Ammon, who defied his father and went out on his own not to work on the farm, shoe factory or in politics but make his own name in the aviation community. And he did. His deadly crash made international news. There were articles all over the United States, Canada, Europe, and Australia. He was more globally known than his own father. 

Ammon was the first child of Hon. Aaron S. an Elizabeth "Lizzie" Horst Kreider. He was 20 years old when his youngest brother was born (George). Ammon graduated from Lebanon Valley College. He played baseball and was the catcher for the Lebanon Valley College Team in 1907.

In 1909 he married Nettie Susana Ellen Lockaman. The newspaper article's headline states, "Mr. Kreider to Wed Miss Lockaman, of York, the Woman of His Choice." Nettie's parents were Wilhelm Henerich Lockamann and "Cassie" Cassian Anna Krout. Wilhelm was a machinist in York, Pa. His parents both immigrated to the United States from Germany. When his daughter Mary (Nettie's sister) (who moved to Montana) got ill, he and Cassie moved to Montana. When Mary passed away, they came back to York, Pa. William passed away from stomach cancer that was caused by food poisoning.  Cassie's father was a farmer in York. She had 8 other brothers and sisters. After Ammon passed, she married Luther C. Bilter. She lived until 1976. She was 91 years old.

The couple had 2 children. Nettie Margaret and Ammon H. Jr.

N. Margaret married Paul Flemming Kilburn. After this, I could not find a lot of information on her. I know that her husband worked for the government in Hagerstown, MD. However, no information about children.

Ammon Jr. was married twice. His first wife was Jean Lucille Wilhide, they started out in Pittsburgh, Pa. They had 2 children and both were born in Ohio. During his marriage he worked for General Motors in the aircraft plant. They divorced somewhere between 1944 and 1947 and when she remarried, the two girls took her new husband's last name of Tichenor. Ammon Jr. remarried in 1976 to Eve Martell-Smith. They moved to Washington State. At the age of 66, he sadly ended his own life. Per the death certificate, it was due to penetrating handgun wound to the head".

Ammon started working at the A. S. Kreider Shoe Factory in Lebanon in 1910. He and his wife moved to Hagerstown, MD in 1923 to open a shoe manufacturing plant and to entertain his passion with aviation. He joined the Reisner Brothers who owned a small airplane company. Soon, a new company was formed, named Kreider-Reisner Aircraft Company. By 1924 the company had 200 employees. In 1926 the company released their first aircraft named, Midget Lightplane. After the success of this plane, they produced the C-2 & C-6 Challenger. Please go to Kreider-Reisner - Wikipedia if you would like to learn more about their company and the many aircrafts that were made.

In 1929, Ammon tragically passed away in a collision with another plane during an aircraft show in Michigan. Some people that attended the airshow was Henry Ford. One article written states that he shielded his wife's eyes from seeing the crash. This incident made international news. 

Two months after he passed away, his father, Hon. Aaron S. Kreider passed away. In one article, it states that he never got over the death of his son and died of shock. 

I am kinda obsessed with learning about him.

He went to Lebanon Valley prep school. After graduating there, he went to Lebanon Valley College for 2 years and then went to Yale University for 4 years. He majored in manufacturing.

After graduating from Yale, he lived in Michigan working for his father's shoe company, A.S. Kreider Shoe Company. 

While living in Michigan, he met Dorothy Toby (or Tobey) and they married, it was quite shushed, shush, until Robert and Dorothy came back to Pennsylvania. The article in the paper, which I have attached, had some very important people attend the "Wedding Announcement"; US Consul at Maracaibo, Venezuela, Senators from Michigan and Pennsylvania, a professor from Lebanon Valley College, the president of Lebanon Valley College and a few other names, I couldn't find who they were, but the article stated they were prominent people.

Dorothy's parents were Charles Tobey and Jennie Rieves Thorton. She was adopted by John and Mary Hall.

Robert and Dorothy lived a very posh life, traveling to France and Bermuda together. I also found that Dorothy also traveled to Bermuda with the wives and sisters of the Kreider's, on a girls' trip.

In one article, it states that David bought a 7-passenger limousine from The Miller Auto Company.

David was a lieutenant in WWI and came home in 1918. During this time, he and his father used military ships for business and government travel.

Unfortunately, Dorothy died suddenly in 1928. They never had children together.

David threw himself into the new role of President of the A.S. Kreider shoe factory and did not marry again until 1937.

His new wife, Florence Chase, had two children from a previous marriage. David and Florence never had children of their own.

David passed away at an early age of 61.

He had a life of luxury but also tragedy.

There are no history books written. No newspaper articles. No stories of a man falling in love or children born. No. This brief story is of a mother and a father that lost their 3-year-old son. I don't know why. I don't know how. But there he rests at the family plot, pleading to be remembered. 

This biography is a bit more meaningful to me. Why? Because Aaron was my Great Grandfather.  

Aaron Jr was the 3rd children of Aaron and Elizabeth.  

Aaron graduated from Philips Academy and Cornell University. 

1911 – He sailed to Havana Cuba in September that year. 

In 1912 he served in WWI as Chief petty officer in the Navy. When he returned, he was in two car accidents. A man jumped from trolly right in the path of Aaron’s (this was his father’s car, because his car was in an accident, a week before) car. The man’s leg was broken. A week earlier Aaron was driving some politicians from a campaign party, when Aaron lost control of the car, ran into a fence and broke the front axle. No one was hurt.  

In 1913 he traveled to California to scout for buildings for the shoe factory. 

Between 1913 to 1916 Aaron lived in Pittsburgh, where he met Charlotte Eleanor Raymond. They married in Pittsburgh on March 2nd, 1916. The wedding was held at Charlotte’s Aunt’s home, Mrs. Grant Shirk. After the wedding they traveled to Washington D.C., Jacksonville, St. Augustine and Palm Beach. They returned to Hill Farms Mansion where his parents Mr. And Mrs. Honorable Aaron S. Kreider had a reception. The article states it was informal, however, it was described as highly fashionable. There were solos sung by Mrs. Claire Harnish and the Choir from the United Brethren Church, followed by the guests, which was led by Anna E. Kreider (sister to Aaron’s father). 

When guests arrived, they were greeted by Mr. And Mrs. Hon. Aaron S. Kreider, Ammon (brother) and his wife, Mrs. David Robert Kreider (David was away on business for the Shoe Factory. And if you remember, this would have been David’s first wife, Dorothy), Mr. And Mrs. Paul Kreider (brother to Aaron’s father), and then finally the new Mr. And Mrs. Aaron S. Kreider Jr. Charlotte carried a bouquet of pink rose buds and the ladies in the receiving line wore corsages of sweat peas. The parlor room was beautifully decorated with a bower of flowers, palms and ferns. The article then tells of every person that attended. There were 150 guests. Among the guests was W.A. Withers. This gave me chills.  

W.A. Withers’ grandson would one day marry Aaron and Charlotte’s youngest daughter, Charlotte, my grandmother. W.A. Wither’s was the Treasure of A.S. Kreider Shoe Factory in Elizabethtown. 

Charlotte’s parents were Charles W. Raymond and Ida Elizabeth Campbell-Raymond. Charlotte was their only child. (I will go into their lives on a separate day). 

