My great grandmother, Catherine Baum was a daughter of Samuel and Sarah Weaver Baum. Both Catherine's parents and her grandparents Michael Weaver and his wife Marie Spessard were among the pioneers of Carroll Township, Vermilion County, Illinois.
Supposedly, the earliest records of the Weaver family indicated them to be of Scottish descent who upon immigrating to this country settled in Maryland. However, in the 1860 and 1870 census Michael reports that he was born in Pennsylvania. Michael, was reportedly born near Hagerstown, Maryland August 18, (1778 or 1782), the youngest child in his family. Michael Weaver's birth year is disputed because in the 1860 census he is reported as 77 and yet in the 1870 census he is reported as 90. Still, according to some history books, Michael lived to be one hundred years old and a 100th birthday reception was held. He died November 17, 1875. Michael and Maria are buried near Indianola in Weaver Cemetery for which Michael donated ground in 1836. Samuel and Sarah Weaver Baum (whose stones appear below) are also buried there. Note the birth date recorded on his monument pictured above.
Michael Weaver's mother remarried after his father's death and moved to North Carolina. Reportedly, when eleven years old, Michael left his NC home and returned to Hagerstown. Katherine Weaver, in all probability an older sister of Michael Weaver, married Peter Spessard, a son of Michael and Christiann. This family tie is probably what allowed Michael to return to Hagerstown at age 11, because he could live with a married elder sister. There is a definite connection between the Weavers and Spessards in Washington Co MD.
Michael married Maria Spessard, the daughter of Michael Spessard and his wife, Christiann Waltz of Chewsville, Maryland. Maria was born October 18, 1780. The Michael Weavers lived in what is now Lawrence County, Pennsylvania for a short time near her sister, Elizabeth (Spesard) Reynolds. They then went to Kentucky and from there to Clermont County, Ohio. They were in Brown County, Ohio for ten years, moving from there in 1828 to Vermilion County, Illinois.There were but five log cabins in Carroll Township when they arrived here and Michael purchased one of them. They were the parents of eleven children, four of whom married Baums:
More is known of the Baum family as they trace their history in America from the arrival of Carl Ludwig Baum and his brother Heinrich on the ship "Hero" sailing from Rotterdan and arriving at Philadelphia 27 Oct 1764. On arrival, Carl Ludwig became "Charles" and Heinrich became "Henry" I know nothing of Henry, but Charles reportedly married a Barbara Youngen and had at least nine children in Bucks county PA. between 1769 and 1788. Of the nine there was a set of twins, Charles Wm and Catharine, born in 1775. In 1798 this Baum family migrated to the NW Territories to what would become Clermont Co in 1800 and part of Ohio in 1803.
Much has been written of this Baum family in SW Ohio and the families with whom they intermarried. My primary interest is with some of those who moved on... to Vermilion Co, Illinois. However, so much as been written, the tales are at best confusing and too often blatantly wrong. In an attempt at clarification, see this page for corrections to the lineage of this Baum line, as I understand it. October 2003 I visited the area.
Charles Wm (sometimes identfied as Charles II or Charles Jr) married in Sept 1803 and served in the War of 1812. His wife was a Susan Moyer of Germantown, KY. Samuel Baum, born 15 Feb 1805, was the first of their ten children. Another son named Charles Wm (II) was born 4 April 1815. The family totaled four sons and six daughters and initially made their home in Clermont Co Ohio. Samuel Baum was the first to go to Vermilion Co IL, then Charles Wm (II) and finally Charles Wm (I) followed his children and moved to Indianola about 1838. Charles Wm (I) died there in 1871. I have looked for his grave and have thus far failed to find it. Charles Wm (II) died in March 1902 in Indianola.
Revised and corrected 4 November 2003