Wild Tales of the Buzzard Gang: From Outlaw to Preacher?

As we count down to the April 12, 2025 launch of the $5,000 Buzzard’s Booty: Quest for the Lost JBT Treasure Hunt, I’m sharing true stories about these infamous criminals.

Here’s the fifth installment. Click here to read other Wild Tales of the Buzzard Gang. 

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From Outlaw to Preacher?

As Abe Buzzard grew older, his wild outlaw days began to catch up with him. Having spent more time behind bars than as a free man, he developed a peculiar new persona—a self-styled Mennonite preacher. It was an ironic transformation for the infamous leader of the Buzzard Gang, a man who had once orchestrated daring prison breaks, led posse chases, and engaged in shootouts with the law. His life had been filled with crime, from burglarizing homes and businesses to escaping from Lancaster County Prison in what was then the largest breakout in its history. Yet, as the years passed and his body weakened, Abe appeared to embrace a new role: that of a preacher.

His sudden devotion to faith was met with widespread skepticism. When Abe began preaching in local towns, gathering crowds at hotels and churches, some were genuinely curious about his supposed redemption, while others merely wanted to see the spectacle of an infamous outlaw claiming to have found God. This was, after all, a man who had once spent weeks hiding in the Blue Rocks of the Welsh Mountains, evading capture and leading an extensive crime spree. The idea that he had genuinely reformed seemed difficult to believe.

During his sermons, Abe spoke passionately about faith and redemption, sometimes invoking his own criminal past as a cautionary tale. He captivated audiences with his dramatic storytelling, speaking of the dangers of sin and the consequences of living outside the law. His reputation as the “Jesse James of the East” ensured that his sermons drew large crowds. However, his newfound righteousness was frequently undermined by his actions. Stories circulated that he would sign stolen Bibles and distribute them to attendees—perhaps in an attempt to boost his credibility, or simply as a relic of his old habits.

Despite his claims of reform, many questioned whether his faith was genuine or merely another con. His notoriety ensured that wherever he preached, people came to listen—not necessarily to his message, but to see the infamous outlaw-turned-holy man in the flesh. It wasn’t uncommon for skeptics to whisper among themselves, questioning whether this was the same Abe Buzzard who had once orchestrated an elaborate prison break using a canary to pass notes between cells, or who had once escaped a shootout by disappearing into the Welsh Mountains.

Abe’s transformation also did little to improve his long-standing relationship with the law. Even as he preached about repentance, he continued to find himself in legal trouble. By the late 1920s, he had been arrested again—this time for stealing chickens. As a habitual criminal, he was sentenced to Eastern State Penitentiary, where he would ultimately die in 1935. His brother, Joe Buzzard, later remarked that between all the brothers, they had spent a collective 158 years in prison, but insisted, “None of us were really ever bad. We just got started wrong.”

Whether Abe truly found redemption or merely adapted to the times remains a mystery. To some, he was a sinner seeking salvation; to others, he was simply a wolf in sheep’s clothing. Either way, Abe Buzzard, the legendary outlaw of the Welsh Mountains, would never truly outrun his legend.

Abe Buzzard’s Son and the Gang’s Descendants

Abe Buzzard’s criminal legacy loomed over Lancaster County, but his direct descendants largely faded into obscurity. According to scattered reports, Abe had a son named Jake, who, like his father, dabbled in petty crimes in his youth. However, unlike Abe, Jake eventually left Pennsylvania, moving westward to seek a different path.

Some accounts suggest that Jake eventually settled in California, where he raised a family and led a relatively quiet life. His children, spread across the country, carried the Buzzard name but not its notorious reputation. Interestingly, the Buzzard family in Lancaster County did not wholly embrace their criminal heritage. Some of Abe’s extended relatives sought to redeem the family name, with a few even joining religious communities such as the Mennonite Church.

One of Abe’s brothers, John, had already turned his back on crime early on, embracing a pious lifestyle within the Mennonite faith. While he had committed a few minor offenses in his youth, John chose a life of quiet farming and religious devotion. As the years passed, his descendants integrated into Lancaster County society, far removed from the outlaw ways of their infamous ancestors.

Despite the gang’s infamy, the modern-day Buzzards in Lancaster County are upstanding citizens, with many dedicated to community service and historical preservation. The specter of Abe Buzzard’s notoriety may still linger, but his bloodline has long since shed the criminal taint of the 19th-century Welsh Mountain outlaws.

The Conviction and Estrangement of the Buzzard Brothers

For years, Abe and his brother Martin had been partners in crime. But as the law closed in, their bond began to fracture.

In 1893, Martin Buzzard and an accomplice, Brown Zeltner, attempted a robbery at the home of Isaiah Shaeffer, an elderly farmer. When the 85-year-old man resisted, Martin shot him in the head. Miraculously, Schaefer survived, but the attempted murder sent shockwaves through Lancaster County. The authorities were determined to make an example of Martin.

When Martin was captured, he turned on Abe, insisting that his older brother had been involved in crimes he hadn’t committed. This betrayal, whether out of desperation or spite, sealed their fate as sworn enemies. The court sentenced Martin to 16 years in prison, and he and Abe never spoke again.

As time wore on, Martin attempted to rehabilitate his life. Upon his release from prison, he joined the Mennonite Church and distanced himself from his criminal past. Abe, however, could never quite escape the cycle of crime and incarceration. He continued to be arrested well into his later years, eventually dying behind bars in 1935.

The Buzzard Gang, once the terror of Lancaster County, ultimately unraveled not through gunfights or dramatic last stands, but through betrayal, imprisonment, and the slow passage of time. The brothers, once inseparable, ended their days as strangers—forever divided by the choices they had made.

Click here to read other Wild Tales of the Buzzard Gang.

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Are you ready to accept the challenge, gather your crew, and make history? Join the adventure of a lifetime and secure your chance at the rich stuff when you order your 2025 Buzzard’s Booty: Quest for the Lost JBT Treasure kit today!

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References

• Most Creative Use of a Canary
• The Buzzards Are Here! The Buzzards Are Here!
• A look back at the Buzzard Gang’s lawless exploits
• Who Were the New Holland Buzzard Gang? – March 2023
• Video Lecture: History of The Buzzard Gang