The Kremer family originated in Germany. The surname means "shopkeeper" or "trader." The surname has derived from the old German word kram, meaning trading post. The surname has also derived from the merchant's practice of travelling the countryside buying produce and carrying the produce to market in a cram or pack on his back. The surname has been variously spelled Kramer, Kraemer, Kremer, Kreemer, and Kromer. The spelling "Cramer" is the Dutch and Danish variation of the surname. The origin of the Kremer name is fitting, since all the known male ancestors of this branch of the Fehlings family were at various times employed as shopkeepers or businessmen.
Many surnames, such as Kremer, have derived from occupations. These surnames developed as a natural and easy way of referring to a person by referring to what he did. When Europe's population was small, most people had only one name. However, as population grew, people would often refer to a person's occupation to distinguish him from others of the same name. For example, Peter might be known as Peter (the) Shopkeeper, or Peter (the) Kremer. Over time, the person's occupation became a permanent surname.
The Kremer surname probably came into existence in the 16th century, as population grew and surnames became customary in Germany. The surname Kremer is a common German name.
Hesse:
The Kremer family can be traced to the old province of Hesse in Germany. Hesse is located in west central Germany, north of the Main River. The first known German inhabitants of Hesse were the Chatti, who were a Germanic tribe living in Hesse during Roman times. The Romans considered the Chatti an intelligent, staunch, and valiant people. Before the fall of Rome, the Chatti became a part of the confederation of the Franks. The kingdom of the Franks ultimately supplanted the Roman Empire. The Frankish King Charlemagne (Charles the Great) was crowned Holy Roman Emporer in 800 A.D. But the kingdom of the Franks did not last. The kingdom was broken up in the 10th century, and Germany came into existance as a loose confederation of provinces and principalities.
After the dissolution of the kingdom of the Franks, various dynasties of counts or landgraves ruled the province of Hesse. In 1567, the landgrave Philip the Magnanimous divided Hesse between his four sons, creating four landgraviates, including Hesse-Kassel. Some other independent, self-governing states also developed within the old province of Hesse. Until the mid-19th century, Germany consisted of hundreds of principalities and self-governing states.
After the division of Hesse in 1567, Hessian soldiers fought in nearly every European and Turkish campaign. The landgraves of Hesse maintained relatively large standing armies, partly to hire out troops. When the American colonies revolted against England in 1775, England found itself short of sufficient troops to put downt the revolt. England hired troops from the landgraviates of Hesse, as well as from the German states of Brunswick, Anspach-Bayreuth, Waldeck, and Anhalt-Zerbst. Hesse and the other German states had been allied with the English in its European wars at various times extending over 150 years.
Revolutionary War
The German rulers provided almost 30,000 troops to the English to fight in the American Revolutionary War. Most of the troops came from Hesse, principally Hesse-Kassel. About 20,000 of the German troops who fought in the Revolutionary War came from Hesse; of these, 17,000 were from Hesse-Kassel. Most of the remaining troops were from states near Hesse. Because of the large portion of troops in and around Hesse, all German troops were generally called Hessians.
Conrad Kremer, Hessian Soldier
Among these troops was our ancestor Conrad Kremer. He is believed to have been born in Hesse in about 1748. He came to America as a Hessian soldier fighting for the British. He probably came to America in the year 1776, which was the first year in which Hessian troops fought in America.
Though the Americans considered the German troops to be mercenaries, the money paid for the troops by the English government went to the German rulers, not to the German soldiers. At first the Americans generally feared and despised the German soldiers, but soon the Americans came to respect the Germans.
Over 40 percent of the German troops who fought in America never returned to their homeland. Of the estimated total of 12,554 German troops who did not return, about 5,000 deserted. In 1776 Congress issued proclamations urging the Germans to desert and offering a bounty of fifty acres of land to those who did. The offer, of course, did not apply to German troops whom the Americans captured as prisoners of war. But the Americans treated their German prisoners kindly and often let them go, knowing that they would rarely return to their British masters.
Conrad Kremer was among those Hessian soldiers who deserted to join the American army. He was most likely from Hesse-Kassel. Because Conrad joined the American army, it is unlikely that he had been awarded a land bounty. If he had been awarded a land bounty, he would more likely have taken up farming or some other agrarian occupation. Farming was a far safer, more comfortable and more lucrative occupation than soldiering. Therefore, it is probably that he deserted after having become a prisoner of war, because such prisoners were ineligible to receive the land bounty.
