Paul Kuster (1730 - 1820)

Born 1730 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Ancestors

Husband of Lucinda (Malone) Kuster — married about 1755 in Pennsylvania

Descendants

Died 1820 at about age 90 in Rockingham, Virginia, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Leigh Anne Dear [send private message]

Biography

Paul Kuster has German Roots.

Birth
Paul Kuster (Conrad, Arnold, Paulus, Arnold) was born in 1730 to Conrad aka Konrad Kuster (1695-1772) and Susanna Kuster (1692-1747) who was probably Susanna Adams based upon the Will of her father Richard Adams of Philadelphia, grandfather to her children and who left a bequeathment to his unnamed Kuster grandchildren. ^{[1] [2]}

His father Konrad (aka Conrad) Kuster was believed to have been the son of a Rhineland German immigrant, owner of a large tract of land immediately adjoining the tract surveyed to Ensign John Adams of Noxkamixon Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania in 1763. ^[1] His mother Susanna Adams was born in Hanover County, Pennsylvania. ^[1] Susanna Adams father Richard Adams of Philadelphia county, Pennsylvania bequeather L10 on 1 February 1740 to be equally divided between his Kuster grandchildren" ^[1]

Marriage and Children
Based upon the birth of their first child he married 1st Lucinda Malone (1734-1811) before 1757. ^{[1] [2]} Known children of Lucinda Malone and Paul Kuster/Custer (not necessarily a complete list):

1. Richard Custer, Sr. b. 1 Jun 1757, PA. ^[1] ; 1776 American Revolutionary War, Richard Custer enlisted in VA troops under Colonel Nall serving 3 mo., under Capt. George Huston & 3 months under Capt. Anthony Rader, he participated in the Williamsburg & 'Hot Water Creek' skirmishes. ^[1] ; 18 Mar 1788 m. Jane Humble (b. 1771), dau of Conrad Humble ; 28 Aug 1794 Witnessed and posted the marriage bond with his brother Conrad for their sister Mary's wedding to James Beggs ^[3]
2. Jacob Custer, b. 15 Mar 1760 ; "Jacob Custer, son of Paul, m. Margaret Lair, dau of Matthias & Catherine (Moyer) Lair (Lehrer) on 1 Oct 1781, Rockingham county, VA." [Milo Custer, pg.10] ; they lived in Rockingham county, VA.; he d. 17 Dec 1825, she d. 28 Nov 1839 both at Rockingham county, VA. ^[1]
3. Susannah 'Hannah' Custer Lair b. abt 1762 ; "Hannah Custard dau. of Paul Custard, m. Rev. Ferdinand Lair son of Matthias, on 15 Oct 1782, Rockingham county, VA." [Rockingham, Virginia Marriages, p.276] ^[3] ; she was named after her paternal grandmother ; she d. 20 Sep 1835, Pendleton county (formerly Rockingham) West VA. ^[1]
4. Margaret Custer Bryan (?) b. abt. 1764
5. Sarah Custer Lair, b. 1766 ^[1] ; m. 1787, Rockingham county, VA., John Lair", [Rockingham, Virginia Marriages, p.136, 277]^[3] he was the son of Matthias & Catharine (Moyer) Lair. Sarah's bro. Jacob Custer, witnessed and posted the marriage bond. ; d. 1847, near Cynthiana, Harrison, KY. ^[1] CAUTION: Sarah Custard, dau of Isaac Custard, and who m. George Miller on 24 May 1794 [Virginia Marriages, p.276] ^[3] shouldn't be confused with Sarah Custer, dau. of Paul, who m. John Lair.
6. Conrad Custer, b. 22 Oct 1771 ; named after his paternal grandfather and his uncle. ; 28 Mar 1794 with brother Richard Custer they witnessed their sister Mary's marriage to James Beggs. ^[3] ; he m. Elizabeth Chrisman 26 Mar 1799, Rockingham county, VA.; he witnessed and posted the marriage bond for the marriage of Charles Beggs & Dorothy Trumbo, 1 Aug 1797, with Rev. Ferdinand Lair officiating ^[3] ; he d. near Warrenton, MO., 21 Sep 1845. ^[1]
7. Mary Custer Beggs, b. 9 Jun 1776 ; m. 28 Aug 1794, James Beggs, son of Tho. & Sarah (Barns) Beggs [Virginia Marriages, p.46]^[3] Marriage Witnesses: her brothers Conrad and Richard Custer who both also posted the marriage bond. ^[3] ; James Beggs d. 7 Jul 1833, Clark county, Ind. ^[1]
8. George Custer, Sr. b. 1 Jun 1778 ; d. 1885 ; m. Margaret _____ ; he d. 1850 near Danville, ILL. ^{[4] [1]}

Lucinda Malone Kuster/Custer passed away in 1811. Paul married second Margaret (Unknown) with no further children.

