The Five Weaver Brothers
Back Row: Samuel Weaver, George Weaver and Edward Weaver Seated: James A Weaver, James B Weaver and William Weaver (Stan’s Great-Grandfather)
and Wyoming before moving to Montana. James reg- istered the family brand, AX, in 1888 and entered his first bout of public service when appointed Deputy Sheriff of Fergus County in 1891. James was always around for beginnings– in 1899 he was on the first city council under Mayor J.P. Barnes when Lewis- town was incorporated, and Mayor Barnes appointed him City Marshall. Because of James’ interests at the time in saloons and hotels, there were protests as to his moral ability to be in law enforcement. However, James’ ability won out because he went on to become a Deputy Game Warden for the area and then served the rest of his life as the State Game Warden. James also had a variety of ranch and mining interests throughout the county and was a founding member of the Elks Lodge #456. James married Margaret Mulholland in 1896, but she died in childbirth along with twin daughters in 1899. James later married Bertha Hosch in 1902. Their only son died at the age of five when a flu epidemic went through Fergus County. James A. Weaver passed away in 1951 at the age of 83, having lived a long life filled with pioneer spirit and devotion to community. He is buried in the Lewistown City Cemetery beside his wife Bertha and son James Phillip. William Louis Weaver also rode the range with Charlie Russell, and then the Bear Paw pool with Kid Curry. William moved on to Chinook with his cowboying in the early 1890s and branched out into owning a saloon. William married Phoebe Thornber in 1892, and they had four children - Myrna, Elmer (Stan’s grandfather) and twins Thelma and Zelma.
In 1851, sixteen-year-old James Beverly Weaver traveled the Oregon Trail from Tennessee by oxen with his brother John. Together they founded the town of Myrtle Creek, Oregon, as the first settlers of Douglas County. James B. participated in the Indian Wars of 1855-56 along the Pacific Coast and then settled as a hotel proprietor, merchant and farmer. James B. married Sarah Ann Wright in 1859, and eight children were born to the union – James Al- bert 1868, William Louis 1870, Samuel Clark 1873, George Henry 1876, and Edward Meric 1878. Two daughters, Emma and Mary, passed away young as well as the oldest brother John. Sarah died of tuber- culosis in 1882, and James B. continued to farm but encouraged his five living sons to move on. In 1888, eldest son James A. traveled to Fergus County to set- tle, and his brothers soon followed. Later, James B. would join his sons in Fergus County and spend the rest of his days with them until his death in 1906. The Weaver brothers were cowboys and entrepre- neurs. Upon their arrival to Fergus County and Judith Basin area, they rode in the Judith Basin pool and cowboyed by day for area ranchers. While young- er brothers Edward and George attended school in Lewistown, the three older boys rode the range in the same pool as Charlie Russell. They broke horses and started a livery stable in Lewistown, and with their father’s business savviness and pioneer spirit, they began to enter other ventures such as hotels, saloons, mining operations and civic service. Eldest brother James A. helped his father farm from the early age of eight and cowboyed in Oregon
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