John Mosely Weeks (1788 - 1858)

Born 22 May 1788 in Litchfield, Litchfield, Connecticut, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 1 Sep 1858 at age 70 in Salisbury, Addison, Vermont, United States

Biography

m2. 1856 Mrs. Emily Davenport, of Middlebury

John was born in 1788. He was the son of Holland Weeks and Hannah Moseley. He passed away in 1858.

He was the inventory of the Vermont bee-hives, the first having removable frames. He was the author of a treatise on bee-keeping, still a standard work; also of a History of Salisbury, Vermont. (Prindle)

Author of:

1. A Manual: or An Easy Method of Managing Bees (1837)
2. The Bee-Keeper's Guide. To Manage Bees In The Vermont Bee-Hive (1840)
3. History of Salisbury, Vermont (1860)

Burial

West Salisbury Cemetery (Find A Grave)

West Salisbury, Addison, Vermont

Sources

• Prindle, Franklin Cogswell. The Prindle Genealogy (Grafton Press, New York, 1906) Page 101
• Find A Grave: Memorial #88286824
• The Cultivator: A Monthly Publication, Devoted to Agriculture' (Albany, NY, 1839), Vol. 5, Page 141: Article about John Mosely Weeks and the use of the Vermont Bee-Hive.
• The Silk Grower and Farmer's Manual (July 1838) Vol. 1, No. 1, Page 92
• New England Farmer (Boston, July 11, 1838) Vol. 17, Page 148
• Vermont Historical Magazine

• JOHN M. WEEKS, son of Holland Weeks, was born in Litchfield, Conn., May 22, 1788. He came with his father's family to Salisbury, when a little more than one year of age. Denied the advantages of a liberal education, he nevertheless early read some of the classics, and addressed himself, to a greater or less extent, to literary pursuits through life. He invented the Vermont bee-hive, patented in 1836, (the first improvement by which the honey was obtained without destroying the bees,) for which he received a silver medal from the American Institute in New York, and which was rapidly introduced into most parts of the United States. The same year he published a treatise on the instincts and habits of the honey-bee, which he revised and enlarged, till more than 20,000 copies were sold. This work was reprinted in England. He also, in 1841, secured patents on 8 other classes of hives. He was a scientific farmer, and took an early and active part in establishing the Addison County Agricultural Society, was for many years a contributor to the best agricultural papers in New England, whose articles met with general favor, and at his death left a manuscript history (yet unpublished) of "The Five Indian Nations," which for interest of adventure, and historical detail, would doubtless elicit more general interest than any other production of its author. He was twice married; to Harriet Prindle, of Charlotte, in 1818, who died in 1853, and in 1856, to Mrs. Emily Davenport, of Middlebury. As a husband and father, his character is sketched as one who "rendered the family circle a pleasant and sacred place." "One who cared well for the intellectual culture of his sons and daughters." He was for many years of the Episcopal church at Middlebury, an exemplary member. After a week's illness he was gathered to his fathers, Sept. 1, 1858.

• Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, Middlebury, Vermont, Manuscript Collection Inventory, Weeks Family Papers, 1766-1855

• "John Moseley Weeks (1788-1858), youngest child of Holland and Hannah, was born in Litchfield, Conn., and was one year old when the family moved to Vermont. As a youth he worked on the family farm. His two older brothers went to college, but the family could not afford to send him; he studied with his brothers. Upon his father's death, he bought all rights to the family farm. In his early years he acquired a tremendous debt and almost worked himself to death, affecting his health so that later in life he was unable to do much heavy work, and hired workers for his farm. In 1818 he married Harriet Prindle (1792-1853) of Charlotte, Vt. They had five children, Hannah Lucy, Harriet Eliza, Charles Horatio, John Eliakim, and George Augustus. The education of his children became an obsession."
• "In 1836, after "long and critical observation," he designed the "Vermont Beehive," the first modernization of the traditional hive. He published a small treatise on habits of the honey-bee and sold 20,000 copies. In 1841 he secured letters of patent for eight different classes of hives. He faced many patent infringements, but was slow to press suit. John Moseley Weeks played a role in establishing the Addison County Agricultural Society. He served as constable in the town of Salisbury, and as executor or administrator of more that 60 estates. He had been brought up in the Congregational Church, but became an Episcopalian in 1833. He wrote histories of the Town of Salisbury and of the Five Indian Nations. Harriet Weeks died in 1853, and in 1856, at the age of 68, he married Emily Davenport."