Conrad Kremer, Captured at Trenton
Assuming Conrad was a prisoner of war, the American army probably captured Conrad Kremer at the Battle of Trenton, on December 26, 1776. The Battle of Trenton was a decisive victory for General George Washington, the commander of the American army, and the first defeat for the Hessians. All the British forces who fought at Trenton were troops from Hesse-Kassel. The Americans killed 30 Hessians, with just five casualties of their own. But most importantly, the Americans captured 918 Hessian soldiers. This was the largest number of prisoners captured during the Revolutionary War by the Amerians at any single battle, until the final battle of the war in 1781. The Hessian prisoners put the total number of prisoners captured by the Americans for the year 1776 at 1,012. This figure far exceeds the number captured in any other year, except 1781.
Conrad Kremer Joins American Army
The Americans kept most of their Hessian prisoners at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Of the Hessian prisoners captured at Trenton, about 132 defected to the American side. These prisoners were among the earliest defectors to the American army. Defection from the British army was rare because the punishment for deserters who were later captured by the British was harsh and it appeared unlikely that the Americans would win their independence from Great Britain. Indeed, at that time, no British colony had ever won its independence, and except for the battles of Trenton and Princeton, the war had not gone well for the Americans. Nevertheless, it is believed that Conrad Kremer was among those who defected to the cause of American independence. Conrad Kremer enlisted as a Private in the American army at Philadelphia, in May 1777. His term of enlistment was three years.
Conrad Kremer, Company D, Pennsylvania State Artillery Regiment
Conrad enlisted in Company D of the Pennsylvania State Artillery Regiment. Captain Bartholomew Von Heer had become the commader of Company D on April 14, 1777. The regiment was authorized to expand from two companies to eight companies, beginning in February 1777. On June 6, 1777, the regiment became the 4th Continental Artillery Regiment. The regimental commander was Colonel Thomas Proctor.
The regiment recruited its soldiers largely from the vicinity of Philadelphia. The regiment consisted of over 200 soldiers, of whom less than half were native born Americans. About 25 soldiers in the regiment were Germans. Though the native provinces of most of these Germans are not recorded, for the five for wom it was recorded, three out of five were from Hesse.
Conrad Kremer, 4th Continental Artillery Regiment
Although General George Washington, the Commander in Chief of the Continental Army, strongly disapproved of enlisting British and Hessian deserters in the American army, the 4th Continental Artillery Regiment accepted the deserters into its ranks. The regiment was technically a Pennsylvania state unit until September 3, 1778, and therefore exempt from the enlistment regulations of the Continental Army. Interestingly, the regiment fought the Hessian at Trenton, perhaps against some of the same soldiers who would a few months later join the unit as deserters.
Conrad Kremer, Battle of Brandywine
Conrad Kremer first fought with the 4th Continental Artillery Regiment at the Battle of Brandywine, in September 1777. The battle was fought on the outskirts of Philadelphia. General George Washington commanded about 11,000 soldiers. He faced a British army under General Howe, of about 12,500. The battle was a serious defeat for Washington, who lost about 1,200 men and 11 artillery pieces. The British suffered 577 casualties. The defeat could have been even worse had the American artillery not prevented the British from encircling Washington's forces. Washington had to withdraw from the field of battle. After the battle, the British went on to occupy Philadelphia on September 19. 1777.
Conrad Kremer, Battle of Germantown
Conrad Kremer also fought a few weeks later, at the Battle of Germantown, on October 4, 1777. He was a member of a small element from the 4th Continental Artillery Regiment that was sent to Germantown. The element consisted of the crews for just two cannons. Germantown is located in Pennsylvania, five miles north of Philadelphia. Washington commanded 11,000 troops against General Howe's force of 9,000 British. Washington's intricate plan of attack nearly succeeded in defeating the British, but ultimately failed as the Americans could not execute a coordinated attack. American units became lost in heavy fog and even fired on each other. Though some units managed to enter the streets of Germantown, they had to withdraw when other American units could not reinforce them. American casualties were 673 men, with another 400 taken prisoner by the British. The element from the 4th Continental Artillery had three casualties and had one of its officers taken prisoner. British losses were 537 men. However, the near success of Germantown boosted American morale and influenced the French to later form an important alliance with the Americans in February 1778.
