This Biedler newsletter is from:
The Ambrose Milton Biedler Line, 7th Child and 2nd Son of Ulrich and Barbara [Varner] Biedler of Page County, Virginia
| Vol. 5 No. 1 ISSN # 1083-4591 |
PO Box 161, Vienna, VA 22183-0161 | 12 February 1998 |
Your Editor Now Has E-Mail!
KareQuilt@aol.com
For those of you who have computers, you can now correspond with me by e-mail. Having e-mail has added invaluably to the present generation's family archives. My immediate family finally began to WRITE to me once I got on-line. Every e-mail letter is now safely tucked away for a future generation to read and research.
At first I was just going to save them all on disk. Now I understand that the iron oxide on the disks is not going to last indefinitely, that a paper back- up is necessary. Guess I have a lot of printing do.
Table of Contents
BIG BREAK IN 1997
I won't try to bring you up to date on all my goings and comings since my last issue. I tried to do that in my 1996 Christmas letter and it was a bit too much. Instead I will open with the story of the latest cousin "found." The big break was having Leo and Dorothy [BEIDLER] HOARTY of Raleigh, NC, find my brother John S. Biedler, Jr. on the Internet. They asked him what he knew about his Beidler roots and he gave them my e-mail address. On the Saturday before Mother's day I opened my e-mail to find their wonderful message: "Wife Dorothy is the grand-daughter of Frank Rust Biedler of Page County, VA. Are we related?"
I was so excited I immediately picked up the phone! Frank Rust Biedler was first cousin to my great grandfather, Samuel Milton Biedler. I had been searching for a descendent of that line for 8 years with no luck. I knew Frank had a son named Wilbur but I had never been able to locate him or find anyone who knew of him.
My call brought equal excitement to the Hoarty household. Finding Leo and Dorothy was like finding a pair of long lost siblings. Not only have they regaled me with colorful Beidler tales and stories, but also showered me with love and warmth. Also, Leo volunteered to input all my raw research into his own genealogy program, and to scan in all the old family photos for the Biedler Archives.
My first cousin Lee Alexander Cain [6.1.4.1.4], son of Martha [Biedler] Cain, graciously loaded all of Claude Harman Smith's data for me [see Vol. 1 No. 1 1993] about three years ago. However, I had not kept Lee up to date on all that I had located since then. Consequently, there was much catching up to do. Leo now has in his data base some 3,000 descendants of our earliest known ancestors Jost and Barbeli [Unknown] Beutler of Oberdiessbach, Bern Canton, Switzerland, whose earliest recorded child was born in 1585, thus giving us at least an educated guess as to Jost and Barbeli's age. [source: Daniel Bly's
In the newsletter I am still employing the system that Claude H. Smith used which is known as the Henry System in genealogical research. However, Leo Hoarty's computer program uses the Modified Resister or NGSQ system. That is the system we will use when we finally publish the book. Meanwhile, I hope the Henry System gives you some sense of order.
For simplicity's sake, in this issue I drop the first three digits of the Family Code [1.1.6] which stand for the first three generations of the Ulrich Biedlers Division.
Please refer to Vol. 1 No. 1. for a fuller explanation. The first known ancestor is "1," and each of his children is numbered by adding a single digit, in order of birth when known. This is repeated in each generation. Thus every child carries the full number of his/her parent plus one more digit to indicate the child's order of birth. The number of digits clearly show the generations.
These first three numbers stand for the following:
1. Christian Beidler of Lancaster County, Pennsylvania; arrived Philadelphia in 1732 aboard the ship Samuel (Vol. 1 No. 1, pg. 2).
1.1. Abraham #1 Beydler, eldest son of Christian; b. ca. 1737-1742 in Lancaster Co., PA; married and moved to Strasburg area of Virginia somewhere between 1768 and 1770; died in Toms Brook/Mauertown, VA about 1807 (Vol. 1 No. 1, pg. 3).
1.1.6. Ulrich Biedler, b. 1779, Toms Brook, Va., 6th child of Abraham Beydler and Barbara Hockman; father of Morgan, Milton, and Martin Biedler. This is a new number for Ulrich based on new information about birth order among his siblings.
