of their childhood. They were not interred in the old family "Gottas Ackar."

Henry Weber: In the first row, Henry Weber, son of George, was laid to rest beside his parents, having lived with them on the old homestead at the springs, He died September 12, 1787, at the age of 49 years, 10 months and 8 days. His wife, or widow, Elizabeth ---------, died at the old homestead, June 22, 1815, aged 72 years, 9 months and 26 days.

Hans Weber: Hans Weber, a brother to the last named Henry, the oldest son of George and Barbara Weber, lies buried in the fourth row. He was born in 1730, and died October 20, 1802 aged 72 years. He lived and died on the homestead near Goodville, on the north bank of Cedar Run, afterwards handed down to his son, Samuel, then to his son, Jonathan, and finally was the home of the Levi Martin family, and is now owned by Jonas M. Zimmerman. Hans Weber's first wife was Magdalena Myers, with whom he had several children. But whether she is interred here and has no marker to her grave is not known. His second wife, Franey, or Feronica Seichrist, with whom he had a large and influential family of sons and daughters, followed her husband to this cemetery seven months later, having died May 20, 1803. None of their children came to the same city of the dead.

Maria Stauffer: In the second row, we find the tombs of Maria Weber and her husband, Peter Stauffer. She was one of the daughters of the first settler, George Weber, and a sister to Hans and Henry. When her husband died November 2, 1787, she buried him with her ancestors at this place, and when she died June 30, 1791, her family brought their mother and laid her by his side, although none of them followed their parents to this spot. The tombstones tell nothing as to their ages nor the time of their birth. They lived on a farm south of Goodville, which has never been out of the ancestral name of Stauffer to this date (1933). It is now known as the Ed. Stauffer farm.

Samuel Weaver: Another brother in this family, died in the early part of the year 1770, as his will was probated on March 12 of that year. He lived on that section of his father's original farm, now occupied by the farm building of Adam Z. Martin, and Edwin H. Martin. The present beautiful cemetery at Weaverland was not yet started and we have many reasons to believe that this brother was buried in the little graveyard with his parents and brothers and sister. However, no stone can be found to prove the matter. His widow, Barbara Kauffman, was married to John Myer, as her second husband, and they moved to York County, with some of the daughters. One son, Samuel, inherited the farm, and acquired it at the age of 21 years. This son with his sons, Abraham and Samuel E., are buried close together in the present nicely kept cemetery at Weaverland. The late A. M. Weaver, of East Earl, M. M. Weaver, of Mountville, and T. W. Wanner, of Blue Ball, are grandsons of that Samuel Weaver, who inherited the old farm.

Martin Martin: One of the sons of David Martin, the first settler by that name, was born on the original settlement farm of his father, December 23, 1736. He owned a third section of it, being 122 acres and 12 perches thereof, which his father sold to him in 1772, where he lived in the farm house erected for him and his family, at the spring, on the farm seat, now owned and occupied by Aaron Z. Zimmerman until his death January 23, 1811, aged 74 years, 1 month. His wife, Barbara, died May 17, 1816, aged 75 years.They are buried in the seventh row, the only graves marked in that row, and are the only ones of the immediate family of the first settler to be buried with him in the plot of ground which he so kindly gave to the brethren in the church.

The family history of the descendants of Martin Martin, are given in a well compiled pamphlet written by Abraham G. Wanner, of Earl Township.

John Shirk: In the last row along the eastern fence of the enclosure are two graves of more than ordinary interest to the genealogist: John Shirk and Anna Weaver his wife, ancestors of an influential posterity. He was born May 7, 1746, and died January 27, 1826, aged 79 years 8 months and 13 days. His wife was the daughter of John Weaver and Barbara Buckwalter of the Jacob Weber line, and we, with other genealogists believe that this John Shirk, was the son of Peter Shirk, the first minister of that name. She was born March 19, 1752, in Weaverland, and spent her girlhood days on her father's farm, purchased from John Mendenhall, in 1754, and which now is the farm seat owned by Harry H. Zimmerman, formerly owned by the Kurtz families. They were the grand parents of David Shirk, the miller, Anna Stauffer, mother of John Stauffer, the cattle dealer, great-great-grandparents of Elias Stauffer, of Bridgeville, H. L. Stauffer and H. S. Killian, of New Holland; Reuben Sensenich, of Neffsville, and their first cousins on the Stauffer side; also the same ancestral relations to John J. Shirk, and Harry Shirk, the meat market men, residing in New Holland, and their sisters.

