Melchior Kraus arrived in Philadelpia, Pennsylvania on September 3, 1739 on the
ship Friendship, from an unknown origin. Upon arrival, he signed the Oath of Allegiance
to the King of England. He signed with an M and gave his age as 30. He made
his home in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and was associated with the Luthern Church.
Melchior was married to Eva Margareth (surname unknown) and had at least three children.
His oldest son was born October 23, 1740, thirteen months after his arrival. As
Eva was not on the ship Friendship, Eva must have arrived shortly after his arrival
or he married very quickly after his arrival. Johannes was born May 19, 1744 and
Sabrina was born in 1749.
Melchior died before 1751 as Eva remarried Johannes Georg Kaa on September 24, 1751.
Church records indicated she was a widow of the late Melchior Kraus. Georg and Eva
had one known child, Peter Kaa, Born April 25, 1752, New Holland, Pennsylvania.
It is believed the family, along with all the Kraus siblings settled near the Moravian's
Wachavia settlement in Stokes (now Forsyth) County, North Carolina during the late
1770's. Georg Kaa was buried February 20, 1784 in the graveyard near his mill, Bethabara,
North Carolina.
Johann Wendel Kraus
Johann Wendel, the oldest son of Melchior and Eva, was born October 23, 1740 and
baptized at the Trinity Lutheran Church November 6, 1740. Wendel is listed in the
Shiloh Luthern Church Registers of Burials, Forsythe Co., NC with birth 1739, Pen.,
age 64 yr 10 mo at the time of his death Sep 1803. Estate records dated december
5, 1803, lists John Krause, JR and Andrew Krouse as administrators of Wendel Krause'
estate. Johann Wendel Krause married Anna Mary (Unknown maiden name).
Melchior's son, Johannes, also known as John or Johann, seems to have had several
children die young. The first known child is Magdalena, apt 1765 at Trinity Evang
Luth Ch, New Holland, PA. Her mother is listed as Maria.
Records from the Bethabara Parish Graveyard Records at Bethabara, Wachovia Tract,
NC list these non-Moravian burials.
Child, Cath. Kraus d 1771, dau of Johann Kraus
Child, Johann Kraus, no parent given d 1774
Child, Christina Elis. Kraus, dau of Johann, d 1782
Unmarried man, Adam Krause, 16 yrs old, son of Johann Kraus, d Mar 7, (b Nov 25,
1769, Lebanon, PA, Records of Moravians, p. 2150)
Boy, Isaac Krausse, 13 yrs old, son of Johannes Krause, d 23 Jul 1800, bur Jul 25.
Married Woman, Anna Maria Krause, born Volk, (Wife of Johannes Krause) d May 23,
bur May 24, 1801
Married Woman, Anna Mary Chitty, d Nov 7, 1792, maiden name Kraus
Joye Elkins also lists as children: George Krause, whose marriage bond to Louise
Holder is recorded 29 Mar 1803, Stokes Co., NC., Anna Maria (Hannah) Crouse, Andreas
Crouse, died at young age, and Andrew Crouse, whose marriage bond to Sarah Long
is recorded on 29 Mar 1803 at Stokes Co., NC. Joye also lists Maria Margarette Crouse
who married John Chitty on 17 Mar 1791 as a child. They had 9 children. This could
not be Married Woman, Anna Mary Chitty listed above.
The will of John Kraus on 26 Aug 1825 lists son, George Krause, son-in-law, John
Chitty, son, Andrew, son-in-law, Jacob Miller, son-in-law, Dan'l Petree, Joseph
Chitty, no relationship given, wife, Dorothea, dau, Hannah Petree.
Maybe the Anna Maria that Joye listed as (Hannah) was the Anna Mary Kraus Chitty
buried at Bethabara, and she married Joseph Chitty listed in John's will and (Hannah)
is another sister, who married Daniel Petree.
Dorothea is John Krouse's 2nd wife, Dorothy Petree. They applied for a marriage
license 29 Mar 1803.
In the Shiloh Lutheran Church records, Forsythe Co., NC is the baptism of a dau
of Jacob & Magdalen Miller June 1801 with John Krouse, widower, Margaretha Chitty,
& Elizabeth Miller as sponsers. Magdalen must be the Magdalen baptised at Trinity
Evang Luth Ch, dau of John Krause, and her husband is the Jacob Miller, son-in-law,
in John's will.
