History: Family: The KRIBEL (KRIEBEL) Family: Philadelphia (now Montgomery) Co, PA Contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by Thera. tsh@harborside.com USGENWEB ARCHIVES NOTICE: Printing this file within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. Any other use, including copying files to other sites requires permission from the submitters PRIOR to uploading to any other sites. We encourage links to the state and county table of contents. http://www.usgwarchives.net/ ____________________________________________________ The following is from "Genealogical Record of the Schwenkfelder Families: Seekers of Religious Liberty who Fled from Silesia to Saxony and Thence to Pennsylvania in the Years 1731 to 1737." Edited by Samuel Kriebel Brecht, A.M. Printed for The Board of Publication of the Schwenkfelder Church, Pennsburg, Pennsylvania. Rand McNally & Company. 1923. [NOTE: The Silesia referenced below was an area of Europe which is now in southwestern Poland. Germany ceded this province to Poland after WW II. The area borders present day Germany and the Czech Republic. The founder of the Schwenkfelder Church, Caspar Schwenckfeld, was born in Ossing, Silesia, which was changed to Ossig (Osiek in Polish), and is still a small town outside of Lubin, Poland, which is outside of Legnica (Liegnitz in German), Poland. For more information, see the website of the Schwenkfelder Library and Heritage Center at: http://www.rpc.ox.ac.uk/rpc/sfld/s_guide.htm The SLHC is located in Pennsburg, PA.] THE KRIBEL (KRIEBEL) FAMILY CASPAR KRIBEL was b. in Deutmansdorf, Lower Silesia, in 1650, moved to Nieder Harpersdorf and married Anna Borman who died in 1720, while her husband died in 1724. Of their children, we know of 1) a Hans Caspar who died in 1730, 2) a George, 3) a Susanna who was the wife of Melchior Schultz, 4) Melchior (see below), and 5) Christoph (see below). ************************ MELCHIOR KRIBEL (Kriebel) SR., b. about 1680 in Berthelsdorf, d. Mar. 17, 1744, m. Maria (nee unknown), b. ?, d. Nov. 1, 1738. Melchior and Maria came to Pa. in 1734 and probably settled in Towamencin, Montg. Co., although there is no record of their having held real estate. It is probable that both are buried in Towamencin Schwenkfelder Cemetery, although their graves have not been located. Melchior and Maria had at least two children, both married before the migration to Pa.: 1. Caspar KRIBEL, b. 1700, d. Feb. 16, 1770, on June 8, 1728, m. Susanna WIEGNER, b. Aug. 26, 1706, d. Apr. 17, 1769, dau of George Wiegner and Maria Heebner of Herrnhut. Maria is buried in Towamencin Schwenkfelder Cemetery. Caspar and Maria came to Pa. in 1734 with one son, George, the second son, Abraham, being born in Pa. Caspar Kribel lived on the farm now (1920) occupied by his descendant, Charles K. Kriebel, Jr., in Towamencin Twp., near the Towamencin Schwenkfelder Church. He is buried, however, in a cemetery in Upper Hanover Twp, near Kraussdale, Pa. Tradition states that he left his home on horseback one morning in midwinter, and after admonishing his children and family to be good while he was gone, rode to "Goshenhoppen" as the Upper District was then called, to transact some business. While on this journey he was stricken with illness and died suddenly and was buried in the so-called "Kraussdale Cemetery". He was naturalized June 21, 1743. In 1735 Caspar and his brother purchased 189 acres in Towamencin Twp., for 242 pounds; in 1744 Melchior sold his claim to Caspar for 158 pounds. On Dec 6, 1764, Caspar sold his farm to his son, Abraham for 1500 pounds. The history of this farm after that is simply a series of transfers from father to son up to the present generation. Mr. Kriebel was a well educated man and took an active part in the affairs of the Schwenkfelders. He assisted Christopher Schultz in the establishment of the Schwenkfelder school system, and took an active part in their administration, contributing a loan of fifty pounds, and was elected one of the first trustees of the