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About the Name

The meaning of Krieg is simple: it is 'war' in German. Most authorities classify the family name Krieg as an "occupational" name applied to soldiers. A more common German name with the same meaning is Krieger 'warrior, soldier'. Thus, like most occupational names, those who share the name are not necessarily related. Their ancestors may simply have shared an occupation. As a result, those of us with the name Krieg need to trace our forebears back to determine if we are actually related. This may not be quite as difficult for us as it is for those with names like Smith, Carpenter, or Cooper, which occur much more frequently, put it's a challenge none the less.

Krieg Genealogy Links

• Descendents of Pinchas Seelig Krieg (apparently not related to my branches of Kriegs) compiled with loving care and great detail by Elizabeth Krieg (email: ekrieg@au1.ibm.com): http://www.angelfire.com/ak/krieggenealogy/maternal.html
• Eric Krieg (eric@phact.org) offers this brief page on Kriegs, with email comments from various other kriegs: http://www.phact.org/e/family/krieg.htm

Antecedents of Laurence John Krieg

From 1880 United States Census Data

researched by Helen Came, April 2006

• William Krieg, of Buckeystown, Frederick County, Maryland
  born 1828, France (but see note 1)
• Mary Krieg, wife of William Krieg
  born 1834, France (see note 2)
  1. Kate Krieg, daughter of William and Mary Krieg
     born 1853, Buckeystown, Frederick County, Maryland
  2. Jessie Krieg, son of William and Mary Krieg
     born 1856, Buckeystown, Frederick County, Maryland
  3. John Krieg, son of William and Mary Krieg
     born 1858, Buckeystown, Frederick County, Maryland
  4. Lizzie Krieg, daughter of William and Mary Krieg
     born 1859, Buckeystown, Frederick County, Maryland
  5. Mollie Krieg, daughter of William and Mary Krieg
     born 1862, Buckeystown, Frederick County, Maryland
  6. Maggie Krieg, daughter of William and Mary Krieg
     born 1865, Buckeystown, Frederick County, Maryland
  7. Ellen Krieg, daughter of William and Mary Krieg
     born 1869, Buckeystown, Frederick County, Maryland
  8. Linnie Krieg, daughter of William and Mary Krieg
     born 1873, Buckeystown, Frederick County, Maryland
     

From Maryland Soldiers in the Civil War, Volume 2

researched by Helen Came, April 2006

Name: Krieg, William
Rank: Landsman (see note 3)
Enlistment/Muster In: Feb. 8, 1865
Discharge/Muster Out: Dec. 9, 1866
Remarks: Constellation, Mt. Washington, Yantic, Alleghany and Vermont.

Narrative Notes

(written by Laurence John Krieg, October 1994; updated April 1997 and May 2006)

The first ancestors we know of with the Krieg surname in the United States arrived in Baltimore from Germany, probably in 1846. The party consisted of the father and at least four brothers, whose names we don't remember. One brother may have settled in Newark, Ohio, shortly after arriving; he may have changed the spelling of the name to Craig.

In their naturalization papers, of which we still have a copy, William Krieg is said to be a native of the Rhine Palatinate, or Bayriches Rheinpfaltz, part of the Kingdom of Bavaria. In his naturalization papers is a signed renunciation of allegience to King Louis (i.e. Ludwig) of Bavaria, the builder of spectacular castles which are now great tourist attractions. The son of one of these original immigrants explained the reason for their coming: they wished to avoid being conscripted into the German army. When my father, William Krieg, was stationed in Stuttgart in 1938, he found Krieg to be a relatively common name in southwestern Germany. The Stuttgart telephone directory had 14 Kriegs listed; one of the better medical clinics in Stuttgart at the time was run by two brothers named Krieg. He also met a Catholic nun who mentioned that "when she was in the world" her name had been Krieg. Our name is also found with some frequency in Silesia, in eastern Germany, where most Kriegs are apparently Jewish.

Our direct ancestor was William Krieg, who settled in Buckeystown (or nearby Adamstown) Maryland, about 1860. He owned a carriage-making shop; we have engraved metal name plates of the type used to fasten on to carriages; he was also associated with a flour mill. During the Civil War, a Confederate cavalry troop swept through town and took all the flour from mill. They paid for it, though - in Confederate money!

