My Genealogy Hound

CYRUS HICKMAN CALEY, secretary of the Upper Merion school board, is a native of Delaware county, Pennsylvania. He was born February 11, 1842, near Radnor Friends’ Meeting, He is the son of Samuel and Lucy C. (Hickman) Caley. His mother was a daughter of Cyrus and Phebe (Matlack) Hickman.

Samuel Caley (father) was born near Newtown Square, Delaware county, and lived there most of his life. He married Lucy C. Hickman, born in Westtown township near the noted Friends’ School. Samuel died in December, 1886, and his wife April 13, 1900. Of their children Cyrus H. is the eldest; Samuel, born in June, 1844, died August 20, 1901, married Mary Yarnall, having one child, Mary Frances; Annie died in childhood; William, born December 6, 1850, married (first wife) Miriam Bowker, they having one child, Howard B. Caley (deceased) and married (second wife) Anna Mulford; he is living now in Delaware county; Elizabeth, born in 1853, resides in Media; Hannah married Empson Garwood; and Margaret resides at Media. Samuel Caley was born March 14, 1815, and at the time of his death was seventy-one years of age.

The grandparents of Cyrus Caley were Samuel and Ann (Phillips) Caley. The great-grandfather, Samuel Caley, married a Miss Reese. His father was also named Samuel Caley. The family is of English origin and settled at Newtown Square nearly two hundred years ago.

Cyrus H. Caley was reared on the farm, attended the Friends and public schools of the neighborhood, also Gwynedd Friends’ boarding-school, at that time under the charge of Hugh Foulke. He studied two terms at Millersville State Normal School. He farmed with his father until his marriage.

March 16, 1865, he married Annie L. Beidler and bought a farm near White Horse, Chester county, Pennsylvania, where he remained three years. He then purchased a farm near Newtown Square, remaining there eight years. He sold that farm and made several changes in the next five years, finally settling in Upper Merion about a mile and a half from Port Kennedy, where he has lived ever since. He is a prosperous farmer and attends Norristown market.

In February, 1891, he was elected to the school board of Upper Merion township and has been its secretary almost from the beginning of his term of service. In politics he is a Republican and takes an active interest in the success of his party.

July 3, 1863, he enlisted in Company E, Forty-seventh Pennsylvania Volunteer Militia. He remained at Harrisburg for three months, was sent to Hagerstown, Maryland, and after remaining there one month, the troops went to Minersville, Pennsylvania, to quell a riot. He was mustered out of service at Reading, September 10, 1863.

Annie L. (Beidler) Caley is a daughter of Abraham and Sarah W. (Stephens) Beidler, both deceased, of Upper Merion, near Valley Meeting. Abraham Beidler, son of Jacob Beidler, was born in 1810 at Diamond Rock, Chester county, and died in 1872, in his sixty-second year. His wife died in 1864, in her forty-second year. They were married in 1841 and lived on a farm which was part of the tract of land taken up by Stephen Stephens, the ancestor of Sarah W. Stephens. They are buried in Valley graveyard. Their children are: Hannah Mary, born April 30, 1842; Annie Landes, born March 5, 1844, wife of Cyrus Caley; Margaret Currie, born January 4, 1846; Stephen Leslie, born December 2, 1848; William, born June 5, 1851, who died young; Ellen Priscilla, born May 5, 1853; Fannie Elizabeth, born in 1854; Harry P., born in 1856, and died in infancy; Sarah Louisa, born June 25, 1857; Jacob Howard, born March 20,1859; Abraham Lincoln, born in 1861, and died in infancy; Laura May, born in 1863, and died in infancy.

Hannah Mary Beidler married in 1871 Mordecai Davis, son of Joseph and Eleanor (Stephens) Davis. Mordecai Davis is now deceased. They had one child, Ellen Stephens Davis, born August 28, 1872.

Margaret Currie Beidler married Abraham Metz and had three children: Sarah Eliza Metz, born May 13, 1870; Thomas Overton Metz, born August 10, 1874; and Frank Beidler Metz, born October 23, 1876, and died in 1877. Mr. and Mrs. Metz reside at Atlantic City.

Stephen Leslie Beidler married Emma Yarnall and they reside at Willistown. They had three children, as follows; Elizabeth Yarnall, married Charles Worrilow and is living near Newtown Square; Stephen Leslie, born April 12, 1882; and William M.

Ellen Priscilla Beidler married Jonathan D. Elliott of Chester county and they reside in West Philadelphia. Their children are: Alva Wayne, born October 23, 1879; Roland Arthur, born October 23, 1882; Fannie Louisa, born November 20,1884; Edna Bell, born December 29, 1886, and died in infancy; Norman Walker, born July 9, 1888; Mary Ella, born January 8, 1890; Paul Duer, born December 8, 1892, and died in 1893.

Fannie Elizabeth Beidler married Marine Thomas of Wilmington, formerly of Norristown. They have one son, Joseph Davis Thomas, who was born October 27, 1877; and married Mabel Boddy.

Sarah Louisa Beidler married Joathan Roberts, son of William B. and grandson of Jonathan and Eliza Roberts, of Red Hill, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania. They had five children: Mary Davis, born February 12, 1883; Edith May, born January 28, 1886; Walter Jonathan, born January 24, 1890; William B., born September 24, 1893; Edward Holstein, born November 24, 1894; and Louisa S. Mr. and Mrs. Roberts reside in Atlantic City.

Jacob Howard Beidler married Rebecca Jane Shainline. They reside in Upper Merion and have five children: Helen Anderson, born April 2, 1888; Jonathan Warren, born May 20, 1890; Ethel Jean, born January 22, 1893; Anna Landes, born December 12, 1894; and J. Howard.

The children of Cyrus and Annie L. Caley were: Harry Thomas, born Twelfth-mo., 1865, died Fourth-mo. 13, 1867; Sarah Lucy, born Fifth-mo. 11, 1868; Ella Beidler, born Twelfth- mo. 14, 1869; Laura Massey, born Twelfth-mo. 6, 1873; J. Oswald, born Fourth-mo. 4, 1876; Jonathan Richards, born Third-mo. 8, 1878; David Ashmore, born Eighth-mo. 21, 1880; Hannah Mary, born Fifth-mo. 4, 1883.

Ella Beidler Caley married William Frederick, engineer at Watts Mills, Norristown. They have two children: Anna and Frances.

Laura Massey Caley married William C. Moore. They reside at Blue Bell and have one child, Cyrus Norman.

J. Oswald married Lydia Foulke Moore.

David Ashmore is clerk at Hotel Bolton, Harrisburg. He married Catharine Moyer of Harrisburg.

Mr. and Mrs. Cyrus Caley are not members of the Society of Friends but they and several of their family attend valley Meeting.