Conrad Kremer in Valley Forge
Having lost Philadelphia to the British, Washington took his army to Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, about 20 miles west of Philadelphia. There, during the winter of 1777-1778, his army went through agony. While the British enjoyed the comforts of their well-supplied encampment at Philadelphia, the Americans were left to build their own temporary quarters and forage for their supplies at Valley Forge. The Americans suffered through severe shortages of food, clothing, shelter, and military equipment. The size of the American army dwindled. Out of an army of about 10,000 soldiers, about 2,500 died of disease, exposure, and malnutrition. Some others deserted, but the bulk of the army remained. The army's commitment to the cause of American indepedence during the winter at Valley Forge became a symbol of American patriotism.
Conrad Kremer remained with Proctor's 4th Artillery Regiment at Valley Forge. But the unit lost many of its number. General Washington stated in a dispatch from Valley Forge on February 27, 1778, "Our loss of matrosses [cannon crew] in the last campaign in killed and wounded was considerable, and it has not been a little increased this winter by desertions from Col. Proctor's corps." The regiment also lost soldiers during the British raids. Possibly because of its reduced strength, the regiment did not accompany the main army into New Jersey when Washington left Valley Forge in June 1778. Instead, when the British evacuated Philadelphia, the artillerymen were assigned to guard and provost duty in Philadelphia.
Conrad Kremer Becomes Quartermaster of the Marechausee Corps
Conrad Kremer himself transferred to a new unit. In the spring of 1778, he obtained a substitute to serve in his company of the 4th Continental Artillery Regiment. He then immediately re-enlisted at Pottsgrove, Pennsylvania, in July 1778, in a new military police unit led by Captain Bartholomew Von Heer, who had commanded Conrad's former company. Captain Von Heer resigned his command of Company D of the 4th Continental Artillery Regiment on June 1, 1778, to become commander of the new unit. Conrad must have had great confidence in Captain Von Heer, and vice versa. Captain Von Heer recruited Conrad Kremer into his unit as a noncommissioned offer.
Captain Von Heer had on May 27, 1778, organized a permanent military police company known as Captain Von Heer's Provost Troop of Light Dragoons. Dragoons are mounted soldiers with rifles. The unit was also known as the Marechausee Corps. Marechausee is derived from a French word meaning field or rural police. Bartholomew Von Heer was the Corps commander throughout the war. He was a good officer and was later promoted to the rank of brevet major.
Von Heer, Prussian, recruited many of the members of the corps from the Pennsylvania-German community of Berks and Lancaster Counties, which then were large counties just to the northwest of Philadelphia. Forty-two of the unit's 63 members were natives of Germany. An officer and enlisted man were Swiss, and one trooper was a Mohawk Indian. The unit largely recruited foreigners in order to maintain a special identity apart from the common soldier.
Congress authorized the Marechausee Corps as a special mounted military police unit. It was the only American unit of its kind. The unit's purpose was to maintain order and enforce discipline in camp and on the march. Ordinarily, the unit was charged with imposing punishment on soldiers who committed military offenses. In combat, the Marechausee Corps took station behind the second line of troops to secure the rear and prevent desertion in the face of the enemy.
Because of the special mission of the Marechausee Corps, the members of the unit were selected from among the most responsible and reliable soldiers. The unit included Captain Von Heer, four lieutenants, one clerk, one quartermaster sergeant, two sergeants, five corporals, two trumpeters, four excarabiners (executioners), and 43 privates. Conrad Kremer became the quartermaster sergeant for the unit. As the quartermaster, he was in charge of the billeting, clothing, and equipment for the unit. He occupied a key position in the unit.
Conrad Kremer marched, with his unit, from Pottsgrove, through Trenton, Princeton, and Brunswick, to General Washington's headquarters in Morristown, New Jersey. Because of its duties, the Marechausee Corps was usually stationed at or near the army's headquarters and accompanied General Washington in his movements. In fact, later, the unit was attached to General Washington's Life Guard, which was the General's bodyguard. Among its duties, the Marechausee Corps escorted the General and carried his dispatches.
