It will thus be seen that John S. Kreider has had 15 children, 43 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.
CHRISTIANA KREIDER, afore, m. Christian Krall, farmer two miles southwest of Annville; Mennonite, his grandfather having given ground for Krall's Mennonite meeting house near Horst's Mill; 4 children.
HENRY S. KREIDER, afore, m. Fannie Bachman, daughter of Christian, southeast of Fontana; farmer on three different farms to the east of Fontana; she Reformed; 5 children.
CATHARINE KREIDER, afore, m. Christian Yordy, farmer on a part of the original Yordy estate west of Rocherty; Brethren; 4 children:
BARBARA KREIDER, afore, m. Rudolph Behm, farmer southeast of Annville, on the old Behm homestead, now retired in Palmyra; Brethren; 3 children:
MARIA KREIDER, afore, m. Dec. 24, 1872, to Christian Bachman, b. Feb. 1, 1849; d. June 8, 1884, brother to the wife of Henry S. Kreider; farmer on the Bachman homestead southeast of Fontana; he, Reformed; she, Brethren; both buried at Campbelltown; 5 children:
LEVI KREIDER, afore, the youngest child of Jonas of Snitz Creek, m. Annie Bomberger, daughter of Christian; farmed for time west of Rocherty, then bought a farm southeast of Annville; in 1886 moved to Kansas, north of Abilene, where he now owns farms; children:
There is a little Kreider history connected with the farm. The first Kreider here was Moses, Jr., very recently deceased, who moved here from the farm on which he had reared his family, along the Colebrook road near Rocherty. Moses built up this farm, on which his son John now resides, from parts of several original tracts. He was careful to gather to himself the old deeds of these tracts from which the early history is gathered. Because of this we think it proper to give the early history of this community in connection with his farm.
Here was the old Ensminger estate. It was quite large. It included a triangle of about 47 acres of the present Moses Kreider farm, south of the Lebanon road, the part of this farm north of the Lebanon road, the Henry Hollinger farm, and the farm yet owned by Samuel Ensminger west of the Annville road. The old Ensminger buildings here on Samuel's land were given out by the Farm Journal a few years ago as the oldest farm buildings in this part of the State.
The farm house east of the Long Brethren meeting house, on the north side of the road had been the home of a Gingrich, a clock maker. It later became a Heagy home and included for a brief time about 57 acres south of the Lebanon road, all now in the farm of Moses Kreider. 17 acres of Heagy land had been Ensminger land and 40 acres had been bought of Jacob Graybill when he was the owner of the present farms of Henry Kreider and of Rev. Seller, the 40 acres having been taken from the Sellers farm.
Now back to early days. The Penns on March 16, 1749, granted to George Peters a tract of 89 acres and 126 perches, called "Pine Grove." It ran by land of one Casper Dealer, thence by land of Peter Forney, thence by Ulrich Stephen's land, and by land of Peter Reist. It seems that Peters did not make good on this tract, for the Penns on Nov. 21, 1771, resurveyed it to one Michael Keinert. At this time, 22 years later, it ran by lands of Peter Reist (see our Reist History), by the Dealer lands, now lands of Nicholas Ensminger and Lawrence Secrist, and by lands of Peter Forney and Frederick Wunderlich.
At the same time, Nov. 21, 1771, by the same Patent the Penns conveyed also to Michael Keinert another tract contiguous to the preceding called "Hickory Field," containing 104 acres 112 perches, which ran also by lands of Peter Forney, of Lawrence Secrist and of Peter Johnston:
But these two tracts were not the first holdings of Michael Keinert in this vicinity, for on Oct. 22, 1762, Casper Deetor, Sr. (otherwise Dealer) cordwainer, had conveyed to Michael Keinert, blacksmith, his son-in-law, for £100., 50 acres and 65 perches, contiguous to the other two tracts later secured by Keinert. It ran by land History of the Kreider Family June 12, 1919 Installment 7 Page 38 already secured by Keinert, by land of Jacob Mickley, of Wm. Steer and by land formerly of Geo. Peter now of Casper Deetor, it being part of 291 3/4 acres, which the Penns conveyed Sept. 28, 1751, to George Peter. Those who have read the Reist history will notice that this was the same year that the Reists in this neighborhood secured land from the Penns. George Peter and Anna Margaretha, his wife, on June 18 1755, conveyed this land to Casper Deetor, Sr., who we see above conveyed 50 acres and 65 perches of it to Keinert.
