Name: Lorentz
KRON
--------------------------------------------------
Birth: 30 Jul
1700 Essenheim, Germany
Death: aft 1753 York Co, PA
Father: Simon
GRUN
Mother: Anna Elisabetha
SCHMAHL
The Coffey Connection:
Lorentz KRON (30 Jul 1700
1700 - aft 1753) & Anna Ursula BENDER (24 Mar 1703 - aft 1753)
Anna Ursula KRON (13 Dec 1722 - 1774-1782) & Jacob ARNEY (~1728
- ~1784)
Johann Heinrich ARNEY (21 Nov 1755 - 27
Sep 1830) & Maria Magdalena FULK (30 Nov 1755 - 1849)
Jacob ARNEY* (18 Mar 1778 - 19 Oct
1848) & Nancy Martha TRUITT (Feb 1781 - Feb 1819)
John ARNEY* (26 May 1816 - 22
Oct 1881) & Margaret Brown GRAFTON (2 Aug 1818 - 13 Aug 1854)
Jacob Sylvester ARNEY* (23
Mar 1839 - 13 Feb 1927) & Linia Ann BARNES (1840 - 1880)
Mary Ellen ARNEY (24
Apr 1861 - 9 Sep 1935) & Joshua Newton MACHLAN (1859 - 1936)
Linnie Ellen
MACHLAN* (30 Sep 1884 - 7 May 1974) & Everett Elmer WALKER (1882 - 1948)
Elsie Maureen WALKER (1903 -
1983) & Leo Newton COFFEY (1901 - 1998)
Fred Coffey
THE RESEARCH:
(by Fred Coffey)
I have been working with
Stan Arney, Cherie Ohlsson, and Tom Rider to research our shared Arney/Kron
family ancestry. And recently Stan Arney contacted a new source, Stefan Mossel,
who lives in Essenheim, Germany, and who has done extensive research on the
Essenheim Church Records and on the families therein. In the following I am going to “tell the
story” as I understand it, and use endnotes to explain and discuss my sources
and the complications. And comments are welcome from anyone.
THE EXTENDED FAMILY:
In a way this is a story
of two families, and we need to talk about both. Lorentz had an older half
brother, Johann Adam KRAMER. Here are Adam’s parents, spouse, children, and
children’s spouses:
(1) Johannes KRAMER (11 Aug 1653 - 1695) & Anna Elisabetha SCHMAHL
(9 Oct 1659 - 7 Jan 1731)
(2) Johann Adam KRAMER (14 Sep 1679 - 5 Nov
1761) & Maria Eliabetha WOLF (abt 1691 - aft 1731)
(3) Catharina KRAMER (18
Apr 1710 - ) & Johann Martin SCHULTZ (11 Nov 1694 - 1761)
(3) Anna Juliana KRAMER (2
Dec 1711 - 26 Feb 1769) & Johann Jacob LANIUS (12 May 1708 - 1778)
(3) Maria Elisabetha
KRAMER (3 Jun 1714 - 11 Nov 1780) & Peter GARTNER (16 Dec 1702 - 1793)
(3) Eva KRAMER (29 Mar
1717 - ) & Johann Heinrich BAHN (abt 1708 - 1768)
(3) Christian KRAMER (5
Jan 1721 - ) & Anna Barbara HAYER
(3) Anna Maria KRAMER (abt
1722 - abt 1800) & Johann Heinrich WOLF (28 Mar 1715 - 1792)
Adam’s father died in
about 1695, and his mother remarried to Simon GRUN (with “KRON” being a
variation on this spelling). They had four sons, but the one of interest is
Lorentz:
(1) Simon GRUN ( - Nov 1729) & Anna Elisabetha SCHMAHL (9 Oct 1659 -
7 Jan 1731
(2) Lorentz KRON (30 Jul 1700 - aft 1753)
& Anna Ursula BENDER (24 Mar 1703 - aft 1753)
(3) Anna Ursula KRON (13
Dec 1722 - ? 1771) & Jacob ARNEY (abt 1722 - abt 1784)
(3) Juliana KRON (19 Nov
1724 - )
(3) Lorenz KRON (16 Dec
1725 - ) & Rosina SCHMIDT (abt 1728 - )
(3) Anna Margaretha KRON
(25 Jan 1728 - )
(3) Anna Elisabetha KRON
(6 Nov 1730 - 8 Jun 1787) & Jacobus “Werner” SPÖNHAUER (1719 - 1787)
(3) Eva KRON (13 Jan 1734
- )
(3) Johann Michael KRON (3
Feb 1736 - )
(3) Felicitas KRON (21 Dec
1737 - )
(3) Johannes KRON (21 Feb
1741 - 16 Feb 1806)
The two half-brothers,
their spouses, and all of their children were members of the Reformed Church in
Esenheim, Germany. Essenheim is in the Mainz-Bingen district in
Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The Essenheim Church Records[A]
document their births, marriages, etc.