For a short time after the wedding, they remained in Pittsburgh, but later in 1916, Aaron became the manager of the A.S. Kreider Shoe Manufacturing Offices in Philadelphia. Aaron and Charlotte moved to Ventnor City, NJ. I looked up their address on Google maps. They were literally a block away from the beach!  

Aaron and Charlotte had 3 children. Elizabeth, Aaron III and Charlotte (my grandmother). 

Elizabeth. She went to Elizabethtown High School, Shippen School in Lancaster, the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia and graduated from the Marjorie Webster School, Washington, and studied dramatic art under Miss Robinson-Duff in New York. In 1944, she enlisted in WAVES as a Control Tower Operator and Link Trainer Instructor. She joined stating, "I want to do what I can to help bring about the end of the war and Permanent peace, and I have decided this is the best way I can do that.” 

 Elizabeth was married twice. Her first husband was John K. Lineaweaver. They married in El Paso, Tx, as he was stationed in Ft. Bliss in the Anti-Aircraft Battery of the Coast Artillery. The announcement of their wedding was in every paper in Pennsylvania and surrounding states. They were married for a short time from 1943-1945. 

Her second husband was John E. Copenhaver. They married in 1947. He served in the Army before WWII and a salesman for Kelly Cadillac for 19 years. John had a daughter previously marrying Elizabeth. John and Elizabeth had 5 five children.  

Aaron III was born in 1919 and died in 1925. He was 6 years old. He passed away of Spinal Meningitis and the flu. Because he had spinal meningitis, the doctors tried to cure him with an operation, but he passed shortly after.  

Charlotte went to Elizabethtown High School and then attended Duke University and was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority. She met her first husband there, Captain Andrew “Laddie” Gwin Walker Jr, who received a baseball scholarship. At Maury High School, he was the star pitcher. The last time he played for Maury High, he pitched a no-hitter game. 

 Just like her sister, Charlotte, and Laddie’s wedding announcement was in every paper of the day. The couple married in Norfolk, Virginia in January 1942. In the paper it states that the church was decorated with white snapdragons, white gladioli, ferns, palms and cathedral candles. They were to be married in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania, but was changed because Laddie was awaiting orders after his enlistment in the Arm Air Force. After their honeymoon, he left for Tulsa, Oklahoma, to wait for his assignment.  

In June of 1943, he was commended for finishing at the top of his class in flight school at Kelly Field, Texas. After graduating he went to fight in WWII. In 1944, he was listed as Captain for the first time. Laddie was only 23 at the time and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for “extraordinary achievement in aerial flight.” He was stationed in Italy and was a pilot of a B-24 heavy Bomer. The article reads, “On Aug 12, 1944, Capt. Walker participated in an aerial bombing of vital enemy installations in southern France. During the bombing run, a runaway propeller forced Capt. Walker to leave the protection of the formation. To avoid a collision with the trailing airplanes, he dived his aircraft to a lower altitude. During this maneuver, however, another propeller ran away, and the aircraft dropped 10 feet before Capt. Walker and the copilot could pull out of it. With a display of superb airmanship, Capt. Walker piloted the limping aircraft through hundreds of miles and enemy territory in constant danger of enemy interception. The aircraft continued to lose altitude, but through teamwork and excellent skill Capt. Walker brought the crew back to friendly territory and a safe landing.” In a later article, with picture, it shows Laddie standing beside his plane with a hole where one of the enemy bullets hit. The article states that the bullet was 8 feet below the cockpit where Laddie had been sitting.  

I can’t imagine how Charlotte felt. The pride in her husband, but also how terrified she must have felt for him. 

The couple had 4 children. Two of the children were born in Pennsylvania, Andrea (3) and Douglas (1). Laddie was stationed in Tokyo, Japan and Charlotte and their two children would join him in March of 1945. Before Charlotte and the children left, she was the guest of honor at a bon voyage dinner and bridge party at the Brunswick Hotel.  Their third child, Lawrence A. was born in Japan. And their youngest child, Patricia, was born in Elizabethtown. 

A few days before Christmas in 1949, Laddie flew a training mission in Georgia. The B-50 caught on fire a few minutes after taking flight and crashed in a rice field. It is said, by someone that saw the crash, “It looked like the world was on fire”. There were 11 men on board. Sadly, Laddie’s body was never found. 

Charlotte was pregnant at the time. In August of 1950, their youngest daughter, Patricia, was born. Charlotte was desperate and started to dabble in witchcraft, which was encouraged by Laddie’s family. She was told that she would be able to speak to Laddie from the grave. That didn’t last though, as her sister rescued her and led her back to the church, where she devoted the rest of her life.  

In 1951, Charlotte married Lt. William A. Withers. During the war, he had served aboard the destroyer USS Maddox. The Maddox was one of the first U.S. Ships to enter the Korean conflict in support of the United Nations in Korea. The ship was the first vessel to sight and sink an identified Russian-type mine. 

There are two separate and both compelling stories here... about how William and Charlotte met.  

So, William (who was my grandfather), told the story that Charlotte and William both went to Elizabethtown High School. Charlotte was an upper classman and never gave him the time of day. However, he was enamored by her. He always thought she was the most beautiful girl in school. After high school, he enlisted in the Navy and went to war. When he returned in 1951, poor Charlotte had just lost her husband and was a widow with 4 children. Her sister, Elizabeth, trying to get her out of the house, persuaded her to go to a Halloween party. When she entered the place where the party was given, William saw her across the room. He told one of his buddies, "I am going to marry that girl.” He swept her off her feet and they married 2 months later.  

Charlotte and William had two children. William Jr and Pamela J. (my mother). 

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Shock engulfed everyone as the papers reported Charlottes death on Feb 20th, 1920. She had been under the weather and due to being so late in her pregnancy, they thought it better to be under the care of physicians. After she gave birth to Charlotte, her body weak, from giving birth, she took a turn for the worse and 9 days later died of phenomena. Charlotte’s mother, Ida, was with her, when she died.  

With news of her death, Aaron’s mother, brother, Ammon, and sister-in-law Mrs. David Robert Kreider, rushed to their brother’s side in Philadelphia.  

Charlottes’s funeral was conducted at the same place, Hill Farms Mansion, as where they were celebrated in marriage 4 years earlier.  

Aaron now a widow and father to 3 children, one an infant babe (my grandmother), depended greatly on his mother-in-law, Ida along with the Nanny that resided with them since they moved to Ventor City. 

In March of 1923, Aaron’s mother-in-law, Ida, sadly passed away. He had no other choice but to move away from the home he had with Charlotte by the beach and go back to Lebanon to be near family, where he could receive assistance from family to raise his 3 children.  

6 months later, he married Florance E. Langworthy. Florance’s parents were Horace Langworthy and Winona Caruthers-Langworthy.  

In February of 1925, Aaron’s son, Aaron III died suddenly from an operation.  

This is where you see Aaron revert to drinking as he had as a rebellious son. He lost the love of his life, was forced to leave his home in NJ due to his mother-in-law passing, marrying a woman, to help him raise his 3 children and then his only son (at this point), died at a tender age of 6.  

