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Francis C. Waid Submitted by David M. Waid |
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Francis C. Waid was a farmer in Meadville, and was born in Woodcock Township, April 23, 1833. Pember Waid, his grandfather, was born August 21, 1774, in Lyme, New London Co., Conn., and was there married to Anna Lord, daughter of Samuel Lord, born May 22, 1776, and died February 2, 1844. Pember Waid died February 15, 1852. Ira C., the second son of Pember and Anna, and the father of Francis, was born in New London Co., Conn., and came with Jared Shattuck, driving a four-horse team from Connecticut to Meadville, in the fall of 1816. They were six weeks on the road. On June 12, 1825, Ira C. Waid married Elizabeth P. Morehead, of Farmington, Hartford Co., Conn., daughter of Robert and Sarah (Clark) Morehead. Francis Waid began farming on his own account, renting part of the farm at first and later working it on shares. In 1858, Ira, knowing his son's desire to become the possessor of a little home, sold him fifty acres of land once owned by Pember Waid. He taught in all eight district schools and thereby became well acquainted with many of the families in Crawford County. The first school he ever taught was the first school established in Blooming Valley, then (1851-52) part of Woodcock Township. "In my youth," writes Mr. Waid, "at the age of about sixteen, I began writing down the little transactions and common events of my life, together with such notable things as claimed my attention in our community. At the age of seventeen I was so interested in my undertaking, and did not want to lose what I had written, so I bought quite a large book, 8x10, containing about 400 pages. In this book, in the year 1851, I began writing, keeping a kind of journal, personal and otherwise. I thought it a hard task at first, and it was only with reluctance that I could persuade myself to continue, but here is the old saying, 'No real excellence without labor.'" It is from this work of journaling that the three volumes of Souvenir appeared from 1886 to 1891. Francis C. Waid died before the release of the third volume.
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