Biographies from Historical and Biographical Annals by Morton Montgomery

KRICK,
DANIEL H.

p. 1071

Surnames: KRICK, HAIN, GAUL, FRITZ

Daniel H. Krick, one of the most valued citizens of Spring
township, a man of sterling honesty and broad-minded views, was
born Aug. 19, 1860, in Lower Heidelberg township, Berks county, son
of William B. and Anna (Hain) Krick.

William B. Krick engaged in farming throughout
his active years, owning seventy-six acres in Lower Heidelberg
township. He died in February, 1905, aged about seventy-six years.
In politics he was a Democrat, and he filled the offices of
township treasurer and auditor, serving in the latter office for
twenty years. He married Anna Hain, daughter of Daniel and Mary
(Hain) Hain, and they had three children: Daniel H.; John I., who
owns his father’s farm in Lower Heidelberg township; and Mary, who
married Fred W. Gaul, of Wernersville.

Daniel H. Krick attended the school district
schools during his boyhood and remained assisting his father on the
home farm until he was twenty-three years of age, when he took
charge of the place and operated it for himself seven years. In
1895 he purchased his present farm in Spring township of George and
Isaac Krick. It then contained 149 acres, to which Mr. Krick has
added several acres. The residence of stone, which still stands,
was built in 1842, but it has been converted into a modern home by
Mr. Krick. A substantial barn was erected in 1868. From the time he
took possession until April 6, 1907, Mr. Krick continued to improve
his property and his prosperity seemed assured. On the morning of
the day he mentioned he arose and looked over his possessions with
justifiable pride, because they had been acquired through his own
patient and persistent industry. In the evening of the same day,
through a fire that started mysteriously in the barn, he was bereft
of a large part of all he owned. The barn itself was totally
consumed together with nineteen valuable milch cows, seven hundred
bushels of wheat, two hundred bushels of oats, ten tons of hay,
five tons of straw and all the farm tools, machinery and farming
implements. The fire occurred in the morning and its glare could be
seen for miles around. His neighbors, however, could not reach him
in time to render any adequate assistance. Their sympathy and
admiration were given him, for he has borne the calamity with
courage and resolution and already has made much progress toward
future prosperity. The barn was rebuilt in the same summer, a
substantial structure 90 by 45 feet, with a shed adjoining, 28 by
33 feet. For fourteen years Mr. Krick operated a dairy.

In 1873 he was married to Rebecca Fritz,
daughter of Henry G. Fritz, and they have one son, William F., who
is now a medical student at the University of Pennsylvania. His
parents are giving him every possible educational advantage and he
has the ambition to profit by the same. Mr. Krick and his family
belong to the Reformed Church at Sinking Spring. In politics he is
a Democrat.

KRICK
FAMILY

p. 627

Surnames: KRICK, KRUCK, CREEK, SEITZINGER, RADER, YOUNG, SALLADAY,
GETZ, HORNBERGER, AUMAN, BUCHART, MILLER, FISHER, NEFF, LUFT, RUPP,
WORHEIM, SPOHN, RUTH, HAIN, SCHLEGEL, GEHRLING, BROSSMAN, GRIMES,
BOHN, BRIEL, BECHTEL, SELTZER, ECKERT, HETTINGER, HIGH, REBER, VAN
REED, SCHEETZ, MILLER, HARTMAN, YOST, GRAEFF, OBERLIN, SCHAEFFER,
HOCH, HOTTENSTEIN, HERBEIN, BRIGHT, KERSHNER, BOHN, SLEGEL,
KISSINGER, WOMERIN, OBERHOLTZER, HOHN, ROLLMAN, BICKEL, EVANS,
CARROLL, SMITH, FUNK

The Krick family is one of the most numerous and prosperous in the
Schuylkill section of Berks county. The name has been a familiar
one in that locality for a hundred and fifty years, associated
invariably with good citizenship, thrift and integrity, its members
in every generation having been jealous of their good repute and
mindful of the honorable traditions of their ancestors. All of the
land purchased by Frantz Kr(as the name was originally spelled),
the founder of the family in America, is still owned by his
descendants. His posterity is especially well known in Cumru,
Spring, Heidelberg, Windsor and Tulpehocken townships, Berks
county. Some of his descendants have also located in Lancaster,
Union and Mifflin counties.

