The Byers family descend from Hans Boyer who, it is believed, emigrated from Switzerland in the early eighteenth century to Pennsylvania. His family were Mennonites and first settled in Conestoga Township then part of Conestoga County. His land was along the Pequea Creek, and was next to the land owned by Peter Good. He gave land for the Byerland Mennonite Church, and established a Tannery for the local community. My ancestors moved to York county about 1780, then to Adams county in 1810, Cumberland county in 1830, and Franklin county until 1883. Then in 1883 they moved to Newton Township, Whiteside county, Illinois, and from there they scattered to "The Four Winds".

I am currently attempting to trace this family back to Europe, but have not found any conclusive evidence of their place of origin. My research is centered around the analysis of early Chester and Lancaster county records, and eighteenth church records in Switzerland and the Pfalz.