The sons' numbers are 1.1.6.6. Morgan, 1.1.6.7. Milton and 1.1.6.8. Martin. I will eliminate the first three digits representing Christian Abraham, and Ulrich throughout the rest of this issue, and simply begin with the birth placement number of Ulrich's three sons, the 4th generation. The first five digits of this generation are taken by the five sisters of Morgan, Milton and Martin who preceded the boys in birth: Polly (Mary), Elizabeth, Ann, Rebecca, and Lydia.
Under the above heading an interesting article appeared on page six of one of the April issues of the Page News & Courier in 1939. I have not yet tracked down the exact date nor the article's author. I find it a most curious article since its premise "the talsimac [sic] fashion of the magic 'M' and the number 6 associated with the [Biedler] family name" apparently grew wholly from the author's imagination. I have yet to find any references in any branch of the family to the family's having any such notions.
Strangely the article fails to mention the then current owner of the Morgan Biedler homeplace, although it does mention the then current owners of the Milton and Martin Biedler homeplaces. Was the owner of the Morgan Biedler homeplace perhaps "ignored" deliberately? In my research I have learned that several in his era thought him the black sheep of the family. Could this be why the author of the article left his name out of the article?
In any event, the Morgan Biedler homeplace mentioned in the newspaper article I shall quote from was occupied by Morgan's youngest son, Morgan Lauck Biedler, until his death in 1952. After his death the latter's widow, Mrs. Susan [Lionberger] Biedler, owned the place and finally their only child and daughter, Myra Biedler (later Brown), owned the farm until she sold to the neighboring Long family in 1977 a few years before her death. I do not believe that Morgan Lauck Biedler, was a Jr. as Morgan the Elder, according to my research, did not have Lauck in his name .
Background Details
Morgan, Milton, and Martin BIEDLER were the three sons of Ulrich and Barbara [VARNER] BIEDLER of Page County, Virginia, and the grandsons of Abraham and Barbara [HOCKMAN] BEYDLER of Maurertown, Shenandoah County, VA. Milton is the only son that I have thus far seen in documents with a third name, Ambrose in this instance. The three boys followed their five sisters [Polly (Mary), Elizabeth, Ann, Rebecca, and Lydia] in the birth order. All of Ulrich and Barbara Biedler's eight children were born at their home, The Locusts, in Page County. See page 6 of Vol 1 No. 1 for more information.
Morgan Biedler - 1.1.6.6
Morgan BIEDLER, b. 22 Jan 1815, d. 29 May 1889 age 74. Married 1st 7 Sept 1837 Elizabeth STOVER, b. 10 January 1814, dau of Elizabeth STICKLEY and Daniel STOVER (all from what would become Page County in 1833), d. 17 April 1847 shortly after the birth of her 3rd child at age 33.
Elizabeth Stover
Elizabeth's paternal Stovers first came to the Valley in the early 1740's, her paternal great grandfather (also named Daniel STOVER) being a Mennonite minister. Her maternal great grandfather was Peter STOVER, frequently credited as being the founder of Strasberg, VA. Morgan and Elizabeth's children were Samuel Milton, Daniel Ulrich, builder of the Biedler Covered Bridge of New Market/Tenth Legion, VA, and Rebecca. Daniel Ulrich was covered extensively in Vol. 2 No. 1 of this newsletter.
Mary Ann Yowell
Morgan m. 2nd Mary Ann YOWELL, dau of Marshall YOWELL and Barbara GROVE, b. 15 Mar 1820 at Mill Creek, VA, d. 1 Nov 1889 at the Morgan Biedler homeplace at age 69; m. 29 Dec 1847; four children: Barbara Catherine, Virinda Frances, Henry Wise, and Morgan Lauck Biedler. Morgan Sr., both his wives, and one daughter (Barbara Catherine Biedler KITE) are all buried in the small family cemetery on the Morgan Biedler farm on SR 611 south of the Primitive Baptist Church on the right side of the road. The gravestones now sit prominently in the middle of someone's front yard, grass neatly mowed all about.
Ambrose Milton Biedler - 1.1.6.7
Ambrose Milton BIEDLER, b. 10 Mar 1817, d. 1 Jan 1874 at age 54. The rest of this family's information can be found later in this newsletter.
