VT BIO - Addison Co - WEEKS, John Eliakim

Genealogical and Family History of the State of Vermont: A Record of the 
Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding 
of a Nation. Carleton, ed. New York & Chicago: Lewis, 1903, p 537-539

Among the representative citizens of Addison County [Vermont], esteemed alike 
for his sterling worth of character and his activity in the business world is 
John Eliakim WEEKS, a member of he well-known firm of Thomas & Weeks, 
wholesale dealers in hay and retailers of feed. He is a worthy son of an 
honored family, and his paternal grandfather, Eliakim WEEKS, was numbered 
among the early pioneers of Salisbury, Addison County, Vermont, where he 
followed the tilling of the soil. He was a native of Brooklyn [town 
organized 1786; now in Windham County], Connecticut [became a state in 1788], 
where he was born 06 March 1771. His wife, Rebeckah, who was born 05 October 
1780, daughter of Ephraim and Fanny CROOK, came from Westminster [Windham 
County], Vermont, to Salisbury [Addison County] in 1793. She [Rebeckah 
CROOK] was seventeen years old when married to Mr. [Eliakim] WEEKS, and 
[Rebeckah (CROOK) WEEKS] died 03 July 1835 in Salisbury [Addison County, 
Vermont]. Mr. WEEKS held many of the important offices of the town, and was 
an active and energetic man. At the time of his death, 30 September 1820, he 
[Eliakim WEEKS] was one of the selectmen of the town. He was the son of 
Holland WEEKS, who was married 04 September 1766, in Hampton [Windham County], 
Connecticut, to Hannah, fourth child of Nathaniel and Sarah (CAPIN) MOSELEY. 
The latter [Sarah CAPIN] was the eighth child of John CAPIN and Ruth THAYER, 
his wife. Ruth THAYER was the eighth child of Ephraim THAYER, whose wife, 
Sarah, was the seventh child of John BASS and Ruth ALDEN. The latter [Ruth 
ALDEN] was the seventh child of John ALDEN and Priscilla MULLINS, whose 
romantic courtship in the Mayflower colony at [p 538] Plymouth [now in 
Plymouth County], Massachusetts [became a state in 1788], is known to every 
student of American history.

Holland WEEKS was born 29 January 1744, in Pomfret [County], Connecticut, a 
son of Ebeneezer WEEKS and Anna HOLLAND. Ebeneezer was a son of Joseph 
WEEKS, who came from England. Ebeneezer died 03 March 1788, and his wife 
[Anna] in 1803, aged eighty-six years. Holland WEEKS was a pioneer settler 
of Salisbury [Addison County, Vermont], and here his son Eliakim aided in 
clearing up a large farm in the western part of town. This remained in the 
family until after the death of his youngest son, John M. WEEKS, in 1858.

At the age of about twenty years, Eliakim WEEKS began business for himself. 
He was a self-trained mechanic and did considerable work as a joiner, but 
farming was his chief occupation. After buying and selling several farms, he 
came into possession of a tract of about three hundred acres in Salisbury 
village, on which was a dilapidated saw mill. This he rebuilt and made it a 
source of considerable income. He built a large two-story house in the 
village, but did not live to see it completed. He was the father of twelve 
children, the last two being twins.

The eighth child and fourth son, Ebeneezer Holland WEEKS, was born 14 
September 1812, in Salisbury [Addison County, Vermont], and he too chose the 
noble art of husbandry as his life occupation, becoming the owner of three 
hundred acres of valuable land. His fellow townsmen, recognizing his worth 
and ability, elected him to many offices of honor and trust, and he served as 
town clerk for the long period of twenty-five years; was also a selectman and 
lister, for two terms was called upon to represent his town in the 
legislature and was made associate judge of the Addison County courts, thus 
gaining the title of judge by which he was afterwards known. He was also 
called upon to settle a large number of estates, and was recognized as a 
leader in the Republican party in this county.

