Spouse: Susanna Yeakel (daughter of Hans & Susanna [Heydrick] Yeakel [38-5])
Born: February 1, 1744
Died: January 8, 1820
Married: June 14, 1769 by Rev Christopher Schultz
Occupation:
Children:
Balthasar (11-5) was the only son of Balthasar (E10) and Susanna (Hoffman) Krauss. While the Schwenkfelder Genealogy lists his birthdate as November 28, 1743, his headstone reads 1744.
Balthasar and Susanna Yeakel (born February 1, 1744, daughter of Hans Heinrich and Susanna Heydrick Yeakel) were married on June 14, 1769 by Rev Christopher Schultz.
Fun fact:
Balthasar Krauss married Susanna Yeakel, daughter of Hans Heinrich Yeakel
Susanna Krauss (Balthasars’ sister) married Balthasar Yeakel, son of Hans Heinrich Yeakel
So, not only did siblings marry siblings, but in both cases the husband was Balthasar and the wife was Susanna. 🤯
Balthasar and Susanna may have lived in the log house built by his father. It is almost certain that they resided in or near the Kraussdale area at the very least.
Balthasar served in the Revolution, in the 4th Co. 1st Batt. Northampton Co., Pa. Militia according to one Ancestry user, and according to a legend in the Schwenkfelder Genealogy “was a man of great strength”:
From pages 147 and 149 of the Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families
Balthasar died on October 14, 1805, and Susanna died on January 8, 1820. Balthasar is buried in the Kraussdale Meetinghouse Cemetery, though Susanna’s burial location is unknown. No listing for her appears on Findagrave.com in the Kraussdale Meetinghouse Cemetery page, but it is entirely possible that she was interred there and her stone lost later.
The Children of Balthasar & Susanna (Yeakel) Krauss
JOHN (11-17) was born on March 1, 1770 and died on February 12, 1819. He married Rosina Yeakel. Whether or not Rosina Yeakel was also a descendant of Caspar Yeakel I have yet to determine.
ANDREW (11-18) was born June 21, 1771 and died on May 11, 1841. He married Susanna Schultz.
BALTHASAR, a third generation Balthasar, was born on November 10, 1772 and died on August 26, 1779, aged six.
REGINA (202-3a) was born on February 24, 1775 and died on August 31, 1807. She married Jeremiah Krauss – presumably a different Krauss line.
HELENA (59-5) was born on October 31, 1776 and died on November 19, 1850. She married Jacob Gerhard.
ROSINA (11-19) was born on September 30, 1780, and died in 1812. She married Henry Hunsberger (1781-1849), and their descendants include my mom’s maternal Heimbach side. So while we always knew that my dad was a direct descendant of Anna Krauss the Schwenkfeld immigrant, Rosina is the link that makes my mom also a direct descendant of the same line… fortunately, many generations back and far removed. This full connection is on my “Connections and Questions” page under the header “Everyone marries the Schwenkfelds.”
GEORGE (11-20) was born on February 23, 1783 and died on June 22, 1844. He was married twice, first to Maria Schultz, and second to Christina Schultz. Before you ask, yes: Maria and Christina were sisters. Does that mean their children were both half siblings and half cousins? I digress. George and his descendants are in my direct line and discussed further here.
LYDIA (38-28a) was born on July 31, 1786, and died on January 19, 1812. She married Jeremiah Yeakel also a descendant of Caspar Yeakel (E38).
Born: March 10, 1706 in Harpersdorf, Greiz, Thueringen, Germany
Died: February 25, 1774 in Kraussdale, Pennsylvania
Married: January 16, 1736
Children:
Rosina (1737-1828)
Susanna (1738-1820)
Barbara (1742-1821)
Balthasar (1743-1805)
Maria (1750-1777)
Susanna Hoffman was born May 3, 1708 in Germany. She was the daughter of George (E31) and Barbara (Seipt) Hoffman (E110), both of whom are buried in the Salford Schwenkfelder Cemetery in Harleysville, PA.