Martin Biedler - 1.1.6.8
Martin BIEDLER, b. 11 Feb 1821, d. 6 June 1890 at age 69. Married 6 June 1847 Mary Elizabeth BRUMBACK, b. 1 Feb 1832, d. 16 March 1915. They had seven children, 3 sons and 4 girls. None of the sons had any known children but the daughters have left a long legacy of descendants. Jack Lee CULLERS of Luray, VA, from whom I have received much information, descends from the 2nd to last child of this union, Mary Ida BIEDLER, who married Lester Lee BRUBAKER. I will cover this family in depth in a later edition of the newsletter.
The Newspaper's Tale Begins - April 1939
Quoted from Page News & Courier, Page County, VA, April 1939:
"The three Biedler brothers - Martin, Morgan, and Milton - with the magic "M" starting their names and clinging to the family in a strange Talismanic fashion (sic). The three farmers were farmers of the Hawksbill Valley. They were fathers of influential families whose names are written in identification with a time in a remote and historic past.
"The figure '6' has also played a strange and perhaps unconscious assoc-iation with the Biedler family. Morgan, Martin, and Milton Biedler had the cryptic '6' letters in the spelling of their first names. In the family of Morgan Biedler, not counting his own '6,' his son Morgan was the possessor also of the numeral that has come down the ages, while in the family of Martin Biedler, the major part of his children's first names carried the mystic figure, embracing Miss Mattie Biedler, later Mrs. Mattie Jones, Mrs. Lizzie [Elizabeth Barbara] Smith, Lester Biedler, [John] Edward Biedler, and [Henry] Walter Biedler.
"Each one's first name was the mystic '6'. The only ones in which there is a clipping of a letter is that of Mrs. Annie [Biedler] Brumback, wife of Dr. Edward Gibson Brumback, well known and popular physician of the county and mother of E. G. Brumback, Jr., supervisor of Springfield district, and Mrs. Mamie [Biedler] Brubaker, wife of Lester Lee Brubacker, well known and popular farmer of the Mill Creek section of Page.
"In this family the magic and mystic "M" is again self-assertive, the first name of Martin Biedler's wife being Miss "Mary" Brumback before marriage. She was a daughter of the late John Brumback, many years ago a wealthy farmer of the Ida Neighborhood. The welter of 'M's" and "6" had a relevance that can be explained only perhaps by surviving members of the family of Martin Biedler. Certainly their almost universal usage is not pointless. The Biblical "6" and the 13th letter of the alphabet, were highlights in the family of Martin Biedler, the last name also requiring another Biblical numeral - 7- to make it spelling phonetic and correct.
"In the family of Milton Biedler the letter "M" and figure "6" appear to have lost their charm to a certain degree. A few of the children were the late Charles E. Biedler, who years ago resided on Court Street, Luray; Mrs. W. C. [Anna Mary Biedler] Bitting, wife of a former pastor of Main Street Baptist Church, this place, and William Thomas and Frank Rust Biedler.
"The old Biedler homesteads were about five miles south of Luray; the Milton Biedler home [Pageview] is the present home of Bernard Spitler, its former owner being S. H. ("Bud") Spitler. The Martin Biedler home [The Locusts] is now occu-pied by Lester Biedler, above named, while the Morgan Biedler home is near the present Old School Baptist Church.
"Martin Biedler for many years was a merchant at Marksville, his store being near the present Beahm store at that place. The Biedlers have been prominent for a long time in the social, agricultural and business life of this county. The old homestead of each was built for comfort, commodious-ness and convenience.
"All have undergone many changes since the days of Martin, Morgan, and Milton Biedler, but they still retain their associations of having been the gathering places of happy coteries when Page was younger than its present 107 years. Perhaps the mystical numerals and the cryptic "M" that have woven themselves in the lives of the three families have never been noted by members of the Biedler families themselves but have an intriguing part in the history of many who have wrought large in the weal of this valley." (end of article)
Mini-Reunion in Page County - Distant Cousins Gather For The First Time in Two Generations
Returning to the present era, husband, Gary Loren Alexander, and I took son Daniel and wife Taryn and grandson Logan to Switzerland with us October 1-11, 1997, to attend our 5th Dessauer conference in Grindlewald not far from Lake Thun and Interlaken. This serial "story" (aren't all our lives stories?) should bring you up to date with our latest Swiss adventures..