So according to the addition of the times Keinert had 244 acres and 140 perches, his entire tract made of three contiguous tracts he conveyed April 15, 1773, to Nicholas Ensminger. Ensminger was also a blacksmith, likely taking Keinert's old stand. If we mistake not Dr. Ensminger of Mt. Aetna, a descendant of Nicholas, told us that his ancestor was a member of old Salem Lutheran Church and owned land in the town of Lebanon, and had been a blacksmith here.
Nicholas Ensminger made his will Feb. 24, 1781. He appointed Christopher Zebold of Lebanon township and Jacob Philippi of Heidelberg township as his executors. He says: "It is my will that my Plantation whereon I now live shall be valued and appraised by four responsible men which my hereafter named executors shall choose, unto my two beloved sons, Peter and Daniel, before mentioned, when my youngest son is fourteen years old." This youngest son became fourteen years before May 14, 1791, when the land was equally divided between the sons, Peter and Daniel. The persons chosen to value were Adam Orth, Baltzer Orth, John Sweikert Imboden and Henry Buehler. These sons were to pay a certain amount to the father's widow, Elizabeth Ensminger.
Daniel Ensminger died without issue, though married, leaving brothers and sisters. The brother Jacob and sister Elizabeth, m. John Burkholder, on May 2, 1802, conveyed their share in this estate to Peter Ensminger; and Jonathan Ensminger and sister Christiana, m. Jacob Thomas conveyed their share Jan. 15, 1808 to Daniel Miller, Jr. The brother Christian Ensminger conveyed Mar. 20, 1810, his share to Jonathan Ensminger. Peter, Jonathan, Miller and the widow make partition of 82 acres and 90 perches as follows: 41 acres, 45 perches to Jonathan; 27 acres, 32 8-10 perches to Peter; and 14 acres and 12 perches to Daniel Miller, Jr.
Jonathan Ensminger conveyed April 1, 1830, to John Ensminger land received from brother Daniel's share, or 40 acres, and the other about 16 acres. Peter left his land to his son John. Peter's daughters were: Elizabeth, m. Jacob Reigert; Catharine, m. Daniel Miller; Susanna, m. Conrad Smith; and Christiana, m. Christian Stauffer.
This ends the history of Henry Kreider, the martyr of the Revolution. We shall next turn our attention to Henry's brother Jacob, who lived on the farm joining on the west, also a part of the original tract of John, the settler on Snitz Creek.
Catharine Kreider, the younger daughter of Henry Kreider of Snitz Creek, was born the same year and the same month as was the county of Lebanon itself. She married John Laudermilch of the Laudermilch homestead southeast of the Fair Grounds. The Laudermilch farm is immediately north of the old Kreider estate; and this is not the only, not the first, marriage between the two families. We shall find that it is not the last.
Tradition is that there were three Laudermilch brothers originally in Lebanon county, one lived near [...] Schaefferstown, where Laudermilchs are buried, one settled on Snitz Creek and one settled north of Palmyra, where is now Laudermilch's bridge. Among early warrantees in Heidelberg township we find the following: Godfried Lautermill, 100 acres, May 11, 1738; and John Lautermilk, 100 acres, Sept. 1, 1738; and Wendal Lautermill, 200 acres, Sept. 14, 1738. These are likely the three brothers, who were afterward distributed as indicated. Perhaps John was the one who came to Snitz Creek as that has been a prevailing name in the family here.
Up to 1759 the lists of taxables in Lebanon township do not contain the name of Laudermilch; but the next list we have after 1759, that of Heidelberg township.