In 1926, Aaron and Florance had a son, his name was Leslie L. Kreider.  

Leslie graduated from Elizabethtown High School and then enlisted in the Air Force, for a short time. He then continued his education at Frankin and Marshall College and Lancaster Theological Seminary where he became a pastor at a few churches, the last being at the Zion United Church of Christ.  He married Hanne “Honey” L. Teufel. They had 3 children. 

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Aaron Jr. would be in several car accidents. The drinking laws were different then. They didn’t have laws against drinking and driving in the 20’s and 30’s. 

In 1929, his brother Ammon and father, Hon. Aaron (Sr.) pass away a month apart from each other. A few months later, he is found speeding and is arrested.  

But in his despair, he still was a lover of his community. He was part of the Crippled Children Charity and dispensed money so the children could be cared for property. 

In the mid 1930’s, after the depression, shoe sales were good and Aaron, now the president of the shoe factory in Elizabethtown, PA, gave every one of his employees a 25-cent raise. This factory, at the time, had 125 employees.  

Drunk again, Aaron is caught trespassing, and the case drags on for years. Finally, after years of litigation, the case is dropped. 

10 years after Aaron’s father passed away, there are still legal battles over his will. The siblings' relationships start to fall away, as they cannot agree on the will, and it is taken to court several times. Finally, in 1940 it was agreed apon that a tract of 25 lots located on South 17th Street to just north of Paxton Street (9 were directly on 17th Street, 8 on Dock Street and 8 on Manada Street) would be put up for auction. 

 And then again, Aaron is arrested again. This time in the article, they finally mention that he is drunk driving, zigzag and sideswiped a car. He was arrested and posted $500 bail. His license was revoked and from that point on, he had a chauffeur for his Lincoln Town Car. 

From the stories I have heard, He was nicknamed, Grumpy, because, well, he was. But he was never cruel. He loved all his children, that is known to be true. And I know that Florance did the best she could, but she knew his heart couldn’t fully be hers and sadly she took it out on Aaron and Charlotte’s children, Elizabeth, Aaron III and Charlotte. To be fair, it must have been hard raising 3 children when your husband is working away from the home for days or weeks away, coming home drunk, getting arrested and just being “Grumpy”. I am sure she felt that she didn’t sign up for that. And in that, I feel bad for her. The utter loneliness it must have been to know, that no matter how hard she tried, Aaron would never love her like he had Charlotte. She took it out on the children. Because this is more recent, I will not go into the horrors the children faced, but she was cruel. 

When Elizabeth, Charlotte and Leslie grew up and left home, all was forgiven, as far as I was told.  

Aaron passed away in 1964 at St. Joseph’s Hospital after an illness of several months.  

I don't want to assume but I am not sure he was a nice guy, but I kind of feel bad for the guy... after reading what I am going to write about him... let me hear your thoughts.

Henry went to Lebanon Valley College and then went on to Carnegie Tech where he played football. He received his bachelor's degree in Machine Construction. After graduating, for a very short time played Minor League Baseball.

He married Mary (Mary was dropped after marriage) Mildred Christian (she came from a very prominent family in New York). They had 3 children; Henry, Jane, and Robert.

They had a lovely home in Lebanon. Henry managed the A.S. Kreider Shoe Factory when he and Mildred married in 1917, but in 1918 (until 1962) he became the President.

A few months after Jane (1921) was born, the family was in a horrible car accident, everyone had been thrown from the car, and poor baby Jane died.

Their youngest son, Robert was born in 1922 and in the 1930 census, Mildred and both her sons, Henry and Robert were living in Rhode Island. In the census record, she was listed as divorced. But Henry (now living with his mother), listed himself as married. Both of their children went to Yale and then both went into the military.

In 1935, Henry marries MariJane Gates who was very young, about 10 years older than his oldest son, (her father was Dr. Gates of Lebanon). He and MariJane do not have children together.

In the 1940 census, Mildred and the boys are all now living in Napa, California. Mildred and Robert buy a vineyard together (20 acres).

In 1944, Henry, their oldest son, died in the war, by plane crash. He is buried in the Philippines. Henry did marry, 6 months before, but he and his wife never had children. His father is not mentioned in the obituary, nor is his relation to his grandfather, Congressman Aaron S. Kreider.

In regards to their son, Robert, he never married and never had children.

In all of this time, Henry (father), is the newspaper; winning bridge tournaments and his wife, MariJane is in the newspaper being a social light in Mount Gretna.

MariJane and Henry divorced in 1964, and she moved to Bakersfield, CA with her mother, until she passed in 1987.

Henry's obituary, kind of says it all in the first sentence, "Henry H. Kreider, a member of a former family shoe empire, was found in his is two-room apartment." Per the article, it states that he was found in his apartment on Tuesday, but the police officer that found him, stated that he had died on Sunday.

He was missing for two days, before anyone noticed.

He was the 5th son of Hon. Aaron S. Kreider. 

Clement, along with all of his other siblings was born in Annville, Pa. 

In the 1900 and 1910 census the home is listed on East Main Street, in Annville, Pa. This is what is referred to in all the newspaper articles and memories as “Hill Farms Mansion”. 

He went to Lebanon Valley Academy (not to be confused with Lebanon Valley College). 

After attending there he went to Phillips Academy in Andover, Massachusetts and became the Captain of their Wrestling Team (1913). From there he went to Yale University and was part of the SSS Society which leaned toward the teachings of science (1917). He continued his education abroad at the University of Clermont-Ferrand in France (1919). 

I have looked for photos in each Yearbook and there are no photos of him. I have looked in yearbooks, newspaper articles, passports and found no photos of him alone. There is a photo of the entire graduating class at Yale (which I have posted, but there is no way to pick him out). I have however found photos of his wife and children (which are also attached). Instead, I am going to post pictures of what he may have seen in his travels. 

He served from August 15, 1917 to August 21st, 1919. He was commissioned at Fort Niagara and honorably discharge at Camp Dix, NJ. He served in World War I as a lieutenant with the 310th Field Artillery from June 1918 to Aug 1919. 

In 1920 He lived in St Louis, Missouri renting a room with other like men and women. Some of the other boarders were physicians for the health department and a chemist for the Coke Co. (I can just image the conversations he must have had with these folks.) He was there learning the Shoe industry.  

In August 1923, his father announced that Clement and Eleanor Etter would marry. The article states that the wedding will be the most attractive of Fall Weddings.  

Eleanor grew up in Harrisburg, Pa. Her father was a real estate broker.  

In honor of Eleanor Etter, her parents (Mr. and Mrs. George E. Etter) friends, Mr. and Mrs. Farley Gannett, entertained a dance at their summer home in Goldsboro on 10.6.1923. It was also notated in an article written on September 27, 1923, that several parties in honor of Miss Eleanor Etter were announced; a bridge party at the Harrisburg Country Club, a gathering at the Civic Club (where 50 people attended), a party at the Beaufort Lodge; which will include dinner and dancing 

Miss Eleanor Lindsay Etter was born in 1898 and passed on 1980. She graduated from the Sellar Girls School and Miss Beard’s school in Orange, NJ.  During the war she took a special business course and served in the New York Offices of the War Board under Marc M. Michael. Throughout her life she was a part of several charities, with the Junior League, which included raising money for a new home for sick children (1937), Committee for the Bargin Box (which raised money for clothing for men, women and children) (1942),  

She enjoyed traveling as well. Per article in written in March 1940, it stated that she was going to the Commerical Museum of Philadelphia to see the floral exhibits.  