George’s mother, Ursula Anders (E106) was also a Schwenkfelder immigrant. Her husband, Christopher Hoffman, died in Saxony, likely before the Hoffman family began their trip towards America. Ursula died shortly after (or perhaps shortly before) arriving in 1734, and is buried in the “Pilgrim Cemetery” in Philadelphia. Her name appears on a stone with four names total, all of whom in fact died in 1734.
Findagrave.com provides the following information about the Pilgrim Cemetery:
Pilgrim Cemetery in Philadelphia, PA: “This cemetery in the early history of Philadelphia was reserved for strangers, most probably for the many immigrants who died soon after landing on this continent. Its exact location has not been determined, having been obliterated many years ago. In all probability the present Washington Square marks its site [possibly under South Schell Street bordered by Spruce Street between Ninth and South Darien]. Hence, the names of those [believed to be] interred in Pilgrim Cemetery have been inscribed on the monument erected on the Chestnut Hill plot [Yeakel Cemetery near Chestnut Hill].” [The Schwenkfeldian, Vol. 31 (10), October 1934, page 135]
Names of those believed to have been interred in the “Pilgrim Cemetery” in Philadelphia. These all appear to be individuals in the third migration of Schwenkfelders aboard the St Andrew. Ursula Hoffman was the paternal grandmother of Susanna Hoffman, wife of Balthasar Krauss.
Also among the four immigrants in the Pilgrim Cemetery is a 2 year old David Schubert, the toddler son of the David Schubert who later married Anna Krauss, daughter of Anna Heydrick.
Balthasar was the eldest son of Anna (Heydrick) and Melchior Krauss. When he immigrated to Philadelphia with his mother and siblings he was 27 years old.
Less than three years after arriving in Pennsylvania, Balthasar married Susanna Hoffman (E111), also a Schwenkfelder immigrant. They were married on January 16, 1736.
Balthasar was likely one of the first, if not the first Krauss to settle in what has become known as Kraussdale in East Greenville, Pennsylvania. Kraussdale Road is the home of the Kraussdale Meetinghouse and adjoining cemetery, and the twisted country lane remains speckled with active farms and fields of crops.
Thanks to a Facebook post by the Schwenkfelder Heritage Center, we know that Balthasar built a log home in Kraussdale in 1743, the same year of his only son’s birth. It is likely that Balthasar’s mother, Anna (Heydrick) Krauss also lived with Balthasar’s growing family.
Candace, a curator at the Schwenkfelder Heritage Center, describes the log home as follows in a post on October 4, 2021:
The Balthasar Krauss log house, built ca. 1743, in Lower Milford Township, Lehigh County. Known locally as the “Krauss Palace,” the house wasn’t particularly palatial by any means, and was very much in keeping with the size of other local log houses. The house served several generations of Krausses, until some time in the 19th century. It remained standing into the early 20th century and was used as the laundry for Oscar Krauss family. Finally it was razed, probably in the 1920s, and no trace of it remains today, except for the excellent documentary photos in the Heritage Center collection.
The Schwenkfelder Genealogy states that “Balthasar Krauss lived on the farm owned (1919) by his lineal descendant, Levi Krauss, near Kraussdale, Pa.” Levi Krauss may have been one of the last inhabitants of this old family home.
Balthasar died on February 25, 1774. To place his life in context, consider the turmoils in the early American colonies leading up to the Revolution: taxes set forth by the British King and growing unrest among colonists seeking representation and finally, independence.
Susanna died on April 14, 1791. She would have seen the War for Independence and many young men serve, including her only son, Balthasar (Jr).
Large stone at the Kraussdale Meetinghouse cemetery listing the original immigrants buried there, including Balthasar and SusannaSusanna (Hoffman) Krauss’s headstoneBalthasar Krauss’s headstoneFrom page 146 of the Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families
The Children of Balthasar & Susanna (Hoffman) Krauss
ROSINA (52a-1) was born on April 10, 1737 and died on October 29, 1828. She married George Heydrick (any relation to her grandmother? Unknown) on June 17, 1760 by a Justice of the Peace.
