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Lake County, Indiana Biographies
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P. J. Weber
Rev. Father Weber, the beloved pastor of St. John's Catholic church, of Earl Park, Indiana, was born in New
York City, May 13, 1868, and is a son of Joseph and Regina (Angersbach) Weber, both natives of Germany, the former
born in Hesse, the latter in Baden. The father died in New York city in 1868, at the age of thirty-four years,
at which time he was serving as superintendent for the Singer Sewing Machine Company; but the mother is still living,
at the age of sixty years, and now makes her home in Carlsruhe, Germany. The grandparents were all of German birth
and lived to a great age.
The first four years of his life Father Weber spent in his native city and then accompanied his mother on
her removal to Carlsruhe, Germany, where he attended the common schools and later the gymnasium, at which he was
graduated at the age of eighteen years. He then went to Belgium, where he studied rhetoric for one year and philosophy
for the same length of time at St. Nicholas. The following three years and a half were spent in the study of theology
at Louvain, where he was ordained as priest January 6, 1891. Three months later he came to the United States, landing
at New York city, and soon after he reported to Bishop Dwenger, at Fort Wayne, Indiana, and his first appointment
was at Klaasville, Lake County, Indiana, where he remained for four years. At the end of that time he was given
charge of the congregation at Earl Park, which pastorate he has since filled to the entire satisfaction of the
church and his parishioners.
St. John's church is the oldest Catholic church in the locality, it having been built twenty-five years ago.
As a mission services were conducted for the congregation at Earl Park by Father Haas, of St. Anthony's church,
generally known as Dehner church, and the mission was called St. John the Baptist. It next fell under the pastorate
of Father Maujay, of the Fowler church, under whose charge it remained until 1888, when he was succeeded at the
end of that time by the present pastor, Father Weber. He has added to the church property by buying three lots,
on two of which he has built a fine two-story brick parsonage, at a cost of five thousand dollars, and on the corner
he plans to erect a new brick church in about three years, to cost sixteen thousand dollars. He then intends to
turn the present frame church into a parochial school, as the parish has no school of its own at the present time.
The congregation, numbering about one hundred families, is composed of French, German and English, and this being
the case, Father Weber preaches every Sunday in English, and every other Sunday in French and German. He is an
indefatigable worker for his church and the good of the community, and is revered and loved by his own congregation,
and honored and esteemed by all who have seen his devotion to his noble calling.
[Source: "Biographical History of Tippecanoe, White, Jasper, Newton, Benton, Warren and Pulaski counties,
Indiana" transcribed by Debbie Gibson]