Major William Muhlenberg Hiester^[1]

1818 - 1878  (60 years)

• Name	William Muhlenberg Hiester
  Title	Major
  Birth	15 May 1818	Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA
  Gender	Male
  Military Service	1863
  	Civil War Pennsylvania Militia Major
  Death	16 Aug 1878	Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA
  Burial	Charles Evans Cemetery, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA
  Person ID	I20468	Tulpehocken Genealogy | Dickinson, Lamm, Klopp
  Last Modified	31 Oct 2023

  
  

  Father	Dr Isaac Hiester,   b. 22 Jun 1785, Bernville, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA d. 12 Sep 1855 (Age 70 years)
  Mother	Esther Muhlenberg,   b. 1 Apr 1785, Stouchsburg, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA d. 21 Jul 1872, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 87 years)
  Marriage	1810
  Family ID	F6894	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	Julia Frederiki Rowland,   b. 23 Apr 1826, New Holland, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, USA d. 27 Oct 1904 (Age 78 years)
  Marriage	12 Jun 1849	Pennsylvania, USA
  Children	1. NN Hiester,   b. 20 Feb 1853, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA d. 20 Mar 1853, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 0 years) + 2. Isaac Hiester,   b. 8 Jan 1856, Somerset County, Pennsylvania, USA d. 14 Mar 1921, Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania, USA (Age 65 years)
  Family ID	F6897	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	30 Mar 2024

  
  

• Notes

  Hiester was born in Reading, Pennsylvania on May 15, 1818, the son of Dr. Isaac and Mrs. Hester Muhlenberg Hiester. He was the grandson of General Peter Muhlenberg and the great grandson of Henry Muhlenberg. He attended Bristol College in Pennsylvania, read law at Harvard College (now Harvard University) and was admitted to the bar. He practiced law in Erie, Pennsylvania and later in Reading, Pennsylvania with his partner Henry A. Muhlenberg. Hiester was elected to the Pennsylvania State Senate as a member of the Democratic Party in 1855 and was immediately elected speaker. In January, 1858, he was appointed Secretary of the Commonwealth by Pennsylvania Governor William F. Packer. During the invasion of Pennsylvania by the Confederate States Army under Robert E. Lee in the summer of 1863, Hiester was commissioned a major in the Pennsylvania Militia by Governor Andrew Curtin and raised 8,000 troops for the defense of Pennsylvania. During the war, Hiester switched to the Republican Party and ran unsuccessfully for the United States House of Representatives in 1864. In July 1869, a call was made for interested citizens to gather "for the purpose of collecting and perpetuating the historical reminisces of Berks County, PA." Following the first meeting in August, the Historical Society of Berks County was incorporated on December 13, 1869 and the first president was the Honorable William M. Hiester. Hiester died in Reading, Pennsylvania on August 16, 1878. He was the father of Isaac Hiester, uncle of Hiester Clymer, and nephew of John Hiester and Daniel Hiester.

  
  

• Sources

  [S189] FamilySearch Family Tree, (MyHeritage), https://www.myheritage.com/research/record-40001-742093577/william-hiester-in-familysearch-family-tree (Reliability: 4). William Hiester&lt;br&gt;Birth names: William Muhlenberg HeisterWilliam Muhlenberg HiesterWilliam Muhlenburg Hiester&lt;br&gt;Gender: Male&lt;br&gt;Birth: May 15 1818 - Reading,Berks,Pennsylvania&lt;br&gt;Marriage: Spouse: Julia Frederiki Roland - June 12 1849 - Pa&lt;br&gt;Death: Aug 16 1878&lt;br&gt;Parents: <a>Hester Hiester (born Muhlenberg)</a>, <a>Dr. Isaac Hiester</a>&lt;br&gt;Wife: <a>Julia Frederiki Hiester (born Roland)</a>&lt;br&gt;Children: <a>(Son) Hiester</a>, <a>Isaac Hiester</a>&lt;br&gt;Siblings: <a>Dr. Francis Isaac Muhlenbergh Hiester</a>, <a>John Peter Muhlenberg Hiester</a>, <a>Anna Muhlenberg Jones (born Hiester)</a>