Prior to leaving for Switzerland, we drove to Page County in the Shenandoah Valley on Sunday Sept 28 so that Logan could meet his great grandfather (my father), John Samuel BIEDLER, Sr. Logan has four living great grandparents on his daddy's side of the family and he has now visited all of them. I snapped some wonderful shots of Logan with Dad and my son, see page 4.
Family Representatives Gather
While in the Valley we also had a clan gathering of representatives from the three sons of Ulrich BIEDLER: the eldest son, the MORGAN Biedler Line (my gr. gr. grandfather); the 2nd son, the MILTON Biedler Line (the line of Dorothy [BEIDLER] HOARTY of Raleigh, NC whom I met via the Internet in May. The Hoarty's have seven grown children and are quite well known in the cable and interactive television industry. More about this active family later; and the 3rd son, the MARTIN Biedler Line, represented by Jack Lee CULLERS and his sister Mary Louise Cullers of Luray, VA, both retired teachers. Jack's wife, Nina, is still teaching. She is originally from Jordan. They have four beautiful and talented children, at least three out of college.
Female Lines Predominate
There are many existing female BIEDLER / BEIDLER / BEYDLER lines, thank goodness. However, the MORGAN BIEDLER line is the only line that will actually carry the BIEDLER name into the next generation.
In the MILTON Biedler line, Dorothy [BEIDLER] HOARTY has two brothers, William and Richard BEIDLER. Though both have one daughter each, there are no known male descendants carrying the Biedler name forward in this line. The William Thomas BIEDLER branch of the MILTON Biedler Line has no known male descendants born since the 1930s.
To this writer there are also no known male descendants left of the MARTIN Biedler line carrying the BIEDLER name forward. However, there are many out there that still spell the name BEYDLER that are our cousins through Ulrich BIEDLER's brother Jacob BEYDLER. Ulrich and Jacob were both sons of Abraham and Barbara [HOCKMAN] BEYDLER of Mauertown, VA, Shenandoah County. See Vol. 1 No. 1 and Vol. 2 No. 3 pages 7-9 of the back issues of this newsletter for further information on Abraham and Barbara Beydler. Their only other brother, Abraham Jr., had only daughters, and no sons.
Biedlers Gather Once Again in Marksville, Page County, VA
The three representative families mentioned above gathered at the Samuel Milton Biedler (b. 1815 d. 1902) home-place at Marksville near Stanley, Page Co., VA on Sunday afternoon Sept 29 to meet and break bread together. The table was loaded, reminding me of my family's 1989 reunion in this same house. It was great fun getting acquainted, swapping stories and sharing old photographs all evening.
Family Momentos Become A Bed & Breakfast
Leo and Dorothy [Beidler] Hoarty stayed at Jack Lee Cullers' Bed & Breakfast while they were in town. The CULLERS' place is near Sandy Hook on the Hawksbill Creek just before it joins the Shenandoah River. Jack Cullers has restored an old house on his property used in past generations by the hired hand and family.
This lovely restored house is full of old family photographs to boot and is a delightful place to stay. The Cullers almost lost the large front porch of this house a year ago when Hurricane Fran swept up through Page Valley, on 6 Sept 1996, leaving great wreckage and destruction in its wake throughout the county.
Ambrose Milton Biedler Homeplace - Page View Revisited
On Monday morning, Sept. 30, most of us gathered at Page View, the Ambrose Milton Biedler homeplace near the northeast corner of Rt 340 and St. Rt. 631 five miles south of Luray.
