Legend - Early Weir Family

It’s fairly frustrating when family history descends into rumors and legends, with seemingly no way to verify any of it. That is the case with early stories of my Weir family line. The first Weir I have really solid documentation on is Thomas Weir, who immigrated from Tyrone County Ireland to South Carolina in 1795. He lived in Abbeville for the remainder of his life and died in 1851. I am very fortunate that some of Thomas’s letters to his children survive. One in particular narrates his family history it reads as follows.

Part of Thomas Weir's letter on his ancestry

               “To come a little nearer home as respects our family and ancestors, I can trace no further back than my grand- father,- James Wier. He was a steady, industrious and pious man. My father, Thos. Wier after his marriage to Elizabeth Falkner,' whose father lived at the waterside of Londenderry, settled in the Township of Belnagilla, County of Tyronne. Parish of Lyson in 3 miles of Cook Town, Province of Ulster, Basmy of Laughen, Sheelin. '-'My grandfather, James Wier had several children, five sons and two daughters. the oldest, the others were—John, James, Robert and William; the daughters were—Margaret and Agnes. Margaret was a woman well ac- quainted with history, both sacred and profane. The family were all pious and raised under the faith of the Presbyterian Church. "In the year 1795 1 emigrated to America and landed in Charleston. So. Ca., on St. Patricks Day in the morning the 17th day of March in the year 1787. I married Mary Withrow who was the daughter of William Withrow of the Coun- ty of Tyronne, Parish of Alidesert, Township of Water and two miles from the market town of Pome Pey. His wife was Elizabeth Stuart, who was daughter of Robert Stuart of the County Dawn Rath Frilan on the Ban Water. "The.se were all of Scotch descent. After we were married I lived 4 years in the Township of Mullinase, whet William was born and baptised by the Rev. Thomas Dick son, a Seceder minister in my own house. My father lived and died at the place where he firs settled."

               While this is the only evidence I have for Thomas’s parents and family I am inclined to trust it. Thomas should have known who his parents and probably who his grandparents were. This letter gets us two generations back on the Weir line. Thomas’s parents were Thomas Weir and Elizabeth Faulkner, and his grandfather was James Weir. However, the family lore does not some there. A book on the Weir family called the “Ten Tribes of Weir” claims that Thomas wrote a later letter to a granddaughter in 1842 that adds another generation, James Weir’s wife was supposedly Margaret O’Mara, supposedly a former Irish Catholic, and his parents were John Weir and Janet Ferguson. This letter does not survive and its whereabouts are unknown.

               To support his claims about John Weir and Janet Ferguson the author also quoted from the day book of a Nancy Fergeson in 1653: "wedded beyant AnnWater and comby home this day riding twaun, janet muckle prood o'her mannie-the quean!" However, I’m not too sure how much this somewhat incomprehensible sentence adds credence. Also the dates don’t seem to line up terribly well. Some trees even trace the Weir family back farther, all the way to the Lairds of Blackwood, but none seem to have convincing sources.

               All in all I’m used to hitting brick walls in Ireland, but the Weir side in complicated by all the legends and lack of strong sources.