 Clement and Eleanor were married on Oct 13, 1923. They had 3 children. Susanne Kreider (who married William Stevens Tiffany), Eugena Kreider (who married Donald Lee McCabe and had 1 child), and Clement H Kreider Jr, MD, He was a clinical instructor at Hershey Hospital Pa and later was the Chief of Neurosurgery from in 1972 – 1996 at Jersey Shore Medical Center. 

He was a Tennis player and played for the Fort Hunter Club, which was part of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Tennis League. 

Article: 10.9.1926 – Clement returns home from spending several days in Louisville, Ky on a business trip. 

Article: 4/20/1928 – Clement and Eleanor attend the Easter at the Berkshire Country Club in Reading. 

In the 1930 census, he and his family are living on North Front Street in Harrisburg City, Pa. 

In an article written in 1930 & 1931, the couple is spending the summer in Cape May, NJ. 

The couple would have 3 children, Susanne, Eugenia, and Clement Jr.  

A night in 1933, Aaron’s children were visiting for a time.  There was a massive fire that burnt the home to the ground. (I will go into this more, when I write about his father, Hon, A. S. Kreider). However, I am attaching the article. If any family members have artifacts from A. S. Kreider, it was either saved from the fire, given to one of the children before the fire, or was obtained after the fire of 1933. I know my mom has a beautiful lamp, that was given to A. S. Kreider, but I am researching the dates to see when it is from. 

In 1934 Mr and Mrs Clement H. Kreider went to the first annual Tennis Ball, which was dinner and dancing and was held at the Harrisburg Country Club. In the article from Aug 19, 1934, it states that before the ball, there was a party held at Mr. Mrs. Kreider’s home on River Road (125 guests!) and then motored to the club for dinner and dancing! 

Article: 11.3.1936 – couple was vacationing in New York City. 

In the 1940 census he is listed as the Vice-President of A.S. Kreider Shoe Factory. He is residing at N Second Street in Harrisburg, Pa. 

In the 1950 census, Clement and his wife are still living on N 2nd street in Harrisburg.  

In 1966, Clement passed away from Tongue cancer. Per the death certificate, he had this for 8 years. Mrs. Kreider passed in 1980. They are buried with Mrs Kreider parents, sisters and brother in the Harrisburg Cemetery, by the Etter Monument. 

He was a plain man. He was not like his other siblings. He was not career driven in the shoe industry but took over farming, as his father did, before starting the shoe business and later becoming a congressman. All the records show that he ran the family farm at Hill Farms. For anyone that watches Yellowstone, you will understand this reference, but when I think of Howard, I think he must have been like Rip. Later in his life, when he was more established with the farm, he put several adds in the paper about selling Live stock. Hill Farms were a huge farm. In fact, in an add from 1927 (attached) he was selling 10 horses and mules, 18 cows, 6 stock bulls, 150 hogs (with 5 brood sows), 25 boars and 15 sheep!  

However, before he became “Rip”, his parents gave him the same educational advantages as his other brothers and sisters. He went to Andover Academy (Phillips) (1917) and Harrisburg Academy. 

Howard married Violet Mark on Sept 27 1918. Her parents were Joseph Kreider Mark and Emma Lily Bowman Wolfe. Yes, you read that right, her father was a Kreider. After some digging, I found they were indeed related! Joseph’s mother was Mary Kreider, Mary’s father was Joseph Kreider. Henry’s father was Aaron Shenk Kreider, Aaron’s father was David. David’s brother is Joseph. So, Joseph would have been Henry’s great uncle. Henry and Violet were second cousins. 

There is a rumor, I heard, that this was such a big deal, so big in fact, that Howard and Violet went down in Kreider history… it was a dig, it was mean, what was said by the other family members is, “Well, it’s been said that, “there’s nothing better than another Kreider””. 

Henry and Violet did not have a big wedding like his brothers before him or his sisters after him. Was this because they were second cousins or was it something else? They were married in a quiet, family gathering at the home of Violet’s parents. Henry was the only child that his parent’s didn’t throw a huge wedding party for. By the looks of things, I am going to say that Henry was most likely the black sheep of the family. And most likely went through his life trying to get his father’s approval (another example of why Henry reminds me of Rip). 

Violet graduated with honors at Lebanon Valley College and then went to graduate school at Wellesley University. In college and later in life, she was affectionately called “Vi”. She directed plays in Annville and Palmyra. She joined the Forum in 1920 and was an active member for 60 years. She lived to be 103. 

Henry was a very hard-working man. He loved his wife and provided so much for his children. I feel if anything, he should have been given more respect than he probably got while he was living. 

Since we are learning about the Kreider family, I didn’t do much research on Violet’s father, however I did do a little searching in Violet’s mother, Emma. Emma’s father was a wood cutter, or as the census of 1880 calls him a sawyer. He passed at an early age of 37. Emma was last the of her family line. 

Henry and Violet had four children. 

 Marian Kreider-Bosien (who married William Riley Bosien) He was the Chief of Staff of surgery at St. Luke’s Hospital. He was instrumental in creating the tumor registry and developing the medical library. He was the President of the Polk County Cancer Society. Marian graduated from Dartmouth Medical School as an instructor in the physiological sciences. She also graduated from Lebanon Valley College and the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. Before moving to North Carolina, she was the anesthesiologist at the White River Junction Hospital in New Hampshire. They moved to North Carolina and became well known doctors in the area. William was nominated as the man of the year by the Tryon Chamber of Commerce. They had 3 children. 

Nancy Jane (who married Earnest D. Williams Jr), was a graduate of Wilson College and was employed in the Foreign Department of Coin Exchange National Bank in Philadelphia. She was elected the Board of Trustees of Wilson College. She was the president of the VNA. She was a leader in her time of women’s rights. Her husband, Earnest was an Army Veteran. He served in WWII from July 1943 to April 1946. He was a graduate of Mercersburg Academy and Princeton University. The couple had four children. 

Howard B Jr (who married Mary Clare Kenney), was a graduate of Lebanon Valley College and Dartmouth Medical School. He enjoyed fishing. He sent several letters to the editor. He was very concerned with his community. They had five children. There is not much information I can find on him after 1950. 

Violet (who married Douglas Ray Earich). She went to Annville Cleona Highschool and graduated from Wilson College. She traveled to Le Harve, France in 1956. She had a long battle with cancer and passed away when she was only 56. She and her husband did not have any children. 

The family farm (Hill Farms) was given to the all the children for $50,000 in 1990. 

First daughter of Aaron and Elizabeth Kreider (8th child of the family) 

Just to get an idea of the age difference with her siblings; in the 1910 census, her oldest brother Ammon had already left the house, Nancy was only 9.  

