Pfeil
George Pfeil and his young son William were the only members of their family to arrive in Philadelphia with the other Reichensachsen families in 1847. In 1850 they were living with William and Anna Roth in northern Bern Township. The Roths came on the same ship from Germany. In 1853 George purchased land in eastern Penn Township, adjacent to land that John Bitner purchased a year later. He was living there with a new wife and growing family in 1860. Berks County land records show that he sold the property in Penn Township in 1864. I have been unable to discover where he resided after that.
I discovered a Civil War service and pension record for a William Pfeil whose birth date was close to that of George's son. The pension record states his birth date and the fact that he was born in Penn Township, Berks County. It also states that his mother died when he was three years old. William was approximately three years old, according to the ship passenger list, when he arrived with his father from Germany. It is highly likely that his mother died before they left, or on board the ship to America. It is quite possible that William only recalled his childhood in Berks County and not the fact that he was born in Germany. The William Pfeil who served in the Civil War enlisted in 1862 at Womelsdorf, Berks County. That town is only a few miles from Penn Township. By the time he was discharged in 1865, his father had moved from Berks County to an unknown destination. I found two references to William Pfeil in Snyder County. He purchased items at the estate sale of Peter Gemberling, Christian Bitner's father-in-law, in 1873. In 1875 he was a witness to a land transaction between Casper Bitner and Gottlob Schrey in Union Township. The Bitners were fellow immigrants from Germany, so it is very likely that this is William, son of George Pfeil. But I found no other evidence of the Pfeils in Snyder County land or census records. The pension records showed that William died in the village of Union Deposit in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Census records prove that he lived there from at least 1880 until the time of his death. He and his wife apparently had no children. The record shows that he married his wife in Womelsdorf soon after he returned from the War. While there is no direct evidence to connect the William Pfeil who emigrated from Germany at age three with the Civil War veteran, there is substantial circumstantial evidence that can lead us to that conclusion.
Roth
William Roth and his wife Anna arrived with the other families from Reichensachsen in 1847. They were the oldest of the group. In 1850 they were living with George Pfeil and his son William. It is possible that they were the parents of George's wife, although that cannot be proven at this time. I was not able find William and Anna in any records beyond the 1850 census.
Kilmer
John Kilmer and his wife Anna Martha immigrated in 1847 with several other families from Reichensachsen, Germany. From census and land records, it appears as if John initially settled in Upper Tulpehocken Township. However, in 1850 that township also included what is now Jefferson Township. Analysis of landowner maps and the census reveals that he probably lived near the rest of the immigrants around Bernville, or at the farthest in New Schaefferstown, just 3 or 4 miles away.
By 1860 John and his family were living in northwest Bern Township, very close to John Bitner and George Pfeil, who lived across the border in Penn Township. Young John Kilmer had married earlier that year and was living in Bernville with his wife.
In 1870 we find the Kilmer family in Delaware Township, Northumberland County. This is located on the east side of the West Branch of the Susquehanna River at the uppermost part of the county. It is adjacent to Gregg Township, Union County, and Clinton Township, Lycoming County, both on the west side of the river. This is significant because the Krug family migrated to Gregg Township and later generations of the Kilmer family moved across the river to the town of Montgomery in Clinton Township. The family of Gottlob Schrey's brother Joseph also migrated from Berks County to Montgomery.
The children of John Kilmer all remained in Delaware Township through at least 1900, and probably longer. Casper and Catharine never married, although Catharine had a son who lived and married in Delaware Township. The sons John and Levi both married and had several children. George married, but had no children. I was not able to determine whether Juliana, who was with the family when they immigrated, married or died young.
Krug
Adam and Anna Krug and their three children were another Reichensachsen family who arrived with the group in 1847. In 1850 they were living in the northern part of Bern Township, adjacent to Benjamin Parvin's tannery. This is where Gottlob Schrey later worked and purchased property. In fact, Anna's younger sister Elizabeth Eisenhardt married Gottlob's older brother Joseph. See Elizabeth Eisenhardt Schrey on page 178.
By 1860 Adam had moved to the city of Reading. He and his wife had two young twin children. His oldest son Charles had moved out, perhaps living in Brady Township, Lycoming County. By 1870 Adam and Anna, along with their youngest son Adam, had moved to Gregg Township in Union County, where son Adam was a farmer.
Adam Krug died later in 1870. He was buried in a family plot in Reading. Anna Krug remained with her son Adam in Gregg Township. He and his children were still living there in 1900 and beyond.
The Charles Evans Cemetery is a large cemetery within the city of Reading, with beautiful stone walls and turrets. The Krug family plot was apparently purchased when Adam died, since his was the first burial. However, his wife Anna was not buried there. The remaining graves are for his son Casper's family.
Son Casper remained in Reading for his lifetime. He had many children, all of whom remained in Reading. According to county land records, Casper owned several properties in the city, and apparently lived in three or four different houses between 1863 and his death. According to census records, he had a variety of occupations, but was mostly a laborer. His obituary mentioned his living children, as well as his two brothers, Adam and Charles.