We now pass on to the third generation of Webers, who now gradually changed their names by spelling it Weaver. Legal documents used in the English translation in many instances during the first generation and in some instances families here and there turned back again to the German spelling of their names, "Weber," and have retained it to the present time, but on their tombstones and in their family records the name was invariably "Weber." In this enclosure, there are only a few stones bearing the English spelling before the fourth generation.

Henry Weber: The first one of this generation to pass from the scenes of a more than ordinarily busy life, whose life's work assisted to a great extent in preserving the ancestral acres to his posterity as well as in shaping the life and destiny of a goodly portion of the development and stability of the settlement of Waterloo County, in Ontario. Henry Weber, the Third, was born in the original homestead on the east side of the run, (now all removed by decay) December 16, 1758, and died in the home now occupied by Henry M. Weaver, the Seventh, in that lineage, April 20, 1816, at the age of 57 years, 5 months and 4 days. The reader will please notice that his father, Heine Weber, was still living and remained with the family ten years longer. His widow, Veronica Hershey, died, and a good marble marker tells us that she was 63 years, 6 months and 114 days old, but gives no dates; however they are 1736 - 1799.

In 1804 when the German Land Company was formed to free 60,000 acres of land from the encumbrance of a $20,000 mortgage for the distressed Mennonite settlers in Waterloo County, Canada West, this great man, either guided by the milk of sincere kindliness, or by a far-sighted business proposition, but we attribute it to the former motive, subscribed liberally to the payment of the debt, and owned a large block of real estate in that country which he had never seen.

This action not only assisted the distressed Canadian brethren to save themselves from utter ruin and many additional hardships, none of whom had any immediate family relations with the Webers, but it changed their attitude towards the new settlement beyond the great falls, and it likely influenced the future destinies and influences of three-fourths of his descendants forever.

Three years after subscribing for the stock in the German Company, his son, Abraham Weber, moved to Canada with his family, using a Conestoga farm wagon to convey his family and small stock of goods to their new home which was made on Lot No. 15, of the plot of the German Company, which proved to include the location of future Berlin, or Kitchener, as it is now called, and one of the principal streets in the city bears the name "Weber Street," and the self-same wagon used for the conveyance of the goods to their new home is now preserved in the museum of the Waterloo County Historical Society at Kitchener. A photograph and a short sketch of these historical facts appear in the 1913 volume of that society's proceedings.

Three years after his death, found three more of his sons, Henry, Benjamin, and Daniel located on three more lots belonging to the Canadian Land Company. These young sons and their families grew up with the country, were exceedingly prosperous and influential in the church, and in material wealth; only a few descendants ever returned to Pennsylvania to live here. Many of them however visited the scenes of their ancestors' homes and with respect to their memory visited this small plot of ground, wondering what it might all contain which might connect them with its history, of which they had heard so much traditionally.

Christian Weber, single man: Heine Weber had another son, by the name of Christian, whose inability to properly care for himself, made it necessary for a kindly provision in the will of the father for his maintenance. He died October 8, 1821, aged 59 years, 8 months and 9 days. His grave is marked in the third row, No. 5.

Anna Weber Horst: Their sister, Anna Weber, married to David Horst, living in Caernarvon Township, was brought here from the farm long since known as the William Koch home, where they lived during their entire married life. She died June 14, 1823, aged 56 years, 8 months and 27 days. Her husband, David Horst, was born September 12, 1769, and died May 15, 1845, aged 75 years, 8 months and 3 days. Their graves are located in row 3, No. 1 and No. 2. He was one of the executors of the will in the settlement of the estate of Heine Weber. They left a large family, but only one of them -- a daughter, Elizabeth Horst, wife of Joseph Weber, who died February 14, 1826, at the age of 23 years, 8 months and 16 days, was buried on this plot. Her grave is marked as being in the fifth row, No. 9. She left two children, Anna, or Nancy Weaver, married to Cyrus Hoover, lived and died in Wayne County, Ohio, and Levi H. Weaver, a minister in the Brethren church, died in Elkhart County, Indiana, buried at Clinton (Brick) Mennonite church.