George Heydrick was born September 22, 1737 and died January 29, 1824. He was the son of Balthasar and Rosina (Heebner) Hedrick, and grandson of immigrant Caspar Heydrick (E51), from Harpersdorf. George served in the Revolution.
Rosina and George’s burial location is unknown.
From page 861 of the Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families
SUSANNA (38-16) was born on August 29, 1738 and died on February 15, 1820. She was married to Balthasar Yeakel (E127) by Rev. Balzer Hoffman on August 25, 1761.
Balthasar was born in December, 1733 and died on October 12, 1797. He was less than a year of age when he immigrated to Pennsylvania in the third migration. Balthasar was the grandson of David Yeakel (originally spelled Jäckel) (E 38), and the son of Hans Heinrich Yeakel (38-5) – the same Hans Heinrich Yeakel who shares a tiny burial plot with Anna (Krauss) Schubert.
Susanna and Balthasar had six children listed in the Schwenkfelder Genealogy. They are buried in the Hosensack Schwenkfelder Cemetery.
Here are accounts of Susanna and her husband, Balthasar Yeakel, from page 471, and of Balthasar’s father, Hans Heinrich Yeakel, from page 468 of the Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families:
Headstone of Susanna (Krauss) Yeakel in the Hosensack Schwenkfelder CemeteryLarge monument with Balthasar Yeakel’s name in the Hosensack Schwenkfelder CemeteryHosensack Meetinghouse. Photo from findagrave.com
BARBARA (11-4) was born on July 22, 1742 and died on November 24, 1821. She married George Urffer on December 10, 1770. George was born on July 20, 1735 in Alsace, Germany, arriving in America on August 24, 1765. He was a soldier 6th class in the Revolution and died on May 5, 1794. According to the Schwenkfelder Genealogy, George owned land that is now East Greenville and part of Pennsburg. They had nine children listed in the Schwenkfelder Genealogy. Both Barbara and George are buried at the New Goshenhoppen UCC Cemetery.
Barbara’s headstone in the New Goshenhoppen UCC CemeteryGeorge’s headstone in the New Goshenhoppen UCC CemeteryFrom page 148 of the Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families
MARIA (11-6) was born on July 17, 1750 and died on September 10, 1777. She and Matthias Gerhard were married by Rev. Christopher Schultz on November 14, 1776 – less than a year before Maria’s passing. Matthias remarried Anna Yeakel (38-20). At this time it is unknown where Maria or Matthias are buried.
Anna Krauss is one of those names in Schwenkfelder history that pricks up ears when heard. She was not one of the famous Reverends, not an inventor, not a scholar or writer to whom we owe so much for the wealth of history that remains centuries later. Rather, Anna is seen as something of a heroine.
To be a Schwenkfelder in Europe was tough; deadly, even. The trek from Silesia to Pennsylvania was a long one and hard. After all, this was the early 1700’s – no running water, no refrigeration, questionable medicine, and things like plagues running around. Add to that being severely persecuted in much of Europe for her religion. Anna was 58 years old when she made this journey. In the early 18th century, this would have been considered most folks’ twilight years, yet on she trekked. And to make matters more challenging, her husband died suddenly a mere month before their ship left Rotterdam for America, leaving her to cross that great sea allein with her five, albeit grown, children.
To me, the fact that the little corner of land the family settled in what is now East Greenville, PA, is still known as Kraussdale is a testament to the persecution and challenges Anna and her family faced and overcame.
Anna was born around 1675, her parents possibly Melchior Heydrick (1655-1733) and Rosina Hubner (1651-1696). Anna’s siblings may have been Susannah (1682-1752), Apollonia (1690-1722), Melchior (1690-1734), Maria (1693-1738), and Eva (1696-1776).
Anna married Melchior Krauss on November 18, 1704 in Harpersdorf, Greiz, Thueringen, Germany.