THE BIRTH OF LORENTZ KRON:
Following is an image from
these church records:
_files/image002.png)
THE FIRST WAVE LEAVES FOR AMERICA:
In 1731 older brother
Johann Adam KRAMER left for America, with all of his family. They travelled on
the ship “Pennsylvania Merchant” with
Captain John Stedman, arriving in Philadelphia on 10 Sep 1731. His two oldest
daughters, Catharina and Anna Juliana, were already married, and they travelled
on the same ship with their husbands.
(Also on the same ship was
Johan Heinrich Schmidt, and his family. And the youngest of his daughters was
Rosina Schmidt. Eventually, when the families catch up, Rosina will marry our
Lorentz KRON’s son, Lorentz Junior.)
THE SECOND WAVE – LORENTZ KRON AND FAMILY:
In the spring of 1741, J.
Radernher, pastor of the Reformed Church in Essenheim, Germany wrote in his
church records that Lorentz Cron, “with wife and 8 children”[B],
departed from his flock and headed to America.
From these church records[C],
we know the names, and birth or christening dates, for each of their 8
children.[D]
In 1741, their children would have ranged in age from 18 (Anna Ursula) down to an
infant born in February of that year (Johannes).
TRAVELS:
To help the Kron family
deal with those they might encounter, Reverend Radernher almost certainly sent
them on their way with a letter of reference. The one that went with the Kron’s
has not been preserved. But here’s one that went the following year:
2 May 1742 - "The
bearer of this letter, John Michael Paulus, hitherto a member of our
congregation at Essenheim and Catherine his lawful wife, both members of our
Church, Reformed according to the Word of God, are willing and have the
intention, in the name of God, to undertake the journey to the American
Colonies, belonging to England, that they may find there a more abundant
livelihood. They are herewith commended, upon their difficult and dangerous
journey, to the protection of the Almighty, the love of our faithful Savior
Jesus Christ and the communion of the Holy Spirit, to keep them in body and
soul. I recommend them faithfully to all ecclesiastical and secular
authorities, as well as to the Christian and charitable consideration of every
person. Given at Essenheim in the Electorate Palatinate, near the city of
Mayence, May 2, 1742. Johann Nikolaus Wernher, pastor of the Reformed Church
here.[E]
(Mr. Paulus and family
arrived in Philadelphia on 3 Sep 1742, on the ship “Loyal Judith”. So with a
May start, the trip took about 4 months. That’s pretty good – some
immigrants report it took 6 months.)
With a similar letter in
hand, the Kron family was ready to go. This was not a casual excursion; they
had to be really serious about getting to a new life. Here are a few short
highlights:[F]
The first step would be to
travel from Mainz (near Essenheim) down the Rhine River to Rotterdam. On the
river there are reports of up to 26 custom-houses, where the ships are examined
at the convenience of the officials, and the people detained. This part of the
trip could take 4-6 weeks.
At Rotterdam, they boarded
the ship “St. Mark”, under Captain William Wilson.
The ship then sailed to
Cowes, on the Isle of Wight, UK. Here there might be another delay of one to
two weeks, waiting to pass through the customs house or waiting for favorable
winds.
And then the real misery
began, with the sail to America. With good wind, they might make this voyage in
about seven weeks. Or it might take eight, nine, ten or twelve weeks. The
passengers were packed densely, with poor food and water, and subject to
assorted diseases such as dysentery, scurvy, typhoid and smallpox. Children were
particularly vulnerable.
The Krons’ ship arrived in
Philadelphia on 26 Sep 1741. Captain Wilson handed over his list of adult male
passengers, which included Lorentz Cron. (A few of the ship captains listed the
women and children, but Captain Wilson did not. He knew that the immigration
authorities were only interested in the adult males, who were required to sign
loyalty oaths.)
Lorentz actually got his
name on 3 lists on that day. In addition to the captain’s list, there were two
more lists for different oaths he had to subscribe to. He fared better than
many of his fellow passengers – there were only two spelling variations
on his name – “Crone” and “Cron”.