Samuel Weber: Son of Christian Weber and Magdalena Rutt, rests near his parents, in row one. He was born May 24, 1759, and died February 9, 1825, aged 65 years, 8 months and 25 days. His wife, Anna Heatwole, who was married and had a small family when her father, Mathias Heatwole (Nb. this is incorrect.), and the rest of the family moved from Earl Township, Lancaster County, Pa., to the Shenandoah Valley, Virginia. She was born June 23, 1765, and died October 3, 1808, at the age of 43 years, 3 months and 10 days. They reared a large family, lived on a small farm of 12 acres near the original Henry Weber homestead. now (1933) owned by Mrs. Aaron Horst, but none of their family was buried in the old family graveyard. The Weaver meeting house and graveyard near Harrisonburg, Virginia, bears its name from Samuel Weaver, one of their sons, who was one of the pioneer members of that congregation. One of the daughters of that pioneer family was, Frances Weaver, who became the mother of Evangelist John S. Coffman, and the late preacher, Joseph Coffman, of Virginia.

Christian Weber, a brother to Samuel, and another son of Christian has his tomb marked as lying beside his mother. He died April 13, 1823, aged 69 years and 20 days. He lived in Cocalico Township. None of his family were brought here. His wife, who was Anna Long, and their son, Joseph, were interred in the Metzler graveyard, in West Earl.

Peter Weber, another son of Christian Weber and Magdalena Rutt, a brother to Samuel, lies in row 8. He was born March 7, 1761, and died April 7, 1837, aged 76 years and 1 month. His wife Veronica Wenger, died August 17, 1843, aged 77 years, 9months and 29 days. The upper part of his tombstone was broken off by some means, some time after 1912, when a record of all the graves was taken, and the inscription on the marble stone was lost or taken away, but the above is the correct data as copied at that time. The tombstone of his wife stands beside the broken stone and can readily be located. These people were the grandparents of the late Bishop George Weaver, and the great-grandparents of the late Bishop Benjamin Weaver. They lived on the farm seat which is now the place of the farm buildings of the farm owned by Henry M. Martin.

Joseph Weber, another son of Christian and a brother to Samuel, Christian and Peter, and his wife Maria Burkholder, a daughter of Bishop Christian Burkholder, are found in row 8, Nos. 6 and 7. He was born September 9, 1768, and died February 6, 1844, aged 75 years, 4 months and 27 days, and she died August 23, 1823, aged 56 years, 3 months and 15 days.

They were the parents of a large family, only one of whom is buried in this place. Her name was Magdalena, who remained with her father to the time of his death, when she married William Nice, of Montgomery County. After the death of her husband she came to her old home and is buried near her parents. She was born September 16, 1794, and died June 1, 1882, aged 87 years, 8 months and 16 days.

Benjamin Weaver: In the tenth row, grave No. 7, lie the remains of another member of the third generation, a son of Henry Weber, in the George Weber line, who died at the ancestral home. He died at the ripe age of 84 years, 11 months and 3 days, on April 24, 1857. His first wife, who was Maria Shirk, a daughter of John Shirk and Anna Weber, before mentioned, lies next to him, grave No. 8. She died February 9, 1806, at the age of 28 years, leaving several children. His second wife, Maria Sensenig, daughter of Michael Sensenig, in the same row, grave No. 6, was born September 2, 1785, and died November 11, 1873, aged 88 years, 2 months and 9 days.

The only son of this family was Moses Sensenig Weaver, who inherited the ancestral homestead of George Weber, where he lived during his lifetime, and was buried in the cemetery near the meeting house. He was the father of S. Lemon, Moses W., and Benjamin F. Weaver, Alice Martin and Martha Zimmerman.

Elizabeth Martin, wife of John S. Martin, is the only one of the children of Benjamin Weaver, who died in mature age to be interred in this plot. She was born on the original George Weber homestead, February 9, 1799, and died on the northern section of this original farm, given to her by her father, January 31, 1833, aged 33 years, 10 months and 25 days. John S. Martin, her husband, a grandson of Bishop Henry Martin, and a great-grandson of the first colonist, David Martin, was born March 5, 1800, and died at the home where his wife died, which is the present home of Martin B. Sauder, March 20, 1868, aged 68 years and 15 days. Their graves are in row eight, Nos. 14 and 16. It may be worth while to say that this John S. Martin is the only one of his father's family to be resting in Lancaster County.

