Weems/Reynolds Family

The Weems family is one of the oldest families in Maryland, originally settling in Anne Arundel County in the eighteenth century. The family originated in Scotland, being descended from the noble Wemyss line, although there is disagreement among genealogists concerning how the American and Scottish lines are connected. Family tradition suggests that William Wemyss, killed in 1715 at the Battle of Preston, was the father of the American immigrants. More recently, researchers have suggested that a James Wemyss fathered the American line.

Evidence in the Weems Family Papers, along with material from various primary and secondary sources, suggests that David, James, and Williamina Weems emigrated from Scotland between 1715 and 1720. According to a family history written by John Weems in 1854, David, James, and Williamina Weems immigrated to Maryland at the request of their mother Elizabeth's brother, Dr. William Loch (also spelled "Lock" and, more recently, "Locke"), who did not, at that time, have an heir. Loch apparently made some effort to secure his nephews' and niece's financial security, as he provided his nephew James with a medical education.

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