David Fenimore Cooper (F.C) Weller Biography
David F.C. Weller was born on March 11, 1843, the only child of Daniel and Susan (Ellis) Weller. The family lived in Elizabethtown , Kentucky , which was also home to David's grandparents and several aunts and uncles. Please see the Weller Family History. Tragedy struck the Weller family in 1847, when David's grandfather, also named David Weller, died. Then, in 1848, both Daniel and Susan Weller died. Following the death of his parents, five-year-old David went to live with his widowed grandmother, Mary (Matthis) Weller. Mary had remained in Elizabethtown after her husband's death, raising her youngest daughter, Emily. Two of Mary's adult children, Elizabeth M (Lizzy) and George W. were also living in her home. It appears that David stayed in this extended family for some time. Indeed, letters written by his "Aunt Lizzy" reflect her feeling that she had participated heavily in raising him. Sometime before 1860, Mary moved to Canton , Missouri . The 1860 Census shows her residing with her daughter, Elizabeth M, who had since married John Leeper, a Missouri resident. David may have moved to Missouri with his grandmother and aunt. However, by 1860, he was back in Kentucky , living with other relatives. The 1860 census shows David residing in Bardstown with Henry and Elizabeth Newman (Elizabeth Jane Weller, his father's cousin). The 1860 Census information also indicates that seventeen-year-old David was already working as a printer.

When the Civil War started, David F.C. Weller decided to join the Confederate Army. David enlisted as a Confederate Volunteer on July 16, 1861, at Camp Boone . He served as a Private in the Kentucky Infantry, 2 nd Regiment, Company C. His unit was part of what was later called the "Orphaned Brigade". It was so named because Kentucky 's government declined to join the Confederacy and supported the Union cause. Having no source of support from their home state, the Kentucky Confederates had to scavenge for food, arms, uniforms and other supplies. Also, these units were outlawed in their home state, which made if very difficult for the soldiers to see their families.

David served during the entire period of the war. He was severely wounded during the battle at Fort Donelson . When he was sufficiently recovered, he was re-assigned to hospital duty at Forsyth , Georgia . He remained there through the spring and summer of 1863 and then briefly rejoined his unit. However, he was soon assigned back to hospital duty and did not return to his unit again until the fall of 1864. It is probable that his wound, which plagued him for the remainder of his life, made it difficult for him to continue serving in a combat role.

After the war's end, David determined to resume his career as a printer. Correspondence indicates that he moved between several locations seeking employment. In 1865 and 1866 he spent time in Elizabethtown , Kentucky , Louisville , Kentucky , Forsyth , Georgia , and Macon , Georgia . At the beginning of 1867, he returned to Louisville , found work as a printer and finally established a permanent residence. Addresses on some of the correspondence suggest that David was employed by the Louisville Courier Journal.

By 1868, David had also joined the Kentucky Helm Guard, an organization of volunteer soldiers charged with protecting Kentucky and its citizens. Each Helm Guard unit had to raise its own funds for uniforms and supplies and its members were not paid for their participation. Although the Helm Guard members all had outside employment, they met regularly to train and drill. They strove to be ready to deal with any lawlessness or unrest that might threaten their communities. David served as a Captain in Company C, 1 st Regiment, K.N.L.

On June 23, 1869 David F.C. Weller married Mary Emma (Molly) Fowler. David and his wife lived in Louisville , where they ultimately raised six children. David continued to work as a printer and stayed active in the "Helm Guards" until his death in 1891. He was buried at Cave Hill Cemetery in Louisville . Molly remained in Louisville after David's death, raising her younger children. She died in Jefferson County , Kentucky on January 14, 1935.