![William G Weld](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dc/William_G_Weld.png)
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