caption death_date death_place birth_place nationality name parents birth_date spouse image article_title birth_name
portrait miniature of weld 12 december 1881 philadelphia , pennsylvania roxbury , boston , massachusetts american william fletcher weld william gordon weld hannah minot april 15 , 1800 mary perez bryant isabella melissa walker williamfletcherweld.jpg william fletcher weld
 william fletcher weld
william fletcher weld

william fletcher weld -lrb- april 15 , 1800 -- december 12 , 1881 -rrb- was an american shipping magnate during the golden age of sail .
he later invested in railroads and real estate .
weld multiplied his family 's fortune into a huge legacy for his descendants and the public .