From: Kcsollman@aol.com
To: drkg1@gte.net
Subject: Wm Henry Crouse
Date: Tuesday, January 26, 1999 9:37 PM
What a wonderful story about your ancestor, William Henry!! My ancestor, Calvin
Crouse, lost his eye at the Battle of Shiloh, so cousins were fighting cousins,
tho distant cousins. My family is believed to be descended from Melchior's other
son, Johan Wendel. Calvin was one of 9 brothers who were Union soldiers, sons of
Martin & Susannah Waggoner Crouse.
I will begin to fill in some of your blanks. The reason we know Melchior died in
or before 1751 is because the Trinity Evang Luth church records in New Holland list
the marriage of Eva Margreth, wife of the late Kraus from Germany 24 Sept 1751 to
Johannes Georg Kaa.
We don't know Sabina's date of birth, but the Records of the Moravians on Setp 10
1792 state that "Last Tuesday Jacob Rominger married the sister of Wendel Krause.
There were many references to John Krause the black- smith and brother of Wendel,
who often served as a teamster for the Morav- ians and was captain of the local
militia thruout the Revolutionary War years. He later joined the Moravian church.
The graveyard register of the Friedland Moravian church, Forsyth Co., NC, lists
the death of Jacob Rominger, Sr., b 13 Apr 1743, Durlach, d 30 Aug 1816, married
(1) -- (2) Sabina, m.n. Krause, widow, Fensler in Aug 1792, so Sabina was married
at least twice. Joye Elkins, who has written a family history, states that Sabrina
Crouse was b 1749, christened 1749, Conestoga, PA, but I haven't seen this record.
The Shiloh Luth Church Register of Burials, Forsythe Co., NC lists the death of
Sabina Rominger, 1816, no other information given. Sabina had no known children.
Records of the Moravians in NC, Bethabara: 10 Feb 1784 state: In the morning there
was the burial in the graveyard by the mill of George Kaa, stepfather of Johannes
Krause. His widow, the mother of Johannes Krause, had been married to him for 33
yrs. He was something over 60 yrs old. (This information is from a book by Charles
Carter, KS, and I have not seen this page of the Moravian records.
The Parish Graveyard for Non-Moravians at Bethabara, Wachovia Tract, NC, lists,
Man, George Ka, (Step-father of Johann Kraus. Died 1784, buried Feb 20.)
Charles Carter's book also mentions in the Trinity Evang Luth Ch records of New
Holland, PA, the birth of Peter, son of George & Eva Margr. Kam, b 25 Apr 1752,
bapt 24 May 1752. (I have not seen this page of the records.)
Wendel is listed in the Shiloh Luth Church Register of Burials, Forsythe Co., NC
with birth Nov 1793 in Pen., age 64 y 10 mo at time of death Sep 1803. (This must
be a typing error as it should read 1739.)
Stokes Co., NC estate records has an estate record dated 5 Dec 1803 with John Krause,
Jr. & Andrew Krouse named as administrators of the estate of Windel Krause.
The Stokes Co., NC deed book 5, p 93, has a record of the sale of land between John
Krause, Andrew Krause, Henry Krause, Adam Krause, George Krause, Jacob Krause, and
Anna Krous or Mary Krouse, the wife of Windle, deceased of Stokes Co. & Ash Co.
but all of the State of NC of the one part and Henry Long of Stokes Co. of the other
part on 24 Aug 1805. Signatures are of John, Andrew, Henry, Adam, Geo, Jacob, and
Anna Mary Krause.
Sabrina Kraus
Sabrina was born in 1749 and christened in 1749, Conestoga, Pennsylvania. Sabrina's
first husband was Fensler. Her second husband was Jacob Rominger. Jacob and Sabrina
were married September 10, 1792. Shiloh Luthern Church Register of Burials, Forsythe
County, NC list the death of Sabrina Rominger, 1816. The Friedland Moravain Church,
Forsyth County, North Carolina lists the death of Jacob Rominger, Sr., b: 13 Aprl
1743, Durlach, d: 30 Aug 1816, married (1)...(2) Sabina, m.n. Krause, widow, Fensler
in Aug 1792.
Continue the story of the Kraus family, as they make there way to Webster and Hamilton
Counties, Iowa. This is a story of William Henry Crouse as told by Vera Crouse
Delaney
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