• Born: February 16, 1813
• Died: May 4, 1886
• Buried: Brownback’s UCC, Spring City, Chester County
• 1st Spouse: Mary 
  • Born: Jan 10, 1813
  • Died: Jan 6, 1859
  • Marriage: Dec 20, 1836
  • Children: Catharine, Ann, Jesse, James, Harman
• 2nd Spouse: Ann Forges
  • Born: Jan 21, 1827
  • Died: June 29, 1899
  • Marriage: October 1859
  • Children: Susan, Abram L, Ida, Sallie, Ellie, Lyman

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Abraham was the first-born son of Harman and Catherine Custer, born on February 16, 1816.  He was another Custer who was a farmer by trade.  

Abraham’s first wife was named Mary, though her maiden name is not clear. She was born on January 10, 1813, and they were married on December 20, 1826 at Wentz Reformed Church. From the 1850 census we can infer that they had five children: Catharine, born around 1838, Ann, born around 1840, Jesse, born around 1843, James, who lived from 1846 to 1928, and Garman, born around 1850.  

In 1850, Abraham and his growing family lived in Norriton, and his real estate was valued at $5,700.  Also living with the family at this time were John Custer (most likely Abraham’s brother), John Neal, age 11, and Catharine Denner, age 15. Miss Denner’s family appears to have lived at the neighboring dwelling, and she was likely a housekeeper for the Custers.

Mary died on January 6, 1859, and is buried at Brownback’s UCC Cemetery in Spring City, Chester County, PA.

Abraham remarried in October, 1859.  His second wife was Ann Forges, possibly also spelled Forbes.  She was born on January 21, 1827. No record of her parents have been found. 

In 1860, Abraham and Ann lived in East Coventry in Chester County, with property valued at $4,000.. Three of Abraham’s older children – Jesse, James, and Herman – lived with them and likely helped on the family farm.  Abraham and Ann’s first child, Susan, was only two months old at the time of the census. Also living with the family were Samuel Forges, age 10 (or 7), and Catherine Forges, age 4, likely Ann’s siblings. Additionally, Julia Hummel, age 10, resided in the home, as well as a “domestic,” Margaret Rambo, age 14.

Abraham and Anna remained in East Coventry for at least the next twenty years.  In 1870, their property value had increased to $5,500.  While the older children were no longer at home, several young children were Abram, Ida, Sallie, and Ellie. Also living with the family were Ann’s siblings, Samuel and Mary Forges, both teenagers.

In 1880, Abram, Ida, Sallie, and 10-year-old Lyman were still at home, as were two boarders: Charles Lear, 24, a worker at a needle factory, and Susan Walker, 77, who suffered from paralysis.

Abraham died on May 4, 1886 and Ann died on June 29, 1899.  They are both buried at Brownback’s UCC in Spring City.

Children of Abraham and Mary

1 Except for her appearance in the 1850 census and dates on Ancestry, there is not much information about Catharine.  Her birthdate is given as December 27, 1837, and her date of death July 15, 1853.

2 Even less information exists about Ann. Oddly, family trees on Ancestry give her birth date as two days prior to Catherine’s, and her death date as the same as Catherine’s.  This likely means that one or both of these sets of dates are incorrect. It’s possible that Ann died young (she does not appear in the 1860 census), and perhaps even on the same day as Catherine. These sisters were not twins, though,  as the 1850 census shows their ages as 12 and 10.

3 If records are correct, Jesse was born on February 14, 1843 and died on November 20, 1902. This information is not certain, however, as there seems to have been another Jesse Custer living in the area at the same time, resulting in the crossing of some records

4 James was born on Feb 19 1847 and died on January 5, 1928. According to his death certificate, he was a bleacher at an underwear factory. He married Elizabeth Elliot.

5 Herman was born around 1850 and died October 22, 1912.  He married Mary Elizabeth Shaffer.

Several of the above children were baptised in January, 1853.

Children of Abraham and Ann

1 Susan is only listed as a newborn in the 1860 census. The lack of any further mention of her suggests that she likely died very young.

2 Abram L is discussed here.

3 Ida was born around 1865 and died on August 25, 1881.

4 Sallie was born around 1867 and died on October 23, 1935. She married Henry Wismer on March 4, 1899.

5 Ellie was born around 1868.   The lack of any further mention of her suggests that she likely died very young.

6 Lyman was born on September 21, 1870 and died on July 3, 1931. He married Florence “Flora” Virginia Carl in 1893.  He was a Post Master for Parker Ford.

Gravestone Photos