It is probable that the entry in Maryland Soldiers in the Civil War refers to William Krieg's service in the U.S. Navy, or the Army in service of the Navy. The rank "Landsman" indicates that he was not on sea-duty, but serviced ships in port. Very likely, as a carriage-maker, he was given carpentry duties; since Baltimore is the port nearest Buckeystown it is also likely that is where he was stationed. The names in the Remarks section probably refer to ships on which he was assigned duties. We notice that he enlisted shortly before the end of the Civil War, and served 22 months. Family tradition holds that he paid the required fee to be excused from military service, but we speculate that when he realized the war was almost over by February 1865, he considered it expedient to serve rather than pay for another year's exemption.

William Laurence Krieg recounts (May 2006) family tradition that Mary Krieg was born in Alsace and was fluent in both German and French. Family tradition also states that one day, when sons Jessie and John were young boys walking down Buckeystown's main street speaking German, they overheard someone say, "Oh, look at those two little Dutchmen! Aren't they cute?" They returned to the family home and announced that they would henceforth speak only English. Mary asked, "How about French?" but they stuck with only English. William Laurence Krieg says that when he was a boy, the only German his grandfather John remembered was "gesundheit".

John C. Krieg, our ancestor, was born October 25, 1858, in Baltimore - the same birthday as his father's. At about 16 he left for Newark, Ohio, to work in the stable of a friend of the family who had recently moved there from Buckeystown. After working there for a few years and marrying Etta Montgomery, of that town, he went further west, setting up small store in Emporia, Kansas. There, their son Laurence Montgomery Krieg was born on October 25, 1884 - the same birthday as his father and grandfather. John C. moved with his family back to Newark, Ohio shortly after that, where he remained and is buried.

Laurence M. Krieg lived all the remainder of his life in Newark. He married Helen Crane, and their two surviving children are William Laurence Krieg, and Jeannette Drake, of Granville, Ohio. Laurence M. was co-owner of the Crane-Krieg-Flory hardware store, on the courthouse square in Newark. He was well known in the town for his civic and philanthropic activities.

William Laurence Krieg was born October 11, 1913, in Newark Ohio. (His birth on October 11 was cause for some disappointment. It had been hoped he would be born on October 25, like his father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.) He was educated at Newark High School, Dartmouth College (Hanover, New Hampshire) and The Fletcher School (Boston, Massachusetts). He became a career diplomat, serving with the U. S. Department of State in Germany, Italy, Portugal, Nigeria, Venezuela, Guatemala, and Chile. He is married to Laura Philinda Campbell, sister of science fiction author and editor John W. Campbell, Jr.
They have three children, Laurence John Krieg (born December 11, 1945, in Caracas, Venezuela), and twins Laura Krieg Morris and Helen Krieg Came (born April 6,1951, in Washington, D.C.).

Laura, of Tacoma, Washington, is a pediatric neurologist in private practice; her three children are Margaret, Joseph, and Emily; her former husband, William Morris, is a neurosurgeon in private practice in Tacoma.

Helen, of Pittsfield, Massachusetts, is a homemaker; her three children are Elizabeth, Matthew, and Rachel; her husband is David Came, director of communications at The Marian Helpers, Inc., of Stockbridge, Massachusetts. Matthew Came and Joseline Marie Liriano Came have a son Tirian William Came.

Laurence, of Ypsilanti, Michigan, is a retired faculty member in Computer Instruction at Washtenaw Community College, Ann Arbor, Michigan (children listed below).

Antecedents of Martha Fessler: the Greek - Kriecg family

Laurence John Krieg married Martha Fessler Krieg in 1968. Some time later, Martha became aware that her grandfather, Owen Greek Smith, bore a family name which had once been spelled Kreig or Krieg. In 1979, Leona Landon of R.R. 1, Alvordton, Ohio, 43501, compiled a history of the Greek/Kreig/Krieg family. As this genealogy is several dozen pages long, I cannot quote it here. However, I will supply her introduction, and the direct line of Martha Fessler Krieg:

Fredrick Greek, son of Elias and Maria (Gibbens) Kreig, was born September 17, 1811, probably in or near Schaefferstown, Pa. He was baptized on November 6, 1811, at the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Shaefferstown, now known as St. Luke's Lutheran Church. His sponsors were Friedrich Kreig and Eva Albright. Seven other children of Elias and Maria Kreig were baptized in this church, spanning a time period from 1797 to 1819.

