Westel J Weed 1831 – September 7, 1903
Mary Ann Weed 1833 - 1922
The census from 1880 shows Westel and Mary Ann living at 63 Carroll Street which was on the north side of Carroll, three houses east of Jersey Street (W. 30 Street). (The house was demolished to make room for the St. Ignatius priests/teachers apartment building.)
Westel was 49 years old and Maryann was 47. Westel’s parents were from New York where Westel was born. Mary Ann’s parents were from England and Mary Ann was born in Ohio. Westel was employed as a ship’s carpenter while Mary Ann is shown as “keeping house”.
They had five children living with them:
- Ella, 21 years old employed as a dressmaker
- Lizzie, 15 years old, at school
- Gertie, 12 years old, at school
- Annie, 8 years old, at school
- Martha, 5 years old
Westel & Mary Ann Weed, like John & Catherine Parker and several others at Monroe, have a unique and popular monument in the form of a tree trunk with the branches cut off and scroll-like plaques that bear their names and dates. The truncated tree trunk represents life that has ended or cut down. Branches are cut off to identify lives cut short. Often the number of severed branches on this type of monument corresponds to the number of people shown carved on the trunk and scrolls and probably buried at the site. How the branch has been cut or broken may also depict the nature of the death. If the branch is cut cleanly through with a flat surface it represents a life fully lived and a normal death. If the branch is broken off or cut at multiple angles, it may represent a life cut short before death may have been expected.