Nancy graduated from The Walnut Lane School,  Wellesley College (1922) and then Columbia University (1930). The Walnut Lane School (now known as the Walnut Hill School for the Arts) was a boarding school for girls, but now is co-ed. The school was founded by Charlotte Conant (daughter of Judge C.C. Conant) and Miss Florence Bigelow. It was the first of its kind for girls (there were lots of boarding schools for boys, but not many for girls). Nancy had a lot of friends. She was very popular, traveling to New York City and Philadelphia to see friends, and was a bridesmaid more than once. She would travel to Europe during summer breaks. She would attend private dances, Masquerades in Mount Gretna and Tea Parties. She made the front page of the newspaper when she was thrown from a horse. This girl's life was like that of a famous person today. Everything she did was reported. From leaving college to visit her parents or friends to traveling for holiday out of the country to injuries from a fallen horse. I ran an article search for her from 1918-1922 and received 150 matches! 150 is a ridiculous amount of reporting. But, I am glad I have that information because after reading all these articles, I feel like I know her. 

Mrs. Kreider and her daughter were very close, I mean, Nancy was the first girl after having 7 boys. She must have just been head over heels in love with her precious daughter. The two would travel to Europe, Bermuda, take cruises and hold parties for Nancy’s friends at the Hills Farm Mansion. 

After graduating college at Wellesley, she was employed in New York City, the article only states, “Miss Kreider has accepted a position with another large corporation in a clerical capacity.” In April of 1923, it is reported that she is now living in Washington D.C. 

In 1924 she was part of the jury wheel, in Lebanon for criminal cases in March of that year.  

She was an avid tennis player and was mentioned in the Evening Star Paper in Washington D.C. for beating two other players in the Speed Tennis Women’s League. 

She married Stuart Lewis in Oct 1925. The wedding made national news. It was covered in more newspapers than in any of her other brother’s (I have counted more than 15 different articles on the wedding). The article describes her wedding dress as a Gatsby-Style dress with Lillys. Unfortunately, she is not pictured, but I have attached a picture that most represents what she wore. 

Stuart’s parents are Albert and Lucretia Lewis. He was raised in Cario, Illinois. He went to several Universities and had nine degrees including PhD (he had a doctorate degree in philosophy), LLD (doctorate degree in law), JUD (doctorate in both laws. So, he could not only be a professor of law but could also practice law). He was a member of the Kappa Sigma Fraternity. He wrote several books on government, including; An Outline of American Federal Government, Party Principles and Practical Politics, The Official Democratic Campaign Book and others. He was an instructor at the National University Law School and American University. He wrote for the Washington News, covering the Capital. In 1926 he left Washington, DC and moved to Glenridge, NJ and became a professor of government at the New Jersey Law School in Newark and at the New York University of Law. He was a rebel rouser. In July of 1928 he is said to have, “led an attack on the Volstead act, calling prohibition “the blue law of the land.””  

From 1926 to most of 1928, it is as if Nancy dropped off the face of the planet. There is literally nothing. No articles, nothing found in directories, nothing in passenger lists... just poof... gone. She was career driven, had lots of friends, her mother loved her dearly, always was part of the party life... and then just gone. The only thing I can say for this time gap is that she was pursuing a degree in Philosophy at Columbia University.  

As I was reviewing the articles (literally hundreds, from all over the US) written about Stuart and the books he wrote, conferences he went to, and what he taught as a professor, were very outspoken at the time. In 1926, (The Evening Star, Washington D.C.) there is an article about him. The headline reads, “Stuart Lewis Quits National U. Position” He moved from Washington D.C. to New Jersey to become the director of research of the American Arbitration Association (headquarters in New York). In an article (1927, New Jersey Newspaper) he is quoted on “the political agenda to Keep the Constitution free from political manipulation.” I think, in part, he moved to New Jersey/New York area to be closer to his wife that was away at college. 

Stuart was a Democrat and Nancy’s father, the Congressman, was a Republican. This may have been an issue with him being married to the congressman’s daughter.  

Nancy filed for divorce for reasons of abandonment on November 26, 1928. I found several articles/notices in the paper, where the courts were trying to find Stuart to see if he would “grant” the divorce (one of the notices was dated January 16, 1929). 

Oddly enough, Stuart died in November 1929. He never granted her the divorce because in the 1930 census she is living with her parents and is listed as widowed.  

Drawl your own conclusions on this, but it seems kind of sketchy…. I mean, Congressman’s daughter’s outspoken, rebel rouser, Democratic husband dies of an illness suddenly, when he had been traveling all over the United States… To be fair, this was around the time of the Spanish Flu, and it could have been innocent enough, that he just fell ill and couldn’t respond to the divorce requests. 

Stuart and Nancy did not have any children. 

And then in 1930, Nancy is back in the world. She graduated from Columbia University where she received a degree in philosophy.  She and her sister Mary (who I will work on later) travel to La Havre, France. And then later that year took a Mediterranean cruise with her mother, they visited the Madera Islands and Egypt during the cruise. The cruise lasted 6 weeks. 

In 1931 Nancy married Cyrus Kleiser Eckert. After their wedding in June of that year, they moved to Washington D.C., where Cyrus is working at the Investment Securities Company, and both are socially prominent in the vicinity. 

Cyrus’s parents are Robert Eckert and Matilda “Tillie” Kleiser-Eckert, both are from Lebanon. His father passed away at the young age of 32. The Eckert family dates back 100 years in Lebanon. Tillie’s father was a blacksmith and well known in Lebanon. In the early part of Cyrus’s adulthood, he was a salesman. He has been listed as a salesman of cords, shoes, and a bondsman. 

The couple had two children. 

 Elizabeth (who married John Hambright), she received her master's degree in education from Millersville University and was a 5th grade teacher for 27 years. They had two children.  

Robert (who married Mildred Feroe), was a graduate from Phillips Academy in Andover, Mass. and then attended Brown University until he joined the Army. He remained in the Army for several years and was stationed in Europe for a small time, where is wife joined him when she graduated from Brown University. They had one child together. 

In 1938, Nancy is mentioned in an article that she was part of the defending champions of Bridge Club. 

By the 1940 census Cyrus and Nancy are living in Lebanon again and he is working for the A.S. Kreider Shoe Company as a salesman. 

There is an article in 1943 celebrating their 12th anniversary. Nancy is listed as a chairman of the Women's Division, Lebanon County War Savins Staff and captain of the Motor Corps, Lebanon County Chapter and the Red Cross. Cyrus is listed as a director of the A. S. Kreider Shoe Company and serves the organization as the eastern sales manager.  

In 1947 Cyrus and Nancy travel to Darrell's Island, Bermuda. He is listed as an executive and Nancy, a housewife.  

In 1949 the couple purchases a home in Mount Gretna.  

The couple lived out the rest of their lives quietly in Mount Gretna.  

What I’ve read, and how articles were written about the couple, Cyrus really was in love with Nancy, up to the very end. 

Cyrus passed in 1979 and Nancy passed in 1986. When they passed, they had 5 grandchildren and 1 great grandchild. 

I am really sad, ending this one. I really feel like I got to know Nancy. What an amazing life she lived. I would have loved to have known her.  

She is the 9th child of Aaron Shenk Kreider and Elizabeth Horst Krider and the second daughter. 

