BIOGRAPHY: Peter DREYER, Mifflin County, PA

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The Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of the Juniata Valley, Comprising 
the Counties of Huntingdon, Mifflin, Juniata, and Perry, Pennsylvania.
Chambersburg, Pa.: J. M. Runk & Co., 1897, Volume I, page 497

  PETER DREYER, Lewistown, Mifflin county, Pa., was born July 11, 1854, at 
Offenbach, Landau, Bavaria, Germany, son of Frederick and Catherine (Kochthaler) 
Dreyer.  He was one of a family of four;  the others are:  John;  Francis;  and 
Theobald.  The mother died when her youngest child, Peter, was but six weeks 
old.  Frederick Dreyer was a farmer.  After coming to America, he married a 
second time, at Milroy, Pa., June 11, 1874, his wife being Rebecca Sydney, 
daughter of William and Susan (Bice) Davis.  Their children are:  Frank, died in 
early infancy, August 18, 1875;  Susan Bice, born July 6, 1876;  Jeannette 
Gertrude, born June 20, 1878;  Catherine Elizabeth, born November 22, 1885;  
Edgar Paul, born February 14, 1890.  The children of Mr. And Mrs. William Davis 
were:  James, deceased, married Annie Aurandt;  Elizabeth Ann, married first to 
Arthur Wood, afterwards to William Beaver;  Susan (Mrs. Henry Ort);  Joanna 
(Mrs. John Kintzel);  John Bice, married first Julia Muthersbaugh, afterwards 
Lillian Fisher;  Mary (Mrs. George Frysinger);  Sarah (Mrs. August Hering);  
Rebecca S. (Mrs. F. Dreyer), born October 2, 1855;  William Clarke, married 
first to Emma Starr, afterwards to Emma Reed;  and three daughters who died very 
young.  Mrs. Davis died November 9, 1887, aged fifty-four years;  Mr. Davis died 
June 10, 1892, at the age of seventy-seven.  His parents were John and Susan 
(Biswarthy) Davis, the former English by birth, the latter of French descent, of 
a Huguenot family.  Mr. Frederick Dreyer is deceased.
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TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE:  Although the above biography has been copied exactly as 
printed, I believe that the author has mistakenly inserted the name Frederick 
(Peter's father) in a few places, instead of the name Peter.  As is evident in 
the 1880 Lewistown census, Peter Dreyer (b. 1850's) and his wife Beckie (short 
for Rebecca, also born 1850's) and their 2 children Susan and Jennette (ages 
matching those given in the biography) appear to be the family in question.   I 
believe that where the author lists the children of Mr. And Mrs. Davis:  it 
should read 'Rebecca S. (Mrs. 'P'. Dreyer)'  and in the fourth line from the 
top, it seems to indicate that Peter's father, Frederick married a second time, 
after coming to America (he may very well have, or he may never have come to 
America).  Certainly the 'new' wife listed was the wife of son Peter, not father 
Frederick, and the children listed were the off-spring of Peter and Rebecca.  As 
always, use this as a guide only and verify all sources with records.