It is not clear where the
family went immediately after their arrival. It may have even depended on
whether Lorentz was able to pay his own passage, or has a wealthy friend from
whom he could borrow. Otherwise there would be a newspaper announcement stating
how many of the new arrivals were to be “sold” as indentured servants. The
“buyers” would negotiate at the dock, for a certain number of years and days.
The winning bidder would then pay for the passage, and for the travellers’
debts.
It’s not known if the
Krons had an indentured servitude. However it seems unlikely, since his half
brother had gone 10 years earlier, and possibly was able to help with the
costs?
There are claims that the
Kron family soon settled in Berks County, PA - because several researchers
found there was a Lorentz Kron (various spelling variations) living there in
later years. However this was clearly a different Lorentz Kron. So we have no evidence
of a Berks County presence. There is discussion in the endnotes[G][H][I][J].
FINAL DESTINATION:
It is absolutely clear
that they finally settled in York County, and were there no later than about
1750. Here we have records with far more than just a man’s name – in York
County we can find several members of this family interacting with each other
and with their new neighbors.
We can also find every one
of half-brother Adam’s children, and their spouses, in those same records. The
two families were members of the same congregation, with activities often
reported on the same page:
CHURCH RECORDS:
In York County they were
close to the Sponhauer family, and their daughter Anna Ursula was found married
to our ancestor Jacob ARNEY. They were followers of Jacob Lischy, who was a
German Reformed minister – but one who believed that there was little
difference between Reformed, Lutheran, and Moravian (the Sponhauer and Arney
families are later found with the Moravians in North Carolina). Lischy kept a
“Private Pastorial Record”[K],
which is a valuable source of genealogical information.
There are many references
to the Kron, Kramer, Sponhauer and Arney
families in these Lischy records. Following are the entries relevant to the
Kron connections, along with my “interpretative” notes:
P225 (Vol 3): “Heinrich
of Lorentz Kron and Rosina, baptized December 24, 1752. Sponsors Heinrich
Schmid and Margaretha.” (This is Lorentz Kron Jr., the Son of Lorentz Kron Sr. and
Anna Ursula. He married Rosina Schmidt. Rosina’s parents are the named Heinrich
Schmid and Margaretha. As noted earlier, this Schmidt family was on the same
ship as the Kramers, in 1731.)
(Memo: Found a land transaction of 10 Dec 1773,
Hellam Township, York Co., which quoted from the will of Henry Smith (Heinrich
Schmid) dated 25 Jun 1771, reading in part “…after my wife’s death I give and
bequeath… (to) my daughter Rosena wife of Lorentz Crone…”. This confirms the
“Lorentz/Rosina” relationship.)
P225
(Vol 3): “Michael of Wernhardt Sponhauer and Anna Elisabeth, baptized February
4, 1753. Sponsors Lorrentz Kron and Anna Ursula.” (Wernhardt Sponhauer’s second wife was Anna
Elisabeth Kron, the daughter of the named Lorentz Kron Sr. and wife Anna
Ursula. Lorentz was also the father of the Anna Ursula Kron who married Jacob
Arney.)
P228
(Vol 3): “Lorentz of Christian Hellman and Margreth, baptized February 10,
1754. Sponsors: Lorentz Kron and Rosina.” (Sponsors are Lorentz Kron JUNIOR. and wife.)
P229
(Vol 3): “Johannes of Heinrich Bahn and Eva, baptized July 7, 1754. Sponsor:
Johannes Kron and Apolonnica.” (Not sure. However Lorentz had a son “Johann Michael Kron”
supposedly born about 1736, so that is a possibility? Anyway, Johan Heinrich
Bahn married Eva Kramer, and Johannes appears to have been their third child.)
P229
(Vol 3): “Cath: Elisabeth of Lorentz Kron and Rosina, baptized July 7, 1754.
Sponsors Antoni Ehler and Cath: Elisabeth” (New child of Lorentz Kron Jr. & wife.)
P235
(Vol 3): “Eva of Wernhardt Sponhauer and Anna Elisabeth, baptized December
7, 1755. Sponsors: Eva Kronin.” (Believe the new baby “Eva” is the daughter of Wernhardt
Sponhauer – and she is the Eva who later married John Doub – to
whom Jacob Arney’s daughter Catharine was bound after Jacob died. Wernhardt’s
wife is Anna Elizabeth Kron, the daughter of Lorentz Kron Sr. and the Sponsor
is Eva Kron, Anna Elizabeth’s sister. The ending “in” was often added to a name
to make it the feminine form.)