According to a taped interview with Bernard Spitler in May 1988 this was the home built by Ambrose Milton and Sarah Ann [KEYSER] BIEDLER in the early 1840's. The current owners, Alan and Beth [GANDER] Foltz, inherited Page View from Mr Bernard Spitler (b. 1934 d. Oct 1994). Bernard Spitler, an only child who never married, took care of his mother, Bessie [ROTHGEB] Spitler, faithfully all his life. He was a great supporter of the Page County Heritage Society and actively supported the pursuit of Page County's history. Bernard's grandfather (Samuel H. Spitler) bought the house from the Biedlers in 1884. It is always great fun going through an old house. Dorothy [Beidler] Hoarty has fond memories of visiting Page County as a child. While visiting in the 1920's and 30's, the family usually stayed at the homeplace of Annie May [Biedler] Brumback, wife of Dr. Edward Gibson BRUMBACK, a cousin from the Martin Biedler line. However, she also remembers visiting the Spitler's living in her ancestral home, Page View.
Page County Heritage Museum
In the afternoon of that same day, Beth Foltz graciously opened up the Page County Heritage Museum [located in the tiny community of Hamburg just west of Luray] for us, and gave us a personal tour.
A number of interesting artifacts in the museum are related to Biedler descendants in one way or another. First, the museum is housed in the former home of American sculpture, William Randolph Barbee. His son, Herbert BARBEE (also a sculpture), married Blanche STOVER, a granddaughter of Lydia BIEDLER and Mark RUFFNER. Lydia was the daughter of Ulrich and Barbara [VARNER] Biedler.
Major Andrew Keyser
A second interesting connection is with the wife of Ambrose Milton Biedler, Sarah Ann Keyser. Her grandfather, Major Andrew Keyser, is said to be the ancestor of all the Keysers in the Shenandoah Valley. He came from Germany as a soldier fighting for Great Britain in the French and Indian War. He is said to have served in the Revolutionary War. A pair of Major Andrew Keyser's pants, on loan from Jack Cullers and sister Mary Lou Cullers, is on display in this same museum.. The pants bears the hole through which a musket ball passed, They are leather and have the customary wide seat of 18th century pants making it more comfortable for horseback riding. Yes, Andrew survived the musket ball and lived until 1833.
Mystery Lady Identified
The 3rd connection of which I was aware was a large portrait hanging over the fireplace in the parlor.
Our guide was unable to identify the woman over the fireplace. I thought I recognized the portrait but could not be certain until we returned to the Cullers. Back at the B&B I went into the guest bedroom and looked at all the family photographs Jack had shown me summer a year ago when I had last visited.
Her Story is Yet to be Told
There sitting on the dresser of the Culler's B&B was the same photograph I had seen at the museum, only smaller. It was that of Annie May BIEDLER, youngest child of Martin and Mary Elizabeth [BRUMBACK] BIEDLER. Annie May became the wife of Dr. Edward Gibson BRUMBACK in 1898. I hope to tell you more of this woman's story in a future issue of the newsletter. She became quite an astute investor it seems and made herself a wealthy woman as a result! After touring the museum, we extended our thanks and returned to Dad's, picked up our luggage, and headed back to Reston, stopping to eat in Front Royal on the way home. It was a lovely beginning in every respect to our approaching European adventure with Daniel and Taryn and 17 month old Logan. The next afternoon we would leave for Switzerland.
To Be continued
1.1.6.7 Ambrose Milton Biedler/Keyser Division
7th Child of Ulrich Biedler and
Barbara Varner
of Page Co., Virginia
Now for the meat of the Ambrose MILTON Biedler Division. The numbering you see is that first used by Claude Harman Smith, (shortened to CHS). Claude was a descendant of Morgan Biedler's 3rd son, Henry Wise BIEDLER and wife Annie Laurie KITE. In the book that Leo Hoarty and I are producing, we will use a different numbering system. See page 2 of this issue for a review of the present system if necessary.
Huddle, Funk, and Varner Connections of the Biedler-Keyser Division
7. Ambrose Milton BIEDLER, son of Ulrich and Barbara [Varner] BIEDLER was born at Luray, Page County, VA, 10 March 1817; d. 1 Jan 1874; m. 18 Oct 1842, Sarah Ann KEYSER, dau. of Noah and Anna [ROADS] KEYSER, b. at Hope Mills, near Luray, b.14 June 1825; d. at Washington D.C., 19 Oct 1893, buried at Green Hill Cemetery, Luray.
