EWGS Presidents: Samuel Pool Weaver

2010 will be the 75th anniversary of EWGS, but as early as 1932 Florence Brown and Mary Elizabeth Dow Maltbie had met at the Carnegie Library (1st and Cedar) and discussed forming a genealogical society. On October 12, 1933, Mrs. Maltbie, her daughter Mrs. Rawlings, Mrs. Mercer, Mrs. Pinkham and Mrs. Wetherill met on the mezzanine of the Davenport Hotel to plan a Historical/Genealogical Society. The DAR had been working on the Washigton Pioneer project and this led to the idea of forming a genealogical society.

On Tuesday January 31, 1935, nine people met around a large round table in the mezzanine of the Davenport Hotel to form Eastern Washington Genealogical Society. Founder and organizer Mary Elizabeth Dow Maltbie conducted the meeting. Elected to the first offices: Samuel Weaver President (he had consented to be elected for a two year term, but was not present and never served); Mrs. David Brown, Vice President; Achsah Adelia Maltbie Rawlings (daughter of Mary Maltbie), 2nd Vice President; Mrs. G.W. Rogers, Secretary; Mrs. J.J. Thiel, Corresponding Secretary; Mrs. L.S. Wood, Treasurer; and Mrs. A.B. Keith, Librarian. The Board of Directors elected were Mrs. Louis H. Pinkham, Miss Mattie Wetherill, Mr. Hiram B. Ferris and Mrs. Maltbie. Initial Dues were 50 cents. Goals of the society were 'to create interest in genealogical and historical research; to assist members in searching for and determining their own ancestral lines; to collect genealogical and historical materials; and to assist the Spokane Public Library in building up the Genealogy section by securing books, magazines and manuscripts.'

--from the Volume 22 of the Bulletin on the 50th anniversary of EWGS in 1985.

Samuel Pool Weaver was the first President of EWGS, and as noted above never served a day as president. He was born in Greensburg Pennsylvania October 20, 1882 son of Jacob Peter Weaver (1843-1927) Greensburg Pennsyvania and Mary Jane Pool (1848-1917). He had at least two wives: first one was Elsa Eberbach of Ann Arbor Michigan born July 24, 1885. They had one son William Pool Weaver. In 1957 he married Mary Helen McCrea, daughter of Mr and Mrs. William McCrea. She was a librarian. Samuel was a lawyer and moved from Cheney to Spokane in 1922 and practiced law till 1939. From 1928 he was also president of Great Northwest Life Insurance Company till he retired in 1955, a professor of constitutional law at Gonzaga Law School from 1929 to 1948. He was also a WWI veteran, having been inducted at Cheney, Washington October 19, 1918, and served with the Students Army Tng (training?) Corps at the State Normal School at Cheney, Washington to discharge. He was a private. He was honorably discharged December 17, 1918. In the Spokane Public Library there are two books by Samuel; Autobiography of a Pennsylvania Dutchman [1953] in the Northwest Room. Very interesting book, but no mention of being an EWGS president. The second book is Weaver, Kiehl, Pool, Bierer-Muller families; genealogical data and charts. [1953]. This book is in the Genealogy section on the third floor. I wondered if he was related to my Pools, but his was from England and mine were from Holland. Samuel Pool Weaver died in Miami January 23, 1963 and is buried in Fairmount Cemetery.