Fayette County PA Archives Biographies.....Bierer, Everhart (Deceased) January 6, 1795 - August 2, 1876
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Marta Burns marta43@juno.com August 26, 2024, 10:31 am
Source: Gresham and Wiley, 1889: Biographical & Portrait Cyclopedia, Fayette Co, PA, pg 137
Author: John H. Gresham & Samuel T. Wiley
Everhart Bierer (Deceased). The Buehrer family -or, as
the name is Anglicized, Bierer -is an old one, and traces
its ancestry, who were mainly residents of the Kingdom of
Wurtemberg, Empire of Germany, back several centuries. They
were mostly farmers, merchants, and tradesmen, though some
of them were prominent in the military and civil annals of
Germany.
The subject of this sketch, Everhart Bierer, was born
January 6, 1795, in the town of Wiernsheim, district of
Maulbronn-Ducy of Wurtemberg-and was the youngest of a
family of three sons.
His father, John Bierer, was a farmer in good
circumstances. His mother's maiden name was Barbara Muller
of Brackenfeldt Castle-situated in a beautiful valley of the
river Neckar-a tributary of the Rhine. Wiernsheim is in the
same valley -forty to fifty miles from Heidelberg, the seat
of the famous German University. In 1803 the Duke of
Wurtemberg became an ally of the Great Napoleon. In
consequence of this alliance, Napoleon extended the
dominions of Wurtemberg and made the duke a king, and his
descendants as kings yet occupy the throne of Wurtemberg.
In May, 1804, John Bierer migrated with his family,
taking shipping at Amsterdam for the United States. The
voyage occupied nearly five months, the vessel having been
carried by storms to the region of the West Indies, and was
there becalmed several weeks, during which time a tropic
fever broke out on shipboard and many of the passengers
died, among whom was the father of Everhart Bierer, the
latter then a boy of nearly ten years of age. The vessel in
the latter part of September or early in October, 1804,
landed at Baltimore, Maryland, and his widowed mother and
her three sons traveled across the mountains and settled at
Greensburg, Westmoreland county, Penna.
There the subject of this sketch grew to manhood. He had
but limited opportunities of education, as the expenses of
the migration to this country-coupled with loss of a large
part of their means-through the villainy of a trusted friend
of their father, left the widow and her children with scanty
funds. This trusted friend had been authorized to receive
and remit the deferred payments, amounting to about one half
of the price of the German homestead, but instead of
remitting the money or bringing it over to the family in
this country, embezzled and kept it. But the three boys,
thus thrown upon their own resources, proved equal to the
emergency, and in after years rose to wealth and influence.
Two of them, John Bierer and Frederick Bierer, died many
years ago near Greensburg, Pennsylvania.
On the 15th of April, 1816, at Greensburg, Pennsylvania,
Everhart Bierer married Catherine Margaretta Rukenbrod, who
was born October 28, 1798, in the village of Malmsheim,
Wurtemberg-a few miles distant from the birthplace of her
husband-and who with her parents George David Rokenbrod and
his wife Catherine, had also migrated to the United States
in 1804, but not in the same vessel that brought the Bierers
over.
Soon after their marriage, the young couple moved to
Pittsburgh, Penna, and thence in the spring of 1817 to
Uniontown, Penna, where he followed the occupation of cattle
dealer and butcher up to the fall of 1849. He was also
engaged in farming from 1828. In 1854, he sold the Gilmore
farm, adjoining Uniontown, and in 1855 moved on the farm
still owned by his family, where in 1861 he virtually
retired from active business.
Eleven children, seven sons and four daughters were born
to them, and raised to maturity: Frederick Bierer, Barbara A
Bierer, David Bierer, John Bierer, Catherine E Bierer,
Everhard Bierer, George W Bierer, Jacob Bierer, Daniel
Bierer, Rebecca T Bierer and Eliza J Bierer. The mother was
lovely in amiability, refinement and devotion to her husband
and children, and the father was a man of great
individuality and force of character. The names of both were
synonymous among their large circle of acquaintances for
virtue and integrity. Both were members from early youth of
the Lutheran church, and he remained a member of that church
all his life. Mrs Bierer, as there was no Lutheran church at
Uniontown, united herself about 1855 with the Protestant
Episcopal church.
By industry and economy, combined with good judgment in
both, they secured not only competence but riches. His wife,
Margaretta Bierer, died July 15, 1858. Everhart Bierer died
August 2, 1876. All their children are living except Barbara
A Bierer, who died March 27, 1883, and Jacob Bierer, who
died March 27, 1885.
On January 2, 1862, Everhart Bierer married his second
wife, Mrs Ruth Shaw, a widow by whom he had no children, and
who survived him until June, 1888.
Everhart Bierer was always an enterprising and public
spirited citizen, and though not a politician, was an active
democrat most of his life, and was honored by his fellow
citizens with several public positions. For a number of
terms in succession, he was elected one of the directors of
the Poor of Fayette county, and from 1858 to 1862 was
Superintendent of the Eastern Division of the Cumberland or
National road. He was one of the board of directors of the
Bank of Fayette County-now National Bank of Fayette
County-from its organization in 1858 to his death in 1876.
During the Civil War he was unflinching in his loyalty to
the Union cause, and became an ardent supporter of Lincoln's
administration. Two of his sons, John Bierer and Everhard
Bierer, served in the Union army, and none rejoiced more
than he over the suppression of the rebellion and a reunited
country.
His remains with those of his wife Margaretta rest in
Oak Grove Cemetery near Uniontown. (Note: Everhart is
spelled Everhard also, as shown)
Additional Comments:
Originally submitted 2000.
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