Elias Kreig is the earliest ancestor to which our family has been traced. Elias was born January 9, 1773, and married Mary Gibbens on January 15, 1797. Oral tradition indicates that Elias came to Shaefferstown from Pottstown, Pa., and at an earlier period lived in Philadelphia and owned land near Reading, Pa. At present no records have been found to validate this tradition. However, a great granddaughter of Elias, Minerva Frey, 94 years old and living in Elizabethtown, Pa., in 1979, remembers that two of Fredrick's sisters, Molly and Katty, lived in the Welsh Mountains near Reading. A letter from Harry K. Hacker of Lititz, Pa., written in 1892 to his cousin, W. F. Greek of Kunkle, Ohio, gives information about their grandfather, Elias. He states that according to his mother, Polly or Maria, who was Fredrick's sister, Elias moved to Schaefferstown from Pottstown and was buried in the Schaefferstown cemetery, though no tombstone was erected. His mother was not able to give information about Elias' father, nor was an elderly friend of the family, a Mr. Erb. Mr. Erb, however, was sure that Elias's father had come to this country form "the old land." The Commemorative Biographical Record in an article on Joseph Greek, a son of Fredrick, states that the paternal grandfather had come to Pennsylvania from Germany. Another tradition says that the Greeks were originally English Quakers, who left England because of religious persecution.

In 1840 Fredrick and Martha moved from Pennsylvania to Steam Corners, Richland County, Ohio, 8 miles south of Mansfield. They lived in Richland County for 2 years, then moved to Hancock County, where they remained for 8 years. In 1850 Fredrick and Martha moved to Williams County Ohio, Madison township. In 1854 they bought a home and 80 acres of land 1 mile south and 1/2 mile west of Kunkle, Ohio. The house and farm are still in excellent condition. As a young man Fredrick learned the carpentry trade, which he practiced in Richland and Hancock counties and continued this work along with farming in Williams County. An example of his work can be seen in a chest owned by the Rev. Lester Driftmeyer and Mrs. Margaret (Bistline) Driftmeyer in West Unity, Ohio. Martha died in 1894 and Fredrick in 1895 at the age of 84.

Research continues to identify the name and birthplace of Elias's father. One of the problems in tracing the family records in the variation in spelling the name. The original German spelling is Kriecg. In Pennsylvania by 1892 the family used the Kreek spelling, while the Ohio spelling was Greek.

Elias Kreig  1/9/1773-	m	Maria (Gibbens) Kreig 1/15/1797
Fredrick Greek  9/17/1811-1895	m	Martha (Brubaker) Greek 9/29/1814-2/5/1894
John Greek  8/6/1836 - 5/ /1926	m	Delilah Bushong 1839-(deceased)
III. Alvira Delphine "Della" Greek  11/4/1863-5/ /1950	m 3/13/82 One child	John A. Smith 9/ /1863 (divorced)
A. Owen Greek Smith 12/27/1893-5/21/1976	m Three children	Caroline Lenore "Lenore" Everest 10/27/1895-late 1970s or early 80s
1. Suzanne Marie Smith 3/24/1919- 10//89	m 6/20/1940 Two children	Herbert Thoburn Fessler 3/23/1916 -
a. Martha Lenore Fessler 1948 -	m 6/1/1968 Three children	Laurence John Krieg -
1. Katherine Joy Krieg 1974 -	m 7/21/2001 One child	Eric Camu Kramp
2. Marjorie Krieg 1976 -
3. Ian William Herbert Krieg 1983 -
b. Warren Allen Fessler 1/27/1951 - 2/1/2001

To this information gathered by Leona Landon, Martha adds that her mother told her one family tradition was that the Greeks were originally descended in England from a Greek merchant (hence the surname); that they then went to Germany, where the name was respelled to a common German word, Krieg; and then respelled in several variants when they arrived in America. We do not have adequate information to judge whether this Greek/Krieg/Kreig family which has been in America since the late 1700s is directly related to the Krieg family of Maryland and Ohio to which Martha's husband Laurence belongs.