William Gordon Weld (1775–1825) was an American shipmaster and

ship A ship is a large watercraft that travels the world's oceans and other sufficiently deep waterways, carrying cargo or passengers, or in support of specialized missions, such as defense, research, and fishing. Ships are generally distinguished ...

owner. He is notable as an ancestor of several famous Welds.

Ancestry and early life

Weld was a descendant of Joseph Weld, who came to Massachusetts Bay Colony in the early 17th century and was involved in the Pequot War and subsequent negotiations. He was born on 8 May 1775 at Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts. Weld lived his early life in Weld Hall, the family home on Weld Hill in the Forest Hills section of what is now

Jamaica Plain Jamaica Plain is a neighborhood of in the City of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Settled by Puritans seeking farmland to the south, it was originally part of the former Town of Roxbury, now also a part of the City of Boston. The commun ...

. Named after the prominent local revolutionary sympathizer and historian Reverend Dr. William Gordon, Weld was the fifth son of Colonel Eleazer Weld, one of seven Weld family

American Revolutionary War The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, was a major war of the American Revolution. Widely considered as the war that secured the independence of t ...

veterans. Like many family members, William Gordon Weld graduated from Harvard, a university with Weld ties from the 17th to the 21st centuries. He practiced law in Mr. Quincy's law office in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Later at the age of nineteen "he was master of a packet-ship sailing between London and Boston, and at twenty-seven was attacked off Tunis by Algerine pirates, not only beating them back in fair fight, but recapturing two American vessels which had been seized."

Maritime industry

Weld turned his attention away from agriculture and concentrated on maritime shipping. He created a fleet of " China clippers" and profited from trade between

Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an are ...

and the

New World The term ''New World'' is often used to mean the majority of Earth's Western Hemisphere, specifically the Americas."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: Oxford University Press, p. ...

. His fortune suffered a notable setback during the

War of 1812 The War of 1812 (18 June 1812 – 17 February 1815) was fought by the United States, United States of America and its Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous allies against the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom ...

. A

British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

frigate cruising off

Boston Harbor Boston Harbor is a natural harbor and estuary of Massachusetts Bay, and is located adjacent to the city of Boston, Massachusetts. It is home to the Port of Boston, a major shipping facility in the northeastern United States. History ...

captured one Weld's ships carrying a valuable cargo of

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

and Spanish silver dollars. Weld himself was captured and may have paid a ransom to be released.

Legacy

In 1798, Weld married Hannah Minot (1780–1860), a member of a

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

family represented by such notables as

George Minot George Richards Minot (December 2, 1885 – February 25, 1950) was an American medical researcher who shared the 1934 Nobel Prize with George Hoyt Whipple and William P. Murphy for their pioneering work on pernicious anemia. Early life George R ...

and Henry Davis Minot. They had one daughter and eight sons.
see chart
. The home William and Hannah built was in the Minot family's possession by the mid 19th century and later became the home of

Andrew James Peters Andrew James Peters (April 3, 1872 – June 26, 1938) was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives and was the 42nd Mayor of Boston. Early years Peters was born on April 3, 1872, in Jamaica Plain, a neigh ...

Mayor of Boston The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a mayor to a four- ...

, (and

James Michael Curley James Michael Curley (November 20, 1874 – November 12, 1958) was an American Democratic politician from Boston, Massachusetts. He served four terms as mayor of Boston. He also served a single term as governor of Massachusetts, characterized ...

rival) after he married a Minot. Among those descended from William Gordon Weld and Hannah Minot are: *Son

William Fletcher Weld William Fletcher Weld (April 15, 1800 – December 12, 1881) was an American shipping magnate during the Golden Age of Sail and a member of the prominent Weld family. He later invested in railroads and real estate. Weld multiplied his family's f ...

— shipping, railroad and real estate magnate *Son Stephen Minot Weld — politician, namesake of Weld Hall at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of high ...

*Grandson George Walker Weld — financier of the

Weld Boathouse Weld Boathouse is a Harvard-owned building on the bank of the Charles River in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is named after George Walker Weld, who bequeathed the funds for its construction. History Weld Boathouse is the second of two boathou ...

*Grandson Stephen Minot Weld Jr. —

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...

general *Great-grandson Philip Saltonstall Weld — World War II commando, publisher, environmentalist *Great-granddaughter

Isabel Weld Perkins Isabel Anderson (March 29, 1876 – November 3, 1948), , was a Boston heiress, author, and society hostess who left a legacy to the public that includes a park and two museums. Life Early life Born at 284 Marlborough Street in Boston's B ...

— socialite philanthropist *Great-great-great-grandson William Weld — former

Governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the chief executive officer of the government of Massachusetts. The governor is the head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonwealth's military forces. Massachuset ...

Notes

References

"The Weld Family", Jamaica Plain Historical Society
* ttp://www.arboretum.harvard.edu/plants/bonsai/intro.html Larz Anderson and Isabel Weld Larz bio, Arnold Arboretum of Harvard Universitybr>"Revolutionary War Burial Site Near Arboretum", Jamaica Plain Historical Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Weld, William Gordon Harvard University alumni 1775 births 1825 deaths People from colonial Boston 18th-century American businesspeople People from Jamaica Plain