Frantz Krs a native of Germany, born in the
Rhein Pfalz in October, 1702. Having one night in a mischievous
mood upset a sentinel (schilder) house he was found out, and in
order to escape the punishment came to America, arriving at
Philadelphia, Sept. 11, 1731, on the good ship “Pennsylvania
Merchant.” Settling in the Cacoosing valley, along the Cacoosing
creek, in what is now Berks county, Pa., he became the owner of
considerable land, originally owning a tract of 350 acres, in five
parts, and later increasing his holdings to 750 acres. His property
was in Cumru (now Spring) township, and comprised what is now the
finest and most valuable agricultural land in the county. He
devoted the rest of his life to the improvement of his holdings,
and his descendants have followed in his footsteps to such an
extent that his property is still in their possession, and in some
cases has been farmed by the sixth generation. A part of the
original land secured by him from the Penns in 1737 is now owned by
Rev. Thomas H. Krick, a descendant of the sixth generation. When
the city of Reading was laid out, in 1749, Francis Creek (as the
name was Anglicized when he secured land from Penns) became the
owner of lots Nos. 490 and 491. In 1759 he paid 19 taxes in Cumru
township, an amount equal to $50.54, a Pennsylvania pound valued at
$2.66. He was an industrious and well-to-do man, and the records of
his extensive land transactions and dealings with the early
settlers are proof that he was well educated, old papers that he
signed being written in a good German hand. There is a family
tradition that he was of royal blood, and it is certain that he was
a man of intelligence and standing. His will, made April 26, 1782,
was probated June 4, 1784, the year of his death, which occurred at
a ripe old age. He was buried at Sinking Spring, in the Baptist
burial-ground back of the old eight cornered school-house still
standing. He reared a large family of sturdy sons and daughters,
all of whom became useful men and women. Thirteen children are
mentioned in his will as heirs, and the sons Francis and George
were executors of the will. In February, 1782, Frantz Krld some of
his land to his son Frantz (Francis), who gave his father bonds of
50 denomination each, and the will specified the dates upon which
these bonds were to be redeemed. We have the following record of
the family: (1) John, born in Germany, came to America with his
parents. In 1759 he paid 3 tax in Cumru township. His name appears
in the roster of Capt. Jacob Myers’ Company, 6th Pennsylvania
Battalion, 1782. This company had organized and was ready to
respond to the call, but there was no actual service performed,
John was married but had no children. He was a blacksmith by trade.
He died in 1800. (2) Jacob also came to America with his parents.
His name appears among the single men in the tax list of 1759. He
was, however, married. as would appear from the baptismal records
of Hain’s Church. He had the following children: John Jacob, Maria
and John George. He saw active service in the Revolutionary war in
Capt. Reehm’s Company of the 1st Regiment of Berks County Militia
in an expedition to Newtown, Bucks county. (3) Francis is mentioned
below. (4) George (known as “Blind George”), born May 8, 1738, died
Sept. 9, 1825. He m. Margarita Seitzinger and was the father of a
large family, Solomon , William, John, George, Isaac, Philip,
Samuel, and eight daughters. He was a taxpayer in Heidelberg
township in 1759. A few years later he moved back to Cumru, now
Spring township, and purchased a farm between Sinking Spring and
Reading, where he conducted a hotel for a number of years. He is
buried at Sinking Spring. (5) Adam (there is no record of him). (6)
Philip was captain of the 8th Company, Berks County Militia, Aug.
5, 1777, to Jan. 5, 1778. This company joined the army after the
battle of Brandywine and took part in the battle of Germantown. No
doubt he spent the winter at Valley Forge. We have no record of his
family (7) Peter, the youngest son of Frantz Kras born June 27,
1756, and died July 31, 1829. He was a soldier in the Revolution in
the 8th Company, 6th Battalion, and saw active service. He was
known as “School Teacher” Peter and taught school near Sinking
Spring, and was also teacher and “Forsinger” at the Muddy Creek
Church. He m. Catharine Rader, and was the father of a large
family, as follows: Rachael m. Henry Young; Elizabeth m. John
Salladay; Katharine m. Philip Getz; John m. a Hornberger; Lelia m.
Frederic Auman; Susanna m. Jacob Buchart; Mary m. Rudy Miller; Adam
m. Catharine Fisher, and lived at Reading; Barbara m. Daniel Neff;
Magdalena m. John Luft; Christianna m. a Rupp; Jonas moved to
Hollidaysburg; William moved to Hamburg; Peter moved to Lancaster;
John Jacob. (8) Margareth m. Michael Seitzinger. (9) Elizabeth m.
Philip Worheim. (10) Maria m. John Philip Spohn. (11) Catharine,
born Oct. 14, 1749, m. Jacob Ruth. (12) Eva. (13) Magdalena m.
George Hain.

Frantz (or Francis) Krick, third son of the
original settler, was born Nov. 6, 1736, in Cumru (now Spring)
township, and died April 20, 1814, aged seventy-seven years, five
months, fourteen days. He was a shoemaker by trade. In 1759 he paid
3 tax in Cumru. He was a private in Capt. Charles Gobin’s Company,
in 1780, during the Revolution, serving from Aug. l0th to Sept. 9th
of that year, and saw actual service in the war. In 1757 he married
Maria Spohn, who died in 1785, and his second marriage was to
Catherine Schlegel, widow of Frantz Gehrling. She was born March 1,
1736, was first married in 1754, and died March 1, 1830, aged
ninety-four years. No children were born to this second marriage.
The names of his children appear in his will, and the dates of
birth are given in the family Bible: Catharine, born Dec. 20, 1758,
m. William Brown; Jacob, born Aug. 27, 1760, moved to near
Richmond, Va.; Maria, born July 30, 1762, m. a Mr. Brown; John Adam
was born March 4, 1765 (he had a daughter Catharine, who married
Henry Snider and had a son, George); John was born April 11, 1767;
Philip, born Oct. 4, 1769, moved to Wooster, Ohio; George, born
Sept. 8, 1771, m. Catharine Wagner; Crete or Margaret (known by
both names), born Aug. 29, 1773, m. William Fisher; Francis, born
Feb. 8, 1776, m. Hannah Gehrling; Peter, born Feb. 28, 1779, m.
Elizabeth Hill. The son Francis, the third of that name, was the
sole executor of his father’s large estate. The will was witnessed
by John Spyker and Jacob Lambert, and was probated June 8, 1814.
Francis (2) disposed of his farm to Francis (3) in the same way
that Francis (1) had sold it to Francis (2), by bonds.

Francis Krick, son of Frantz and Maria (Spohn)
Krick, was born Feb. 8, 1776, at the homestead, and died May 19,
1863, aged eighty–seven years, three months, eleven days. He was a
farmer in very comfortable circumstances, owning about four hundred
acres of valuable land. He was a soldier in the war of 1812-15. He
married Hannah Gehrling, born June 4, 1774, died Feb. 3, 1842. They
had a large family, two sons and seven daughters, and we have
record of the following: Jacob is mentioned below; Katie, born May
7, 1801, died in infancy; Daniel is mentioned below; Elizabeth,
born April 11, 1806, m. Daniel Brossman; Sarah, born June 1, 1808,
m. Israel Grimes; Hannah, born May 9, 1810, m. Adam Bohn; Maria
(Polly), born July 20, 1813, m. Abraham Briel; Esther, born Nov.
22, 1815.

Jacob Krick, son of Francis and Hannah
(Gehrling) Krick, born in 1798, at the homestead, died Dec. 20,
1883. Like all his immediate ancestors he was a lifelong
agriculturist, and prospered so well in his chosen calling that he
was able to present each of his sons a farm when they left home. He
was a zealous church worker, being an official member of St. John’s
Reformed Church of Sinking Spring, and was known to all as a worthy
and substantial citizen. He is buried at that church. Jacob Krick
was married April 12, 1829, to Catharine Bechtel, and they became
the parents of four sons and four daughters, namely: William, born
Oct. 10, 1829, lived and died in Lower Heidelberg township; Mary,
born Oct. 26, 1831, m. Daniel Seltzer, of Lower Heidelberg
township; Jacob B., born March 10, 1833, now a retired resident of
Sinking Spring, m. Sarah A. Seltzer; Richard B., born Feb. 1, 1835,
is a resident of Sinking Spring; Francis B., born June 2, 1836,
died in Sinking Spring in 1902; Hannah, born April 4, 1834, and
Sarah, July 5, 1839 both unmarried, have a comfortable home
together at Sinking Spring; Susan, born Feb. 24, 1843, m. Jacob
Eckert, of Wernersville.