The HOTTEL/HUDDLE history has published the Ulrich Biedler family line through 1930 since the mother of Ulrich's wife was the Barbara HOTTEL who married Philip VARNER. Barbara Hottel was the daughter of Charles and Barbara [FUNK] HOTTEL Daniel Bly's book, From the Rhine to the Shenandoah, Vol. I is a must buy for the history of the FUNK family. The FUNK family is also of Swiss ancestry.
To Order the Bly or Hottel Book
Daniel W. Bly, P.O. Box 242, Mt. Sidney, VA 24467. I suggest sending a self addressed stamped envelope (SASE) whenever you make inquires of any resource I mention. I know I appreciate an SASE when readers write me for information. For a copy of the book or the Hottel-Keller Association newsletter, contact Hottel-Keller Memorial, Inc., P.O. Box 33, Toms Brook, VA 22660-0033. An updated version of the Hottel history is in progress and will be published in three volumes. As of this writing, there is still time to get your family sheets in to Dr. Paul Huddle, 3804 Brandon Ave. SW #333, Roanoke, VA 24018. You need to indicate that you are from the Charles Huddle Line if you are an Ulrich and Barbara [Varner] Biedler descendant.
The Death of Sarah Ann [Keyser] Biedler
A handwritten note from Andrew Jackson BIEDLER, Sarah's eldest son and child, reporting his mother's death, was found in the Samuel Milton BIEDLER (first cousin to Andrew) homeplace in the early 1990's by John Samuel BIEDLER Sr., grandson of Samuel Milton Biedler.
A copy of Sarah Ann's obituary from the Luray, VA Page News & Courier was sent to me by Janet [Biedler] Browne of Baltimore, MD. Janet, daughter of Paul McAllister Biedler, is a great grand-daughter of Sarah Ann.
"Mrs. Sarah Biedler of this county died at the residence of her son A. J. Biedler in Washington D.C. Thursday night Oct. 19th. - aged 68 years. The subject of this notice was well known to many of the people of this county to whom her unexpected death will cause a shock.
"Her remains were brought to Luray for interment by special car from Washington Sunday last, accompanied by a number of the immediate family and friends and was conveyed from the car to Mt. Carmel church by her six sons, William T.; Andrew J.; Charles E.; Hubert H.; Frank R.; and Ashby L. Biedler. Following immediately after the corpse was Mrs. Bitting, her only [living] daughter, the wife of Rev. W. C. Bitting of Mount Morris Baptist Church, New York. The funeral exercises were conducted by Eld. E. H. Burnam assisted by a few impressive remarks from Rev. Bitting, after which she was conveyed to Green Hill Cemetery for interment, where it may be truthfully said she rests beneath a bed of flowers.
"Owing to the inclement weather many of her near relations in the county were unable to attend her burial but those of her acquaintances who lived in close proximity turned out en masse and she was laid to rest surrounded by a large concourse of friends. Truthfully it may be said that a noble woman has passed away and her Christian character will long live in the hearts of those to whom her motherly love and kindness had endeared."
Biedler Confederate Service
Milton and Sarah Biedler lived a prosperous agriculture life near Luray, and were honored members of the Primitive Baptist Church according to CHS. Mr. Biedler was in the Confederate service during the War Between the States, Ordinance Dept., at Richmond, VA, and his sons, Andrew Jackson, William Thomas, and Charles Edward were each, for a short time, under the command of John S. Mosby in the 43rd Virginia Cavalry.
Grandmothers are Huddle Sisters
Milton and Sarah Biedler's 10 children were born near Luray. The last 8 were born at their home, Page View according to CHS's source. Milton and Sarah were second cousins, Sarah being a grand-daughter of Magdalene HOTTEL, sister to Milton's grandmother - Mrs. (Philip) Barbara [HOTTEL] Varner (mother Milton's mother, Barbara [VARNER] BIEDLER).
KEYSER Connection:
Through the Keyser line, the Biedlers of this division tie in with still more of the earliest settler families of the Valley. Noah KEYSER, b. in Page County, VA, 2 Jan 1786; d. 7 Aug 1842; buried on the home far five miles from Luray, near Sandy Hook; son of Major Andrew KEYSER, a soldier of the Revolutionary War, and a grandson of Charles Keyser, who was born in Germany, and came to the colonies as a hired soldier in the service of England to fight the French and Indians. Charles married a Miss SHELLY of Philadelphia and built a house near the mouth of the Hawksbill Creek, Page County, VA (Source: Hottel, p. 149, who credits "the Strickler history" for this information).