Anna Weaver Shirk: In the ninth row, grave No. 4, lie the remains of Anna Weaver, a daughter of Henry Weber, son of George, the first wife of Peter Shirk. (Peter Shirk's second wife was Magdalena Weber, a daughter of Samuel Weber and Anna Heatwole, interred in the first row.) She died February 20, 1816, aged 36 years, 1 month and 15 days, leaving to survive her two sons, John W. Shirk and Henry W. Shirk.

Peter Shirk, husband of Anna Weaver, born, February 8, 1780, died January 16, 1826, at the age of 45 years, 11 months and 8 days, leaving to survive him besides the two sons of his first marriage, his widow, Magdalena, who is buried in the Metzler graveyard, and three children, Isaac W. Shirk, later a minister in the Brethren church, Samuel W. Shirk, and Magdalena, wife of David Z. Wenger, and Jacob Shaub. Of these, only one -- John W. Shirk, followed his parents to this historic place. He retained the home farm to the time of his death, being, born there September 3, 1810, and died September 27, 1873, aged 63 years, 24 days. His tomb is in the same row, nine, with his parents, grave No. 15. His wife, Franey, or Frances Miller, the mother of his children, lies next to him. She died September 27, 1853, aged 39 years and 4 days. His second wife, Susanna Houck, died December 20, 1886, aged 78 years, 6 months and 6. days.

There are also two infants, and a son, Samuel Shirk, aged 6 months, children of John W., and Franey Shirk, interred in the same row; also three girls, apparently children of Peter Shirk and Anna Weaver, are also near their parents' graves.

David Weber: When the four brothers, Abraham, Benjamin, Henry and Daniel Weber, had moved to Canada, as before written, two brothers, or sons of the same family: Francis and David remained on their deceased father's farm, which the family by mutual consent and agreement, divided between them. David, who was born on January 1, 1791, died at the homestead farm and dwelling, now occupied by Harry M. Weaver, December 27, 1868, aged 77 years, 11 months and 15 days. His widow, who was Christiana Buckwalter, who was born February 2, 1797, died August 8, 1882, aged 85 years, 6 months and 7 days. Their graves are marked as being in row six, Nos. 1 and 2, respectively.

The funeral sermon for grandfather Weber was preached by Peter Musser and Benjamin Horning, of Bowmansville, from Luke 2:29-32, and as the children gathered around the grave, the hymn, "Alla menchen mussen starban," was sung. At the house, "Nun guta nacht ihr liebste mein." (From Herald of Truth, February, 1869.) There were eight children in this family but none of them were interred in this place.

Their children were: Moses, bishop in the Pike Mennonite church; John, a minister in the Wissler branch of the Mennonite church in Indiana; David, a minister in the Mennonite church, Harvey County, Kansas; Anna, wife of John Martin, Spring; Mary, wife of John M. Weaver; Elizabeth, wife of Abraham Martin, and Lydia, wife of Henry Musselman, whose second husband was Christian Hershey.

Francis Weber, another brother of the Canadian immigrants, lived and died on the old homestead built by his grandfather, in 1764. He was born November 13, 1795, and died February 21, 1875, aged 79 years, 3 months and 8 days. His wife, or widow, survived him a little over five years. She was Mary Buckwalter, a sister to Christiana Buckwalter Weber, was born December 27, 1801, and died June 19, 1884, aged 82 years, 5 months and 22 days.

Their graves are in row four, Nos. 11 and 12.

Two sons of this last named family, always kept an interest in this old graveyard of the family, and are among the few of their generation to be buried here.

Henry B. Weaver, the older of these two sons, who was born on the homestead built by Heine Weber, of the second generation, died at the same place, August 30, 1923, at the age of 93 years. His wife, Hettie Musser, a daughter of John Musser and Mary Rohrer, was born in Leacock Township, May 20, 1833, and died at the Weaver homestead, March 25, 1889 at the age of 55 years, 10 months and 5 days. Their graves, Nos. 10 and11, respectively in row 5, are at the head of a row of five children, David, Ada, Adam, Magdalena, and Lydia, aged 2, 7, 1, 3, and 4 years, respectively, and these are, no doubt, the last ones of this family to be interred here.

(Henry B. Weaver was married the second time to Anna Witmer Martin, who died at the age of 95 years, 6 months and 24 days, September 14, 1921. She is buried in the presently used cemetery at Weaverland, by the side of her first husband, David Martin.)