P235
(Vol 3): “Elisabeth of Heinrich Kron and Barbara, baptized December 26, 1755.
Sponsors: Bernhardt Holtzinger and Elisabeth.” (Can’t place this “Kron”.)
P236
(Vol 3): “Michael of Sebastian Hellman and Anna Margreth, baptized March 7,
1756. Sponsors: Michel Kron and Maria Barbara Helmanin.” (Sponsor “Michael Kron” is probably the
Johann Michael Kron, son of Lorentz and Anna Ursula Kron, who was born in about
1736.)
P257
(Vol 3): “Anna Elisabeth of Jacob Erny and Anna Ursula, baptized March 20,
1761. Sponsors: Wernhardt Sponhauer and Anna Elisabeth.” (Jacob “Erny” is
our ancestor. His wife was Anna Ursula Kron. Anna Ursula’s sister was Anna
Elisabeth Kron, who married Wernhardt Sponhauer.)
P266
(Vol 3): Georg Matheus of Philliph Kron and Maria Elisabeth, baptized August 7,
1763, Sponsors: Gorg Matth: Bayer and Agnes Cath: (Don’t know Philliph Kron.)
P53
(Vol 1): “Michael Kron of Lorenz, Jr. and Rosina, born Week after New Year,
1764, baptized March 25, 1764.” (This is unusual. It’s clearly for a new baby of Lorentz
Junior and wife Rosina, but it’s found in “Volume 1” and for “St. Jacob’s
(Stone) Union Church” – it is NOT Lischy private records. Also this was a
“Union” church, combining Reformed and Lutheran.)
P273
(Vol 3): Maria Elisabeh of Lorentz Kron and Rosina, baptized June 1, 1766.
Sponsor Philliphine Kronin” (This is Lorentz Kron Junior again – and he’s back in
Lischy’s church.)
LATER YEARS?
There are several
references to a Laurance/Lorentz/Lorantz Krone/Kron/Krone in the “Taxables of
the County of York” for years 1779, 1782 and 1783. I believe these refer to
“Lorentz Junior”, not “Lorentz Senior”. Note “Paradise Township” is not far
from “North Codorus Township”, where Jacob Lischy had one of his first churches
(Lischy’s (St. Peter’s) Reformed Church).
Spouse: Anna Ursula
BENDER
--------------------------------------------------
Birth: 24 Mar
1703 Essenheim, Germany
Death: aft 1753 York Co, PA
Father: Johann
Wilhelm BENDER (1676-)
Mother: Maria
Elisabetha BOSS (1679-1743)
Children
--------------------------------------------------
(1) Lorentz KRON (30 Jul 1700 - aft 1753)
& Anna Ursula BENDER (24 Mar 1703 - aft 1753)
(2) Anna Ursula KRON (13 Dec 1722 - ? 1771)
& Jacob ARNEY (abt 1722 - abt 1784)
(2) Juliana KRON (19 Nov 1724
- )
(2) Lorenz KRON (16 Dec 1725 -
) & Rosina SCHMIDT (abt 1728 - )
(2) Anna Margaretha KRON (25
Jan 1728 - )
(2) Anna Elisabetha KRON (6
Nov 1730 - 8 Jun 1787) & Jacobus Wernhardt SPÖNHAUER (1719 - 1787)
(2) Eva KRON (13 Jan 1734 - )
(2) Johann Michael KRON (3 Feb
1736 - )
(2) Felicitas KRON (21 Dec
1737 - )
(2) Johannes KRON (21 Feb 1741
- 16 Feb 1806)
GENEALOGY OVERVIEW:
I have not written separate reports, such as this, for the ancestors of
Lorentz KRON and Anna Ursula BENDER. However Stefan Mossel has put substantial
effort into the research, and was kind enough to share his analysis with me.
Following is a link to the pedigree of their daughter, Anna Ursula KRON.
It identifies the known ancestors of Lorentz and Anna Urula. All of this is
taken straight from the work of Stefan Mossel, and is simply put into my own
preferred format:
http://www.coffey.ws/familytree/familynotes/AnnaUrsulaKronPedigree.pdf
--------------------------------------------------
Please report corrections or additions to...
FredCoffey@AOL.COM
END NOTES: