Biography: Weidner Family, Berks County, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Betty Burdan bjburdan@.ptd.net USGENWEB NOTICE: Printing this file by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. _________________________________________________________ "Historical and Biographical Annals of Berks County" by Morton Montgomery Adam, Angstadt, Auge, Ballard, Beam, Beck, Becker, Berndt, Brown, Bush, Cleaver, Diehl, Dilaplain, Dry, Everhhart, Focht, Fritz, Fry, Gambler, Gauger, George, Graul, Hartman, Himmelreich, Hoch, Holt, Homan, Keim, Kern, Kridler, Lee, Leinbach, Levan, Lobach, Miller, Monroe, Preiss, Price, Reiff, Reppert, Ruppert, Seisholtz, Weber, Yoder Vol. I, p. 395-396 - WEIDNER. The ancestor of the WEIDNER family in Berks County was (I) Adam WEIDNER, who settled in Oley Township prior to 1744, in which year he bought a considerable tract of land from Benjamin LEE, a part of which, located in the vicinity of Pleasantville, is now the property of Philip D. HOCH. He had three sons, (II) Tychicus, Lazarus and David, whom tradition says were born in Wurtemberg, Germany. They, too, came to Pennsylvania, and Tychicus WEIDNER, who is also called "Dietrich" WEIDNER, and his brother Lazarus had settled in Oley Township before 1744. In 1759 "Dehecus" WEIDNER paid a federal tax of 17 pounds in Oley. He died in 1798, the year in which his will was probated. He was a large land owner, and at his death left a large estate, which he divided equitably among his children, who were eleven in number and named as follows: Jacob, John, Hannah, Catharine, Esther, Susanna, Mary, Peter, Jonathan, Christian, and Daniel. The eldest daughter, Hannah, was never married. She was bequested [sic] with a house, so much flax every year, and the walnut wash props. In 1788 (II) Tychicus WEIDNER sold a tract of land located in Amity Township, this county, to his eldest son, Jacob, and to the same son he sold another tract, of 200 acres, situated in Oley Township (being a part of a tract of 404 acres), in the year 1791. (III) Jacob WEIDNER, eldest son of Tychicus, was first married to Elizabeth PRICE, and they became the parents of the following children: Peter, who settled at the Falls of the Schuylkill; Daniel, who died aged twenty years; David; Jacob, m. Hannah YODER (they had Benneville and Mary); Hannah, m. to Daniel BROWN, of Pricetown, Berks County (she lived to the great age of ninety -eight years); a daughter m. to David YODER, moving with him to New York State; and William. (IV) William WEIDNER, son of Jacob, married Susanna YODER. They were farming people and lived in Oley Township. Their nine children were: Jacob; Daniel, who moved to Northumberland County, PA., and later settled in Ohio; William, m. to Catharine BEAM; Reuben, m. to Mary BEAM; George, m. to Theresa BERNDT; Rachel, m. to William DILAPLAIN; Amanda, m. to Reuben DRY; Leah, m. to Israel KEIM (they settled in the vicinity of Milton, PA); and Polly, m. to David WEIDNER. (V) Jacob WEIDNER, eldest son of William, was born in Oley, and during his earlier manhood followed farming, also conducting a wheelwright shop above Pleasantville until 1855, when he moved to Reading. There he was a car builder for Johnston & Shaaber. He married Mary Ann WEIDNER, a daughter of David WEIDNER, of Friedensburg, PA, and they had the following named children: Augustus, who died young; Jacob, who died young; James, who was killed in battle in the Civil War; Gideon; Daniel W.; [and] Malinda. (VI) Gideon WEIDNER was born in 1842, son of Jacob, was a shoemaker in Reading all his life, and he died in 1906. His wife was Esther GRAUL, and to them were born two children: James L. and Annie, the latter the wife of Samuel KRIDLER, of Lancaster, PA. (VII) James L. WEIDNER, son of Gideon, was born in Reading Aug. 8, 1865, and still makes his home in that city. He is engaged as a brick maker during the warm weather and as a shoemaker in the wintertime. In 1889 he married Mary MONROE, and to them have been born two children, Annie and Charles. ----------------------------------- (VI) Daniel W. WEIDNER, brother of Gideon, was born Oct. 12, 1844. When seventeen years old he commenced to learn shoemaking, and has ever since followed that trade, having his shop and home at No. 231 South Tenth Street, Reading. He is active in religious work and identified with independent church activities as a member of the Gospel Tabernacle in Reading. In 1866 Mr. Weidner m. Sallie PRICE, by whom he has two children: Harry J., a shoemaker of Reading; and Annie, m. to Jeremiah AUGE, of Reading. ---------------------------------------- (V) Reuben WEIDNER (son of William, son of Jacob, son of Tychicus) was born in 1832 and died in 1889. He m. Mary BEAM, and had a family of five children: Annie m. Alvin LEVAN; Elias