SILER FAMILY

SILER

Posted By: Alice&Wayne Daniels (email)
Date: 7/21/2003 at 17:54:16

THE CHRONICLE OF MOULTON, IOWA AND ITS SURROUNDING
COUNTRYSIDE, APPANOOSE COUNTY, IOWA, 1976

SILER FAMILY

In 1741 a young man, Plikard Dedric Siler, landed in Boston. he was one of the many Rhenish Palatinate immigrants who came seeking religious freedom and freedom from oppression of despotism. He later married Elizabeth Hartsoe, a German girl whom he had met on ship board, and thus began the Siler Family in America.

Almost one-hundred years later Benjamin Harrison Siler brought his wife and three children to Iowa and homesteaded a farm between Moulton and Drakesville. Five children were born in Davis County, and for fived generations the Silers were active in the development of the community around Moulton.

Benjamin being a lay preachers, helped organize the Christian Churches at Drakesville, Orleans, and Moulton. Several of the later generations operated businesses in Moulton. John ran a livery stable, Coad was express and Drayman for years, Edward “Ed” was a long time city marshal and Owen and George each owned a bakery.

For more than one hundred years after the first Siler homestead there was a “Siler place” in
the Moulton community. Levi Siler located south east of Moulton. The Henry Siler farm north east of Orleans remained in the family until 1945. The north east corner of Orleans was first owned by Ben and later by Owen until 1950.

Some of the local names that married into the Siler family were Fleming, Dunbar, Hurd, Taylor, Moore, Ellis, Carlis, St. John, Castleman, Garner, Bond, Barnett, Burnett, Thompson, Lawson, Stevens, Case, Burchett, Rogers, Salladay, Ransom, Severs, Burgher and O’Hara.