Henry B., survived his brother Francis, eight years, and all the Canadian visitors to Lancaster County, during his last years, who had any remote relationship, with this family, visited him, and as long as he was able to walk over to the old burying ground, he invariably showed them the sacred spot.

Francis B. Weaver, the younger of these brothers, who had acquired the David Weber homestead, when the youngest of the sons of that family, David B. Weaver, moved to Harvey County, Kansas, in the spring of 1880. He was born at the old home so long owned by his brother, Henry B., on February 26, 1935, and died (on that farm seat of the original plantation which was built for Peter Weber, grand- father of Bishop George, when his father, Christian Weber sold 100 acres to Peter, his son, January 15, 1791), May 27, 1917, at the age of 82 years, 3 months and 1 day. His wife, who was a sister to his brother Henry's wife, Magdalena Musser, was born July 29, 1840, and died at the old David Weber homestead, March 20, 1903, at the age of 62 years, 7 months and 3 days. Their graves in the same row as their brother and sister, graves Nos. 3 and 2, respectively, by the side of one child, Magdalena Weaver, who died at the age of one year in 1873.

Francis B. Weaver was also married the second time, to Anna Martin Zimmerman, born in 1838, and died in 1917, aged 79 years. She is buried by the side of her first husband, Martin Zimmerman. at Martindale. These two aged brothers were the last of their immediate families to be carried to this place. Not even any of their first cousins were interred here. They often, with their own hands, mowed the weeds and cleaned the underbrush, which accumulated thereon, from the mounds of their beloved dead. The Martin side of the descendants of these ancient sleepers, held a small fund. from which they contributed the interest for the upkeep of the fence around the enclosure, which was finally paid over to the present trustees and caretakers of the place, who are Henry M. Weaver, Sr., son of Francis B. Weaver, and Joseph M. Weaver, son of Henry B. Weaver, whose farm adjoins the enclosure.

Mary Weaver: The twentieth grave in the first row, is the resting place of the ashes of Mary Horst, who was the first wife of David B. Weaver, (a brother to Henry and Francis), who was born July 8, 1826, in West Earl Township, and died in East Earl Township on August 6, 1860, at the age of 34 years and 29 days. At her side is a one-year-old son, David, who died June 30, 1852.

Jacob Weaver, (Miller), a great-grandson of Christian Weber and Magdalena Rutt, by their son, Jacob Weber and Barbara Witwer, and Daniel Weber and Catharine Landis (the last mentioned were parents of Jacob Weaver, who had a sister, Mrs. Barbara Kepple, living in Honey Brook).

His grave is No. 6, in row two. He died March 2, 1903, aged 83 years, 2 months and 20 days. His wife, Laura Streng, died April 30, 1858, aged 34 years, 4 months and 1 day. Her grave is No. 5 in row 2. His parents, Daniel Weaver, and wife, are buried in the Mt. Zion United Brethren cemetery, several miles west of Cambridge, having lived on the road leading southward from the Summit to Cambridge.

Sarah Weaver, their daughter, a single lady, died July 2, 1903, aged 56 years, 5 months and 17 days, lies in the same row with her parents. Mary Weaver, another daughter, wife of Henry Slote, died at their home at Terre Hill, in 1911, at the age of 63 years. Her grave is in the same row with her parents. She was the first one of her family to be laid with her mother.

Henry Slote, a lifelong cigar maker of Terre Hill, the last one of this little family is buried by the side of his wife. He died in the County Hospital, December 1, 1921, at the age of 73 years.

William Slote, only child of Mary Weaver and Henry Slote, also a cigarmaker from his youth, died August 13, 1913, at the age of 28 years. His grave is also found in row two, being the first grave.

John W. Horst: In the first row, in grave No. 18, rest the remains of John W. Horst, of the fourth generation, in the Henry Weber, lineage. His mother was Magdalena Weber, youngest daughter of Heine Weber, who was married to a Mennonite minister of the Hershey congregation, Joseph Horst, who bought the section of the original Weber homestead, bordering on this family plot for his son, John W. Horst, who, although not favorably inclined to allow the patrons and owners of the sacred ground, adjacent to his rich acres to trespass on his premises when the crops were growing, seemingly had great respect to the memory of the quiet sleepers, and finally, at his own request, his body was laid to rest here, within sight of his lifelong home, beside a small daughter, Catharine Horst, who died March 19, 1849, at the age of 7 years and 19 days. His wife, who was Elizabeth Flickinger, feeling that this plot was not kept up properly, directed that she be interred among her family kin, at Terre Hill when she died at the age of 80 years in 1896. It is strange to relate that neither his parents, nor any of his sisters were brought to this place for burial.

