The Weddle Family

During the summer of 1999 I was able to spend a good deal of time in Salt Lake City going through everything I could find on this line. I found all of Elizabeth Meuting's work including several updates supplied by her over the years. What you see posted here seems to be the best substantiated evidence I can find (so far). The Wallen Trunk Record (papers found in the possession of Thomas J. Walden after his death in 1951, attributed to Joseph B. Wallen) was in the Joseph Smith Library as was The David Dolling's Diary material. There is still lots unproved that may never be proved, but what you see here is my best educated summation as of the year 2000.

I thank Mary Weddle, Gordon Weddle, Richard Coulter, Tom Kintigh, Albert B. Weddle, Linda Myers and Jana Slagle for their support, encouragement and contributions along the way. Until I see better evidence, I have decided that the best of what is available points to Scottish Ancestry for this family descending from Sea Captain John Weddell/Waddell (1583-1642) and it is this genealogy I present below. My objective is always to get it right for future generations. Feel free to contact me if you have substantive data to discuss. What you see is what I have...

Also check out The Rainwater Collection (excellent site!) This site follows the lines of George Weddle Jr.

Historical Facts according to Elizabeth Meuting: "We have been proven to be of Scotch (sic) ancestry. All of the various spellings of our name are somehow related. We have no German names. But WADDLE was used when they first came to America. The double 'l' was the Scotch spelling. The English took off the double 'l' and used 'WEDDLE.' Their speech was a dialect spoken all along the coast of Germany (when they came to America)."

GENERATION ONE: Admiral John WEDDELL/WADDELL b. 1583 was a great Sea Captain who died in India in 1642. With wife, Frances, he had three children (listed below)

GENERATION TWO: John (who predeceased his mother), Jeremy and Elizabeth who married a WYE.

GENERATION THREE: John's son William was born in Edinburgh, Scotland, became a Scottish Covenanter and was taken prisoner at Bothwell Bridge in 1679 when he refused to give up his Presbyterian faith to become English Catholic. He escaped and fled to County Down, Ireland where he married the daughter of another Scottish family Mary IRVIN/IRWIN.

This is where I begin the charts:

[1] Mary Irvin/Irwin Weddell/Waddell is buried St. Mary the Virgin Church, Dover, England

NOTE: It is not clear how this line connects to the line of John WEDDLE, but Meuting contends there is a connection. I cannot prove it one way or another.

Meuting states: "John's father was JOSEPH WEDDLE - although born in (Weisbaden) Germany, he died in Holland where he lived.* His wife's name is unknown. Joseph's children were: John, Susan m. Polser ROUSE, George, Daniel, and Joseph. John married Mary WALLING who was a relative. After they had three sons, they moved to America. The date was 1774. Two records state he came over from England. Their son, Thomas was born in Baltimore. He and Polser ROUSE made a flat boat and sailed down the Ohio to the Falls which is now where Louisville stands. We next find John in Lee County, Virginia which later became Scott County. It was the year 1792 when we find the first John WADDLE deed in Hawkins County, Tennessee. Here he lived, bought and sold land and brought up his nine children. He died here on the 5th day of Sept. 1799. We do not know where he is buried. However there is a WEDDELL Cemetery in Green Co. on the Nolichuky River which would be near Hawkins County. He had settled on the North bank of the Holston River on Possum Creek in Stanley Valley. Later this was called Plum Grove. Found were twenty deeds of this family which showed they sold their land and moved to Indiana when that state opened up for settlement." Meuting also states: "He lived in Baltimore until 1786 when he moved to Pittsburgh." She suggests we all read  "the ancestry as told by great uncle, David DOLLING WEDDLE." 

David Dollings WEDDLE is the second child of Thomas William and Rosannah (Rosamund) WALLEN WEDDLE. He left a diary containing pertinent information regarding the ancestry of John WEDDLE. Here is the excerpt (spelled as written): "The following is a true naritive as was told to me By my Father and Mother concerning my Ancestors Beginning with My great grandfather. He was born in Germiny, lived and died there in Hollen. His name was Joseph Weddle in Hollen. My grandfather was Born 1739. He had three other brothers, George and Daniel and Joseph, 1 sister Susan. she married Polser Rouse. My grandfather's name was John. He maried to Mary Walling and after they had three sons they emigrated to America in 1774...."

* NOTE: 2007 - it has been suggested that Elizabeth Meuting may have made an incorrect conclusion translating "Hollen" in the David Dollings Weddle diary to "Holland." There is a Hollen, Germany north of Bremen and west of Hamburg. It is not near Wiesbaden, which is further south near Frankfurt. However, given DDW's sentence, "He was born in Germiny, lived and died there in Hollen ..." it is reasonable to conclude Joseph lived and died in Hollen, Germany, thus that would be where his children were born. Polser Rouse, who married John's daughter, Susan Weddle, is documented to have originated in Hollen, Germany - look here for further information regarding the birthplace of John Weddle.

** NOTE: 2007 - Further research into the family of Mary Walling make it questionable whether she immigrated along with John, as stated by David Dollings Weddle. Mary's father, Elisha Wallen/Walling was born 26 JUL 1708 in Cohansey, Salem Co., NJ. Her mother, Mary Blevins, was born abt. 1710 in Westerly, Washington Co., RI. If Mary Wallen/Walling's parents were both born in the USA and her elder siblings were born in Maryland, why would Mary go to Germany, have three sons between 1763-1774 then come back to the USA with John Weddle in 1774? She is said to have been a "relative" of John Weddle, thus could have gone to Germany on a family visit, met John, married, begun a family and come back with him the the USA. No evidence of same has been found and the likelihood that transatlantic visits would have been so casual in the early 1700s seems remote. If anyone has proof that Mary went back and forth, or that she was born in Germany, please contact me.

Here are the resulting charts:

Daniel Weddle

(2) Richard Matlock

(2) Alice Coop

Mary (Polly) Kindred

(2) 16 September 1875

2) Jackson County, Indiana

(2)Amanda C. Aldridge

buried Hall Cemetery (no. of Stroud)