Arriving in Pennsylvania in the fall of 1733, it is likely that Anna lived with one of her sons, possibly her eldest son, Balthasar. She lived nearly 22 years in the rolling farm fields of Kraussdale, now in East Greenville, Lehigh County, before her death on January 14, 1755. Despite being the oldest, she was outlived by only her youngest sibling. Anna was buried in the Kraussdale Meeting House Cemetery. Her name appears on the large stone that commemorates those first Schwenkfelder immigrants. However, as of this writing in 2022 my family has been unable to locate her individual headstone and E11 marker which was present in the cemetery at least in the late 1990’s.
As is unfortunately the case with women especially so long ago, that is the most we know about her life.
Headstone for Anna’s son, Melchior KraussA large stone in the Kraussdale Meetinghouse Cemetery lists the original immigrants interred there, including Anna (Heydrick) Krauss and her sons Balthasar and Melchior. Anna’s individual stone seems to be lost.Headstone for Anna’s son, Balthasar KraussFrom page 146 of the Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families
The Children of Melchior & Anna (Heydrick) Krauss
The Schwenkfelter Genealogy lists five children, at least five who lived to adulthood.
MARIA (E12/11-2) was born on September 29, 1707 in Lower Harpersdorf, and baptized on October 1 of the same year. She was 25 years old when she immigrated to Philadelphia. She married Leonhard Knopf, who died on September 17, 1782. Maria died on April 5, 1790 and is buried at New Goshenhoppen UCC Cemetery, though her headstone appears to have been lost. The Schwenkfelder Genealogy includes a snippet of New Goshenhoppen records indicating that Maria migrated to the Reformed faith after her marriage. Two children are also listed: Maria, and another child whose name has been lost to time.
From page 146 of the Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families
SUSANNA (E13/11-3) was born on December 1, 1710 in Lower Harpersdorf, and baptized on December 4. She was 22 years old when she immigrated to Philadelphia.
Susanna married Cornelius Neis (or Nice), a distiller, and the couple lived in Germantown (now part of modern Philadelphia, and a town that our Custer ancestors helped found). Cornelius was born in 1697 in Krefeld, Stadtkreis Krefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, and was the son of Johannes/Jan Neuss and Elizabeth Luecken. Cornelius died on October 23, 1754. At the time, legend states, Susanna was still pregnant with their youngest child.
Susanna died on July 24, 1794. According to the Schwenkfelder Genealogy, she and Cornelius are buried in the Mennonite Cemetery in Germantown (interestingly, the same Mennonite Cemetery in Germantown that several of our earliest Custer immigrants are interred in).
The Schwenkfelder Genealogy also includes their known children, many grand- and great-grand children, as well as details of their estate and wills.
Details of Susanna (Krauss) & Cornelius Nice’s family. From pages 146-148 of the Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder FamiliesHeadstone of Cornelius Nice in the Germantown Mennonite Cemetery. No photo of Susanna’s stone exists.
MELCHIOR was born in October, 1714, and died on September 16, 1779. He was just about to turn 20 when the family immigrated to Philadelphia. According to the Schwenkfelder Genealogy, he was “said to have been of unsound mind.” Melchior did not marry, and is buried in the Kraussdale Meetinghouse Cemetery.
ANNA Krauss’s (E15/75b) birthdate is unknown, though some on ancestry list it as 1700; if this is correct, she would have been the eldest sibling by 5 years and 33 at the time of her immigration.
Anna married David Schubert on April 29,1740, by the Rev. Balthasar Hoffman. David was born around 1693. Previously, David had been married to Maria Teichman. The couple had four children and were part of the “third migration” of Schwenkfelders who came to Philadelphia aboard the Saint Andrew in 1734. However, Maria and their youngest child (born on the ship) both died only about a month before landing in America.
The Oddity of Anna’s Burial Place:
Anna is buried in the tiny Yeakel Cemetery near Palm, Montgomery County, PA with two other original Schwenkfeld immigrants: Hans Heinrich Yeakel and Andreas Warmer. Though the Schwenkfelder Genealogy lists David’s place of burial as unknown, modern records (including a large monument) show he is buried in the larger Yeakel Schwenkfelder Cemetery in Wyndmoor, PA.