From the middle of 1778 to 1781, the main theater of combat shifted to the southern colonies. There were no large-scale military engagements in the northeast and mid-Atlantic regions of the American colonies. However, there was hard fighting, both in organized warfare and in guerilla actions. Conrad Kremer and the Marechausee Corps participated in several skirmishes.
Military life at the Continental Army's encampment at Morristown was even more arduous during the winter of 1779-1780 than it had been at Valley Forge during the previous winter of 1777-1778. The weather was much more severe, and the army's supply problems persisted. During one six week period, military rations were cut to on-eighth of the normal quantity.
The harsh winter at Morristown ultimately led to a mutiny within the army, on May 23, 1780. The Marechausee Corps was probably involved in putting down this first mutiny among Washington's troops. General Washington had the leaders of the mutiny executed after the army had quickly suppressed the mutiny.
Conrad Kremer completed his term of enlistment in July 1780. The Revolutionary War ended with the American victory at Yorktown in October 1781 and the Treaty of Paris on November 30, 1782, in which England recognized the independence of the United States of America.
Conrad Kremer in Winchester, Virginia
After Conrad left the military, he settled in Winchester, Virginia. Winchester lies in Frederick County in the Shenandoah Valley. Many former Hessian soldiers settled in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.
In Winchester, Conrad Kremer met Catherine Helphenstein (also spelled Helfenstein), who was the daughter of the late Major Peter Helphenstein. Major Helphenstine had been an officer of the 8th Virginia Regiment of the Continental Line who died during the siege of Charleston in 1776. Conrad married Catharine Helphenstein in about 1785, when he was about age 38 and she was about age 24.
During their marriage, Conrad and Catharine Kremer had five children. They continued to live in Winchester, VA. Conrad appears on the personal property tax rolls of 1787 for Winchester. According to the tax rolls, he owned one cow.
Conrad Kremer ran a hotel of high reputation. The hotel was on Winchester's Market Street and was also for a time the residence of Conrad Kremer and his family. In the rear of the hotel were extensive wagon yards. Additionally, Conrad Kremer operated a grocery business later known as Kremer Brothers Grocery. The grocery was located at the corner of Loudoun and Piccadilly Streets. Conrad later sold many of his assets, including his businesses, to his sons, in-laws, and others. The Kremer family continued to operate the grocery until after the Civil War. In his later years, Conrad Kremer held the honored position of Clerk of the Market.
Conrad was active in the Lutheran church in Winchester. He served on a church board raising funds for the church. Conrad also served as a witness to a will and as an executor for another will for residents of Winchester. Therefore, Conrad Kremer must have been well-respected in the community of Winchester.
According to family history, Conrad Kremer served as the Sergeant at Arms for the town of Winchester from 1790 to 1798. The Sergeant at Arms is a municipal official who keeps order and carries out the instructions of the town government. Winchester was the County Seat of Frederick County.
Conrad Kremer became a citizen of the United States before March 18, 1818. He became the Superintendent of Police in Winchester in about 1821, at about age 74. Conrad held the office of Superintendent for three years. But by 1825, he had to resign from the office because of his age.
Conrad Kremer applied for a veteran's pension from the federal government in 1818, while residing in Winchester, VA. Earlier in 1818, the Congress had authorized a pension for each surviving veteran of the Revolutionary War who was needy. Previously, Congress had authorized pensions only for disabled Revolutionary War veterans and widows. The federal government awarded Conrad Kremer a pension under the 1818 pension law.
Later, in 1820, Congress enacted legislation requiring pensioners to demonstrate their financial need by submitting a certified schedule of their estates and income. On June 3, 1825, Conrad Kremer submitted several documents to establish his financial need. He relinquished his pension under the 1818 pension law and applied for a pension under the new law. On January 15, 1827, the government placed him on the pension roll, awarding him an annual pension of $96. On January 15, 1833, the government increased his pension to $180 a year and paid him $270 in arrears. Conrad relied on this pension for most of his income.
Conrad Kremer died on May 29, 1837, in Winchester, VA. He is buried at the Old Lutheran Cemetery, on grounds adjoining the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Winchester. It is not known when his wife Catharine died, but her death was after June 3, 1825, and before March 31, 1837. Conrad Kremer was survived by his two sons, George and Peter, and at least one daughter.
https://www.genealogy.com/ftm/k/r/e/Larz-F-Kremer-DC/WEBSITE-0001/UHP-0183.html