KEYSER Family Research
A Keyser family history [History of the Descendants of Charles Keyser and Henry Miller] has been written and published by Florence Skinner Miller and Louise Keyser Cockey, the latter of 211 Longwood Road, Baltimore, Maryland 21210-1923. I first located Mrs. Cockey in July 1994. My father, J. Sam Biedler Sr., discovered her book in "Little" Washington, VA, summer of 1991. The book may be available through the Page County Historical Society. It is worth obtaining for the anecdotal material it has on almost all the earliest families that made up the Keyser Line.
ROADS Connection:
Anna ROADS , wife of Noah Keyser, b. at Mountain View, near Luray, VA, 22 Nov 1789; d. 28 Aug 1861. Buried with her husband. She was the dau. of Joseph ROADS and Magdalene [HOTTEL] ROADS mentioned above. Her father was the son of Joseph Sr. and Mary [STRICKLER] ROADS, the latter being the dau. of Abraham STRICKLER, pioneer. The Stricklers have also published a family history that is also worth obtaining.
Mennonite Elder
Joseph ROADS (the elder) was the son of Rev. John ROADS, Mennonite Elder, and his wife Eve (ALBRIGHT/ALBRECHT) ROADS, who with six of eight their children were massacred by the Indians in 1764. The Keyser book and Forerunners by Strickler both document this story. To their memory a monument was erected in 1926 on the George R. Bauserman farm, three miles north of Luray. According to Claude Harman Smith, the name was originally "Rood", the emigrant from Switzerland, Hans (John) Rood. There are many variations of the name: Roads, Roades, and Rhodes. (See the Hottel book, beginning p. 148, for other interesting details about this family.
A BRIEF OVERVIEW
Ambrose Milton and Sarah (Keyser) BIEDLER's Ten Children
This Line will be done in much greater details in the next issue of the newsletter.
Three Biedlers Rode with 43 Battalion Virginia Cavalry John S. Mosby's Command
Three of the sons of Ambrose Milton Biedler, Andrew Jackson, William Thomas and Charles Edward, rode for a short time with Mosby's Rangers during the Civil War. William T's granddaughter, Janet August Biedler Browne of Baltimore, has a copy of a letter signed "Willie" that William T. wrote to his father, Ambrose Milton Biedler, dated 11 August 1864 [see the next issue for that letter].
A recently published book, 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry Mosby's Command by Hugh C. Keen and Horace Mewborn, mentions all three Biedler brothers that rode with Mosby, but offers no anecdotal stories about them as it does of many in Mosby's command.
I wonder, did they actually encounter no Biedler anecdotes in their research or simply could not include anecdotes about every soldier that rode with Mosby due to space limitations. I do know the Biedler boys were fairly young and therefore, signed up towards the end of the War. I hope to be able to uncover some anecdotes through more thorough research.
Here is what Keen and Mewborn did have to share about the Biedlers who rode with Mosby, page 296 from their book;
Biedler, Andrew J. Pvt., Co. E. Enlisted 1 Feb 1864 for the war by William H. Chapman in Fauquier County. Present on Feb. 1864 muster roll. Appears on 4th quarter 1864 clothing receipt roll. Paroled 4 May 1865 at Charles Town, WVa. Age 21, 5'7", light complexion, brown hair hazel eyes. Born 1844 in Page Co., son of Ambrose Milton Biedler and Sarah A. Keyser. Residence Alexandria, Va. in 1869, moving to Washington D.C. in 1870 where he was engaged in the commission business. Moved to Baltimore, Md. in 1891 where he engaged in the wholesale shoe business with brother Charles E. Biedler. Attended the 1897 reunion of the 43rd Va. Cav. in Baltimore, Md. Member of the John S. Mosby Camp, UCV in Alexandria. Brother of Rangers William T. and Charles E. Biedler.