Adam and Anna's son Charles Krug lived in Catawissa and Bloomsburg, Columbia County, where he became a well-known builder. His life and accomplishments were featured in an article in the Book of Biographies of the Seventeenth Congressional District (Biographical Publishing Company, 1899). Between the two wives he had 17 children, all of whom were still living in 1900. Although I have not researched the details, it appears as if a midwife killed his first wife before or during the birth of her eleventh child in 1882.
William Krug probably moved with his parents to Union County in the 1860s. He married there in 1869 and was located in nearby Clinton Township, Lycoming County in the 1870 census. By 1880 he was listed as a farmer in Brady Township, Lycoming County. By the time of the 1900 census he had remarried. He and his second wife were living in Sunbury and operated a tobacco store in both 1900 and 1910.
I was not able to find Adam and Anna's daughter Clara mentioned beyond the 1860 census. She either died young, or married before the 1870 census.
Schrey
Gottlob Schrey's life, as told in his biography (see page 183), is certainly a story of rags to riches. The story also gives some clues about his siblings. In addition, there is more information about his family in the LDS International Genealogical Index. This information, provided by another researcher, gives a more complete picture of Gottlob's family. He was the son of Johann Jacob Schrayh and his wife Louise Barbara Baisch, who had fourteen children in Hedelfingen, Württemberg, Germany. Hedelfingen is today a district of the city of Stuttgart.
According to the biography, Gottlob arrived in the United States and immediately went to work for his older brother Joseph, who had immigrated some time earlier. In the 1850 census Joseph was listed as a wine gardener in Upper Tulpehocken Township of Berks County, with a wife Elizabeth Eisenhardt. Note that Elizabeth is the younger sister of Adam Krug's wife Anna. See Anna Eisenhardt Krug on page 169. By 1860 they had moved to Brady Township in Lycoming County. He and his wife had several children by that time. They remained there throughout the 1880 census and by 1900 had moved to the nearby town of Montgomery.
Gottlob and his sister Caroline both arrived in New York City on 2 February 1852 on board the ship Trumbull. (See Figure 22.) Their voyage was described in his biography, although the name of the ship was incorrect. As stated, she remained in the city and married John Ernst, a baker. I was able to find them in the 1870 and 1880 censuses of New York City. They appear to have had two children; a daughter Caroline and a son William. The mother Caroline's death is recorded in New York City death index as 4 July 1898. I did not find evidence of her husband's death, but he was not found in the 1900 census. The daughter Caroline married Charles Walter about 1870, and they were living next to her parents in 1880. They had five children according to the census. By the 1900 census they had moved to Richmond County on Staten Island. They remained there through at least 1930.
The son William Ernst married about 1885. By 1900 he had moved to East Orange, New Jersey, where his family was found through 1920. They had five children.
I have also found evidence that Conrad Schrey, Gottlob's older brother, might have also immigrated to the United States. I found a Conrad Schrey as a passenger on the Bark Wieland, which arrived in New York on 28 Apr 1853. He arrived with a wife, Margaretha Pfeifer, and four sons. One of them was named Gottlob. This family was found in Ingham County, Michigan in the 1860 census. From 1870 through 1900 they lived in Clinton County, Michigan. They are all buried in the Hurd Cemetery, DeWitt Township, Clinton County.
Although this could very likely be Gottlob's brother, there is no direct proof. It is most certainly the family who immigrated in 1853. The birth date on Conrad's tombstone does not match the birth date found in the International Genealogical Index for Gottlob's brother. So it is possible that this is not his brother. I found another Conrad Schrey, of the correct age, who lived in Richland County, Illinois between 1860 and 1900. His wife's name was Barbara. I did not find any immigration record for them. Again, it is possible that he was Gottlob's brother, but I have no direct proof one way or the other.
In the 1860 census, Gottlob and his first wife Rebecca were living in the borough of Hamburg, Pennsylvania. With them was his older brother Heinrich (Henry). I found a passenger list that contained an H. Schrey, of the right age and origin (Württemberg). He arrived in New York City on 21 November 1859 on board the ship Louisiana. There was a Henry Schroy who lived in Milford and Richland, Bucks County, Pennsylvania from 1870 through 1910. This person seems to be a likely candidate for Gottlob's brother, although his birth date as stated in the 1900 census does not correspond exactly with that in the IGI.
I have not found evidence that any other of Gottlob Schrey's siblings came to the United States. However, others might have come. His sisters might have married in Germany and immigrated with their husbands under their married names. With so many of his siblings in the country, one must wonder whether Gottlob maintained contact with them during his lifetime. Read the story of his brother Wilhelm's visit on page 35.