Jacob B. Krick, son of Jacob, was born at the
old homestead in Cumru (now Spring) township, March 10, 1833. He
remained at home working for his father until he was past
thirty-two years old, after which he continued his labors upon the
same property, but upon his own account, living at the old Krick
place until he decided to retire from the arduous work of the farm,
in 1887. He then moved into Sinking Spring, where he has since
resided, and in 1897 he purchased his present dwelling, formerly
the Hettinger residence, on Main street. Here he has a most
comfortable home, the house being one of the largest in the village
and delightfully located. Though Mr. Krick has not engaged
personally in the cultivation of the soil for many years he has
retained possession of the old homestead, which now comprises
eighty-seven acres, besides twenty-five acres of woodland.

During his active years Mr. Krick devoted
himself thoroughly to business, attending to his work, and the
management of his property with intelligence as well as industry,
with excellent results. But he also found time for the development
of his social and religious tendencies, and the associations
growing out of such relationships have given him many pleasant
interests for his leisure years. He holds membership in Council No.
77, Jr. O. U. A. M., and the K. G. E., No. 334, both of Sinking
Spring, and is a past officer of both organizations. He is a
Reformed member of St. John’s Church at Sinking Spring, which he
has served as deacon and elder for many years, and he has proved
his worth to the community in various other capacities. While
living on the farm he was for six years school director of Spring
township. He is a Democrat in politics.

Mr. Krick married. Sept. 19, 1863, Sarah A.
Seltzer, daughter of William and Catharine (Ruth) Seltzer, of
Womelsdorf, Berks county, and they have had three children, two
daughters and one son, the latter stillborn. Of the daughters, Mary
Annie m. Isaac Hettinger, of Kansas City, Mo., proprietor of the
Hettinger Bros. Manufacturing Company, of Kansas City, Mo., and
Madison, Wis., manufacturers of dental surgical supplies, electric
batteries, elastic goods, etc.; they have three children, Emily C.,
Evelyn G. and Francis K. Emily S. Krick, born Oct. 21, 1867, died
Oct. 27, 1896. Mrs. Krick and her daughters united with St. John’s
Church as Reformed members.

Daniel Krick, son of Francis and Hannah
(Gehrling) Krick, was born Oct. 28, 1804, in Spring township, and
there passed his life engaged in farming. About a year before his
death he moved with his son, Henry B., to a farm in Lower
Heidelberg, near the Cacoosing where he died April 16, 1864. In
1833 he married Susan Bohn, daughter of George Bohn (son of
Frederick Bohn), of Bern township, and she survived him many years,
making her home with her son Adam, in Sinking Spring. She died Aug.
19, 1887. To Daniel and Susan (Bohn) Krick were born children as
follows: James, born Jan. 12, 1834, died July 26, 1834; Lydia born
May 31, 1835, m. William R. High; Adam B. is mentioned below; Henry
B., born Jan. 16, 1839, died Aug. 3, 1906; Mary E., born Jan. 6,
1851, died May 19, 1902.

Adam B. Krick was born Oct. 27, 1836, in Spring
township, and received a good education, attending school at
Sinking Spring and Reading, and later studying at the Hudson River
Institute, at Claverack, N.Y. During his early manhood he was
engaged teaching for five terms, after which he devoted himself to
farming, continuing in that line for nine years. Meantime he had
suffered more or less from the results of an accident which
occurred in 1852, and which culminated in 1873, when he found it
necessary to undergo the amputation of a limb. This naturally
caused a complete change in his plans for his work, and in the year
last named he removed from his farm into the village of Sinking
Spring, where within a short time he embarked in a mercantile
business, dealing in flour, feed and grain, both wholesale and
retail. He carried on that business throughout his active career,
meeting with excellent success, for he displayed the same ability
in the management of his business ventures as he did in his
previous undertakings. He never lost his interest in educational
affairs and the public school system, and served four successive
terms as school director. He was an active member of the Sinking
Spring Reformed Church, of which he served as treasurer, for a
period of thirty years. He also served as township tax collector
for a number of years.

In the year 1863 Mr. Krick married Lucy J.
Reber, born April 13, 1844, daughter of Benneville B. Reber (son of
Conrad) and Sarah V. R. (High), daughter William and Catharine (Van
Reed) High. Six children blessed their union, viz.: William F.,
born Oct. 4, 1863, is mentioned below; Daniel B., born March 29,
1865, m. Mary Scheetz and resides at Sinking Spring; Sarah S., born
Oct. 26, 1866, died in infancy; Rev. Thomas H., born Jan. 11, 1868,
is mentioned below; Ida R., born Oct. 11, 1869, lives at home with
her mother; M. Ellen, born Sept. 18, 1871, is the widow of Prof.
Frank P. Miller, of Kutztown. Pa. Mrs. Krick still resides at the
old home in Sinking Spring, where Mr. Krick died March 10, 1904,
aged sixty-seven years, four months, fourteen days. He is buried at
Sinking Spring. Mr. Krick was one of the most respected
representatives of this large and influential family, and he ever
maintained high standing both as a citizen and a business man. For
a number of years he was recognized as the foremost citizen of
Sinking Spring. He was regarded as a man of excellent judgment, and
his advice was sought by a great many people. For a number of years
he was the recognized leader of his political party in the
township. Many a struggling person received help at his hands; more
than one student was assisted in his struggles for advancement by
him. He was frequently asked to write deeds and legal papers for
others and was frequently made the custodian of other people’s
money–people who placed more confidence in him than in banks. He
was often appointed guardian by court for minor children.

