It was located on the line between the two original tracts, one half on each side of the line. It is today south of the fair grounds a quarter of a mile, on the line between the Lorenzo Laudermilch farm and the Uhrich farm. It is about 55 feet by 60 feet, surrounded by a rough wire fence, which reminds us that we are living in a world "where rust...doth corrupt." There are in the cemetery many rough, unlettered limestones. The inscriptions that we were able to read are as follows:
On the land of both of the two branches of Kreiders afterward was established a cemetery, the branch of Jacob, on what was the Moses Kreider farm east of the Rocherty or Colebrook road; the branch of John on the estate of Michael, north of Cleona. We shall consider these cemeteries when we come to the families that established them. The main Kreider cemetery of Lebanon county, however, is the one we have just been considering.
But we are getting acquainted with the old Kreiders in death, before we learn to know them in life. Let us visit
John erected his buildings where now stand the buildings of the Lorenzo Laudermilch farm. His house was likely of logs, and likely the barn also. Whether he built the same year he received his warrant (1741) of course we know not. Perhaps he and his brother Jacob were over here and spied out the land even before this. The Indians had sold to the Penns only nine years before 1741. The Kreiders were among the very early settlers. When John built for his son Jacob or Jacob built for himself on his fathers lands in 1766, the eastern part of J. S. Kreider's present house, the material was still logs. Surely John built of logs. There is a tradition that John was here before Jacob, perhaps he had promise of all the Kreider lands along Snitz Creek, for the tradition is to the effect that John said that he would give his brother some of the land if the brother would come over. If there is anything in this tradition, John must have said this before both had warrants for land here. Perhaps John was here living in his log cabin several years before 1741. We regard him as the John, along with Michael and Jacob, taxable in Conestoga township in 1724. He may have been, likely was, one of the first Mennonites of Conestoga who turned eyes to the north across the mountain, to the land of promise.
John, the settler, must have been married twice, because on July 6, 1769, "John Cryder, the Elder of Lebanon township, yeoman and Barbara his wife," transferred to Jacob Cryder "for and in consideration of the natural Love and Affection the bearing for and towards their son the said Jacob Cryder." Surely Barbara was the mother of Jacob. But on February 22, 1776, John and "Anna his wife." transfer to "their son Henry" a tract of 173 acres. It was the same John but surely another wife. It may be argued that Anna was the mother of Henry, for it says "their son." But remember that in the grand old times step-mothers loved the children just the same as did their own mothers, and so called them children. We still now and then have a gleam of these good old days. Barbara, the real mother, likely died soon after 1768, and John found a good old motherly Mennonite sister, perhaps a widow who had had children of her own, who took mother Kreider's place to the full; and naturally in the deed would have John's designated as her own. This son Henry was the grandfather of Jacob, the county commissioner, who lived on the homestead. John S. Kreider says that his father, Jonas, and Jacob, the commissioner, were second cousins, so their grand fathers were brothers, and Jonas' grandfather Jacob was a son of John the settler. So the explanation given above must be the correct one. Let the interested ones study it out and see if our position does not stand the test. John, the husband of Barbara in 1768, and John, the husband of Anna in 1776, must have been one and the same John. These statements also accord with the record of Rev. Isaac Kreider of Center county. Furthermore, John the husband of Anna is referred to in the deed as the John who bought the 263 acres and John the husband of Barbara is referred to in the other deed as the one who did the same thing.
John, the settler, is no doubt buried on the farm cemetery, as Rev. Isaac says John Jacob, son of Martin is. Where Rev. Isaac gets his dates we know not, likely not from stones in the cemetery, for we found none such there. We have no reference to John the settler after 1776. He may have died in 1779, as Rev. Isaac says John Jacob did. As to "the father, a blacksmith, who joined his four sons four years after they received the 580 acres from the Penns, ." or four years after 1760, and received 160 acres from them, it is worse than Greek to the writer.
Rev. Isaac says that the settler whom he designates "John Jacob" had five sons and three daughters: John lived in Conewago, Martin lived in Cornwall township; Henry, b. in 1746, d. Nov. 15, 1779; Michael lived in North Lebanon township; Jacob, lived in Cornwall township; Barbara, married Mr. Sensericht, lived near Conestoga; two daughters names not known, one married Abram Knoll, lived in South Lebanon; the other married Mr. Brackbill, lived in Bethlehem (Bethel) township.