She was born in 1902 and passed away in 1990. 

During her time at college, she frequented home, as it was reported, just as her sister before. It also mentions in many of the articles that when she returned home, she would visit her brother Clement. She must have been very close with him. 

She graduates from Smith College, Northampton, Mass in 1925. She was listed in “Who’s Who of American Women” in 1925. Her college picture is stunning, her beautiful brown hair and light blue eyes, was common with the Kreider's and they were flattering features for the young woman. 

She marries William Raugh Boger on June 30, 1925. There are many articles about their wedding. And just like Nancy’s wedding, they must have been spectacular. In one article it reads, “Mrs. Ammon H Kreider, sister-in-law of the bride sang, I love you, truly and a cousin, Anna Kreider who accompanied on the piano” Elizabeth’s dress was white crepe “Elizabethan” gown trimmed with lace, pearls and a pink slip. Her train was also white crepe lined with pink satin. Again, I couldn’t find a picture, so I dug around the internet to find the best interpretation of the wedding and veil. Her sister, Nancy was her maid of honor, and she wore a “yellow chiffon dress with ruffles over a yellow slip, a yellow leghorn hat with a yellow rose, a yellow ostrich fan and a bouquet of orchids.” The bridesmaids were all from Smith college, including her younger sister, Mary Kreider (I will be writing about her later). They all wore “Orchid georgette gowns, with peach colored crepe satin, leghorn hats, held orchid fans and yellow roses”. And the sweetest part about this article... is my grandmother. She is mentioned for the first time... it states, “The flower girl was the bride’s niece, little Miss Charlotte Eleanor Kreider of Elizabethtown, who wore a yellow georgette dress over pink”. I have attached a picture that may have been taken on the day of the wedding. This is from Elizabeth’s brother’s collection (my great grandfather), in the picture, has Charlotte (5), Betty (7), and “brother” Aaron S. III (6). The newlyweds travel to Southampton, England for their honeymoon, where they stay from July to October. 

William’s parents are Harry Harbach Boger and Bertha Raugh. When William and Elizabeth married his father’s occupation was a Stockbroker. However, for most of his life he was a “machinist”. He was President of the Hunsicker Engineering Co of Lebanon, Council for Lebanon City, Iron and Steel Commission Broker, and member of the Free and Accepted Masons of Lebanon. The Boger family has a rich history and I have found many pictures of the entire family. Bertha’s father, William was in the shirt manufacturing business and was city commissioner (Lebanon) for several years. 

 William graduated from Mercersburg Academy and Brown University. He is listed as a stockbroker in 1930 for Goodbody and Co. I did a little research on Goodbody and Co and in Sept of 1930 they became a huge conglomerate in the Stock Exchange industry. They took over O’Brien, Potter, Stafford & Co. And then other businesses in Olean, Jamestown and Niagara Falls. In 1934 he leaves Goodbody and Co. And starts working at Chas. D. Barney & Co. In 1935, William leaves Chas. D. Barney and moves onto Winthrop Mitchell & Co. In 1941 He leaves Winthrop Mitchell & Co and moves on to Auchincloss, Parker & Redpath. William was part of the Bonds Club in Washington D.C. In 1935 he was nominated but did not win the bid for Brown University Club Vice-President, however he was named one of two board governors. In his obituary he is noted as being a well-known Yachtsman. 

Elizabeth lived in Washington, D.C. from 1925 to 1974. During this time, she traveled for Bridge Tournaments and in one article, she travels to Virgina and Wins High Stakes Bridge. With her husband working out of New York City, she makes trips to visit, and it is mentioned in one article in December 1945 that she is with the Red Cross in Brooklyn working to set up for the Christmas season. 

They have two children, both children were born at the Hills Farm Mansion. 

 Nancy went to the University of Maryland. She was married five times. Her first husband was Warren Frances Coleman, Jr. They married on June 25, 1946 in Harrisburg, Pa. They divorced in Dade County, Fl in 1948.  

Her second husband was Vernon William Schram. They married on June 24, 1949. He was a pilot in WWII and in the Korean War and was the personal pilot for Admiral Carney (who was the head of NATO and later the Chief Naval Officer). During his time of service, he lived in French Moracco, North Africa and Naples, Spain. Nancy is noted that she joined him in these military trips. They lived in Miami, Fl, where they work for National Airlines; she was a stewardess, and he was a pilot with National Airlines. They belonged to several Yacht clubs. They had one child. After Nancy and Vernon divorced, he moved away from Miami to Arcadia, Fl where he continued to fly for National Airlines and tend to his Orange Groves. When he retired, he lived the rest of his life in the Keys. Nancy and Vernon divorced in 1969. 

Her third husband was Daniel B. Shefield. They married in 1971. They had a passion for boating and were members of 3 different Yacht Clubs in Florida. The couple had 3 homes, one in Miami, one in the Bahamas and one in Eagles Nest, NC. Daniel passed away in 1996. 

Her fourth husband was Robert “Bob” Jones. They married in the early 2000’s. Bob passed away in 2007. I could not find much information, only that they were married (from Nancy’s obituary). 

Her fourth husband was John Jacob Fitzgerald. They married from 2009 until Nancy’s passing in 2020. 

The second child of Nancy and William was William Jr. (marries Marilyn Straw). They married in Chevy Chase, Md. He graduated from St Alban’s of Washington and Yale University. After graduating he and his family moved to Florida. He was the Chief engineer for the Howard P. Foley Electrical Contracting Co in Tampa, Fl. He loved boating and was part of several yacht clubs, including the Davis Island Yacht Club. He contributed to forming the Hillsborough Chapter of the Association of Children with Learning Disability. He and his wife, Marilyn, had two children. 

In 1944 William and Elizabeth get divorced and William remarries in 1946 to Claire Edith Taylor. William passes away in 1957. 

In 1958 she marries Rodham Woinder Kenner. Rodham’s father was Dr. Harry Walton Kenner (he was a pharmacist, but the obituary calls him a “Prominent Washington Druggist”. He was also a member of the District Board of Examiners in Pharmacy. He was born in Warrenton, Mo., studied in Baltimore, MD and stayed in the area until he died in 1935. And his mother was Ada Belle Crandall, her father was an architect in Washington and was an “Esteemed Member of the Community”. 

Rodham is a bit of a mystery. He is not found in any yearbooks, according to the census records he never went to college. He lived with his parents his entire life. He is found traveling to see his brother in France (his brother was Maj. A.W. Kenner) right before the war in 1931. Rodham is found several times in passenger lists visiting the Bahamas with a man named Robert McFadden. His father passed away in 1935 and he continued to live with his mother until her death in 1958. He then married Elizabeth the same year.  

They do not have any children together. 

In 1961 Rodham passes away, from a heart condition. 

Sometime after 1974 she moves to Tampa, Florida. 

Later she moves to St. Augustine, Fl and spends the rest of her life here. In her obituary, she is listed as the last surviving child of the late Hon. Aaron S. Kreider. 

She was the 10th child of Hon. Aaron S. and Elizabeth H. Kreider and 3rd daughter.  

Unlike her other brothers and sisters that came before her. There is not a lot of information on her. I have had to scrap through Ancestry, Newspapers.com, and google searches. 