Why is David in a large Schwenkfelder cemetery, and Anna in a tiny private family plot with two men not related to her? My best guess is that either (a) the plaque on the family plot is wrong, or (b) perhaps Anna remarried either Hans Yeakel or Andreas Warmer. If the latter is the case, the event has not been recorded or found. The Schwenkfelder Genealogy (page 468) clearly lists Hans Yeakel’s wife as Susanna Heydrick (E126) , and indicates that she is buried with him in this same private plot – yet Susanna is not listed on the plaque, despite herself also being an original immigrant.
Another possibility is that the large monument with David’s name is incorrect, in which case he may also be buried with Anna, or somewhere else we will never know of.
The historic Yeakel cemetery (Anna’s place of burial) is located in a field near the intersection of Treichler and Station roads, several miles east of Palm, Montgomery County, PA.A plaque on the surrounding stone wall honors three “Schwenkfelder immigrants from Silesia whose remains repose in this sacred plot.”
Findagrave.com
Plaque at the burial place of Anna (Krauss) Schubert.The tiny, walled burial ground of Anna (Krauss) Schubert and two other immigrants.Crossroads of the Yeakel CemeteryLarge stone listing Schwenkfelder immigrants, including Anna Krauss’s husband David Schultz, at the Yeakel Schwenkfelder Cemetery. David’s individual headstone is likely lost.Details of David Schubert & Anna Krauss from page 1152 of the Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families
Married: November 18, 1704 in Harpersdorf, Greiz, Thueringen, Germany
Occupation: Farmer
Children:
Anna Maria (1700?-1778)
Balthasar (1706-1774)
Maria (1707-1790)
Susanna (1710-1794)
Melchior (1711-1779)
First up, a note about Melchior’s birthdate. The Schwenkfelder Genealogy states on p. 146 that when he died in late May, 1733, Melchior was aged 40 years, 9 months. This would place his birthdate in August of 1692. If this were true, it would make him 18 years his wife’s junior. Okay, that’s not unheard of. However, it would also have meant that Melchior was only 15 years old when his eldest son was born, and that’s pushing the envelope – even for 17th century standards. And, if the birth year of his daughter Anna really is 1700 (which is not confirmed), he would have been only 8 when she was born. My suspicion is that the “40” years written in DAvid Schultz’s journal was actually “49” years. This error could have been made in the visual translation of a 0 vs a 9, or a mistype that has perpetuated an incorrect date across the internet. In my documentation I have left his date of birth as a question mark.
Melchior was part of the “second migration” of Schwenkfelders and would have been one of the first Schwenkfelder settlers in southeastern Pennsylvania. However, he died “suddenly” while he, his family, and a handful of other refugees followers made the long trek across what is now Germany and the Netherlands towards the Atlantic coast.
One of his fellow travelers, David Schultz (1717-1797) recounted their journey and of Melchior’s death in his journal. These entries talk of the generosity the group met from a Herr Heinrich Van Schmissen – notable since the Schwenkfelders were persecuted for their faith, so encountering someone willing to aid them on their travels was a greatly fortunate event.
It is interesting to read the gifts of food and drink the company received along their way: much bread, butter, and alcohol! After all, this was the early 18th century, when clean water did not exactly flow from faucets. We also gain an account of the group’s travels: from Berthelsdorf at the far East of Germany, up the Elbe River to Altona, Denmark (very near Hamburg), around the coast via boat to Amsterdam, and finally from there to Rotterdam, from which they departed to America.
Schultz also writes that on May 14 several of their group became ill on the journey, including Melchior. This day’s entry makes it sound as though Melchior died: “Melchior is no more.” However, the entry on May 28 specifically states that Melchior died that day at 7pm. Assuming that these writings were translated from German, this may explain the vagueness of the May 14th writing.
The following are scans from the Schwenkfelder Genealogy, detailing the journey and with excerpts from David Schultz’s records:
We’ll likely never know any more about how Melchior died or where he is buried. At 40 years of age, walking across town to visit Herr Van Putten, it’s possible he may have suffered a heart attach or stroke. As for where he may have been buried, we may hope that those “Dutch friends” may have found a place for him in a local church cemetery, but whether church laws allowed a Schwenkfelder to be interred there is entirely unknown and somewhat unlikely. And regardless, it is unlikely the location would have been well-marked, if at all.