Of the three daughters we know nothing, and so have nothing to say. But Henry, Michael and Jacob we know to have been sons of John the settler. As to John of Conewago we know nothing. As to Martin of Cornwall township we have quoted from legal papers designating a Martin of what is now Cornwall township as one of the eight sons of Jacob the settler. Him we regard as Rev. Isaac's Martin. We shall investigate the history of Henry, Michael and Jacob, likely given inversely to the order of birth. Out of respect to Rev. Isaac who has secured some really valuable Kreider information, we shall consider Henry first, Rev. Isaac's grandfather,
Jacob, the son of John the settler, had received from his father the western portion of the land on Snitz Creek in 1768, the son Michael had received the tract at Fairland in 1772 and Henry, doubtless the youngest son, received the homestead, the eastern part of the land on Snitz Creek, 173 acres, Feb. 22, 1776. It consisted of part of the 263 acres first secured by the settler, part of the 64 3/4 acres and all of the 10 acres and 90 perches. Henry did not live long to enjoy the homestead. He died Nov. 15, 1779, aged 33 years. The same year that Rev. Isaac says Henry's father died. Henry is doubtless buried in the same old cemetery. He married Barbara Yoder, who came from Switzerland. They were doubtless Mennonites. Henry made his will Nov. 8, 1779, just one week before his early death. The homestead he gave to his two oldest sons, John, the oldest, aged 7 years, and Joseph, having ordered his executors "to appoint two sensible men to value the same." Those named were Joseph Bomberger and Christian Kreider, doubtless the son of Henry's uncle Jacob. And now read the story of Henry's death.
Henry Kreider met an untimely death. He was a Mennonite and awakened the resentment of his neighbor Zimmerman to the south, so his great-grandson, Moses, Jr. informed us last fall. The Mennonites of course would not bear arms, and they thought they ought to keep the promise previously given to be subject to the King of Great Britain. Zimmerman gave information to the effect that Henry had grain buried, which was not the case. He was seized and bound by soldiers, who insisted that Henry tell where the grain was buried. He had nothing to tell and told nothing. He was regarded as stubborn and incorrigible. The soldiers smote him on the breast with the iron cuffs about his wrists, but in vain. The abuse was kept up till Henry began to spit blood, and was the direct cause of his death.
Henry's wife, Mary, had a black mare which the soldiers tried to take from her, but she held on to her property. They smote her on her arms with their whips, but in vain. She kept her property.
Henry's children were:
The foregoing records of Henry Kreider's family are largely from Rev. Isaac Kreider.
John Kreider, son of Henry, along with his brother Joseph, was to receive the homestead, but as we have seen, Joseph on May 13, 1798, sold out his share to John. John also satisfied the claims of other heirs and became the sole owner of the homestead. He married Mariah Knopp, who was born near Harrisburg in 1775, and died in 1830. We are told by Mr. Adam Houck that he was known as "Johnny Kreider." He designated John Kreider, Jr. to distinguish him not from his father, whose name was Henry, but from his grandfather, John, the settler, called "John the Elder," who likely outlived his son, Henry. "Johnny" died intestate in 1816, five months before the birth of his youngest child, leaving a widow and nine children. The widow Mary, and the son-in-law, Henry Brandt, were the administrators, who on April 1, 1826, transferred the homestead to Jacob Kreider, the oldest son of John, who had bought it already October 22, 1824. On a resurvey it was found to contain 187 acres, 150 purchases instead of 173 acres, as given by a previous survey. At that time, 1826, it bordered on the road from Lebanon to the meeting house, doubtless Gingrich's on the north, on the east by land of Tobias Kreider, on the west by land of Henry and Jacob Kreider, and on the south by lands of Jacob and Leonard Zimmerman. "Johnny" Kreider's children were:
From the family Bible in possession of the Houcks of Houcksville which Bible was published in Germany in 1747, the year in which John the Settler, the ancestor received his patent deed for land in Lebanon township.
The * mark indicates that more information is to follow.
THE DAUGHTERS OF JOHN of the John Kreider of the homestead called "Johnny" had five daughters. The two youngest, as we have seen died in infancy - Elizabeth and Louisa.
CATHERINE was married to Tobias Kreider, who, after her death married her sister, MARIAH, previously married to Joseph Dohner. There is a maze of Tobias Kreiders,
(To be continued next Monday)