School. A number of letter written by Caspar Kribel in a clear legible German script are still extant. For the most part these letter are written to his cousin, Rev. Christopher Schultz, and various phases of the school activities, as well as other topics that engrossed the minds of the early settlers, are discussed therein. A number of religious meetings of the early Schwenkfelders were held in the home of Caspar Kriebel. On Dec. 1, 1756, in company with Christopher Schultz, Caspar Kriebel attended the meeting of the contributors to the Friendly Association for preserving peace with the Indians. This meeting was held in the Friends' Schoolhouse in Philadelphia. In regard to the Schwenkfelders attending the Moravian conference held in Germantown in 1742, in a letter to Christopher Schultz among other things, Caspar Kriebel said: "It is the opinion of myself and some others that it is not advisable to attend said conference. Hitherto we have had nothing to do with him (Zinzendorf). He indeed makes pretensions against us, but these are European and not American." Caspar Kriebel was also a hymnologist, as he contributed a number of hymns to the early Schwenkfelder hymn book. Children: i. George, b. Nov. 3, 1732, in Berthelsdorf, Saxony, d. Dec. 1, 1805, m. Anna Anders. ii. Abraham, b. Oct. 18, 1736, d. Jan. 30, 1801, m. Susanna Schultz. 2. Melchior KRIBEL (Kriebel) JR., b. Feb 2, 1710, d. Feb. 14, 1790, on Nov. 24, 1733, m. Anna DRESCHER, b. Aug. 30, 1710, d. Dec. 26, 1789., dau of Hans Drescher. Melchior and Anna came to Pa. in 1734 and settled in what is now Gwynedd Twp., Pa., on a farm owned in part (1920) by Abraham Kriebel. Melchior Kriebel was naturalized June 1, 1750. Both he and his wife are buried in Towamencin Schw. Cem. Children: i. David, b. Mar. 14, 1736, d. Sept. 26, 1815, m. 1) Susanna Reinwald; 2) Rosina Wiegner. ii. Susanna, b. Oct. 28, 1739, d. Mar. 28, 1813, m. Abraham Anders iii. Twin of Susanna, b. Oct. 28, 1739, d. Oct. 29, 1739. iv. Rosanna, b. Dec. 31, 1742, d. Jan. 17, 1743. v. Melchior, b. May 26, 1746, d. Dec. 13, 1833, m. 1) Rosina Heebner; 2) Barbara Schubert. vi. Rosina, b. Sept. 4, 1751, d. Dec. 26, 1820; unmarried. ************************ CHRISTOPH KRIBEL (Kriebel), b. about 1688, d. May 14, 1741, m. Maria HEYDRICK, b. about 1693, d. Apr. 11, 1738, dau of Melchior Heydrick. Christoph Kribel and family left Nieder Harpersdorf Feb. 21, 1726. Their estate was taken over by his brother Hans George Kribel (d. 1730) and by Friedrich Berger in 1731. Christoph Kribel was sick upon arrival in Phila. in 1734. He settled in Lower Salford Twp., Montg. Co., Pa. He was a farmer, both in Silesia and in Pa. He bought 150 acres of land from Casper Wister for 78 pounds on Mar. 26, 1735, in Lower Salford Twp., which was owned by David Cassel in 1907, and whose wife belongs to Christopher's sixth generation of descendants. It is said that Christopher Kriebel broke his leg on May 2, 1735, or about two months after he bought his farm. Both Christoph and Maria are buried in the Salford Schw. Cem. Children of Christoph KRIBEL and Maria HEYDRICK: 1. George, b. Dec. 10, 1715, d. Sep. 2, 1778, on Nov. 25, 1740 he m. Susanna Yeakel, b. May 5, 1714, d. 14 Sept. 1775, dau of Balthasar Yeakel and Regina John. George Kriebel was naturalized June 21, 1743; both are buried in Salford Schw. Cem. George Kriebel owned several tracts of land in Lower Salford Twp. In 1743, he and his brother Christopher bought a tract of 36 3/4 acres and in 1745 they bought another tract of 64 acres. In 1753, George bought his brother's share in each tract. He was much respected in his community and was an Overseer of the Poor in Lower Salford in 1766. Children: i. George, b. July 11, 1744, d. Sept. 14, 1792, m. Esther Wiegner. ii. Andrew, b. Sept. 17, 1748, d. Apr. 17, 1830, m. Susanna Yeakel. 