It is a sad thing that Melchior led his family across hundreds of miles and was so close to the freedom he sought, only to die suddenly.
Below is a map showing the group’s travels based on Schultz’s journal entry: from Berthelsdorf, up the Elbe river (note that my red line does not follow the river) to Altona/Hamburg, via sea to Amsterdam and Haarlem, and to Rotterdam. The star shows an approximation of the town of Haarlem, just west of Amsterdam, where Melchior died and was buried.
While our visit to Niantic this past August brought heartbreak, Hilltown’s “lower” cemetery brought a surprising thrill.
I’d only been to Hilltown once, many summer ago. Taking my grandfather to the resting place of his Welsh forefathers that blistering hot day remains one of my favorite memories. The knowledge of where his ancestors came from had been lost along the years, and for a long time it was supposed that William Thomas had been the immigrant or the son of one, since he moved from New York City to Pennsylvania.
“You mean, we came here to Philadelphia in the early 1700’s?”
That’s right, Granddad. We’re rebel colonials.
My dad had not been to Hilltown, and though he is not descended from the Thomas line he, too, is a lover of history. He was particularly curious about the ancient old Penn Oak and where the churches once stood on this site.
The last time I was at Hilltown, I was more interested in the gravestones. I new that a stone monument off closer to the road said that this was the site of the original “lower” Hilltown Baptist church buildings. But this time around, we saw something. Perhaps it’s because my family has gotten into archaeology documentaries recently, and we certainly would never have noticed were it not for the scorching drought. But there, surrounding the monument, were parchmarks. Lines of dead grass where, just under the surface, lays stones.
Gingerly stepping onto a burl at the bottom of dear Penn, I lifted my camera to see the blueprint of the most recent structure to have stood here, on the very land that Elder William built the first log church meeting house.
And, peeking out from tufts of dead grass, we even found the cornerstones:
Call me superstitious, but this is one of those cemeteries that has character. Maybe it’s the ancient stones, or the ancient Oak. But it captivates, and in some odd (and creepy) way, doesn’t want you to leave.
Standing among the gravestones of Elder William and his children, I recounted to my parents some favorite legends about these folks. About how Elder William purportedly foretold the future on numerous occasions, including the fates of several of his children. And when I told of how his youngest son was found strangled in his doorway and the murder never solved, a resounding CRACK came from a tree at the far back corner of the cemetery. There was hardly any wind. I couldn’t help but smirk.
The cemetery of Christ Lutheran Church (what I’ve always called “Niantic”) will always be special to me (yes, this is a weird statement). It was in this cemetery 25 years ago that this genealogy obsession began: racing about with my uncle, 4th-grade composition notebook in hand, writing down the names and dates on every headstone bearing the name “Fox.”
Situated on Niantic Road in Barto, PA, amongst rolling farmland and an endless sky, it is now on the way to the home of the same uncle when we visit the area. But it’s been decades since we stopped by. This past August as I piloted the car, I felt compelled. We would be late to dinner, but I had to stop to visit the grave of John.
I could see in my mind where he and his parents are buried, at the back of the church, and strode that way confidently. Unthinking, my feet took me right to the back wall of the church where – of course, I realized – their gravestones were not. My feet or intuition or something had taken me to where they used to be buried, before the expansion of the building necessitated their move. A few paces away, I found their stones, but my amusement at being drawn to their former resting place melted into the deepest sadness as I found their stones. In an instant, I sat, and wept.
Of the thousands of gravestones I have stood before, I have never sat, and I certainly have not wept.
As my parents and brother walked up, I wondered aloud what curse must be upon this family. First, the patriarch Israel dies, and young John presumably took up arms in the Civil War in his father’s stead. Then his first day of battle becomes his last when he is beheaded by a cannonball. Interred with his father and later joined by his mother in the family church’s cemetery, the family is moved when the building expands many years later. At at some point, John’s headstone is struck by lightning not once, but twice, necessitating iron bars to hold it together.