William F. Krick, one of the leading citizens of
Sinking Spring of the present day, was born Oct. 4, 1863, on a part
of the old Krick homestead, in Spring township. He obtained his
early education in the public schools of that locality, later
attending at Sinking Spring, and finally, in the spring of 1880,
began a course at the Keystone State Normal School, where he
studied for three terms. He received his first li-cense to teach,
however , when but seventeen years old, from Prof. S. A. Baer, then
county superintendent, and for two terms he taught the Gelsinger’s
school, in his native township. He had been reared to farming in
his earlier years, and always had an inclination for agricultural
work, which he began on his own account at the age of nineteen
years, on a 130-acre tract belonging to his father. He remained on
that place for twelve years, during which time he made distinct
progress in the science of farming as well as in his finan-cial
equipment. In 1894 he was able to purchase a farm in Lower
Heidelberg township, consisting of 141 acres, and he has conducted
this place ever since, improving it constantly according to the
most approved mod-ern methods. He has not confined himself to
farming by any means, but has branched out until his interests now
include a large flour-mill and the controlling share in the Sinking
Spring Electric Light Company, of which latter he is president. His
farm is supplied with all the most improved implements and well
stock-ed, and is considered one of the finest properties in the
township. In 1894 Mr. Krick erected a Swiss barn 118 by 46 feet in
dimensions, and his other out- buildings are on a similar scale and
very substantial.

Mr. Krick resided on his farm until 1902, when
he removed to the village of Sinking Spring, his commercial
interests demanding his constant attention. He put up the building
on Main street in which he established both his home and his
business headquarters, the structure being a substantial brick
three stories high, 48 by 64 feet, and he did business there for
about three years. Meanwhile, however, he had erected the large
Krick Roller Mills, along the south side of the Lebanon Valley
railroad, a three -story structure of brick, 36 by 72 feet, with an
annex 36 by 60 feet, erected in 1904. The mill is a model of its
kind provided with all the latest machinery required for the roller
process, and a high grade of flour is manufactured, Mr. Krick’s
special brands being the “World’s Best” and “Ladies Choice.” The
product finds a ready market throughout the Eastern States, and Mr.
Krick has an extensive local trade in this line, as well as a large
wholesale and retail trade at Reading in the grain, feed and flour
business. He has developed his business to its highest
possibilities, showing what a man of enterprise and adequate
ability may accomplish, and he gives employment to from ten to
fifteen men, also using three teams in the transaction of his
business.

Mr. Krick has displayed his enterprise as much
in the development of an up-to-date public utility as in his
strictly private affairs. The Sinking Spring Electric Company, in
which he is the largest stockholder, is a private concern, but its
workings so affect the public comfort and welfare that the
community has a much deeper interest in its conduct than in the
average commercial venture. This company not only supplies the
light for Sinking Spring, but also for Springmont, Wyomissing,
Shillington and Edison. The excellent service of the plant, and its
efficient management from an industrial as well as a financial
standpoint, are further evidences of Mr. Krick’s powers as a man of
executive force. His personal character is above reproach.

In 1882 Mr. Krick married Clara Y. Hartman,
daughter of the late Amos and Rebecca (Yost) Hartman. Four children
have been born to this union, as follows: Bessie H., who graduated
from the Keystone State Normal School in 1902, is now engaged at
teaching in Sinking Spring; Gertrude H., who also attended the
Keystone State Normal, married Walter Graeff; Bertha H. is in high
school; Charles H., born Oct. 10, 1892, is the fourth of this line
born in October, his father, grandfather and great-grandfather
having been born, like him, in that month, on the same farm in
Spring township. The home of this family is a comfortable dwelling,
supplied with every modern convenience for the well-being of its
occupants. It is surrounded by a large and well-kept lawn, and is
delightfully situated, being one of the pleasant homes in the
village.

Mr. Krick is a prominent member of St. John’s
Reformed Church, of which he has served as deacon for two years,
and which has so many dear associations for the members of this
family. Many of the earlier generations sleep their last sleep in
the graveyard of this old house of worship. Mr. Krick is a Democrat
in his political faith, and in social connection he is an Odd
Fellow, belonging to Sinking Spring Lodge, No. 660.

Rev. Thomas Henry Krick, a leading minister of
the Reformed Church, now located at Coplay, Lehigh Co., Pa., was
born Jan. 11, 1868, in Spring township, Berks county, on the old
homestead near Sinking Spring, and was five years old when his
parents moved to Sinking Spring, where he attended public school in
the lower and middle stone school building. Later he attended the
Charter Oak Academy, taught by Thomas J. Oberlin, in his district,
and in the spring of 1885 entered the State Normal School at
Kutztown, graduating from that institution in 1887. Through the
efforts of his teacher. Dr. N. C. Schaeffer, and his thirst for
higher education, he decided to take a college course. In 1887-88
he took the college preparatory course at the Normal school, and in
the fall of 1888 matriculated at Franklin and Marshall College, at
Lancaster. Pa., graduating therefrom in 1892. The same year he
entered the Theological Seminary of the Reformed Church at
Lancaster. In 1893 he taught mathematics at the Keystone State
Normal School, and he also engaged in canvassing a few summers
before his graduation from the theological seminary, in 1895. He
had been licensed as a public school teacher when but sixteen years
old, by Prof. D. S. Keck. During his college course he specialized
in mathematics, in which he is a master. One of his classmates
expressed the opinion that had he chosen to continue his studies in
mathematics there is no doubt at all that he would have filled a
chair in mathematics in one of the higher institutions of learning.
He also took a very active interest in college athletics, playing
on the foot-ball team as right tackle for five years. He is six
feet and a half inch in height, and built proportionately, and he
was generally known as the “impregnable stone wall.” The college
team saw the “golden age” of its athletic glories during his
attendance, defeating nearly all the other college foot-ball teams
that they played. Mr. Krick was manager of the team for one year.

On May 22, 1895, Thomas H. Krick was licensed by
the Lebanon Classis of the Reformed Church, and on July 7, 1895, he
was ordained by a committee of the East Pennsylvania Classis, at
Jacobs Reformed Church, Weissport, Pa., which charge he served with
high merit for the period of six years. During this time he raised
a debt of $1,500 on the church property within one year, remodeled
the basement of the church, increased the membership greatly, and
the collections for benevolent purposes were increased threefold.

In August, 1901, he accepted a call from the
Coplay charge, which is in the cement regions of the Lehigh valley.
It consists of three churches. Trinity Reformed at Coplay, St.
John’s at Mickleys and St. John’s at Fullerton. During the seven
years of Mr. Krick’s incumbency the membership at Coplay has been
increased from 120 to 400, and in 1907 the congregation erected one
of the finest parsonages belonging to the Reformed Church. At
Mickley’s a new Sunday school room was added through his efforts,
and in 1902 he organized the Fullerton congregation, which now has
a membership of 225.