2. Christopher, b. 1724, d. Dec. 31, 1800, on Aug. 10, 1748, m. Maria Dresher, b. 1723, d. Dec. 30, 1772, dau of George Dresher and Maria Beyer. Christopher Kriebel came to Pa. in 1734 with his parents and settled in Lower Salford Twp. He was naturalized Sept. 24, 1745; both Christopher and wife are buried in Salford Schw. Cem. Rev. Christopher Kriebel inherited his farther's farm in 1741, but did not receive his conveyances until June, 1750. On May 6, 1784, he sold 125 1/2 acres of his farm to his son, Jeremiah, for 700 pounds in specie. He also owned other land which was bought and sold at various times. Having been chosen teacher of the young, for more than thirty years (1764- 1797), Rev. Kriebel met his class in Bible study every two weeks. He encouraged his pupils to write out comments on the assigned topics or scripture passages. In this way he spent eight years studying the Gospel of St. John, recording his own questions and answers which cover more than one thousand pages of manuscript. In the same manner he studied other parts of the Bible, and penned a number of volumes so systematically that a study of four volumes shows a variation of not more than two lines to a page. In 1782 he was elected a minister of he Schwenkfelder Society, and served faithfully until 1796, when he asked to be relieved and was succeeded by Rev. Christopher Hoffman. He was an important factor in the organization of the Church in 1782. Many of his sermons are preserved as well as eight hymns which he composed and published in 1762. His home was often used as a meeting place for divine worship as well as for conferences for the welfare of the Schwenkfelder body. Christopher Kriebel's Letter Book, termed by the author a "Schrifften Sammlung," is a collection of more than sixty different letters copied from originals from the "Heintze Correspondence" which was carried on between the Schwenkfelders who came to Pa. in 1734 and those of the same faith who remained behind in Silesia. The principal correspondents were Christopher Kriebel and Christopher Schultz of Pennsylvania on the one hand, and Carl Ehrenfried Heintze of Silesia on the other. This book contains 368 pages and comprises more than 60 letters. Rev. Kriebel began compiling them in 1765 and completed the task in 1792 at the age of 72. The author states that his object in compiling this collection was that posterity might read them and profit thereby. The entire book is written in German manuscript in very small type, and closely written, but of great clearness and beauty. These letters are a mine of information on both the religious conditions existing in Pa. and Silesia and also as regards the social conditions prevailing. When in later life Heintze's faith began to waver, both Christophers wrote him such impressive and overwhelming arguments, urging him to remain steadfast, that the former in his reply told them that the next time they wrote they should be brief so that the letters would not require so much postage. In one of these letters, dated 1769, Christopher Kriebel writes: (Translation) "We in Cosehehoppe, Shippach and Towamencin have our own burying grounds at each place. Many have burying grounds on their own land for their families. Others who live a considerable distance away have buried their dead in burying grounds of people who are not of our faith, since those of quite different religious views have buried there, for the earth is quite common to such use in our land. We also allow our neighbors who live near us, and are of different religious views, to bury in our grounds." Rev. Christopher Kriebel led a busy and active life, dying the last day of the 18th century. His tombstone in Salford Cemetery has the inscription, "Christopher Kribel, der Lehrer der Schwenkfelder Gemeinde." (Translation)-- Christopher Kriebel, the teacher of the Schwenkfelder Congregation. Children: i. Abraham, b. Mar. 30, 1750, d. Dec. 16, 1818, m. Rosina Hartranft. ii. Rosina, b. Oct. 2, 1751, d. Sept. 19, 1823, m. Christopher Meschter. iii. Jeremiah, b. Jan. 26, 1755, d. Mar. 8, 1842, m. Anna Rosina Yeakel. iv. Anna, b. Nov. 25, 1758, d. Dec. 4, 1831, m. David Schultz. v. Susanna, b. May 11, 1762; d. Jan. 5, 1795, unmarried.