Residencies and Other Miscellaney
On 26 July 1753 Paul "Kuster" purchased 236 acres on Muddy Creek, Augusta county, Virginia. Witnessing the transaction were Francis and Sarah Puicer/Puison/Puiser. ^{[5][1] [6]}

In 1762 Paul Kuster, wife Lucinda and their five year old son Jacob made the relocation to the northern part of Augusta [later Rockingham] County, Virginia. ^[1] Author Custer doesn't include son Richard in his statement who was perhaps mistakenly ommitted but Richard was a later proven resident.

17 March 1772, Augusta County, Virginia, Paul Kuster placed a bond as administrator of noncupative will of Conrad Custer. ^[7]

10 May 1774 Paul Kuster (Conrad, Arnold, Paulus) bought 160 acres of land at Brock's Gap, Augusta County, in what is now Rockingham County, Virginia from his nephew Conrad Custer (Arnold, Conrad, Arnold, Paulus) ^[8] :

160 acres purchased from former family owner: 14 November 1763, 160 acres land near Brocks Gap, Augusta [later Rockingham] County which was land inherited by Conrad Custer, eldest son of Arnold Kuster, son of Conrad Kuster.

1810, Harrisonburg, Rockingham, Virginia, United States. ^[9]
1820, Rockingham, Virginia, United States. ^[10]

Author Milo Custer states "The name of this ancestor, Paul Kustar, has been traced through the public records of Augusta & Rockingham Counties, Virginia from about 1750 to 1824 (wills & deeds). Three specimens of his signature, all nearly identical, are extant: One on his bond as administrator of the Estate of his father, Conrad Kuster, dated 17 March 1772, at Staunton, Virginia; the others at Harrisonburg, Virginia; one on his consent note for the marriage of his daughter Susannah to the Rev. Ferdinand Lair, 15 Oct 1782, the other on his consent note for the marriage of his daughter Mary to James Beggs, 23 August 1794. Other than this very little appears now to be known of him." [Custer, pg.4B-5]

Death and Will
Paul Kuster passed away in 1820, Rockingham county, Virginia and was buried in the Custer Family Cemetery, Fulks Run, Rockingham, Virginia. ^{[1] [2][11]} A memorial stone which can be seen at the grave site was produced generations later and which used the later Americanized spelling of Custer.

It is recorded in the "Custer Family Histories" that Paul left a will of which his son Richard Custer Sr. was made executor.

Research Notes
CAUTION: G4rmantown, Pennsylvania immigrant brothers Arnold Kuster (1680-1739), Hermanus Kuster (1675-1760) and Johannes had 'genealogically nearby' descendants named Paul.

• Paul Custer (abt 1706-abt 1783) (Hermanus, Paulus, Arnold) grandfather Paulus was part of the William Penn Settlers. This Paul (1706-1783) m. Gertrude Johnson. Residents Lancaster Co., & Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania
• Paul Custer (1710-1783) (Arnold, Paulus, Arnold) who married Sarah M. Ball. Residents of Hanover Twp., Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania.
• Paul Kuster (1730-1820) (Conrad, Arnold, Paulus, Arnold) son of Conrad Kuster, (1685-1771), who married Lucinda Malone. This Profile Resident of Philadelphia, Penn., & Augusta [later Rockingham] Co., Virginia
• Paul Kuster (1737-1800)(Peter, Hermanus, Paulus, Arnold) who m. ?. Resident Skippack, Montgomery, Penn., d. Perkiomen (near Skippack), Montgomery, Penn.
• Paulus Kuster (1746--) (Nicholas, Arnold, Paulus, Arnold) who m. Sarah Ball. Resident Limerick, Montgomery Co., Pennsylvania

CAUTION: For purposes of consistency with the "Virginia Deeds & Wills" source please do not change his WikiTree profile name to Custer or Custard. In the contemporary records (of his time) his LNAB is spelled the same as his father's surname: Kuster. The Find-A-Grave memorial stone adopted the children's later generational spelling of Custer. This earlier spelling, not change until Paul's children's era is acknowledged in the various early 20th c. published genealogies quoted herein. Thank You for your help.

Caution: Author Milo Custer states "I do not accept the theory of some genealogists that all Custers of American colonial descent are descended from a common emigrant ancestor...The numerous variations in spelling of this family name most likely indicates different origins in extensive areas of western Europe Teutonic countries and opposes the probability of relationship among its first users." [Milo Custer, p.4]

CAUTION: Notable Gen. George Armstrong Custer (1839-1876) (Emmanuel, John, Emanuel, Nicholas Kuster, Arnold, Paulus) descends from Arnold Kuster (1669-1738) the son of Paulus Kuster (1643-1708) whereas this profile, Paul Kuster descends from Arnold's brother Conrad, son of Paulus.

