The Kryder Family

The ancestors of the Kryder family of Henry County, Ohio, can be traced to the German-French border province of Alsace. The immediate, direct ancestor is Jhon Kryder (b. 1739, d. March 10, 1813), a shoemaker by trade.

During the French and Indian War (known in Europe as the Seven Years' War) John Kryder, a man in his early 20's, went to sea on the ship Wanders Chaff-. After a time at sea he enlisted with the French in the conflict and came to America. Being taken prisoner by the English colonists in the New World, he volunteered into their ranks and soon marched with an army to the Great Lakes.

When peace was arranged between the French and the English (including the English colonies in America) in 1763, Kryder returned to Philadelphia and from there to the Cumberland Valley of Pennsylvania.

In due time John Kryder met a Redemptorist (indentured servant) named Angelina Fox. She along with a brother who was also a Redemptorist, had come to Pennsylvania from Germany. After finishing her years of servitude with a distiller near Reading, Pennsylvania, Angelina went to work for a farmer in the Cumberland Valley (now Union County). It was here that she and John Kryder met.

The house in which the couple began their home was quite primitive in its construction. The floor was "mother earth," the rafters of trimmed saplings, the walls of logs and the roof of clapboards. For a door to keep out the central Pennsylvania cold, mauraders, and other dangers there was just split logs crudely fashioned together. The windows were of greased paper which allowed a bit of the sun's glow into their home.

The second of the 5 children who were eventually born to this couple was named John (b. August 9, 1786, d. October 31, 1828) like his father. This John Kryder was married to Anna Staarm (b. November 27, 1773, d. January 27, 1831) of Stark County, Ohio, in 1791. This union was blessed with 10 children.

The sixth of the children of John and Anna Staarm Kryder was Michael (b. February 2, 1802, d. December 2, 1879). Michael lived for a time in Summit County, Ohio, before moving to Henry County in 1853.

Life in the mid-19th century was difficult and was often marked by premature deaths. Such was the case with the Kryder family. Michael was married 3 times. These unions produced a total of 12 children, but only 8 lived to maturity.

On November 23, 1826, Michael married Elizabeth Lininger (b. 1804, d. May 27, 1849). There were 7 children born to this couple before Elizabeth's death. The following year on July 18, Michael took a new bride, Sarah B. Hankins (Hawkins) (b. March 14, 1832, d. March 1, 1861) of Stark County. With his 18 year old bride, Michael made plans to "go West." In 1853, with some of their children (others being left with relatives back in Summit County) the Kryders moved to Henry County. Eventually 4 children were born to Michael and his second wife. However, only one, Edwin (b. January 29, 1852, d. August, 1921) lived to maturity. The others died as infants or as young children.

On January 18, 1863, his second wife having died 2 years earlier, Michael Kryder, now a blacksmith and innkeeper plying his trades from the HALF-WAY HOUSE, a stage coach stop and inn between Ridgeville Corners and Napoleon, married his third wife. Catherine Beard Brooker (Boohrer) (b. September 11, 1814, d. August 6, 1890) had been previously married and brought some of her own children to the family home.

Grandfather George Kryder and wife Elizabeth, George E. Kryder and wife Gertrude and 5 children.

The fourth of the children born to Michael by his first wife Elizabeth Lininger was George (b. April 25, 1834, d. November 13, 1925). He was born in Franklin Township, Summit County, Ohio, prior to the family's moved to Henry County. At age 23, only 4 years after the family moved to Henry County, (November 29, 1857) George married Elizabeth Sweetland (b. July 20, 1837, d. November 13, 1940) of Huron County.

With 2 young children at home in Chicago Junction, Ohio, on November 20, 1861, George left to volunteer in the Union Army as the Civil War had just begun. The shots that were fired upon Ft. Sumner which began the War were felt in every city, large or small, throughout the now-divided nation. From his vantage point with the 3rd Ohio Cavalry George sent back his observations about life in an army camp, in battle and as a part of the Reconstruction forces in the South. These letters, including a description of the capture of the Confederacy's President, Jefferson Davis, are now held by one of George Kryder's granddaughters, Mrs. Emma Kryder Hoffman of Damascus Township.