And now, Israel’s stone has broken and fallen, and Catharina’s has been snapped off at the ground, likely caused by a careless landscaper. On top of this, the stones are so dreadfully worn since my last visit they are nearly entirely illegible.
This is why I do this work. It is inevitable that stones will become sand. Recollections will die. But if I can put these names and stories into black and white, and speak these names again, at least their memory can live in some way.
These are not the only broken or worn stones in the yard. Their stones are low quality sandstone and someday will crumble; that is inevitable. But their lives were so tumultuous. Why must their rest be?
My brother helped lift the heavy stones and we tried to re-place them in a more respectful manner. I aim to reach out to the church to see about what it would take to place a small, new marker at this plot so that their names, at least, are restored.
The photos below highlight the wear on the stones in the last two decades. Photos from my page about John and the Find-a-Grave listings for John, Israel, and Catharina just 10-15 years ago are much more legible.
It has been about 25 years since I first wandered through a cemetery with a marble composition notebook in hand, scanning the headstones for certain surnames to scribble down. While discovering numerous lines, thousands of names, and many perplexing and remarkable stories over the decades has been a thrill, I think only genealogists really understand the exhilaration that is the experience of following the ghosts, as it were, of one’s ancestors. To stand where they stood and experience a semblance of life as they did.
And I unexpectedly had one of those moments this June when a visit to an alpaca farm in East Greenville when my family and I found ourselves not only on old Krauss land, but in a Krauss farmhouse.
Awhile ago while scrolling through Google Maps to see where the earliest Krauss’s land on what became Kraussdale Road may have been, I noticed a pinned location: “Kraussdale Alpaca Farm.” Well, I like alpacas, and I had a newfound love of crocheting – and alpaca yarn is a dream to work with. So when we visited in June for my mom’s first mother-of-the-bride dress fitting, I reached out to the owner to arrange a visit.
Our GPS led us to the driveway of a stately old farmhouse, a two-story home likely from the nineteenth century. Its ornaments and size must have made it a mansion for its time. Maggie, the owner of the farm, greeted my parents and brother and I and introduced us to a number of the alpacas grazing in an area beside a barn which was perhaps even older than the facade of the house. We learned that Maggie grew up on “Krauss land” in a “Krauss haus” and how happy she was to purchase this Krauss property as well. She lovingly and longingly talked about the beautiful cat iron Krauss fence that ran along the road, and which has been repeatedly damaged by careless drivers failing to navigate the near hairpin turn (though, in a battle between modern car and 1800’s cast-iron fence, I’d think the fence would emerge the victor).
We ventured into the portion of the home that is the farm’s shop, replete with alpaca-themed novelties (the plush my parents got is a squishy dream), garments, alpaca wool roving, and a wall of yarn I quickly raided.
It was only in the last year I discovered that both my parents are descended from immigrant Anna Krauss (see “Everyone Marries the Schwenkfelds” on this page). And so what a treat to be able to look at my parents and say, “your ancestors build this home.”
Heading back along old Kraussdale Road’s winding turns and hills, the fields on either side remain dotted with sizable farm complexes, sprawling red barns, fields beaming green with crop, and modern equipment tending the rows. This land was first cared for by countless Indigenous people who through the mechanism of colonialism were displaced – this is something I must remember as I research and write about my ancestors who first settled in this country. When the Krauss family began farming this land I wonder if they knew that three centuries later their fields would still be feeding local families, and that modern townsfolk would speak of the Krausses with such veneration.
Children: Ethel (see below), Vincent, Fern, Bernard*, Galen
Emma Mabel was born on May 8, 1891. Like many young people at the turn of the 20th century, Emma left school early – the 7th grade in her case – in order to work. In 1900, at the age of 18, she worked in a shirt factory. Later, she worked in a cigar factory.