Origin of Brock's Gap as found in the "Brief Outline of the Brock Family of Shanendoah Valley, Virginia" Accessed 6 Mar 2023. https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/832409/?offset=&return=1#page=4&viewer=picture&o=search&n=0&q=Lair

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 1.10 1.11 1.12 1.13 1.14 1.15 1.16} Custer, Milo, comp. "Custer Genealogies" Bloomington, Ill., USA: printed by the author, 1944.; 160p. Reprinted (online db) Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Accessed 27 Dec 2020. Note: Currently unable to locate a public access portal for this text.

   p.2 [Conrad Kuster & Susanna Adams various items cited throughout] https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29468860?h=2d30ec

   p.4B [Bio of Paul Kuster, son of Conrad & Susanna; includes land transactions & relocation to Augusta, VA.] https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29468897?h=3b3f07

   p.5 [Richard Custer, Sr., s. of Paul & Lucinda] https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29469736?h=15de15

   p.10 [Jacob Custer, s. of Paul & Lucinda] https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29469762?h=6a4e02

   p.14 [Susanna Custer Lair, dau. Paul & Lucinda] https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29469925?h=0dad2c

   p.15 [Sarah Custer Lair & Conrad Custer, children of Paul & Lucinda] https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29469961?h=f543e7

   p.20 [George Custer & Mary Custer Beggs, children of Paul & Lucinda] https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/29470016?h=acc0e1

2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2} White, Jean M., Editor; The Descendants of Paulus and Gertrude Kusters of Kaldenkirchen, Germany and Germantown, Pennsylvania the first four generations; Castor Association of America, Mennonite Press, Newton, Kansas, 1991; 303 Pages, Indexed; Pages 117, 171 (Main).
3. ↑ ^{3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7} "Rockingham County Marriages, Virginia, 1778-1850" p.46, 277. Text organized by the male and female surname, paternal parent, marriage bondsman and minister recorded. Accessed 6 Mar 2023. https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/viewer/349270/?offset=&return=1#page=55&viewer=picture&o=search&n=0&q=Custe"r
4. ↑ Mullen, Henry A. comp. "Custer-McCoy Family Record" pg.3. Pub. 31 Jan 1951, Chicago, Ill., USA by the author. Reprinted (online db) Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Accessed 27 Dec 2020.
5. ↑ "Virginia Land, Marriage, and Probate Records, 1639-1850" Book 5:469. Note: This land record originally pub. in "Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia, 1745-1800" which were extracted from the original court records of Augusta county by Lyman Chalkley. Reprinted (online db) 2004, Provo, UT., USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Accessed 23 Feb 2023
6. ↑ Davis, William W. H., A.M., ed. & Ely, Warren S., ed. "History of Bucks County, Pennsylvania: from the Discovery of the Delaware to the Present Time" Vol. III, p.78. 2nd ed. New York, NY. & Chicago, Ill., USA: ewis Publishing Co., 1905. https://www.ancestry.com/sharing/2004325?mark=cfce6b7aa03b3d7fe2f71855da2f759bb566fb0d482e870e45535dc5ec569a58
7. ↑ Chalkley, Lyman, LL.D. "Chronicles of the Scotch-Irish Settlement in Virginia, 1745-1800. p.415 [Paul Custer]. Extracted from the Original Court Records of Augusta County, Virginia, 1745-1800" Rosselyn, Virginia, USA: Mary S. Lockwood, Publishing, 1912.
8. ↑ "Virginia Deed Records"; Book 6, Pg., 113, Rockingham Co., Va. Cited by author Milo Custer, comp. "Custer Genealogies" pg. 4B Bloomington, Ill., USA: by the author, 1944. Reprinted (online db) Ancestry.com Operations, Inc. Accessed 27 Dec 2020.
9. ↑ 1810; Census Place: Harrisonburg, Rockingham, Virginia; Roll: 67; Page: 144; Image: 00200; Family History Library Film: 0181427 Ancestry Record 7613 #664524
10. ↑ 1820 U S Census; Census Place: Rockingham, Virginia; Page: 130; NARA Roll: M33_139; Image: 145 Ancestry Record 7734 #1103784
11. ↑ Find-A-Grave memorial https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/48412983

Acknowledgements

• Thanks to the original ged.com upload from _____________.
• Contributions by direct descendant Leigh Anne (Johnson) Dear