photo courtesy of Uncharted Lancaster
Uncovering the Buzzard Gang in Lancaster County
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Asia Tabb
photo courtesy of Uncharted Lancaster
Aired; May 20th, 2025.
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History isn’t always written in the halls of government or on the battlefields of revolution. Sometimes, it’s tucked into the rugged edges of Pennsylvania’s landscapes — like the Welsh Mountains of Lancaster County, where the Buzzard Gang built their legend.
On a recent episode of The Spark, I sat down with historian and criminal justice expert Michael Zimmerman to explore the dark and fascinating legacy of this infamous local family of outlaws. Zimmerman, who grew up on the edge of the Welsh Mountains himself, has spent decades researching the Buzzards — a group of six brothers and their extended gang who terrorized southeastern Pennsylvania from the late 1800s through the mid-1900s.
“I was like a lot of kids — fascinated by Billy the Kid and Jesse James,” Zimmerman said. “But then my mom told me there was an outlaw who lived right near us named Abe Buzzard. That changed everything.”
Zimmerman’s research began in childhood and continued after his service in the U.S. Marine Corps and a career in law enforcement. As he dug deeper into the archives of local historical societies, a complex portrait of the Buzzards — and the unique region that raised them — began to emerge.
The Welsh Mountains stretch across parts of eastern Lancaster and Chester counties, encompassing towns like New Holland, Earl Township, East Earl, and Honey Brook. Originally inhabited by Indigenous peoples and later settled by Welsh immigrants, the area took on a different character in the 19th century.
“Escaped slaves found refuge there. It became an early melting pot,” Zimmerman said. “Black and white families intermarried, partied together, lived together. But it was also extremely poor — shacks, rough roads, and a lot of crime.”
This poverty and isolation helped shape the Buzzard family. Their father, John Buzzard, died in the Civil War, leaving their mother, Marianne Glauner, to raise eight children alone. “She turned to a life of crime to survive,” Zimmerman explained. “At one point, she and all six of her sons were reportedly in Lancaster County Prison at the same time.”
A Criminal Dynasty is Born
The six Buzzard brothers — Martin, John Jr., Abe, Isaac (Ike), Jacob, and Joseph — began with petty thefts: stealing chickens, robbing stores, and pilfering food. But their crimes escalated quickly to armed robberies, home invasions, and shootouts with police.
“They’d always retreat to the Welsh Mountains after a job,” said Zimmerman. “There’s a place called the Blue Rocks — a real cave where they’d hide. They could roll a boulder in front of it and vanish.”
Of the six brothers, Abe Buzzard became the most notorious. Charismatic, bold, and brazen, Abe was both reviled and romanticized in the press. Though he wasn’t the only dangerous one — Ike and Joe were just as ruthless — Abe was the face of the Buzzard Gang.
Their infamy extended well into the 20th century. Joe, the youngest, was still committing crimes in his 80s in the 1940s. Abe spent over 50 years of his life behind bars, dying in Eastern State Penitentiary in 1935 at age 83. Zimmerman said Abe’s own daughter once admitted, “He was too lazy to work. He’d rather rob and steal.”