Like her other siblings she went to a boarding school. However, she went to Harcum School in Bryn Mawr, Pa. After graduating she went to Smith College and then finally the National University in Washington, DC. 

She was the maid of honor for a friend and a bridesmaid at her sister, Elizabeth’s wedding. 

Between the two weddings, she was mentioned in the paper that she had her appendix removed.  

In 1925, Mary graduated with a master's degree in psychology from National University. During her senior year, she worked with Dr. Moff, the head of Psychology. Later she received her doctorate. 

In that same year, Mary, her mother and her sister-in-law Dorothy (if you remember this is David Robert Kreider’s first wife, before she passed away) travel to Bermuda. 

Just like her sisters before her, she hosted dinner parties at Hill Farms (1927). 

In 1929 Mary and her sister Nancy travel to Halifax, Nova Scotia, which was a connecting ship that later take them to Le Harve, France. 

In 1930 Mary and her sister Nancy travel home from Le Harve, France. 

She marries William Henry Harris 5/15/1933. William’s parents are Albert and Lily Harris. His father (Albert Lewis Harris) was born in Wales and came to America with his father Job when he was 3. He was raised in PA and after attending college moved to Maryland where he became an architect. His mother, Lilly Elizabeth Black Harris, was born in Kentucky. Her father was Rev. William Henry Black (originally from Pennsylvania). William had one sister, Lily. She was married to Carl Zobel, who worked for Eastman Kodak as a physicist.  

William graduated from Carnegie Tech in Pittsburgh. He worked with his father and later started his own Architectual business under the municipal district in Washington D.C. He marries Katherine (last name unknown), and they have one child together. In the 1940 census, this child is living with Mary and William along with their other two children. So, I can only presume that Katherine passed away. 

Lisa Harris (daughter to William and Katherine, raised by William and Mary), went to National University in Washington DC. And is also listed in the Florida census in 1945 with her father, William, Mary and her two half sisters, Mary and Dorothy. Lisa may have died young, or had a falling out with the family, as she was not mentioned in Mary’s obituary.  

Mary and William’s 2 children are Mary Kreider Harris and Dorothy Elizabeth Harris. 

Mary (marries John Alexander). They have 1 son. She marries young and is going to the National Cathedral school in Washington, D.C under married name, Mary Kreider Harris Alexander. And then she goes to Wellesley and gets her B.A. in Sociology. Mary was the executor of her father’s will. 

Dorothy – at the age of 9, her family moved to Broward County, Florida. She graduates from George Washington University, Washington DC in 1957 with a B.A. in Art. Marries Wesley Robertson Wilken in 1961. I did find that they divorced in 1975. 

Between 1934 and 1942 Mary and William travel to Nassau, Bahamas, La Harve, France and Cuba. 

She and William live in Washington DC until 1945, at this time they moved to Broward County, Florida. 

In 1958, on Christmas Eve, Mary dies suddenly. She had a stroke and fell, which fractured her skull. Mary was only 54. 

In 1961 William passes away. In his obituary, it states that only Mary and Dorothy are surviving (both living in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl). Which confirms my thought that Lisa passed away young. Also, it is listed he has 3 grandchildren (they could not have been Dorothy’s kids because she only just got married in April of that year).  

Mary and her family have frustrated me. Their lives were very quiet. I have found some articles on Newspaper.com, about Dorothy and a separate one about Wesley. But I cannot confirm they are the same people. The articles state that Dorothy followed in her grandfather’s footsteps (Hon. Aaron S. Kreider) and got into politics. Which would make sense, but I have not found anything to confirm the Dorothy in the articles is our Dorothy. If I find the connection, I will let you know. For Wesley there is a very disturbing article that states that he was found to be a criminal sexual psychopath. The reason I say it could be him is because the article is in the local paper, where Dorothy and he lived. Plus, they use his full name, Wesley Robertson Wilken. But I also, again no proof it is the same person. If I find a connection, or if family knows anything about Dorothy or Wesley, please let me know.... 

George Lester Kreider 

Of course, the last child of Aaron and Elizabeth would go out with guns blazing. 

George was born and raised in the height of the Kreider Fortune and by the end of his life, saw the fall of the Shoe Factory. 

He lived an extortionary life. I hope I can capture how grand, exciting, terrifying, and sad it was. 

We must remember that in the early 1900’s you couldn’t just take a plane to go on your lavish vacations. There is an interesting document that I found from 1924 (George is 17). The ship logs state the family (parents: Aaron and Elizabeth and children: George and Nancy) arrived on S.S. Cobb from Cuba to Key West on February 29, 1924. This is such a fantastic find. First, it’s a leap year! It’s so rare to find documents within a leap year. What’s even more fascinating is that the family traveled to Cuba! The restrictions to Cuba did not start until 1960 (and was fully in affect by 1962), which, George would have seen in the news before his passing. Key West was starting to be a destination that American’s wanted to go to. And since this trip was before the Great Depression and the Great Hurricane of 1928, American families were flocking to Miami, Tampa and Key West. 

Geoge graduated from Philips Academy (Andover, CT) with high honors in Mathematics (advanced algebra, solid geometry, and trigonometry), and received convers prizes for excellence in mathematics.  

After graduating from Philips Academy, George went to the Sheffield School at Yale University, where he was a member of the Phi Gamma Delta and Tau Beta Pi fraternities.  

1929 was a year of great sadness and jubilation. His brother, Ammon and his father Aaron both passed away. Ammon in April and Aaron in May. There is an article stating how Aaron passed away due to the shock of his son’s death! So sad!!! But then on July 3rd George marries Florence Rebecca Van Dyck. The articles in the paper state the wedding was held in Mount Gretna and only immediate family were invited. They traveled to Bermuda for their honeymoon on Ft. Victoria. Later that year, Ft. Victoria sank on another voyage. (This is the first time George would escape death).  

Florence Rebecca Van Dyck came from a very well-known family. Her parents were Francis Culyer Van Dyck Jr. and Florence Whiton Whedon. Francis Jr was a professor at Lawrenceville Prep School (his father was the Dean at Rutger’s). Her mother, Florence Whiton Whedon, not a lot is found, except for census records and her father was Daniel Dennison Whedon Jr who sadly he passed in his 30’s but his father, of the same name was a professor and a Reverand. He was essentially kicked out of several universities for his vocal opposition to slavery. Her mother was Ann Thompsen (her father was an attorney). 

She and her younger sister, Penelope lived in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil for a year with their uncle, William Van Bergen Van Dyck. He was the assistant to the President of the International General Electric Company and lived in South American for several years running the company in Brazil. Her education consisted of attending the Bouvier Prep School (Trenton, NJ) and the Katherine Gibbs School of New York. 

After their wedding George and Florance moved to Wayne, Michigan where he was a Mechanical Engineer for The Ford Car Factory.  

George and Florence had two children. Jean and George Jr. When the couple find out they are expecting, they move back to Annville to be closer to their family. 

