Custer

The Custer line, on my father’s side, originates from near the modern-day border between Germany and The Netherlands. The early “Kusters” were among the first Mennonites to settle in the New World, founding Germantown in what is now northwestern Philadelphia. Because of the significance of these events, the lives of these early Custer immigrants were well documented by early historians. Other genealogists have even listed the names and dates of Custers going back to 1440, though without documentation it is impossible to confirm these earliest few generations.

Profiles of Custer Family Members & Spouses:

  • John Pieter De Koster (~1440 – ~1530) (low confidence)
  • John Pieter De Koster (~1460 – ~1550) (low confidence)
  • John Pieter De Koster (~1480 – ~1570) (low confidence)

The above three individuals are listed on Ancestry.com and FindAGrave.com, but currently there is no documentation to confirm their names or birth & death dates. Their dates appear to be inferred or estimated.

The First Mennonites: From Germany to Germantown

In 1683, thirteen Mennonite and Quaker families from Germany and Holland settled in what became known as Germantown. Invited by William Penn himself, they were the first Europeans to settle the area, the first Mennonites and Quakers in Pennsylvania, and the first Germans to settle in the New World. In 1684, our Custer ancestors, along with twenty-eight other families, participated in the second wave of this immigration.

Click here for a history of this group’s journey from persecution in Germany to the founding of multiple townships in Pennsylvania.

History and Origins of the Custer Surname

The name Custer (and its related spellings) is said to be Teutonic in origin. This term refers to the Germanic branch of the Indo-European language family: including German, Flemish, Dutch, Frisian, English, and Scandanavian dialects including Sweedish, Danish, Icelandic, and Norwegian. Interestingly, the term “Teutonic” also refers to the ancient Teutons, a group which migrated westward from southern Scandinavia and the Jutland peninsula of Denmark into the Danube valley late in the second century BC.

The English meaning of Custer is “sacristan.” Perhaps the first individuals with this surname held the office of sacristan in the Catholic church in Holland or western Germany during Medieval times.

One of the first Custers identified by historians is Laurens Coster/Koster (~1370-1440), who is reputed to have invented printing in Haarlem, Holland.

There are many versions of the name Custer seen both historically and to this day. Even within one family line, the spelling of the name changed over time. Some individuals chose to change their name to better fit the culture or to avoid persecution.

In Germany, our ancestors appear to have used spellings including “Kuster” and “Koster.” As they relocated and settled in the New World, various branches of the family began using new spellings of the name including “Custard,” “Kester,” and “Custer.”  And, of course, variations will appear in hand-written records.

Famous Characters

Within our Custer line, there is a connection to General Custer. There is also a somewhat distant connection, by marriage, to George Washington.