Following participation in a number of the battles of the war, including Stone River, Shelbyville, Shiloh, and Chickamauga, George was mustered out of the GAR. The influence of the South however could not be erased by a simple military order and throughout the remainder of his life, George held a close attachment to post-War Dixie. On numerous occasions late in his life he traveled by train to Florida and Alabama for winter visits.

On July 4, 1876, George oversaw the planting by his daughter Alice of an oak tree to commemorate the 100th birthday of the United States. The CENTENNIAL OAK stands today, a giant of beauty and majesty with a circumference of 15 feet. In the shadow of the CENTENNIAL OAK is the brick house, built in the style of Southern architecture, which George built for the family in 1883. The brick for it was made near Weaver's Landing (County Road 7 and U.S. 110) and brought to the building site by bobsled.

George and Elizabeth Sweetland Kryder were parents to a total of 8 children, including 2 whom they adopted. Of the 8, one died at infancy, another as a very small baby and a third at only 5 years of age.

Lillie G. (b. March 18, 1858, d. March 21, 1922) one of the adopted children, married Thomas Jacklin of Kansas. Mary E. (b. October 1, 1860, d. September 25, 1943) moved to Corvallis, Oregon, with her husband John Watts. Alice M. (b. January 23, 1869, d. May 6, 1891) married a Joseph Gordon. John G. (b. July 4, 1881, d. ?) another adopted child, married an Emma Dumas, but no further record of this family is available.

George Elmer Kryder (b. February 10, 1872, d. November 13, 1953) is the father of the portion of the Kryder family that lives in or proceeds from Henry County, Ohio.

On March 31, 1897, Gertrude M. Hartman (b. November 22, 1871, d. April 21, 1956) and George E. Kryder were united in marriage. Gertrude was the daughter of Daniel and Melissa Gardner Hartman of Napoleon. Their marriage was blessed with 5 children.

George E. Kryder was known to many as a powerful political figure in Ohio circles. He served 3 terms in the Ohio Senate of the General Assembly including one term as President Pro Tern and leader of the Republican Caucus. After defeat for a primary bid in the U.S. Congressional race, Senator Kryder, continued to serve the public in the Departments of Agriculture at both the state and national levels.

During his active life, George E. Kryder also built up, in Damascus Township, near McClure, a large herd of registered Jersey cattle. SHADELAND FARM, as his farm was named, continued in the hands of his son and is now being managed by one of his grandsons, Thomas Albert Kryder.

George E. Kryder

The first of the children born to George and Gertrude Kryder was Florence (b. April 14, 1898). After high school graduation and additional teacher training, Florence taught in several schools in the area including Brush College. While on the staff of the Napoleon Elementary School in 1922-23, she was the only teacher who was not fluent in German. She was hired in part as a move that was current then to break down the use of German in the public school classrooms and schoolyards.

In 1923, on September 1, Florence married Carl Bowers (b. April 15, 1897, d. October 1961) of McClure. The couple had 2 children, Jeanne Louise (b. February 22, 1925, d. June, 1956) and Norman Dale (b. September 23, 1927). On October 16, 1948, Jeanne Louise married Lawernce Henry Fox. She had always been a delicate young lady and died with no children after only 8 years of marriage.

The second child of Carl and Florence Kryder Bowers is Norman. He is currently a professor of education at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. After a B.A. from DePaw University in Green Castle, Indiana, Norman enrolled in a program leading to the granting of the Doctor of Philosophy degree from the University of Minnesota. It was while at U of M that Norman met his wife, the former Mary Watkins (b. February 25, 1925) thedaughter of William and Zoe Durbin Watkins of McClure. Mary is presently professor of education at Northeastern Illinois University in Chicago. She too has a Ph.D. in education from the University of Minnesota. Norman and Mary have 3 daughters, Alice Anne (b. March 26, 1959), Karen Zoe (b. September 21, 1962) and Laura (b. October 19, 1969).