Mr. Krick is a leading and active member of the
Classis of the Reformed Church of the United States, highly
esteemed by his brethren for his efficient work, high character and
pleasant disposition. He is secretary of the Spiritual Conference
of Ministers and Laymen of the Reformed Church. In 1908 he was
elected president of the Lehigh Valley Ministerial Association. He
was a delegate in 1899 to the General Synod of the Reformed Church
of the United States, which met at Tiffin, Ohio, and in 1908 at
York, Pa. He was delegate to the District Synod which met at
Bethlehem, twice to the Synod when it met at Lancaster and delegate
to its meetings at Sunbury, Perkasie, Lebanon and Reading. In 1898
he was president of the East Pennsylvania Classis. His executive
ability and skill as an organizer are generally recognized, and he
is as highly regarded in his own congregations as he is in other
relations. He is a forceful and eloquent preacher, officiating in
two languages, and ably proclaims the Word to whose spread he has
devoted his life.

For a number of years Mr. Krick took a deep and
active interest in the history and genealogy of his own and other
families, and in 1907 founded the Krick Family Reunion, which in
1908 held its second reunion on the ancestral acres and was largely
attended. He traces his genealogy through the following families:
Hoch, Van Reed, Hottenstein, Yost, Herbein, Reber, Bright,
Kershner, Bohn, Slegel, Kissinger, Womerin, Spohn and Krick. He has
given considerable time to research on most of these families.

On Nov. 21, 1895, Rev. Mr. Krick was united in
marriage with Jennie P. Hain, daughter of Peter L. and Sue L.
(Oberholtzer) Hain, of Heidelberg township, and a descendant of
George Hain (Hohn), who granted the land upon which is erected the
Hains Reformed Church. To Mr. and Mrs. Krick have been born two
daughters: Marie H., born July 21, 1898: and Ruth H., born May 12,
1901. Mrs. Krick is an ideal minister’s wife and is prominently
identified with every phase of church work.

Richard B. Krick, a retired citizen of Sinking
Spring, was born Feb. 1, 1835, on the original homestead of Frantz
Crick, in what is now Spring township, son of Jacob Krick (son of
Francis (3) ). He began his education in the pay schools which were
then in vogue in his district, attending the old pay school held in
the eight-cornered school house which is so fully written up in the
archives of the Berks County Historical Society, he having supplied
the major part of the information for the article mentioned. Later,
when the free schools were established, he attended them for two or
three months during the winter for a few years. Much of his
education, however, has been selfacquired, and he has read and
observed with intelligence all his long life.

Mr. Krick was reared on the homestead, where he
worked until he was thirty years old, and in the spring of 1866 he
began farming on his own account in Spring township, where he
continued agricultural pursuits successfully for twenty years. He
built the present house on this farm which he still owns, in about
1874, and had previously put up the barn, in 1868. This place was
originally a Rollman tract. It comprises ninety-seven acres, and is
one of the best farms in the valley. In 1887 he retired to the
small tract at Sinking Spring where he has since made his home.

Mr. Krick is a veteran of the Civil war, having
enlisted at Reading Oct. 27, 1862, for a period of nine months. He
actually served, however, but fifteen days less than a year, being
mustered out Aug. 12, 1863, as sergeant of Company E, 167th Pa. V.
I. He saw active service at the battle of the Deserted Farm (where
his colonel was mortally wounded) and was on picket duty when they
fought at Carrsville, Virginia.

Mr. Krick is a Democrat in political opinion and
has been somewhat active in local affairs, having served nine
consecutive years as school director of Spring township and
meantime acted as president of the board; he was also auditor of
the district for a num-ber of years. He is much respected in his
district, and has always been known as a good citizen. In spite of
his advanced age his mind is clear and he is well preserved in
every way.

On Oct. 27, 1859, Mr. Krick married Emma Bickel,
daughter of William and Elizabeth (Miller) Bickel, of Reading. She
died Dec. 17, 1908, aged seventy years, eight days, and rests in
the family plot at Sinking Spring. To Mr. and Mrs. Krick were born
three children: Albert died when one year old. Lizzie S., born in
1861, married Miller Evans, of Reading, and died in 1902, the
mother of six children, Annie (deceased), Emma, John, Richard,
Fred, and Frank (the last named deceased). Jacob B. is mentioned
below.

Mr. Krick and his family are members of St.
John’s Reformed Church at Sinking Spring, of which he served as
trustee for three years, deacon for some years, and elder two
years. He has always been active in the work and enterprises of the
church, and is a director of the Sinking Spring Union Cemetery
Company. He is a member of Castle No. 334, K. G. E., of Sinking
Spring, and has been treasurer since its organization in 1889. He
is also active in the Krick Family Reunion Association, and in 1908
made the welcome address at the annual gathering. He has a
resourceful mind, and was of great assistance to the historian of
the Reunion Association, and also of this volume.

Jacob B. Krick, son of Richard B., was born in
Spring township, June 23, 1867, and was educated in the local
public schools and Charter Oak Academy, as well as the select
school known as Carroll Institute on North Fourth street, Reading,
then under the care of Prof. Patrick Carroll. Later he entered
Lafayette College, but he left that institution to accept a
responsible position with the Enterprise Manufacturing Company, of
Philadelphia, in whose service he has been since 1889. The company
employs 750 men. Mr. Krick is a member of the Order of Independent
Americans. He is unmarried.

Henry B. Krick was born in Spring township,
Berks county, Jan. 16, 1839, son of Daniel and Susan (Bohn) Krick,
and died Aug. 3, 1906, and is buried at Sinking Spring. He was
reared to farm life, and soon after his marriage began farming near
Sinking Spring, where he lived many years. He later moved to a
tract along the pike a half mile above Sinking Spring, where he
lived retired until his death. His farm consisted of about 150
acres, and belonged to his father. The Henry B. Krick residence is
now the property of Robert Lance.

Mr. Krick was a Democrat in politics, and held
the office of school director. During the Civil war he served as a
soldier and contracted rheumatism, from which he suffered all the
rest of his life, and which in fact caused his retirement from
active work quite early in life. He was prominent and influential
in his community, and was highly esteemed by all.

