Two Caspers, Two Families

Many researchers of the Byerley family have long confused the two Casper Byerley’s and at one time I was among them, believing that my ancestor first migrated to Pennsylvania and then on to South Carolina.  I ignored some important information that shed doubt on this and believed that the facts presented by others to me were true.  But now after years of research I have concluded that the two Caspers are two distinct individuals, who never crossed paths in America. Whether they are related and crossed paths in their homeland has yet to be determined.  Let’s examine the facts surrounding the two men.

It is believed that the Caspar Philip Byerly who lived in Pennsylvania migrated to America aboard the ship “Recovery”, which landed in a Pennsylvania harbor October 23, 1754. Based on information contained in E.W.S.

Parthemore’s book Genealogy of the Parthemore Family 1744-1855, published in 1885, Caspar was born in 1727 and died on November 7, 1794 in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  His wife’s name was Catherine.  She was born in 1735 and died in 1797.  They are buried in an old graveyard at Shoop’s Church, Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.  Casper Byerly resided in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania, when the 1790 census was taken.  Jacob Byerly, his son, was born March 9, 1768, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.  Jacob married Maria E. Parthmore on December 4, 1790.  Other possible children of Caspar and Catherine include Andrew, Elizabeth, Mary, Michael and Phillip.

Caspar Byerley of South Carolina migrated to America aboard the ship Caledonia arriving in October of 1752.  He petitioned for land in November 1752, almost 2 years before the other Caspar Byerly arrived aboard the ship “Recovery” in Pennsylvania. On the petition his name was listed as John Caspar Beyrle.  Later South Carolina land records have his name as Gasper Philip Byerly and Casper Philip Byerley.  In his will, his first name was spelled with a “C.”  In the 1790 census he is listed in the 96th District of Newberry County, South Carolina.  He sold land in January of 1802, which implies that he was still living.  

Given the various ship, census, and land records, I believe that these two men are distinct men who migrated to different areas of America, two years apart.  Given that they both had the same name, it is very likely that they were related in their homeland.  How they were related remains to be determined.