John DEEMER

John was born about 1845. He enlisted in the Union Army, Company G, 9th PA Cavalry, at Harrisburg on April , 1863. He saw action in Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia. (See his brother, Aaron's biography for more detail.) He was captured in action October 12, 1864 at Lafayette GA, and reported to have died in May or June, 1865 from wounds received at Ross's Store, GA, on Sherman's Campaign through Georgia. His name appears (as John Demar) on the Civil War monument in the Linglestown, PA cemetery. Additional details of John's Civil War record are included in Aaron's biography

John's Civil War Record

William DEEMER

William was born about 1848. He is probably the same William Deemer May who was mustered into the 93rd Regiment (9th PA Cavalry), Company G, May 7 1863. Both his brothers, Aaron and John were in this unit at the time. If this is the same William, he was held prisoner Mar 19 - Apr 2 1865. According to an affidavit sworn by his mother in 1880, he joined the 5th U.S. Cavlary after the war and was never heard from after that time.

Ephraim DEEMER

While little is known of several of the DEEMER siblings, the least is known of Ephraim. According the the census of 1860 he was born about 1851. According to his mother's affidavit, he was with the family in 1864. He does not appear in later records.

Catherine DEEMER

Catherine was born about 1854, possibly in Lancaster Co. She was married twice. Her first husband was William Comborst. (The exact spelling of this surname is in question. It appears as Comborst, Combrose, and. Combrobst. In the 1880 census a daughter appears with an illegible surname, possible Combidsh.) By 1880 Catherine was remarried to Peter Heck, a coal miner born about 1846, possibly in Germany.

The family appears in the 1880 census at Doutyville, E. Cameron Twp.., Northumberland Co., near Catherine's parents, John and Catherine Deemer. The following children are listed:

Alice, age 8 (born abt. 1872)

Maggie, age 5 (born about 1875)

Mary A., age 2 (born about 1878

Peter, age 6/12 (born 1879).

(Another Heck child, William, born after 1880, is known to exist.)

Of these, it's likely that Mary and Peter were Peter Heck's children and Alice and Maggie were William Comborst's. Two other Comborst children are known:

Emma, born about 1869, appears in the 1880 census with the grandparents, John and Catherine Deemer.

Mary, born Oct. 10, 1871 in West Hanover; died Oct. 20, 1918 in Philadelphia; married to Jeremiah Ebert and Samuel Steelfox.