Custerd, I
Possible candidate to date:
​
Jonathan Custerd, Jr.
(1767-1822)
Amity TWP, Berks Co., PA
1793 deed, carpenter, Amity TWP
​
​​
Custerd, I
​
Possible candidate 1st tier
Jonathan Custerd / Custer / Custard Jr.
Amity TWP, Berks Co., carpenter in a deed from 1793 (Custer) and no/trade given in a deed from 1806 (Custerd).
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
​
1793 Amity TWP deed.
​
​
2nd tier candidate
​
Dan Linski found another possible candidate; Jesse Custer(d) a chairmaker in Chester Co., PA. He was working ca 1796. His chair imprint is J . Custer and his name in a 1796 tax list is recorded as Jesse Custerd.
He is considered 2nd tier for two reasons;
1) It is questionable that a chairmaker would have need of a crown molding plane.
2) Jesse has two imprinted Windsor chairs pictured in Furniture and it's makers of Chester Co., with the incuse stamp of J . Custer. One chair is classic late 18th C in style and the other has later bamboo styled turnings. Considering the plane and the chairs, it seems unlikely that two separate imprints used by one craftsman in roughly the same time period (late 18th C), would have both an "I" and a "J" form of a name stamp. (ie ... If of the same general late 18th C date, both stamps should be an "I" or both should be a "J".)
Other I/J Custerds
Additional "I/J" Custers / Custerds / Custards were found in various PA counties but none were identified as woodworkers via ca 1800 deeds / records except for Jonathan Jr. and Jesse (See the 1830 deed note for Jacob, 1830, clockmaker.)
Census
1800 census, John Custer, Franklin Co.
1800 census, John Custer, Beaver Co.
1800 census, Jacob Custer, Franklin Co.
1800 census, John Custer, Mercer Co.
1800 census, Jacob Custer, Washington Co.
1793 census, John Custerd, Montgomery Co.
1809 deed, Joseph Custard, Bucks Co.
* 1800 census, Jonathan Custard, Jr., Berks Co
Various trades from period deeds within the above counties (other than Jonathan Jr.); mason, husbandman, yeoman, fuller, miller, weaver, merchant. A Jacob Custer, Montgomery Co. was a clockmaker in 1830.
Early Philadelphia County entries included John and Jonathan Custer in the 1740s, mason and husbandman respectively. John Custer / Custard from Beaver Co. had deeds from 1806 and 1807 but no trade was included in the deeds. No Custers were in Philadelphia Directories between 1794-1814.
​
​
I Custerd plane photos courtesy Michael Paul, Rhykenology Group, Facebook.