Charles E. Biedler Pvt., Co. E. Joined the 43rd Va. Cav. in August 1863. Involved in 17 Dec 1864 fight between Millwood and Berry's Ferry in Clarke Co. Born 19 Nov 1847 at "Page View" in Page Co., son of Ambrose Milton Biedler and Sarah A. Keyser. Engaged in farming in Culpepper Co., after the war. Moved to Baltimore, Md. in 1870 where he engaged in the wholesale shoe business with brother Andrew J. Biedler. Lived at 104 Hopkins Place, Baltimore, Md. in 1909. Member J. S. Mosby UCV #821 in Baltimore, Md. Member Rosser-Gibbons Camp, UCV. Attended 1895 reunion of the 43rd Va. Cav. in Marshall, the 1905 reunion in Fredericksburg, the 1920 reunion in Culpepper, and the 1925 reunion in Front Royal. Resident of Luray, Va. Died 8 Nov 1926 in Baltimore, Md. Buried in Luray [Green Hill] cemetery, Luray, Va. Brother of Rangers William T. and Andrew J. Biedler.
William Thomas Biedler 4th Sgt., Co. E. Enlisted 10 Feb 1864 for the war by Capt. William H. Chapman in Faquier Co, Va. Present on Feb. 1864 muster roll. Appears on 4th quarter 1864 clothing receipt roll. Involved in 12 March 1865 fight at the "Hague" near Kinsale, Westmoreland County, and 21 March 1865 at Hamilton. Paroled 4 May 1865 at Charles Town, WVa. Age 19, 6'0; light complexion, brown hair, brown eyes. Born 9 Dec 1845 in Page Co., son of Ambrose Milton Biedler and Sarah A. Keyser. Engaged in the wholesale drygoods business in Baltimore, Md. after the war. Died 8 July 1897. Buried Loudon Park Cemetery, Baltimore, Md. Brother of Rangers Andrew J. and Charles E. Biedler.
My husband's college friend, George L. Johnson, recently sent me a copy of a page from James J. Williamson's book (1st printing was 1896) Mosby's Rangers, A Record of the Operations of the 43rd Battalion Virginia Cavalry From Its Organization to Its Surrender. There on page 326 was a photograph of a young Charles E. Biedler! Up to now I have seen only photos of him as an elderly man in a long white beard at reunions of the 43rd Battalion. You can imagine my excitement. There is much more to write about these gentlemen and their very successful business ventures in Baltimore, MD.
Some of the Pupils from the Old Luray Academy 1865-66
An article with the above header appeared in the Luray, VA Page News & Courier in May 1939. Among the names were several Biedlers and others of related families. They were:
Classical - Senior Class - First Division
Second Division
Primary
Biedler Website
Yes, we now have a Biedler/Beidler/Beydler Website created by my sister's daughter, Deborah R. [Williams] Corrington. Come visit us!
corrington.com/biedler/biedlermain.html
A Guide to Biblical Records in the Archives Branch of Virginia State Library compiled by Lyndon H. Hart III. Includes family Bible records through Dec 1, 1982, according to Hart. Records received after that date are described in the library's public annual report of archival accessions.
BARBEE-SUMMERS of Page Co, Va. [1768-1968] Entry # 136, pg 12 [Accession # 27917] Records include: Bane, BIEDLER, Britton, BRUMBACK, Hagy, Little, McKay, Parron, RUFFNER, Swarz, Shaw, STOVER, Thompson, Totten, & Yates. (Bible printed in 1848)
BELL FAMILY (1807-1916) Entry # 199, pg. 16 [Accession # 25536] Records include: Almond, BIEDLER, Buswell, Jones, McKay, Pitman, Spitler, Williams. (Bible printed in 1834)
HAUSENFLUCK FAMILY of Shenandoah Co, VA. (1876-1965) Entry # 1443, pg. 100 [Accession # 28666] Records include: Border, BRUMBACK, Griffith, Hupp, Hurn, McClintock, **REEDY, Shiflet, Shroder, Stolipher, Troxell, Welch, & Wolverton. ** The mother of Margaret Amanda [Varner] Biedler, wife of Samuel Milton Biedler, was a Sarah Ann REEDY.
Vivas in Deo
wbitting@yahoo.com. posted 6/7/98