Gottlob Schrey Biography
including counties of Centre, Clinton, Union and Snyder containing biographical sketches of prominent and representative citizens and of many of the early settled families Chicago: J.H. Beers, 1898 Microfilm no. 1000533, Family History Library [FHL], Salt Lake City, Utah GOTTLOB SCHRAY Many of the most enterprising and prosperous farmers of Snyder county have come from the land beyond the sea, and especially is this true of the many who have left their homes in the German Empire and sought a new abode in this land of freedom. Among these quite a prominent figure is Mr. Schray, who owns and operates a valuable farm in Union township. He was born in Wurtemberg, Germany, December 11, 1839, a son of Jacob and Louisa Schray. The father, who was a contractor, died leaving a widow and ten children, six sons and four daughters, in very limited circumstances, and, as the mother was unable to provide for their support, the family was soon scattered. Joseph, an elder brother of our subject, had previously come to the United States, and he asked to have some of the boys come to the New World. Accordingly, Gottlob, with his sister Carolina, started for America, leaving Havre, France, on the "Humboldt," which was fifty-eight days in reaching the harbor of New York. In that city the sister remained and is still living, being now the widow John Ernst. Our subject, who could not speak a word of English, went at once to Reading, Penn., where his brother owned a twenty-acre vineyard, in which Gottlob was cruelly compelled to work as hard as any slave. He had been led to believe that life here was nearly all pleasure, but during his four-years' stay with his brother he was forced to work early and late, receiving no wages or clothes, and those which his excellent mother had given him were worn to rags in that time. He was not aware of how he ought to be treated, but was several times advised to leave his brother by those who took an interest in him, and finally decided to do so. Making a small bundle of his clothes, then mostly rags, he threw them out of the window and jumped out himself. Mr. Schray secured work with a tanner, Michael Miller, at Strausstown, eight miles from Reading, and with him remained for fifteen years, at first receiving $60 per year. Soon mastering the business, the second year he was advanced by the death of one of the employees to a position where $30 per month was paid, and this amount seemed a fortune to him, it being "more money than he had ever heard of." Steady, industrious and economical, he had saved, on leaving his employer, $2,500, and with this he secured a start in life. Later he worked for Benjamin Parvin for eight years in his tannery four miles above Reading, and here also accumulated considerable, as he worked almost day and night. Mr. Parvin was old, his sons were in the army; and an arrangement was made with our subject, whereby he was to receive a certain amount of the profit, which caused him to work the harder. In the meantime about 1863, Mr. Schray had married, Miss Rebecca Strauss becoming his wife. She was born at Strausstown, Berks Co., Penn., and was a daughter of William Strauss, in whose honor the village was named. She died at that place, leaving two children: James, now a railroad engineer living at Little Rock, Ark.; and Sally, wife of James Rathfore [ed. Rathfon], of Union township, Snyder county. In 1873 Mr. Schray came to Snyder county, and purchased his present farm in Chapman township, of John Bittner, and here has since made his home. The year after his arrival his house was destroyed by fire, and he erected his present comfortable residence; while on July 16, 1895, his barn was struck by lightning, and in the following year was replaced by the excellent one now seen upon his place. On coming here he brought with him $6,000 in cash tied in his handkerchief, but this did not represent his entire capital as he had lived frugally and industriously, and had saved considerable. Although he was entirely unfamiliar with the occupation of farming, and many predicted failure, his tact, skill and observation assisted him, and he soon prospered in his new undertaking. In March, 1870 Mr. Schray was again married, his second union being with Miss Elizabeth Bittner, a native of Germany, and a daughter of John Bittner, who, on coming to America first located in Philadelphia, later removed to Bern township, Berks county, and finally to Union township, Snyder county. He and his wife, who bore the maiden name of Anna M. Kilmer, both died in Union township and were buried in Keiser cemetery. Mrs. Schray, who was one of their five children, was born August 18, 1835, was their only daughter, and was fourteen years of age when they crossed the Atlantic. By her marriage she became the mother of four children: Lizzie, who was burned to death at the time the house was destroyed by fire; Katy now the wife of Amman Seechrist of Verdilla, Penn.; and Charles W. and Lizzie, both at home. Mr. and Mrs. Schray are both earnest members of the Reformed Church, in which he has held office for nine consecutive years. He is an excellent example of a self-made man, and is today one of the representative and prominent farmers of Union township. His knowledge of English is self-acquired, as he never attended school after coming to this country, but, being naturally intelligent and a great reader, he has kept well posted on the topics of the day, and is a close observer of men and events. He is a man of keen foresight, sound judgment and rare business ability, has never been ill a day in his life, and possesses that tireless energy that is sure to win success. Of unquestioned integrity and honor, he has gained the confidence and respect of all with whom he has come in contact, and no man in Snyder county is more deserving the high regard in which he is held, or the success that he has achieved, than Gottlob Schray. [Author's note: This article provided me with the first clues that the John Bitner family had first lived in Berks County. The detail of Elisabeth's age at her arrival in America led to the discovery of the immigration records for the family. When I found the ship passenger lists for the Bitners after many hours at a microfilm reader, they listed Reichensachsen as their village of origin in Germany. That enabled us to eventually travel to Reichensachsen to view the church records. This added several more generations to the ancestral history of this family. - rcg] Commemorative Biographical Record of Central Pennsylvania: