Weber, George R.

Born: 1808-05-29 Baltimore, Maryland

Died: 1892-08-24 Sangamon County, Illinois

Flourished: Springfield, Illinois

When he was very young, Weber moved with his parents to Shepherdstown, Virginia. In 1832, he married Susan Shepherd and they moved to New York City, where Susan died. This prompted Weber to return briefly to Shepherdstown before settling in Springfield, Illinois, in 1835. The following year, he married Catherine Welch, with whom he had eight children. Weber founded the Illinois Republican newspaper in Springfield with John S. Roberts and edited it until the paper merged with the State Register in 1839, making Weber a managing partner. Weber sold his share in 1846 to fight in the Mexican War, but returned shortly after reaching the front when he learned that the Register's owner had died. Weber served as public printer for a time before turning to farming. He nevertheless continued to write articles and editorials for the paper. Weber also served as a state commissary during the Civil War, with Abraham Lincoln appointing him commissary of Camp Butler. Lincoln also worked on several cases that involved Weber. Weber was a Democrat.

John Carroll Power and S. A. Power, History of the Early Settlers of Sangamon County, Illinois (Springfield, IL: Edwin A. Wilson, 1876), 759-60; Martha L. Benner and Cullom Davis, et al., The Law Practice of Abraham Lincoln: Complete Documentary Edition, 2d edition (Springfield: Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, 2009); Fragment of Abraham Lincoln to Anson G. Henry; Gravestone, Zion Cemetery, Pawnee, IL.