m. Amanda CLEAVER; Helen m. Chester B. CLEAVER; William m. Hannah GEORGE; Amanda m. Charles HOLT. ----------------------------------------- After the death of (III) Jacob WEIDNER (eldest son of Tychicus) his widow Elizabeth, nee PRICE, remarried, her second husband being Peter WEIDNER, a younger brother of her first. Peter WEIDNER was born in 1774 and died in 1838, in his sixty-fifth year. His widow survived a number of years, dying July 4, 1857, in the eighty-eighth year of her age. He was a farmer, and owned a large tract of land in Pike Township, this county. To Peter and Elizabeth WEIDNER were born two children, viz.: John P. and Mary. The daughter, who was the youngest, m. Daniel WEIDNER, and they settled in Milton, PA, where they both died. (IV) John P. WEIDNER (son of Peter, son of Tychicus) was born in Pike Township, Berks County, April 13, 1812, and died March 7, 1885, in his seventy-third year. He was a weaver and farmer by occupation. By his wife, Elizabeth REPPERT, he had a family of ten children, namely: William R., Jonathan, Sarah, John R., Eliza, Kate, Leanda, Caroline, Mary and Peter. (V) William R. WEIDNER, son of John P., was born in Pike Township, Nov. 27, 1837, and is a farmer by occupation. He has lived successively in Oley, Ruscombmanor, Alsace and Exeter Townships, having made his home continuously on one farm in Exeter from 1881 to the present time. In 1884 he married Emma HIMMELREICH, by whom he had these children: Seth, Amanda, Emma, William, Katie, John and Daniel (twins) and Thomas. (V) John R. WEIDNER, brother of William R., was born in Pike Township, Oct. 12, 1842, and lived upon the farm in that township until 1866, in which year he moved to Reading, where he has lived ever since. He is a boss carpenter, contracting business. In 1867 he was married to Hattie BROWN, by whom he had one child, Clara, and in 1880 he was married to Elva F. WEBER. Nine children have been born to the second union, namely: Nora, Howard, Florence, Bessie, Almeretta, John, Benjamin, Minerva and Edgar. --------------------------------------- (III) Jonathan WEIDNER, one of the sons of Tychicus, of Oley, was born there in 1766, and died in 1838, in his seventy-third year. He lived on a farm near Pricetown, in Ruscombmanor Township. He m. Bevvy GAMBLER, and their family consisted of three children: Abraham, who lived in Alsace Township, m. Katie BECK, and they had two daughters, Bevvy and Amelia; Bevvy m. John FOCHT; Jonathan was born in 1805 and died in 1861. (IV) Johnathan WEIDNER, son of Jonathan, was born in 1805 and died in 1861. He had a family of three children: Augustus, who is mentioned presently; Maberry, of Allentown, PA; and Sarah, m. to Elias BECKER. (V) Augustus WEIDNER, eldest son of Jonathan, was born Aug. 14, 1838, is a huckster and farmer by calling and lives near Pricetown. He m. Maria DIEHL, and they have had children as follows: Katie m. Harry FRITZ; Hannah m. Howard HARTMAN; Olivia (deceased) m. Oscar BUSH; Anna M. m. Howard HOMAN; Edwin m. Nora BALLARD; Augustus m. Lizzie KERN; Irwin m. Louisa EVERHART; John died in childhood. (II) Lazarus WEIDNER, son of Adam the emigrant ancestor, settled in Oley Township, where he and his brother Tychicus owned adjoining estates. These lands were separated by a lane which has since become a public road. In 1759 Lazarus WEIDNER paid a federal tax of 18 pounds. His will was probated in 1802, the executors being his son Jacob and his sons-in-law George YODER and Jacob PREISS. An item of the will was to the effect that Elizabeth, a daughter of John LOBACH, was to have 15 pounds in money. The following children were mentioned in the will: Abraham; Catharine SEISHOLTZ; Elizabeth m. Jacob PREISS; Mary m. George YODER; Jacob; Daniel; Isaac; David, and John. (III) Jacob WEIDNER, son of Lazarus, obtained the homestead in Oley, and he is buried there in a private cemetery on the farm. His wife, Veronica, died in 1865. They had three children: Catharine, born March 29, 1823, m. Isaac REIFF; Caroline m. Jacob KEIM; John m. Sarah ANGSTADT, and they had two children, Samuel and George. The son, John, came into possession of his father's homestead, which he cultivated. --------------------------------------- Samuel WEIDNER (who had a brother Benjamin) was a farmer in Pike Township, where he died in 1876. His wife was Catharine GAUGER, and they had the following children: William G. came into possession of the homestead; Samuel G. m. Hannah YODER; John G. obtained part of the homestead; Catharine m. Thomas WEIDNER; Rachel m. Samuel G. RUPPERT, Sarah m. (first) Henry ADAM and (second) Henry MILLER; Anna m. David FRY; Caroline m. Israel Leinbach. Both of the parents died at South Bethlehem, PA, in December, 1906, at about the same time, and they were buried the same day in one grave.