(Continued from Thursday.)
given to chiding." She had the following children:
The ancestor of the Early family was John Early (Johannes Oehley), a native of Jesingen, in the kingdom of Murtemburg, Germany, where he was born Jan. 9, 1724, son of Thomas and Margaret Early. He emigrated to American in 1750, arriving at Philadelphia, where he took the oath of allegiance to England August 24, 1750. He was a carpenter by trade, stopped first at Reading, but subsequently secured title to a large tract of land called "Betimes," in what was then Derry township, Lancaster county. We understand it was about 500 acres, and immediately south of Palmyra. He died Sept. 19, 1796, and is buried at Bindnagle's church. See Egle's History of Lebanon County, pp. 238 and 239.
Martin Kreider, Jr., afore, next to the youngest son and child of Rev. Martin, m. Elizabeth Hoke, daughter of George; farmer our notes say in Lebanon county, likely in South Lebanon or South Annville township. children:
Mrs. Lineaweaver says that her uncle, George Kreider, was a shoemaker, that he went to Dayton, Ohio, and that when well advanced in years he married a young woman, but had no children.
Of her Uncle Daniel Kreider, she says that in the west he built a large mill, went aloft to inspect the roof before it was finished, that in descending the ladder gave way, he fell and was killed. Contrary to the account afore she thinks he was never married, but by neither account has he descendants living.
The youngest son and child of Rev. Martin Kreider was Tobias, who was never married. He died in Franklin county aged 75 years. This brings us to the end of the history of Rev. Martin Kreider.
When we consider what Rev. Martin did in himself, founded the work of the United Brethren in the Lebanon Valley, that his son, Rev. John, laid the foundation of that church in Franklin county, that his grandson founded Salem of Lebanon, the mother church of the city, and was about the first presiding elder of the church in the Lebanon Valley, and when we consider all the preachers who sprang from him and the devoted lay members, we venture the assertion that he did more for the United Brethren church than any other man that ever lived. When we consider along with this what a branch of the family of his brother Jacob did for Lebanon Valley College and what members of other branches have done, the question begins to formulate itself: What would be left of the United Brethren Church if all the Kreider blood were taken out of it?
We are also at the end of the history of the descendants of John who located on the western part of the "Kreider Settlement." We have entered the inmost depths of the labyrinth, and are still alive. But there still remain some Kreiders whom we have not visited. We know a number who have waited long to see if we would ever come to them, and some are waiting still. We must go back to Jacob who located on the eastern part of the "Settlement" in order to reach them.
The patient reader has accompanied us in our wanderings and explorations, in our attempts to solve the early Kreider problem, doing much to help us on our way. Some may say you should have completed your work and known your mind before you went to print. It is easy for those who do nothing to criticize, and the ugly thing about it is that the criticism of such is always of the destructive kind. It is the criticism of the men who are wholesouled in the struggle that is legitimate, and consequently is welcome. The other kind bears the marks of illegitimacy, born out of wedlock. It was not the purpose of these papers to complete the history before beginning publication, but publication was commenced, and had been so intended, as soon as a proper beginning had been secured. The writer also lacked the advantage of being one of the family who for many years thought, talked and investigated the subject. It perhaps is no reflection on him that he has displayed a zeal that again and again has called forth the inquiry: "Why, are you a Kreider?." If we have not been a Kreider, neither have we been a busy body. And we are glad to state that we have never been treated as we were once treated in gathering the history of a family outside of Lebanon county. We had been very courteously received into a home with some marks of culture miles away, had been invited to take a seat in the parlor. A few preliminary remarks had been made on both sides, with mutual satisfaction and pleasantness. Our purpose was, we are sure, becomingly introduced. Instantly the lady arose, opened the door and with remarkable brevity and stiffness said: "I show you the door." We arose with the remark: "We entered your house as a gentleman on a mission requested by the family. The house is yours and on your request we leave." And we were off for more pleasant fields. We later learned that there were things about this particular branch of that family that were more than shady. Worthy representatives of good families always delight in examining their history, and are always grateful to persons who render service along this line. As the journey among the Kreiders thus far has been very pleasant, we anticipate that the home stretch will be of a similar nature.
As to Jacob, the Settler on Snitz Creek, in the first issue of these articles we quoted from two legal papers which gave the names of his wife and children. There is no doubt on this subject. And his own name is equally certain. Some call him Abraham. His name was Jacob, plain Jacob; nor was it John Jacob. The legal papers, so far as we know have no mention of a John Jacob. It was John and Jacob on Snitz Creek-John to the west and Jacob to the east. Both received land warrants on the same day, June 3, 1741. Tradition and a legal paper say their father was Martin, and according to the gentleman who made the address on Rev. Christian S. Kreider the father of Martin was the Jacob who settled in at Lancaster about 1715. Perhaps this Jacob had the four sons. The four sons tradition may be from the fact that John the Settler on Snitz Creek had four sons. We have doubts about the Martin, born in 1681, who had sons, Joseph and Frederick, being the Martin, however, here in question. If he were the Martin in question, [how??] his sons or grandsons would be called Joseph and Frederick. That was the way they did things in those days - named after the relatives. Then they had many children and few names; now we have many names and few children. Then they accomplished much and talked little; today we talk much and get nothing done.