In 1914, Emma married William Beard. The couple lived in Red Hill, just a few doors down from William’s parents, Lewis & Flora. Both families can be seen on the 1920 & 1930 censuses. In 1940, records include that Emma and William lived at 634 Main Street. At the time, William was a loom fixer in the local silk mill.
Children of Emma Mabel and William
1. Ethel May was born on November 1, 1910 and died just shy of her 100th birthday on June 28, 2010. Ethel was Emma’s first child, but not William’s. Ethel’s father was Ray Needham (1889-1929), a salesman from Indiana (insert joke about the traveling salesman here). By all accounts, however, William Beard raised Ethel as his own. Ethel married Robert Saul (1910-1972); their son is Rex. Ethel and Robert are buried at Keelys Church Cemetery in Schwenksville, Montgomery Co.
2. Vincent Lamar Beard was born on August 19, 1915 and died on September 11, 1979. He married Katherine Schoenley (1915-1981). Their daughters are Sharon and Emmy. Vincent and Katherine are buried at Pennsburg UCC.
3. Fern Violet was born on March 14, 1919 and died on October 14, 2016. She married John Hauck. their daughter is Jacqueline. Early in life, Fern was a weaver at the Red Hill silk mill. She was a member of the Pennsburg UCC choir for over 50 years and played piano. Fern and John are buried at Pennsburg UCC.
4. Bernard was born in 1927 and died in 2015. He married Eleanor Grace Custer (known as Grace), a direct descendant of Schwenkfelder families. Their sons are Brian, Blair, and Bruce (my father).
5. Galen Richard was born on July 11, 1931 and died on March 24, 1998. He was born and resided in Red Hill, a self-employed barber from 1961 to around 1997. He married Hazel Cressman (1931-2020). Their children are Glenn and Bonny. Galen and Hazel are buried at Pennsburg UCC.
Born in the middle of the Civil War, Daniel spent most of his life in Limerick. He was a deacon at New Hanover Lutheran, installed on April 1, 1906, one of many Erbs listed among the church’s deacons and elders.
According to the 1900 census, Daniel was a “Merchant Gen” living in Limerick. In 1910, he was a painter, living on a farm on Swamp Pike in Limerick.
Daniel married Laura Rader Fox on December 18, 1886. Some records say the marriage took place in Camden, NJ, though this seems unlikely.
Laura may also be the one who sparked my entire genealogical quest in the late 1990s when my parents both discovered that they had ancestors with the last name Fox, specifically that they both had a Laura Fox in their ancestry. While Laura was my father’s great-grandmother, she would have been a cousin of my mother’s Fox lineage. Laura is descended from the very same Fox line traced here, on my maternal side. This is illustrated on my Connections & Questions page.
According to Daniel’s death certificate, he died of epilepsy in Red Hill on November 1, 1914. Laura died at what appears to have been her home at 200 S Main St. in Red Hill on July 31, 1954. Both are buried at New Hanover Lutheran Church.
Laura Rader (Fox) ErbDaniel Drace Erb
Children of Daniel and Laura
1. Eden Eugene was born on October 12, 1888 and died on November 30, 1943. He married Jennie Keiser.
3. Elsie Andora was born on February 23, 1895. She died on October 16, 1911 at the age of 18 of Typhoid Fever. She is buried at New Hanover.
4. Lillie Mae was born on November 23, 1895 and died on February 17, 1939. She married John Melvin Sell. They had a son who was born and died on April 20, 1928. Another son, John Ray was a “seaman” in the Navy. Born July 1, 1925, he was lost at sea on December 3, 1944. Lillie, John, and their infant son are buried at Pennsburg UCC. their headstone includes a memorial to John Ray.
Lillie Mae (Erb) SellGravestone of Lillie Mae, John Sell, and their sons
5. Charles Elmer was born on October 9, 1902 and died on March 12, 1964. He married Katie Moll (Oct 17, 1901 – May 28, 1988). They are buried at Pennsburg UCC. My father, Bruce Beard, fondly remembers “Uncle Charlie and Aunt Katie,” stating that Katie was “a sweetheart, always smiling.”
Leaves on the Tree 