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Subject: [ALHENRY] More on Zeke Weems--County's First Blacksmith (African American)
Date: 27 May 2003 13:46:05 -0600
This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.
Surnames: Weems, Wymes, Wims
Classification: Query
Message Board URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/YS.2ADI/2441.1.1.1
Message Board Post:
Myrtis,
I have a record of all marriages in Henry County, Alabama from 1821 to 1901. I have searched it to see if any of the Weems children may have married here. I am listing ALL the African-American Weems marriages for your information and research. I can not verify if these are of your Weems family or not. I can say that I went to school with African-American Weems/Wymes at school in Columbia, Houston County, Alabama which was in Henry County until 1903.
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MARRIAGES
Grooms
Weems, Charlie* married Franie Day on January 4, 1894
Weems, Eddie married Martha Ellis on October 13, 1895
Weems, George married Nancy Alexander on November 13, 1897
Weems, Isaiah married (no name) on September 23, 1867
Weems, Jason married Carolina Gordon on February 16, 1871
Weems, Link married Sarah Higgins on December 27, 1894
Weems, Thomas* married Alice Ward on December 24, 1895
Weems, Zeke married Pink Wilkerson on February 11, 1875
--The marriages in bold would probably be the age of Zeke Weems, the elder's children and married just after the Civil War. These were former slaves that married after receiving citizenship in post-Civil War days.
--Tom Eliza, William, Mose, Charlie, Fannie, and John probably married before the Civil War and their is no record of their date of marriage.
--The names in regular type are the age of Zeke Weems the elder's grandchildren.
--The marriage of Zeke Weems could be a grandson, for Zeke the elder would be over 80 years old if living at the time.
Brides
Weemes, Willie married Sam Jones on December 21, 1899
Weems, Amanda married Alonzo Lee on November 28, 1889
Weems, Fannie* married Horatio Glover on January 23, 1898
Weems, Lucy married Jacob Maybin on December 31, 1866**One of the first African weddings recorded in Henry County.
Weems, Lula married Elbert Mathis on December 25, 1891
Weems, Martha married Julias Davis on April 3, 1880
Weems, Martha married Jim Smith on December 24, 1898
Weems, Mattie married Riley Morris on July 21, 1896
Weems, Mattie married Claude Gaskin on May 1, 1898
Weems, Missouri married Martin Espy on October 6, 1867
Weems, Sallie married Jack Truett on January 20 1892
Weems, Sarah married Essex Kirkland on February 21, 1875
Weems, Victoria married Charles Howerton on December 15, 1868
Weems, Eliza married Henry Forrester on September 29, 1878
--The marriages in bold would probably be the age of Zeke Weems, the elder's children and married just after the Civil War. These were former slaves that married after receiving citizenship in post-Civil War days.
--The names in regular type are the age of Zeke Weems the elder's grandchildren.
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Myrtis~~It appears to me that the most probable scenario was that Zeke the pioneer blacksmith had a son named Zeke Weems that we see marrying in 1875. When you figure that Zeke the Elder was in Henry County about 1818 and he was probably in his thirties to have been an accomplished blacksmith, that means he was born into slavery circa 1788 and came to Henry County with his owner, Moses Weems. If indeed there was a "Zeke, Jr." he would have been born between 1808-1828 making the Zeke Weems marriage a possible second marriage. I trust this information will help you and not confuse you. Feel free to write me back at and I will help all I can. I am a general historian of Henry County and especially interested in any African American research for so little has been done. I am part Scots, German, and Cherokee.
In the 1850 Slave Census of Henry County, a Moses Wims (Weems) had 13 slaves on his plantation. Moses was 60 years old and would have been about 28 when he came to Henry County with his slaves including Zeke, the blacksmith. According to the 1855 Census of Henry County, Moses Weems was dead or had moved out of the county. The two remaining white Weems were J. B. Weems with three (3) slaves and Tom Weems with 1 slave. It is possible that these are some of Moses Weems children and when he died the slaves were distributed amongst the children and the others sold for the money. Zeke the blacksmith would have been about the same age as his master Moses Weems. I believe that the 60 year old male listed below in 1850 is Zeke! Here is the listing by age, sex, and color:
1 age 60 female black
1 age 51 female black
1 age 35 female black
1 age 6 female black
1 age 8 female black
1 age 60 male black----This could be Zeke Weems the Elder!!!!
1 age 40 male mulatto
1 age 25 female black
1 age 38 female black
1 age 50 female black
1 age 37 male mulatto
1 age 14 female black
1 age 10 female black
I trust I may have helped and not hindered you, Myrtis! Look at the material, put it down and after several hours look at it again going over all of it carefully to form your own opinions as to who these Weems that married in Henry County after the Civil War were. Many rural marriages, white and black, were never recorded in the courthouse in these days. But may God bless you in your endeavors!
Your Alabama Friend,
Steve Elliott
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