Jep Perryman Weaver

Jep Perryman Weaver was the seventh child of Nettie and C.S. Weaver. He was born on 

September 13, 1900. Unfortunately, I do not know much about my Uncle Jep. I only met him a few times as a child, but I will pass along what I do remember about him and what I have been told.

Jep was my grandmother, Ivera's, younger brother. He was born after their brother, Dewey, so the two boys were big buddies growing up. Uncle Jep moved to West Virginia  as a young man to work in the retail business like his father and older brothers had done in Talladega. He must have wanted to carve out his own path in life because he remained in West Virginia for the rest of his life. There he married Leona Watkins. 

Uncle Jep loved dogs, and Grandmother said that Jep always had "a pack of dogs."

  

All of Jep's five sisters loved Leona, and she was welcomed into the large Weaver family. Leona was very talented and enjoyed sewing. Every year she made hand-embroidered aprons and mailed them to  her sister-in-laws  in time for Christmas. I am so fortunate to have two of Aunt Leona's aprons. These pictures below are close-up shots of the handwork on the two aprons. I have used these aprons for years. I would tie them around my children's necks when they were helping in the kitchen when they were growing up, and these aprons have served as very oversized-but handy-bibs for my children and grandchildren. 

These two aprons are the same pattern, but the embroidery on each is so different. 

I like how the embroidery on the green check is very free-hand, and the cross-stitching on the blue check is more precise. 

Uncle Jep is also featured in our Family cookbook, Seasoned With Love. 

As mentioned in the cookbook, Jep owned and operated a restaurant in St. Albans, West Virginia. His original recipe, "Uncle Jep's Greek Spaghetti Sauce"  is a Weaver family favorite. During the late 1970's and early 1980's, it became harder on such a large, extended family as the Weavers to travel on Christmas Day, so we started a new tradition. We gathered at Tee's house on "The Night After Christmas" for a spaghetti supper, featuring Uncle Jep's famous sauce. 

So in reflecting upon Leona and Jep Weaver, I thought I did not know much about them, but now I see that I did know a few things. They both left us with legacies to remember them by…Leona, in her sweet ways and her skilled sewing, and Jep, in his love for his dogs and his love for cooking.

Happy Family Trails, everyone!

Love,

Mariellan