Mr. Krick married Catharine Smith, daughter of
Daniel and Annie (Funk) Smith, of near Denver, Lancaster county.
She died Dec. 5, 1901, in the sixty-first year of her age. Five
children blessed this union: Daniel, who died in infancy; Anna S.,
residing at West Reading; Stephen, who died in infancy; Daisy, who
resides at No. 521 Weiser street, Reading; and Laura, who died in
infancy.

KRICK, HENRY
B.

p. 630

Surnames: KRICK, BOHN, LANCE, SMITH, FUNK

Henry B. Krick was born in Spring township, Berks county, Jan. 16,
1839, son of Daniel and Susan (Bohn) Krick, and died Aug. 3, 1906,
and is buried at Sinking Spring. He was reared to farm life, and
soon after his marriage began farming near Sinking Spring, where he
lived many years. He later moved to a tract along the pike a half
mile above Sinking Spring, where he lived retired until his death.
His farm consisted of about 150 acres, and belonged to his father.
The Henry B. Krick residence is now the property of Robert Lance.

KRICK, JAMES
M.

p. 1143

Surnames: KRICK, MOYER, LEVAN, WELDY, FINEFROCK, SNYDER

James M. Krick, a well known resident of the Twelfth ward of
Reading, who is one of the old and trusted engineers on the
Philadelphia & Reading railroad, was born Jan. 24, 1850, in
Reading, Pa., son of Abraham and Mary (Moyer) Krick, and grandson
of Adam Krick.

Adam Krick, who was a native of Berks county,
was a prominent man of his day, and kept a hotel near the city of
Reading. He and his wife had these children: William, John, Peter,
Abraham, Maria, Ellen and Hannah.

Abraham Krick, son of Adam, was born in Berks
county, and for many years followed the milling business near
Bernville, his property being known as Krick’s Mill. Mr. Krick died
in Reading at the age of sixty-three years, and his wife, whose
maiden name was Mary Moyer, died in her sixty-first year. Their
children were: Henry, Franklin, Levan, James M., Abraham, Jr.,
Adam, Mary (m. Harry Levan) and Ellen.

James M. Krick attended the schools of Jefferson
township, Berks county, and came to Reading in 1865, spending the
first eighteen months of his stay here in a mill. For two years he
was a bar clerk, and on May 3, 1871, he entered the employ of the
Philadelphia & Reading Railway Company, as brakeman, a capacity
in which he served for nine years. He was then promoted to fireman,
and after six years to the position of engineer, in which he has
continued to the present time, having the full confidence of his
employers.

In 1874 Mr. Krick was married to Hannah Weldy,
daughter of John C. and Maria (Finefrock) Weldy, and to them were
born: Charles, a railway postal clerk on the Pennsylvania Railroad;
Emma, m. to Winfield Edmund Snyder, a clerk in the Keystone
National Bank, Reading; and John, a railway mail clerk, who resides
at home.

In political matters Mr. Krick is independent.
He is a member and liberal supporter of the Lutheran Church and is
also connected with the Philadelphia & Reading Relief
Association. Mr. Krick’s residence is at No. 615 North Ninth
street, Reading.

KRICK, JOEL
H.

p. 529

Surnames: KRICK, HINNERSHITZ, REBER, LEAS, SHRUMP, WHITMOYER,
KISSINGER, WEIDNER, ENGLEHART, MERRITT, GETZ

Joel H. Krick, the well-known proprietor of the “West End Hotel,”
one of the popular hostelries of Reading, located at the corner of
Schuylkill avenue and Buttonwood street, was born in Reading, Dec.
4, 1861, son of Levi J. R. and Mary (Hinnershitz) Krick, and
grandson of Peter Krick.

Peter Krick was a native of Heidelberg township,
Berks county, and was a well-known boat-builder in the days when
the Schuylkill canal was one of the principal means of
transportation in this section of Pennsylvania. He followed his
vocation for many years at the foot of Buttonwood street, Reading,
where his boat-building yard was located, and became very
successful. Mr. Krick married Susan Reber, of Berks county, and she
bore her husband these children: William R., Joel R., Adam R., Levi
J. R., Peter R., Emma (m. William Leas) and Catherine. Mr. Krick
was very liberal in his religious views, but was kind and
charitable, and few indeed were the subscriptions for a worthy
cause that did not bear his name. In politics he was a stanch
Democrat, but he never cared for, nor sought, public office.

Levi J. R. Krick learned boat-building under the
skilled tuition of his father, following that occupation for many
years. In 1887 he turned his attention to the hotel business,
following that occupation until his death in 1905, at the age of
sixty-six years. He was known for his many sterling traits of
character, and was ever liberal to those in need. The children born
to Levi J. R. Krick and his wife were: Joel H., Peter M., Annie (m.
Harry Shrump, deceased), Emma (m. Daniel Whitmoyer, deceased), Mary
(deceased, m. Harvey Kissinger) and Rebecca (deceased). In
religious belief the family were connected with the Reformed
Church. He was a loyal Democrat, and was elected to fill positions
of honor and trust, serving in both the common and select councils,
and at one time being market commissioner. He was a letter carrier
during President Cleveland’s first term. He was connected with
several fraternal organizations, and was a member of the Junior
Fire Company. Mrs. Krick died in 1891, aged about forty-eight
years.

Joel H. Krick received his education in the
public schools of Reading, and when a boy worked in the boat yard
which had been founded by his grandfather. Learning the trade of
boat builder with his father, he followed this occupation for some
time, and in 1885 was appointed under Mayor Getz, a member of the
Reading Police Force, continuing as a member until 1887. During
Mayor Merritt’s administration Mr. Krick was again appointed to
that position, 1890-1893, and upon the expiration of this term he
entered the employ of his father in the hotel, in which he has
since continued. In 1897 he was elected a member of the board of
prison inspectors for Berks county, serving nine years, and for
seven years was president thereof. He was elected by the fireman of
the 2nd district as assistant chief of the Reading Fire Department,
serving three years. Mr. Krick has always been a stanch Democrat,
and has always been a valuable party man in the sixth ward. He has
been a delegate to various county and State conventions. On Nov. 3,
1908, by a large majority Mr. Krick was elected a director of the
poor of Berks county, for a term of three years. He is very popular
fraternally, holding membership in the following orders: I. O. O.
F.; Fraternal Order of Eagles; P. O. S. of A.; the Independent Gun
Club; the Eagles Mountain Home Association; the Harmonie
Association; and the Schuylkill Fire Company. He was a member of
the Junior Fire Company for twenty years, but resigned to join the
Schuylkill Fire Company in 1901. He is also connected with the
Northwestern Beneficial Association. In religion Mr. Krick is
connected with the Reformed Church.

