The Pursuits of a Planter: William F. Weeks, Second Generation
"My whole life has been spent in taking care of the property
of other people." -William F. Weeks, Texas to John Moore, DeSoto
Parish, Louisiana, Jan 25, 1865
William
F. Weeks, eldest son of David and Mary Weeks, was born in St. Mary Parish
on the family's Parc Perdu plantation, January 19, 1825. In 1841, with
some misgivings, Mary sent William, then 16 years old, and his younger
brother Alfred, to the University of Virginia at Charlottesville. An altercation
with a professor led William to transfer to the College of William and
Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, in 1842. Soon after beginning classes
at William and Mary, William wrote to his mother, January 30, 1843, "This
is an admirable institution, every inducement is held out to make a young
man apply himself, the indolence, which despite my good resolutions might
have clung to me, but by a change of place and associates, (I flatter
myself) I have shaken off the monster." Possibly most important in
his mother's eyes, William vowed "amongst the ladies I have not an
acquaintance." William left college in November 1843, returned to
Louisiana, and never went back to continue his education, but in 1844
took on the management of the Weeks family plantations started by his
father almost thirty years before. William, like other sugar planters,
was responsible for many people and worked long hours overseeing this
vast operation of people and activities, in addition to keeping up with
the market and new technology.
On July 7, 1846, William married his cousin Mary Gorham Palfrey, and the
young couple took residence on the Weeks sugar plantation on Grand Cote
(now known as Weeks Island) in St. Mary Parish. They had five children,
only two of whom grew to adulthood, Lily, born in 1851, and Harriet, born
in 1864.
During
the Civil War, William took a group of slaves and went to Texas, believing
that Texas would not be invaded and that "Negro property will be
safe when not one is left a slave in Louisiana." (Letter, William
F. Weeks, Houston, to John Moore, DeSoto Parish, Oct 31, 1863) In January
1864 the refugees received word of Mary Moore's death but were unable
to come home until after the war. William, along with Judge Moore, was
named executor of his mother's estate. After the war, William and his
family made the Shadows their home, but still lived on Grand Cote Plantation
during the grinding season as the family's main cash crop, sugarcane,
was grown and processed there.
It was to William that family members looked for advice and assistance
in business matters. William's successful deals in real estate, selling
off family lands while at the same time being ever watchful that the family
"not dance too fast for the music" (W.F. Weeks to John Moore,
July 14, 1858), that made William successful as a planter.
William's wife, Mary, died at the Shadows in 1888 after a lengthy illness.
William died there on January 24, 1895, less than three months after the
birth of his only grandchild, William Weeks Hall, son of Lily Weeks and
Gilbert Hall.
Next Page : Lily Weeks Hall & Harriet Weeks Torian
History l Visit l Education l Events l Support l Shop l Contact l Site
Map |