Weld, Lewis, 1796-1853

Lewis Ledyard Weld, brother of Mason C. Weld, was born in Hartford, Connecticut on May 13, 1833. He graduated from Yale in 1854 and studied law in New York City. In 1858 Weld opened a law office in Leavenworth, Kansas and was active in the fight to keep Kansas free of slavery. He moved to Colorado and was appointed by Lincoln secretary and acting governor of the territory. In 1863 Weld became a captain in the 7th Regiment U.S. Colored Troops and in 1864 he was appointed major of the 41st Colored Infantry. He died on January 10, 1865 from trench exposure.

Mason Cogswell Weld, son of Lewis and Mary A. (Cogswell) Weld, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on February 18, 1829. He graduated from Yale in 1852 and studied chemistry in Europe. In 1862, Weld enlisted in the 25th Connecticut Regiment and attained the rank of lieutenant-colonel. After the war he devoted himself to scientific agriculture, especially diary-farming. Weld died near Closter, New Jersey on September 25, 1887.