George escapes death again. George, Florance and their baby daughter, Jean, were staying with his mother at the Hill Farms Mansion and one cold February night in 1933, he and his wife smelled smoke. They got up to see where the smoke was coming from. They realized it came from a guest room where two people were staying. Apparently, they were frozen in fear of the fire that was coming from the closet and huddled under the bed. Florence went back and grabbed her baby and went to all the other guests that were staying in the mansion to wake and grab women and children. George called two fire companies and then stayed and tried to put the fire out before they arrived. By the time the firemen came, the entire Mansion was filled with smoke and George was nowhere to be found. George refused to leave because his mother, Elizabeth, was going around the home to grab important papers and artwork. The other guests were his brother Clement and his entire family, as their home was currently being built. In total there were 14 people inside the home when it was first realized. The winds were high, and the fire companies didn’t have enough water to put out the blaze. George and his mother in their pajamas escaped the fire just before the roof collapsed. But that didn’t stop Elizabeth, she had to be held back by several fireman from going back into the burning building. George was hospitalized for smoke inhalation for 6 days.  

Jean went to Baldwin Prep School in Bryn Bawr, Pa and then continued her education at Duke University, but only stayed for her freshman year as she meets John “Jack” Cain in Florida. They get married in 1961 and then move to California in 1963. They have two children. 

George Jr graduated from Ft. Lauderdale High School and then went to Georgia Tech. After graduation he married Barbara Ann Byrd. He enlisted in the AirForce, and they eventually moved to San Jose, CA. I could not find any information about children. From what I can see, they may both be still alive. 

In 1937 after the children had grown some, the couple went on a vacation alone to Bahamas. They traveled on the S.S. Carinthia. The S.S, Carinthia was first used as a mail carrier from England to America. Later it was converted into a “Winter Cruiser” where people traveled from New York to destinations of their choice, which include Bermuda, the Bahamas, and Florida. In 1939, at the beginning of WWII it was converted again. Now it was an armed merchant cruiser. In 1940 it was torpedoed of the coast of Ireland by a German submarine.  

(1938) George escapes death, again. Newspaper Headlines, “Yacht Explosion – George Kreider & Five Others Abandon Craft” The 35-foot yacht, Susie-Q owned by George Kreider, was coasting in Chesapeake Bay, when he realized they had a blocked gas line. He was in the engine room when the explosion occurred. The five other crew members were his wife, Florance, his sister Mary and her husband Dr. William Harris, and Dr. And Mrs. R. M. Wolff (he was an ears, nose and throat doctor) were thrown from the vessel. They were in the cold bay waters for 3 hours. The fire occurred just after 9 pm and the flaming boat was seen just after midnight by another yacht (Agnes). The captain of the yacht, Anges stated they were able to put the fire out and then Susie-Q went under water. He thought there were no survivors, but he stood by in hopes they would be found. He and his crew began to hear distant yells and when they were rescued, they had been separated and Agnes had to find them one by one with a spotlight.  They were treated with hyperthermia and were able to go home. George, on the other hand, had extensive injuries. His severe burns were complicated by the long hours in the waters. He had burns on his chest, stomach, left arm and face. 

Many times, between 1937 until the end of their marriage in 1946, Florance and George are mentioned together with Herman V. Bucher and his wife, Katherine. (Herman and George are 3rd cousins, they both have the same Great-Great Grandfather; Dr. Benedict Bucher II. George’s grandmother is Anna Bucher, and her grandfather is Dr. Benedict Bucher II. Herman’s grandfather is Isaac Reily Bucher, and his grandfather is Dr. Benedict Bucher II.) But it wasn’t until 1943 that I suspect that there was an affair going on. Herman is a Captain in the Army and leaves for service in 1942, he comes home occasionally, and coincidentally is always seen with his wife, George and Florance. His service ended on May 17, 1946. 

In 1943, Florance and George and Herman and Katherine go to visit friends together in Philadelphia. Sometime on this trip, I believe an affair started. I don’t have concrete evidence, but as you will read on you will understand why I feel this way. 

In 1944 George, who is Petty officer in the National Guard, is called in for reserves but was never called to go to WWII. In the article I read, anyone over 35 would be called last. George was 36. 

Florance is mentioned a few times between 1943 - 1946 that she is the vise-president of the local Red Cross. However, many times, she is listed as ill. In 1946 she files for separation from George. Was she ill? Or were they fighting?  

George and Florance officially divorced in 1947. Mrs. H. V, Bucher (Katherine) comes to visit Florance, per the social pages of the Lebanon Newspaper. But why? Were Katherine and Florance friends and they were comforting each other as both their marriages ended in divorce? Or was it because Katherine found out about the affair between Florance and her husband and came to confront her so-called friend? Or maybe, Katherine was having an affair with George because during the divorce, Florance sued George for “indignities”. Whatever happened during that visit... couldn’t have been nice. I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for that conversation.  

Florance filed for divorce in January of 1947. In March, George hit a 9-year-old boy with his car. The investigation states that the boy darted out into the street and George did not have enough time to stop. In April, George attends his niece’s wedding alone. In May of that year, George took a flight from Miami, got a connecting flight to Puerto Rico and flew back to Miami the next day. In November, George and Florance’s divorce is final. 

And this is why I feel Florance and Herman had an affiar. They marry on October 2, 1948, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida. Florance and Herman, as well as George’s children, Jean and George Jr all live in Broward County Florida. (Was this why George was in Florida 6 months before?) Herman’s parents are John C Bucher and Jennie H. Herman-Bucher. Herman was an insurance salesman, was part of the Elks Lodge, and a veteran of WWII. 

Sometime between 1947 and 1948 George marries Helena J. Resovsky. She is only 7 years older than his daughter Jean. Helena’s parents are Martin E. Resovsky (born in Czechoslovakia) and Julia Liptak (Pennsylvania). The couple had 10 children. There were many health problems, the oldest child (Helena’s oldest brother) died in his 30’s from a seizure, her second oldest brother, committed suicide by hanging, a sister had severe mental illness, never married and lived with her parents until their mother, Julia was admitted into the state mental hospital, where she eventually died. 

In 1957, we start to see the decline of the A.S. Shoe Factory. George looks desperate as he puts out news articles, basically begging men to come work for him. In 1956, there was an article that read, “Plans to reopen Annville Shoe Plant, hits snag” the article George put out, was a response to that add. In the next 10 paragraphs of the article, George explains why the previous news article was a complete falsehood and he states “So far, as I know, no person in Annville or Palmyra or any Lebanon Countian, opposes the reactivation of the Annville Factory, either through the purchase of stock or through the public sale of the factory and corporate assets following conventional advertising of the same in the public press and in trade journals.” 

By 1960 you seen ads in the paper again for A.S. Kreider Shoe and A.S. Kreider and Son. 

Things start to turn around for the company and George and Helena go on vacation to Bermuda in July of 1961. 

August 1962, Front page of the Lebanon Valley Newspaper, “Shoe Firm Official Is Killed In Crash”. The article takes half of the front page and then continues on page 20 with a picture of the car with a caption, “DEATH CAR – George Wentzler inspects the wreckage of the automobile in which George L. Kreider was killed Sunday evening. The dent on the top of the car was caused by the steering wheel which was thrust to the roof.” 

So many times, George escaped death in his life, but he couldn’t escape this one.  

His children came back from California for the funeral. Helena never remarried and never had any children.