Biography
He was born in Hilsbach (Waldhilsbach), Rhenish Palatinate in Baden, the son of a forester. He emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1717 and worked at various manual trades, including soapmaking and the manufacture of brass buttons.
He became a British subject in 1724 and joined the Religious Society of Friends (the Quakers) in 1726. He married Catherine Jansen in 1727; they had seven children. With the support of Quaker merchants and political leaders, he set up a glass factory and began buying land and selling it to new immigrants from Germany. His land deals made him one of the richest men in Pennsylvania.
Caspar's brother John (born Johannes) emigrated a decade after Caspar did. While Caspar anglicized his name to "Wistar", John spelled his "Wister". The two each founded prominent Philadelphia-area families, and the difference in spelling persisted.
Read more about this topic: Caspar Wistar (glassmaker)
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