In 1886 Mr. Krick married Rosa Weidner, and to
this union were born five children, four of whom are living, as
follows James, Joel, Jr., Maud (who married Edward Englehart, is
living at No. 252 W. Buttonwood Av., and is the mother of Joel
Henry) and Esther.

KRICK, JOHN
I.

p. 1488

Surnames: KRICK, HAIN, KERLIN, BECHTEL, SELTZER, BICKEL, FINCHER,
ECKERT, FRITZ, GAUL, NUNNEMACHER, YOCUM

John I. Krick, of Lower Heidelberg township, Berks county,
pleasantly located on an excellent farm, was born on his present
property, June 4, 1862, son of William B. and Anna (Hain) Krick.

Jacob Krick, the grandfather of John I., was a
son of Francis Krick, who married a Miss Kerlin, and was a farmer
of Spring township. He married Catherine Bechtel, daughter of
Richard Bechtel, of Cumru township, and they had eight children:
William B.; Mary m. Daniel Seltzer; Jacob m. Sarah Seltzer; Richard
m. Emma Bickel; Francis m. Elizabeth Fincher; Sarah; Hannah; and
Susan m. Jacob Eckert.

William B. Krick, father of John I., was a
farmer, brought up in Spring township, who moved to Lower
Heidelberg township in 1860, locating on the farm now owned by his
son, John I., where he carried on agricultural pursuits until his
retirement in 1901. He died in 1906, at the age of seventy-six
years. William B. Krick married Anna Hain, daughter of Daniel Hain,
of Lower Heidelberg township, and to them were born three children:
Daniel, m. to Rebecca Fritz; John I.; and Mary, m. to Frederick
Gaul.

John I. Krick was educated in the township
school, and was reared to the life of a farmer until he was twenty
years of age, at which time he entered the employ of the
Philadelphia & Reading Railroad, and later the Lebanon Valley
Railroad, where he continued for the next ten years. Returning to
the home place, he assisted his father for three years, and then
leased the farm. He carried it on under the lease until 1901, at
which time he purchased it. He has since conducted it very
successfully, and makes a specialty of dairy farming, supplying
milk daily to numerous customers at Reading.

Mr. Krick was married to Mary E. Nunnemacher,
daughter of Levi B. and Elizabeth (Fritz) Nunnemacher, and sister
of John Nunnemacher, who married Sallie Yocum. Mr. and Mrs. Krick
have had three sons: Harry, Clayton and Willie.

KRICK,
RICHARD B.

p. 630

Surnames: KRICK, CRICK, BICKEL, MILLER, EVANS, CARROLL

Richard B. Krick, a retired citizen of Sinking Spring, was born
Feb. 1, 1835, on the original homestead of Frantz Crick, in what is
now Spring township, son of Jacob Krick (son of Francis (3)). He
began his education in the pay schools which were then in vogue in
his district, attending the old pay school held in the
eight-cornered school-house which is so fully written up in the
archives of the Berks County Historical Society, he having supplied
the major part of the information for the article mentioned. Later,
when the free schools were established, he attended them for two or
three months during winter for a few years. Much of his education,
however, has been self-acquired, and he has read and observed with
intelligence all his long life.

Mr. Krick was reared on the homestead, where he
worked until he was thirty years old, and in the spring of 1866 he
began farming on his own account in Spring township, where he
continued agricultural pursuits successfully for twenty years. He
built the present house on this farm which he still owns, in about
1874, and had previously put up the barn, in 1868. This place was
originally a Rollman tract. It comprises ninety-seven acres, and
one of the best farms in the valley. In 1887 he retired to the
small tract at Sinking Spring where he has since made his home.

Mr. Krick is a Democrat in political opinion and
served nine consecutive years as school director of Spring township
and meantime acted as president of the board; he was also auditor
of the district for a number of years. He is much respected in his
district, and has always been known as a good citizen. In spite of
his advanced age his mind is clear and he is well preserved in
every way.

KRICK, WELLINGTON B.

p.
792

Surnames: KRICK, BARNES, BELLMAN, GRING, LENGEL, BAER, HAIN,
CLYMAN, MOYER, HASSLER, BISSINGER, BROWNMILLER, YODER, SHEPP

Wellington B. Krick, wholesale liquor dealer of Reading, and until
recently the proprietor of the Bissinger Cafe, the best appointed
and most popular cafe in Reading, was born Sept. 10, 1858, in
Sinking Spring, Berks county, son of John and Elizabeth (Barnes)
Krick. Frantz Krick, the great-grandfather of Wellington B. Krick,
on coming to America settled in Berks county, Pa., and his land has
now been in the family for two hundred years. Peter Krick, son of
Frantz, married and lived in Berks county. His son, John, father of
Wellington B., was born in Spring township, and died in Reading, in
1901, aged sixty-seven years. He was a miller by trade. He married
Elizabeth Barnes, born at Adamstown, who died aged seventy years,
eighteen days before her husband. A sister of hers still survives,
aged eighty-eight years. The children of John and Elizabeth Krick
were nine in number, the survivors being as follows: Mary m. Joseph
Bellman, of Reading; Rosie m. Charles Gring, of Camden, N. J.,
owner of tugboats and barges on the Delaware river; Ellen m. Edwin
Lengel, a machinist of Reading; Hannah m. Daniel Baer, a farmer of
Berks county; Wellington B. is mentioned below. The deceased
children were Francis, who died in infancy; George, who died aged
eight years; Henry, who was accidentally killed while crossing
railroad tracks, just seven weeks after his marriage, aged thirty
years; and Sallie, who died aged ten years.

Wellington B. Krick attended the public schools
until he was nine years old, at that age going on a farm, where he
continued to work until he was twelve. His father then moved to
Birdsboro and the lad found work in the Brooke nail factory, where
he remained two years. He was then employed by George W. Hain, in a
grocery business, for a year, after which he spent a year on a farm
in Muhlenberg township. His next employer was William Clyman, with
whom he remained for two and a half years, and then he went back to
farming, working seven years for Thomas Moyer.

