Early Life and Family

Wesley Weldon was born in 1807 in Glastonbury, Hartford County, Connecticut, the son of Wareham Weldon and Permelia Andrews. His mother died in Glastonbury in 1817, when Wesley was about ten years old.¹

He married Emeline Munson, also a native of Connecticut. By 1830, Wesley was living in Franklin, Delaware County, New York.² Over the following decade, the family moved west. By the early 1830s, they were connected with Michigan, and their daughter Frances Marie Weldon was born about 1833.³

By 1840, Wesley Weldon was residing in Saginaw, Saginaw County, Michigan, placing him among the early settlers of the region.⁴

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Settlement in Saginaw County

By 1850, Wesley and his family were living in Bridgeport Township, Saginaw County, where he appeared in the federal census as a farmer.⁶ He continued to be recorded in Bridgeport Township in subsequent census years, including 1860 and 1870, with his post office listed as Bridgeport.⁷

One record places him in East Saginaw in January 1862, indicating that he traveled into the city at times, likely for business or personal matters, though no specific purpose is documented.⁸ By 1880, Wesley was again enumerated in Bridgeport Township, listed as a widower.⁹

Wesley and Emeline had at least three daughters who survived to adulthood: Frances Marie, Adelia, and Julia. Frances Marie died in 1872. Emeline Munson Weldon died in Bridgeport Township on 4 March 1876. Wesley did not remarry.¹⁰

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Later Years

By the late 1870s, Wesley Weldon was in his early seventies. Contemporary newspapers later described him as an “old resident” of Saginaw County, stating that he had lived in the area for more than forty years.¹¹ His occupation continued to be identified as farming.

Despite residing in Bridgeport Township, records indicate that Wesley traveled into the city of Saginaw, as reflected by the location associated with the events surrounding his death.

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Discovery in the Saginaw River

On 1 October 1880, the body of Wesley Weldon was recovered from the Saginaw River within the city of Saginaw.¹¹ Newspaper accounts indicate that family members were present in Saginaw at the time of his identification, but the surviving records do not establish a sequence of events involving a prior disappearance or organized search. The evidence supports only that Weldon was found deceased in the river and subsequently identified.

Early newspaper reports described the case as a possible drowning, a preliminary characterization common in river recoveries.¹¹ This assessment was reconsidered following a medical examination.

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Coroner’s Inquest and Medical Findings

A coroner’s inquest was held on 2 October 1880. The examining physician documented a contused wound on the back of the head approximately two inches in length, five broken ribs—some fractured into multiple pieces—and a fracture of the spinal column at the middle of the back.¹²

The coroner noted that the head wound showed clotted blood, indicating that it occurred before death. Examination of the lungs led the physician to conclude that Weldon had not breathed after entering the water, and that death occurred prior to the body being placed in the river.¹²

Based on these findings, the initial drowning explanation was rejected. Newspapers subsequently described the case as a homicide.¹³ No suspect was identified, and no further legal proceedings are documented.

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Probate Proceedings

Probate proceedings for Wesley Weldon’s estate were initiated in October 1880 in the Saginaw County Probate Court. Administration was granted, and his surviving daughters were identified as his heirs.¹⁴ The probate records address only the disposition of his estate and do not include discussion of the circumstances of his death.

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Conclusion

Wesley Weldon lived most of his adult life in Saginaw County as a farmer and long-term resident of Bridgeport Township. His death in 1880 was determined by medical examination to have occurred prior to his body entering the Saginaw River. Although the evidence ruled out accidental drowning, the death was never resolved, and the identity of the person or persons responsible remains unknown.

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Sources

1. Ancestry profile of Wesley Weldon, citing Glastonbury, Connecticut vital records.
2. 1830 U.S. Federal Census, Franklin, Delaware County, New York.
3. Ancestry profile of Wesley Weldon; birth of Frances Marie Weldon.
4. Ancestry profile of Wesley Weldon; birth of Adelia Weldon.
5. 1840 U.S. Federal Census, Saginaw, Saginaw County, Michigan.
6. 1850 U.S. Federal Census, Bridgeport Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
7. 1860 and 1870 U.S. Federal Census, Bridgeport Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
8. Residence record dated 14 January 1862, East Saginaw, Michigan.
9. 1880 U.S. Federal Census, Bridgeport Township, Saginaw County, Michigan.
10. Ancestry profile of Wesley Weldon; deaths of Emeline Munson Weldon and Frances Marie Weldon.
11. “An Old Farmer Found Drowned,” Detroit Free Press, 1 October 1880.
12. Coroner’s Inquest for Wesley Weldon, Saginaw County, 2 October 1880.
13. “A Murder in Saginaw County,” Evening Leader (Pontiac, Michigan), 4 October 1880.
14. Probate Records of Wesley Weldon, Saginaw County Probate Court, October 1880.