The old Laudermilchs were Reformed and had been buried in the Tabor cemetery at Lebanon, but have since been removed to Mt. Lebanon cemetery. The tomb stone there tells us that John Laudermilch, the father of John who married Catharine Kreider, and the son of John the taxable of 1780, was born Sept. 17, 1787, and died Oct. 2. 1872. His wife Mary was born Sept. 29, 1797, and died June 3, 1878.
John, who Catharine Kreider brings into these records, was born Jan. 28, 1811, and died Dec. 28, 1880. He was a farmer on the homestead, which he not only owned but also the present Kline and Solomon Laudermilch farms, all adjoining lands. John and Catharine also were Reformed. Their remains rest in the Laudermilch block in Mt. Lebanon cemetery, which is a credit to the family.
It may be of some interest here to add that the Proprietaries of Pennsylvania by Patent of Aug. 22, 1766, confirmed to one Philip Stoehr, 270 acres, 62 perches of land. Philip and his wife Anna Mary on June 1, 1768, conveyed this to Henry Stoehr, their son, who by his will of Jan. 17, 1870 (year not clear) gave this tract to his two sons, John and Jacob. John and Jacob made partition, and Jan. 8, 1782, John released to Jacob 138 1/2 acres. The other Stoehr children released to the two brothers on June 14, 1785. They were Margaret, wife of Joseph Sturgis; Anna Maria, wife of Peter Shantz; Rosina, wife of Joseph Daiglass, and Harry Stoehr. When John released to Jacob in 1782, Jacob's land ran by land of John Stoehr, of Tobias Stoever, of Philippi Gloninger, by outlots of the town of Lebanon, by land of Henry Cryder and of Jacob Cryder. Henry Cryder was the martyr, died in 1779, but his children were yet minors and the land was in his name. His farm was the present Lorenzo Laudermilch farm. The land of Jacob Cryder was the present farm of John S. Kreider, both farms to the south. The Gloninger farm was to the west likely the present Jacob Kreider farm, for it early belonged to the Gloningers. It may, however, have been the other Stoehr farm later purchased by Gloninger, for his farms were many. Stoever must have been north, and the outlots of Lebanon to the east.
The Jacob Stoehr farm was conveyed by Stoehr and wife Barbara on May 22, 1878, to John Laudermilch. How Laudermilch could be a taxable according to the list on 138 acres in 1780, the reader may figure out. John Laudermilch conveyed the farm to his son John, Jr., on March 4, 1822; and John, Jr., was the father of John, the Third, (if not John the Fourth), husband of Catharine Kreider. John and Catharine had 7 children:
The Laudermilch's records received from members of the family in Lebanon and from Robert, of Palmyra.
?Family Bible.
We have now come to the end of the history of Henry Kreider, son of Jacob, Sr., son of John the Settler on Snitz Creek. We shall now turn our attention to Henry's brother,
Jacob Kreider, now under consideration, was born August 17, 1771, and died Feb. 12, 1853. It will thus be seen that he was three years older than his brother Henry. His wife, Maria (Mary) Kreider, died Feb. 7, 1850, in her 73rd year. These are the messages from the tombstones in the old Kreider cemetery south of the Fair grounds. The father, Jacob, is doubtless buried here, as is also Jacob, the commissioner, known as "big Jacob" (1799-1884). Let us not confuse the Jacobs. The one now under consideration is the grandfather of Hon. Aaron S. Kreider.
Jacob made his will in 1832, twenty-one years before his death, it being probated March 2, 1853. His son, Michael Kreider, was the executor. Michael was to receive the homestead along the Snitz Creek, which Jacob, Jr., had received from his father, and which is still owned by descendants. Joseph received a farm designated as in Lebanon township; it was west of Rocherty. David received a farm partly in Annville and partly in Londonderry, doubtless the farm now owned by David's son, Hon. A. S. Kreider. So Jacob Kreider, Jr., twenty-one years before his death, was already owner of three farms.
Jacob, Jr., was married to Mary Stauffer, of a good Lancaster county family, doubtless Mennonite, for
(To be continued next Monday)