Mr. Krick came to Reading Jan. 13, 1879, and for
thirteen months and two weeks worked with Augustus Hassler, as a
waiter in a restaurant at the Washington Library, Penn street,
entering the employ of Capt. Philip Bissinger Feb. 22, 1880. He
remained with this employer for sixteen years, during the last four
years of which period he was the superintendent of the restaurant.
On Jan. 1, 1895, he became proprietor of this popular cafe, having
the largest business of the kind in the city. His patrons averaged
eight hundred daily, and there are accommodations for 1,200. His
long experience made him a fine caterer, and his services were in
request on all festive occasions in the city during his connection
with the restaurant business. In 1908 he sold the cafe to Aaron
Brownmiller for $107,000 and he is now devoting his attention to
the wholesale liquor trade, having bought out William C. Yoder. His
place of business is at No. 635 Penn street, Reading.

Mr. Krick married April 6, 1886, Emma S. Shepp,
the estimable daughter of John Shepp, a farmer living north of
Reading. They have had four children, namely: Elnora died aged nine
years; Philip died aged five years; George died aged thirteen
months; Estella, a graduate of the Reading high school, class of
1908, who spent one year at the National Park Seminary, Forest
Glen, Washington, D. C., is now her father’s valued assistant,
looking after the books, and in other ways proving herself a
capable business woman. The family home is at No. 109 North Fourth
street.

Mr. Krick is a member of the Masonic fraternity,
in which he has reached the thirty-second degree; he belongs to
Teutonia Blue Lodge, No. 367; Excelsior Chapter, No. 42; Harrisburg
Commandery, K. T.; the Consistory; the Scottish Rite; and Rajah
Temple, Mystic Shrine. For twenty-eight years he has been a member
of Camp No. 61, P. O. S. of A., which is the oldest P. O. S. of A.
Camp in the State and the only one which did not disband during the
war of the Rebellion. He also belongs to the I. O. O. F., besides
which he is a valued member of the Reading Press Club and the
Reading Board of Trade. He is interested in the Southwestern
Electric Railway Company, of which he is a director, and he is also
a director of the Murphy-Parker Company, book-binders of
Philadelphia.

In politics Mr. Krick is a Republican, but he
has always declined office of a political nature. He is a member of
the Second Reformed Church of Alsace, and is a very liberal
supporter of all its various benevolent enterprises.

No resident and few visitors to Reading were
ignorant of the really fine accommodations offered at the Bissinger
Cafe during Mr. Krick’s proprietorship, and in this connection he
was best known. He gave regular employment to thirty people, his
patronage came from the most fastidious citizens of both sexes, and
the appointments and comforts of the establishment compare
favorably with those of much larger cities. Mr. Krick was a
careful, solicitous and genial host. In this connection he
naturally made an unusually wide circle of acquaintances, but aside
from any popularity due to his prominence in this line he has been
one of the best and most favorably known men in his section of
Pennsylvania for years. His standing is unquestioned and well
deserved.

KRICK,
WILLIAM R.

p. 1366

Surnames: KRICK, REBER, FISHER, REEDY, LASH, HINNERSHITZ, YOUNG,
ADAMS, LEAS, RIEGEL, RICKENBACH, BUSHONG, LEINBACH, NOECKER,
FRYMOYER, HUMMA, LESSIG

William R. Krick, an influential citizen of Reading, Pa., who is
well known among hotel men of the city as proprietor of the
“Fifteenth Ward Hotel,” was born in Reading, June 2, 1840, son of
Peter and Susanna (Reber) Krick.

Adam Krick, the grandfather of William R., was
born June 22, 1792, and died April 5, 1857, aged sixty-four years,
nine months, fourteen days, being buried at Sinking Spring Church,
of which he was a Reformed member, as well as chorister. He was an
early school teacher of Berks county, was later the proprietor of a
hotel in West Reading, which he himself erected, and was a well
known and highly esteemed citizen of his day. On Nov. 30, 1811, he
was married to Catherine Fisher, and they spent a married life of
forty-five years, four months and five days. Their children were as
follows: William; Peter, John; Maria; Susan; Abraham; and Rebecca,
who married John Reedy, who died at Sinking Spring in 1906, in the
ninety-fourth year of his age.

Peter Krick, the father of William R., was born
in 1813, and died in 1872, being buried at the Charles Evans
cemetery. In 1837 he came to Reading borough, locating in Northwest
Ward, and there he became a tradesman and boat-builder for the
Union and Schuylkill canals. He married Susanna Reber, daughter of
Nathan Reber (1780-1844) and his wife Susanna Lash, born in 1783,
and to this union there were born children as follows Catherine
Anna, born in 1837, died single: Levi J., born in 1839, married
Mary Ann Hinnershitz, and they had five children,—Joel, Anna,
Emma, Monroe and Mary; William R.; Ellenora, born in 1841, who died
young; Joel, born in 1844, who married Sarah Young; Adam, born in
1846, who married Ella Adams; Ella, born in 1847, who married
William Leas; Peter, who married Mary Riegel; and Catherine, twin
of Peter, who died aged thirteen years.

William R. Krick has been a resident of the city
of Reading all of his life, with the exception of ten years when he
was engaged in the boat building business with James Rickenbach at
Leesport. For six years he was employed at Barbey’s Brewery, and at
different times worked at Jacob Bushong’s paper mill. For some time
he was engaged in hauling for the city and private individuals,
having as many as nine horses and carts, and he is still engaged in
this business to some extent, having three horses and carts. On
Nov. 1, 1900, he engaged in the hotel business, which he has
continued to the present time, and in addition to his hotel
property, he owns a dwelling and two building lots in the Sixth
Ward and one dwelling in the Fifteenth Ward. He is a member of the
Junior Fire Company, with which he has been connected since
reaching his majority, and he is a charter member of the Schuylkill
Fire Company, as was his brother, Levi, who is now deceased. He is
connected with the Veteran Fireman’s Association, the Harmony Club,
Nursery Literary Association, and Democratic Club.

In 1859 Mr. Krick was married to Catherine
Leinbach who died in 1896 and who was the daughter of Joshua
Leinbach and Hannah Noecker, and to this union there were born
seven children: Adam; Harvey; Laura, who married Daniel Frymoyer;
Ella, who married Henry Humma; Alice, who married Moses Lessig;
Albert, and Peter.

Mr. Krick belongs to Zion Reformed Church,
Reading.

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