tract of Land as above mentioned I in behalf of myself my heirs, & c., do promise and oblige to
maintain and Defend against any person or persons Claiming the Same or any part thereof by my
Right, title, or Demand whatsoever unto the Sd. Christian Cryter and Martin Cryter and Tobias
Cryter and George Cryter, their Heirs or assigns forever, the proprietors only Expected, in witness
whereof I have hereunto set my hand and Seal the Fifteenth Day of March one thousand Seven
hundred and Sixty.
her
MARY M CRYTER.
mark
Sealed, Signed and delivered in presence of
JOHN SCULL
JASPER SCULL
It seems that Henry Saunders was living yet some years after 1760, but here she who was called his wife in 1751 signs herself alone as Mary Cryter. She receives again the same amount of money for the release of that she and her husband, Henry Saunders, had previously received. Why pay her again? Had she received it and yet hadn't received it? The reader may draw his own conclusions. The writer has his opinion and is keeping it to himself. The widow now was not with Saunders, nor with any of the four sons on the old Kreider tract. Perhaps she was with one of the other three sons, one had died, or with the daughter.
When the son, George Kreider, transferred his farm out of his tract to his son, the deed states: "It being a Piece or Parcel of a larger tract (575 acres) which the Honorable the late Proprietaries of Pennsylvania in and by their certain Patent or Grant bearing date the sixth day of May Anno Domini one thousand seven hundred and sixty for the consideration therein mentioned did give, grant, release and confirm unto Christian Kreider, Martin Kreider, Tobias Kreider and George Kreider." We have been legally told that these four men were sons of Jacob Kreider. So we have legal proof that Rev. Isaac Kreider is in error when he says that the three sons of Martin who came to Philadelphia in 1736 and one George Kreider received from Penn's sons 580 acres in Lebanon township along Snitz Creek. All were sons of Jacob, no father Martin about it; and the names of Martin's sons do not agree with the names in the legal papers.
The patent deed to the four sons of Jacob and Mary was a confirmation of this land to them, the warrant not giving them a full title. For the confirmation they paid £90. 15s. 6d. Among other privileges they were given the right "To hawk, hunt, fish and fowl."
When the son Henry Cryter, Sept. 13, 1762, signs his release to his four brothers mentioned above, it is stated "they being sons of one Jacob Kryter, of Lebanon Township in the County of Lancaster, late Deceased." So the father had become a resident of Lebanon township before he died, notwithstanding the fact that a warrant was remade to the wife for the land he had taken up and the warrant for the rest of the 585 acres was made only to the wife.
It is not our intention at this time to take up the sons of Jacob Kreider, one of the original Kreider settlers in Lebanon County. We shall return to them later and then trace out their descendants. We shall now turn to John the other brother who settled in Lebanon township.
As already stated, John and Jacob Croyder took warrants for land in Lebanon township on the same day, June 3, 1741. We have considered Jacob. On that day John took out a warrant for 300 acres. On August 26, 1742, John Croyter took out a warrant for 200 acres; on June 12, 1751, John Croyter took out a warrant for 100 acres; and on Oct. 18, 1758, John Kreiter, for 20 acres. These Johns were likely all one and the same person, at least the first two.
This John Kreider bought land in two different localities. One tract was on Snitz Creek, immediately west of the 585 acres taken by the family of Jacob Kreider; the other was at the present towns of Cleona and Fairland, both towns being largely built on his tract. One and the same patent deed, granted several years after the lands were taken up, confirmed to John Kreider both tracts of land. We quote in substance:
"Whereas the late Proprietaries of Pennsylvania by patent of Feb. 8, 1747, conveyed to John Kreider two tracts of land in Lebanon township, one containing 263 acres; the other 310 1/2 acres; also said Proprietaries on May 28, 1764, conveyed to said John Kreider two other tracts in Lebanon township, one containing 64 3/4 acres, and the other 10 acres and 90 perches." The two smaller tracts conveyed in 1764 were contiguous to the 263 acres, and all three were along the Snitz Creek, making in all 338 acres, 50 perches on Snitz Creek. The 310 1/2 acre tract was the one at Fairland. The western Snitz Creek tracts of John Kreider constituted the present farms of Lorenzo Laudermilch, of John S. Kreider and of the late Josiah Kreider. The Fairland tract is comprised largely in the farms of John Long, the Kettering farm and the Rev. Christian Kreider farm. It included some land south of the pike. Michael Kreider, son of John of Snitz Creek, inherited this tract. He was sandwiched in between the Longs and the Snavelys, and his descendants married both ways.