Julian (b. November 27, 1899) is the second child of George and Gertrude Kryder. On June 21, 1931, he married Emilie Freytag (b. February 6, 1907) of Liberty Township. They are parents of 8 children including one who died at infancy and a nephew who has lived with them since he was 16 months old. Their living children are all residing in Henry County.

The oldest, George Julian (b. June 17, 1932) is owner of Kryder Brothers Incorporated, a construction company specializing in asphalt paving. He is married to the former Rita Riggs (b. November 3, 193) of Liberty Township. The couple have 5 children: George Jeffery (b. November 23, 1959); Jill Lee (b. March 19, 1961); Jeanne Marie (b. April 9, 1963); John Alan (b. July 5, 1966); and Joel Nathan (b. April 13, 1970). George and Rita live on their farm in Damascus Township.

Thomas Albert (b. February 12, 1934) is married to the former Laura Lou Hefflinger (b. May 25, 1940) of near Malinta. He manages the Jersey herd which was begun by his grandfather and is engaged in general farming along with his father, Julian. Tom and Laura Lou have 4 children: Virginia Lou (b. September 21, 1960); Anthony Scott (b. December 10, 1961); Carolyn Jo (b. August 27, 1968); and Mary Ann (March 25, 1970).

Daniel William (b. March 21, 1936) and his wife, the former Marlene Kay Anderson (b. May 12, 1937) of Napoleon, have 2 living children; Timothy Daniel (b. June 20, 1959) and Michael William (b. December 14, 1962). One child died as an infant of a few days, Matthew James (b. /d. August 7, 1965).

Dan was co-founder and former partner with his brother George of Kryder Brothers, Incorporated. In 1974 he sold his share of this business and has begun a small engine repair shop at his home east of Grelton on County Road 5-A.

Richard David (b. July 31, 1938) has recently returned to Henry County with his wife, the former Patricia Ann Demme (b. May 6, 1939) of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and their 3 children: Leslie Renee (May 7, 1963); Gregory David (b. March 15, 1966); and Amy Michelle (b. February 9, 1968). Prior to this the Dave Kryder family has lived in various places where Dave has pursued his profession as teacher. Most recently they have lived in Cuenca, Ecuador, South America, where they served in a Christian mission school under the auspices of the World Mission Prayer League of Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Stephen Michael (b. February 24, 1944) married Patricia Moorman (b. September 14, 1946) of Toledo, Ohio, while they were both enrolled at Capital University in Columbus. After a M.A. in history from Ohio University, teaching for a time at West Liberty State College in West Virginia and in a high school in Whitehall, Ohio, Steve and Pat returned to Henry County. Currently they live on Spring Hill Farm in Damascus Township where they engage in specialty farming with fruits and bedding plants. In addition, Steve is Academic Coordinator and social studies teacher at the Four County Joint Vocational School near Archbold. The couple have 2 boys, David Jason (b. October 15, 1970) and Andrew Stephen (b. September 7, 1972).

Philip Martin (b. June 30, 1948) is to be married on August 24, 1975, to Elizabeth Anne Giannone of Santa Barbara, California born Oct. 14, 1951. Lee Ann has just completed a M.A. program in American Studies at Bowling Green State University. Phil has been working at Marathon Oil Company in Findlay since completing a program leading to a B.S. degree in computer science.

Nathan James (b. November 23, 1950, d. November 28, 1950) died at age 5 days.

Judson Paul Sipple (b. January 18, 1957) was raised in the Julian Kryder home as a son. He is the natural child of John Sipple and Marie Freytag (b. March 10, 1917, d. November 5, 1965). Thus Judd is the nephew of Julian and Emilie Kryder. When Judd was 14 months old, his mother was diagnosed as having incurable cancer. She lived on until he was 6 years old. However, Judd came to live in the Kryder home when he was 16 months old, and haslived with them since.

The third child born to George and Gertrude Kryder was Theodore (b. September 10, 1901). For a time Ted lived on and worked a farm in Damascus Township. Later he sold this and worked as a tool and die and pattern maker. Ted was married to the former Margaret Sickmiller of Napoleon. The couple had 6 children.