For his wife Judge [Ebeneezer] WEEKS chose Elizabeth DYER, a native of 
Leicester, Addison County, Vermont, and a daughter of Gedeon DYER, also a 
native of that town, whose death occurred in Pittsford 
[Rutland County], Vermont. Mr. and Mrs. WEEKS [Ebeneezer and Elizabeth 
(DYER) WEEKS] became the parents of eight children, but only the subject of 
this sketch [John Eliakim WEEKS] is now living. The mother [Elizabeth (DYER) 
WEEKS] still survives and makes her home in Brandon [Rutland County], 
Vermont, being now eighty-four years of age. The father [Ebeneezer Holland 
WEEKS] passed away 19 May 1881, at the age of sixty-nine years, having long 
been a faithful supporter of the Congregational church, with which his widow 
is also identified.

John Eliakim WEEKS was born in Salisbury [Addison County], Vermont, 14 June 
1853, and in that town he was reared and received his early educational 
training, becoming later a student in the Middlebury [Addison County] high 
school. Remaining in his native place until 1876, he spent the following 
three years in Brandon [Rutland County, Vermont], returning thence to 
Salisbury, and was there engaged in agricultural pursuits until 1898. For 
many years previously he had devoted much of his time to the settling of 
estates, and he is yet prominent in that line of work. In 1892 he embarked 
in the business of pressing and shipping hay. The firm of Thomas & Weeks is 
now recognized as a leader in its line, and ships an average of a carload per 
day. In addition Mr. [John Eliakim] WEEKS also owns and operates three 
hundred acres of rich and fertile land near Salisbury village. In many other 
lines of endeavor he has been equally prominent, and now represents the 
Vermont Mutual Insurance Company of Salisbury and Middlebury. He was 
appointed associate judge of the Addison County courts in 1892 and 1894, 
served as assistant doorkeeper in the senate of 1884, and in 1888 was elected 
to represent his town [Salisbury] in the legislature, during which time he 
served as a member of the committee on manufacturing and other special 
committees. Being elected to the senate in 1896, he served as a member of 
the committees on railroads and claims. In 1898 Mr. WEEKS was appointed 
trustee of the Industrial School, in which position he is still serving, and 
is also a trustee of the village of Middlebury, being president of the board.

The marriage of Mr. [John Eliakim] WEEKS was celebrated in 1870, when Hattie 
J. DYER became his wife. She was born in Salisbury [Addison County, Vermont] 
and is a daughter of Frank L. DYER, for many years a prominent farmer of 
Salisbury but now deceased. His [Frank L. DYER's] widow, Lucretia D., nee 
GRAVES, now makes her home with out subject. The Republican party receives 
the hearty support and cooperation of Mr. WEEKS, and in return honored him 
with many high official positions. In his fraternal relations he is a member 
of the Masonic order, being connected with Union Lodge, No. 2, of Middlebury. 
[p 539] Religiously he affiliates with the Congregational church, in which 
he is serving as chairman of the financial committee. He is interested in 
whatever is designed for the public welfare, and is a public-spirited, 
progressive citizen who merits the high regard in which he is uniformly held.

Submitter's Summary - Generations
1. John ALDEN & Priscilla MULLINS
2. John BASS & Ruth ALDEN
3. Ephraim THAYER & Sarah BASS
4. John CAPIN & Ruth THAYER
4. Joseph WEEKS & wife
5. Nathaniel MOSELEY & Sarah CAPIN 
5. Ebeneezer WEEKS (d 1788) & Anna HOLLAND (d 1803)
6. Ephraim CROOK & Fanny -----
6. Holland WEEKS (born 1744) & Hannah MOSELEY
7. Eliakim WEEKS (1771-1820) & Rebeckah CROOK (1780-1835)
8. Ebeneezer Holland WEEKS (1812-1881) & Elizabeth DYER
9. John Eliakim WEEKS (born 1853) & Hattie J. DYER

Submitted by Cathy Kubly