The Gloucester Genealogical Society of Virginia will feature a talk by Gloucester native Dr. William “Bill” Weaver at its March meeting at 10 a.m. Monday at Buck’s Store Museum in Bena.

Weaver will reflect on his great-grandfather’s migration from Lancaster, Pennsylvania, to Gloucester in 1869 and his settling at Burleigh Farm.

His family history will continue with succeeding generations building and operating several sawmills; the establishment of a major steamboat stop at Clay Bank including the pier, a lodge and a store; and the expansion of the sawmill business into the Weaver Brothers Lumber Company throughout the local region.

Weaver will tell how, following World War I, his father, William, returned to full-time farming at Clay Bank, managing crops, cattle and a large poultry operation including a chick hatchery. This is the farm life backdrop that Weaver grew up with and which served as a guide for his future life’s work.

As a 1958 graduate of Gloucester High School, Weaver went on to earn his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Virginia Tech and his doctorate from Penn State. He returned to Virginia Tech to serve 25 years on its faculty. In 1990, he moved to Penn State where he became Head of the Department of Poultry Science, a position from which he retired in 1998.

He has since returned to his native Gloucester, making his retirement home on the family property at Clay Bank. Weaver has worked tirelessly to preserve and promote the history and heritage of his beloved Gloucester. He is currently vice president of the Gloucester Historical Society and holds membership on the Gloucester County Historical Committee. Weaver has served on the Board of Directors of the Rosewell Foundation, and on the Edge Hill House Foundation. He also is part of the Gloucester Educational Foundation, the committee that is responsible for selecting Gloucester’s “Teacher of the Year.”

The meeting is free and open to the public. Light refreshments will be served after the program by the Guinea Heritage Association.