Jacob's wife's name was Mary. Jacob died before 1748. In that year, June 15, as we say at the beginning, Mary had additional contiguous land surveyed to her, the first survey to her was May 14, 1742, likely a resurvey of land given her husband by warrant in 1741, making in all 585 acres, which in 1760 was given by Patent Deed to her sons, Christian, Martin, Tobias and George. The four son tradition may originate here. By Oct. 2, 1751, the widow of Mary had married Henry Xander, (Sanders), whose wife, Anna Eliza, b. Aug., 1701; d. May 23, 1750, or a year and one-half before the above date, which was likely very soon after their marriage, for on that date for a consideration they transferred the 585 acres to the before-mentioned sons of Jacob and Mary Kreider, which land, however, was not yet patented. The sons then secured a patent deed but the mother had first to sign a similar paper to the former in her previous name, Maria Kreider, as we saw at the beginning.
Heinrich Xander and his first wife were Moravians and are buried at Hebron. He was a notable character in the early days of our county. He was born Nov. 16, 1703, and died Oct. 17, 1772. He had taken up 150 acres of land March 20, 1743, likely a short distance east of Annville. On Nov. 26, 1753, two years after his marriage to Mary Kreider, he took up 200 acres more; and May 12, 1767, he took up 50 acres additional, making in all 400 acres. In the cemetery at Hebron is a stone which Egle has interpreted as having the name Maria Yeader, b. Jan. 10, 1702; d. 1769. Some of those names are hard to decipher, and we more than half believe that it should be Maria Xander, the second wife of Xander, and formerly the wife of Jacob Kreider, the settler at Snitz Creek. The Christian name agrees, and the dates are about what we would expect. There may be a mistake in interpreting the X and the n. Not unlikely the old Kreider cemetery began with the burial of Jacob.
The legal papers tell us very explicit that Jacob and Mary Kreider had 8 sons and 1 daughter. They were as follows:
The children of Jacob doubtless range in birth from about 1724 to 1742, likely the year of his death; the children of his brother John from about 1740 to 1750, which would rather justify the conclusion that Jacob was the older of the two.
Of this John we know very little. He was likely the oldest of the children, as in the lists his name always comes first. He was likely born about 1824 [sic 1724]. If "Maria Yeader," afore, was his mother, she would have been 22 years of age in 1724. He took up none of the home tract on Snitz Creek. He likely went to other parts. He may have been the John who is said to have lived at Conewago, and the Rev. Isaac Kreider says was a son of John the Settler, brother of Jacob, the father of this John. It is useless to surmise further.
Christian Kreider is doubtless next to oldest son of Jacob, the Settler. We have a number of Christians. He is the oldest of all. He was one of the four brothers who divided up the old Kreider tract. He received 172 acres, it being the extreme eastern part of the "Kreider Settlement." He bordered on "Kleinfelt," of which we have written and out of which he bought Jan. 7, 1772 48 acres and 27 perches of land which lay along the lane running into the old John Q. Royer farm and up to the Bomberger cemetery. The road running to Zinn's mill, we are told, constituted the southwestern boundary of the Kreider Settlement. Christian's two tracts, his descendant, J. S. Bomberger, tells us, comprised the eastern farm of Henry Bomberger, the Royer, now Spitler farm, the southeastern part of the Frank Hauck estate, the purchased tract being partly an addition to the Mace farm, the balance being in the Adam Hauck estate, with the exception of a small strip of the Louser farm.
Christian made his will Aug. 15, 1789. To his son Jacob he bequeathed 108 acres, which was then bounded by land of Martin Cryder, Frederick Zimmerman and George Hock (Hoke). To his son Christian, Jr., he gave the remainder of his land, 102 acres, containing the buildings, bordered by lands of Frederick Wolfersberger, George Ellinger, George Hock, Philip Greenawalt, Frederick Zimmerman, and Jacob Cryder.
The care of his wife Mary he left cojointly to his sons Jacob and Christian._ "I give and bequeath to my Beloved Wife that little room wherein my son Christian now liveth for her residence together with the stone [stove] in it. And my son Jacob shall supply my said wife yearly with four cords of good fire wood, and my son Christian with three cords ditto, well split and cut for the stove, to be carried before her door." Each son was to supply her with ten bushels of potatoes yearly. Jacob and Christian were the executors.
Christian seems to have been a man of considerable influence and wealth. He had 4 children: