• Born: January 9, 1790
• Died: February 9, 1867
• Buried: Wentz UCC Cemetery in Worcester
• Spouse: Harman Custer 
  • Born: July 2, 1788 
  • Died: April 1, 1871
  • Parents: Peter Custer & Margaret Shutt
• Married: August 12, 1810 at St. James Episcopal Church in Perkiomen
• Children: Margaret, Lydia, Abram*, Susanna, Mary, Philip, Levi, John, Anna

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Catherine was a descendant of early Schwenkfelder immigrants. Though they were not among the earliest waves of immigration like our Krauss line, they nevertheless deserve more than a mention:

Catherine’s Great-Grandparents:

Abraham Beyer (E 184) was born around 1690 in Silesia. He married Rosina Yeakel (E 185), also a Silesian, who was born around 1699. Their children were Abraham, Andrew*, Anna Rosina, Anna Maria, George, and Susanna.

Abraham, Rosina, and their children immigrated to Pennsylvania in 1736. They sailed aboard the Perth Amboy in what is referred to as the “5th migration” of Schwenkfelters.  In the New World, Abraham bought land in Worcester Township from Jacob Metz on March 26, 1736.

According to the Schwenkfelder Genealogy, Abraham “became identified with the Schwenkfelders, and many of his descendants have continued faithful adherents of this church.”  Abraham, Rosina, and several of their children are interred in the Methacton Mennonite Cemetery. In this cemetery is also a large stone listing each of the Schwenkfeld immigrants buried there.

Catherine’s Grandparents:

Andrew Beyer (E 189), sometimes referred to as Andreas, was born in Silesia in 1733. He traveled to Pennsylvania with his parents in 1736. He married Philipina Weyand (sometimes spelled Wieand) on November 7, 1758 at New Goshenhoppen Reformed Church.  Philipina was born in Montgomery County on November 3, 1737. The Schwenkfelder Genealogy says that they lived in Valley Forge.  Their children included Susanna (1759-1764), Abraham* (1760-1832), Jacob (1762-1846), Wendell (1763-1779), Daniel (1765-1852), Andrew (1767-1845), Rosanna (1769-1818), and David (1771-1771).

Andrew died on April 19, 1773 around the age of forty and is buried in the Methacton Mennonite Cemetery.  Philipina remarried to Heinrich Frick and died on December 22, 1814.  She is buried at the Wentz UCC cemetery.

Catherine’s Parents:

Catherine’s father was Abraham Beyer, the second child of Andrew and Philipina. He was born on October 8, 1760. Tax records indicate he spent his life in and around Worcester Township.  He married Catherine Richerd (1762-1825) in 1779.  Abraham died on August 8, 1832. The burial place of Abraham and Catherine is currently unknown.