Before we go farther, perhaps it would be well to get a clear idea of THE KREIDER TRACT ALONG SNITZ CREEK.
We trust that we have made it plain that there were two Snitz Creek Kreider tracts. The one to the east, consisting of 585 acres, the nucleus of which was doubtless the 250 acres taken up by Jacob the settler. It fell to four of the sons of Jacob - Christian, Martin, George and Tobias. It began on the east at the Adam Houck farm and extended west to the Laudermilch farm and included along Snitz Creek the Royer farm, now owned by Spitler, son-in-law of Royer, the two Henry Bomberger farms, the old Lantz farm, where the Senator was born, now owned by _______ Zeigler, the Brightbill farm, and the Uhrich farm. The tract extended north to the Cornwall pike and included the Houck farm, the site of Houcksville, the Tobias Kreider farm, the Martz property, the small farm west of Tobias Kreider and the old Herr property across the way and the properties north of the Herr home, perhaps also the property of Amos Hoffer. This tract extended north to the lands of George Steitz, the founder of Lebanon.
While all the heirs of Jacob Kreider had an interest in this property, it ultimately fell to four of the sons and consequently was divided into four farms –two west of the Rocherty or Colebrook road, and two east of it. The western most farm fell to the son, Tobias, now the Uhrich farm. The adjoining farm east became the property of George, largely comprised in the Brightbill farm, which, however, extends neither to the southern nor to the northern bounds of George's farm. East of the road was Martin, a preacher, whose home was a fortress of the United Brethren, from which stronghold they took the town of Lebanon. Likely the original Jacob Kreider residence was on this tract. East of Rev. Martin was Christian, a man of high standing in the community, who bought 48 acres to the east of his original tract. A large tract of 791 acres immediately east of Christian had been surveyed to one Michael Kline, March 1, 1749, which must have included Midway and vicinity. This was resurveyed Jan. 27, 1767, 367 acres going to Henry Kline, called "Klinefelt," from whom Christian Kreider bought his 48 acres.
The western part of the Kreider lands along Snitz Creek, as we have seen, were the property of John. The eastern part, the Laudermilch farm, on which were the buildings, John gave to his son Henry; the western part John gave to his son Jacob. The neighbor south of John was Peter Yorty, of whom we wrote last autumn. West of him was the Reigert farm, and to the north the old Laudermilch farm.
From what has been said it will be seen that the Kreiders owned the land along Snitz Creek from the present farm of Adam Houck on the east to the Campbelltown trolley line on the west, following the windings of the stream likely fully two miles. Because of the extensive holdings of the Kreiders along this stream, it at one time was known as Kreider's creek; but the dried apples got the better of the Kreiders.
It was likely noticed that when Mary Kreider, widow of Jacob, signed the release to her four sons, that among other things she released her claim on the orchards. The apple industry must early have become an important one in this community.
When Jacob Kreider, living where John S. now lives, made his will, August 2, 1805, among other things he devises; "And further my wife, Cathy, shall have a right in the orchard for to take so much apples as will make a bushel of dried Snitzes yearly and every year."
Different explanations are given as to how the creek got its present name. One is that a man came to a farm along the stream to buy "snitzes" (Funk & Wagnalls in their New Standard Dictionary fail to appropriate the word). He was told that they had only seventeen bushels, and they were afraid that they would not have more than they needed for themselves. Surely that was enough to give name to anything.
Another story runs thus: A man had a bag of "snitzes" on his wagon and had to cross the stream. In some way the contents of the bag was spilled into the water. The "snitzes" floated and swelled till the name Kreider was driven from the waters and their own imparted thereto.
Take whichever versions is the more to your liking. If you have a better, keep it. If you will impart it to us, we may give it a hearing.
Jacob Kreider the settler must have died soon after settling in Lebanon township, so the problem of a cemetery was early forced on the family. The two families decided, as proved the fact, to unite in establishing a Kreider cemetery.
(To be continued on Thursday)