Orlie Weaver papers and photographs

Collection

Identifier: MS-1056

Staff Only

Collection Overview

Abstract

This collection consist of photographs, drawings, newspaper clippings, award certificates, and correspondence created by or relating to Orlie Weaver, owner of Weaver Seed Company in Grand Rapids, Ohio.

Dates

Creation: 1886-2006

Extent

1.14 Cubic Feet (1 legal archive box, 1 half legal archive box, 1 flat box)

1 Photographic Prints (1 flat file drawer)

Creator

Weaver, Orlie, 1910-2006 (Person)

Scope and Contents

Although having some other family material included, the bulk of the material in the collection relates directly to Orlie Weaver and specifically his activities at the Winged Feet Game Farm, with photographs, some minor correspondence, news-clippings, and award certificates, spanning the years from 1974 until about 2000. The collection also includes the eulogy read at Orlie's funeral in 2006 by his wife Cella.

The majority of the photographs are unidentified snapshots, but a few do identify the date or the bird in the photo. Even those without any captions clearly show the extent of the breeding operation Weaver had over the years. A few large format photographs that were framed are located in oversize flat box.

The correspondence in the collection is little more than a sampling, giving a hint of the business and bureaucratic aspects with requests for application forms and permits for dealing with endangered species, with some purchase orders/invoices to indicate the monetary value. On the verso of the blank stationery Weaver used for his business is a listing of the variety of pheasants, ducks, geese and swans he had for sale.

Clippings of newspaper articles ranging from 1974 through 1985 provide a general overview of Orlie's activities, highlighting such things as the export of two trumpeter swans to Manitoba, awards, and general nature articles with photos about raising waterfowl.

The collection also includes a selection of some minor family papers associated with his father, William F. Weaver and the family farm in Damascus Township, Lucas County, Ohio. Although scattered in nature, some items of note in this section include material related to participation in Mutual Insurance organizations, such as the Henry County Farmers' Mutual Insurance Co. and the Patrons' Buckeye Mutual Insurance Co., some of which show the payments made for various agricultural claims, a draft of a will written around 1930 and a few printed items, including catalogs, postcards, and a handbill for the McClain & Weaver Cider-Mill.

Biographical / Historical

Orlie Weaver was born March 9, 1910 in Grand Rapids, Ohio, one of six sons (Sherman, Floyd, Carl, Orlie, Ora, and John), and one daughter, Blanche, born to William Franklin and Martha Jane (Brown) Weaver. Raised on a farm in Damascus Township on the Wood/Henry County lines, he operated the Weaver Seed Company in Grand Rapids for 39 years before selling it to Pioneer Seed Company in 1976.

Having a strong interest in the environment and a love for waterfowl Orlie established the Winged Feet Game Farm to perpetuate endangered species, including geese, swans, and ducks on a 16 acre farm that included 7 ponds and numerous pens for nesting areas. Some of the endangered species that he propagated included trumpeter swans, Australian Shell ducks, Cape Barren geese, black-neck swans, and Nene geese. His efforts earned him numerous awards as a breeder from such organizations as the American Pheasant & Waterfowl Society and the Canadian Ornamental Pheasant and Game Bird Association. Birds raised by Weaver were sold to private collectors, other breeders, and to wildlife restoration projects, such as the Kellogg Bird Sanctuary in Michigan, and the Fort Whyte Center for Environmental Education in Manitoba.

He was married on May 19, 1934 to Winifred M. Bortel (who died on March 17, 1974), with whom he had two sons, Nick and Phil. Later in life he was married to Brucilla Usha Page on October 7, 1994. Orlie Weaver died on March 16, 2006 at the age of 96.

Conditions Governing Access

No known access restrictions.

Conditions Governing Use

Researchers using this collection assume full responsibility for conforming to the laws of libel, privacy, and copyright, and are responsible for securing permissions necessary for publication or reproduction.

Language of Materials

Materials in English.

Additional Description

Immediate Source of Acquisition

The donation and transfer of these records to the Center for Archival Collections was arranged on March 6, 2007 through the cooperation of Cella U. Weaver, with additional material transferred on April 6, 2007.