Jacob Weber, son of Peter Weber and Veronica Wenger, died single, always having his home with his brother, Isaac Weaver after the death of his parents. He died January 14, 1871, aged 62 years, 5 months and 23 days, his tomb and stone being next to those of his parents in the eighth row.

Anna Landis, first wife of Joseph Landis and a daughter of John Shirk and Anna Weber, born October 11, 1785, died October 27, 1821, aged 36 years and sixteen days. Joseph Landis lived on the premises now owned by John Hoover, long the home of blind John S. Wenger and his brother, David, and their sisters, Lydia and Barbara. Joseph Landis' second wife was Christena Metzler, who with her husband are sleeping their last rest in the Mohler cemetery, two miles east of Ephrata. Their son,

Solomon Landis, aged 22 years and 24 days, died March 19, 1848 and was buried by the side of his father's first wife, the first grave in row nine.

Mary Magdalena Flickinger, was born April 16, 1857, and died March 5, 1879, aged 22 years and 29 days. Her family erected a fine stone to her memory, set in a substantial block, which fell over and broke into two pieces when the grave sank down. The present caretaker, kindly erected the broken end with the greater part of the inscription thereon at the head of her grave. By the side of this grave are interred the remains of her older brother,

John Flickinger, whose death took place some years later. His grave was left unmarked, but his memory still lingers in the minds of his schoolmates at the old Conestoga Brick School, in East Earl Township, fifty-five years ago, where his lamented sister, who was often at the head of her classes, and three other brothers spent their childhood days.

Sallie Flickinger, a young sister in the family lies in a marked grave in the same row. She died August 1, 187--, at the age of 6 years, 1 month and 24 days.

These young people were nieces and nephew of Elizabeth Flickinger Horst, whose husband owned the adjoining farm, children of Beneville Flickinger and Maria, his wife, who lived a short distance across the fields from there, with their family, and is no doubt the reason for burying their beloved dead in the same row in which their uncle, John W. Horst was later buried. The other members of the family, including the father and mother, were buried in the beautiful cemetery at Terre Hill, where the family resided at the time of their deaths.

Sarah Corell: Rests in grave No. 1, row 4. She died March 21, 1848, at the age of about 88 years. She lived on a small tract of land, in a small log house between the banks of the Conestoga Creek and the state road, (now known as Route No. 73) being the premises now occupied by John W. Burkholder at that time joining the place long known as Christian Weaver's mill in East Earl Township. She was in no way related to the Weavers.

John Weber: Son of the daughter of John Shirk, born July 17, 1800, and died October 8, 1823, aged 23 years, 2 months and 21 days. This inscription gives no information as to who his father was, nor to which John Shirk's family the mother belonged. This grave is No. 2, in row ten.

Isaac Weber, Michael Weber, and Henry Weber, are no doubt sons of Benjamin Weber, all infants.

Fifteen common field stones, roughly dressed with initials and dates nearly all worn away by the weather and time are found in the enclosure. Most of them are found in the eastern section, the majority of them having the letter "S" for Shirk, or "W" for Weber, with a few of them, we found, the letter "M" for Martin or possibly Miller.

This story gives the positive location of the graves of seventy (70) persons of mature age, having families, or being members of families belonging to, and being a part of the families of the first white settlers and pioneers of these adjacent plantations which section is now known as Weaverland, and who are buried within this little enclosure.

There are twenty (20) children, all but a few of whom have been accounted for, but these fifteen (15) roughly dressed common field stones with letters and dates thereon, I can- not reconcile with any persons definitely to any particular home or families. Some future genealogist or historian in looking up unwritten lore, may be able to place some of these silent testimonials to their proper place.

I feel sure that all these people were of inestimable value to the development of this beautiful vale, and that they deserve better memorials and more recognition than we, who are reaping the benefit of their labor, their devotion to one another, to their children, and to their church, are giving them.

There are one hundred and six graves marked within this small plot, but there are many reasons to think that there are many graves which do not show any visible indication of ever having been marked.

Where are all these broad acres, and what constitutes the scope originally covered by the possessions and improvements of these sturdy pioneers who labored here in the development .and settlement of "Weber's Thal?"