The oldest of their children is Theodore E. (b. October 1, 1932). In 1953 he was married to the former Margie Bunch (b. November 11, 1928) of Bowling Green, Kentucky. Currently this family lives in Wheaton, Illinois, with their 2 children, Theodore Douglass (b. October 2, 1959) and Marshall Bradley (b. April 16, 1963). Teddy is an airline co-pilot with American Airlines.

Margaret Jane (b. October 1, 1933), the second child born to Theodore and Margaret is married to Richard D. Wachtman (b. December 9, 1932) of Napoleon. This couple now lives in Napoleon Township with their 5 children: Michael D. (b. October 3, 1954); Daniel L. (b. April 17, 1956); Jeffery A. (b. March 31, 1958); Lori J. (b. April 5, 1960); and Susan G. (July 20, 1962). Dick has been employed with several area firms as a diesel mechanic. Jane presently manages the Lady's Shop, a lady's ready to wear store, in Napoleon.

Mary (b. July 3, 1935, d. August, 1944) died of burns that she received as a child at the age of 9 years.

Linda (b. November 10, 1940) is the fourth child born to Theodore and Margaret. On May 7, 1960, Linda married Elmer F. Riefers (b. February 21, 1939) of Napoleon. They live on their farm where Elmer is engaged in general farming. The couple have 3 children: Robert E. (b. November 10, 1961); Kathrine J. (June 2, 1963); and Thomas E. (August 20, 1967).

Patricia (b. April 14, 1943) is the fifth child of Theodore and Margaret. She is married to Peter D. Williams (b. January, 1931). The couple live in Indianapolis, Indiana, where Pete is employed in the Social Security Division of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare. In addition they manage a pet shop in one of Indianapolis' shopping malls. Peter and Pat have no children but 6 of his children by a previous marriage live with them.

Charles E. (b. December 27, 1947) isthe youngest son of Theodore and Margaret. He is married to the former Marian Goatee (b. December 22, 1949) of Indianapolis. The couple have 1 child, Teresa M. (b. November 23, 1974) and live in Indianapolis where Chuck is employed as a custodian with the public school system.

The fourth child of George and Gertrude Kryder is Annabel (May 6, 1905). She attended Ohio State University until her marriage to Harold Cook of Maplewood, Ohio, on November 8, 1926. The oldest child born to this couple is Rosemary (April 6, 1929) who wedded Charles Tracy Atkinson. Three children were born to this couple. The children's names are Arrienne (b. March 10, 1953), Aimee (b. January 21, 1955), and Ethan Jonathan (b. April 28, 1959). Recently Rosemary has remarried to Perry Vienot.

Harold Allen (b. March 4, 1945) is the younger of the Cook children. He is an electronic engineer with the Naval Ordnance Laboratories and lives in Silver Spring, Maryland. "Sonny," as Harold, Jr. is known within the family, is a graduate of Rensselaer Poly-technical Institute and has an advanced degree in his field. Presently Harold and Annabel live in Indian Harbor Beach, Florida.

The youngest child of George and Gertrude Kryder is Emma (b. August 1, 1907). After high school, Emma attended Bowling Green State Normal College (now Bowling Green State University) and taught for a time before her marriage to Richard Hoffman (b. April 1, 1892) of Cincinnati, Ohio. The couple lived in Springfield and Cincinnati while Dick worked with General Motors Corporation. Later they moved to their Damascus Township farm located just south of the Maumee River on the South Turkey Foot Creek. At this time Dick began to work with the Ohio State Department of Taxation.

The Hoffmans have one child, Gertrude (b. May 9, 1934) who is married to Robert Hogref (b. September 30, 1929) of Napoleon. The Hogrefs have 4 children: Janice (b. April 22, 1958); Marian Sue (b. January 29, 1960); Sandra (b. January 15, 1968); and Theodore (b. August 25, 1971).

Bob and Trudy live in Napoleon near the used auto parts yard and farming operation which Bob manages with his father.

Submitted by the Family