[25-1] CASPAR KRIBEL (KRIEBEL)[E 26], eldest s of Melchior and Maria Kribel of Berthelsdorf [25], b 1700 or 1701; d Feb. 16, 1771; mJune 8, 1728, SUSANNA WIEGNER([E 98], b Aug. 26, 1706; d Apr. 17, 1769, “‘friih 2 hora” (at two a.m.) [ef. David Schultz Almanac]; buried’ Apr. 19, in Towamencin Schw. Cem.; youngest dau of George and Maria (Heebner) Wiegner of Herrnhut [36]. [Vid. Berthelsdorf Ch. Bk.| They came to Pa. in 1734 with one son, George, the second son, Abraham, being born in Pa.
Caspar Kribel lived on the farm now occupied by his descendant, Charles K. Kriebel, Jr. [25-196a], in Towamencin Twp., near the Towamencin Schwenkfelder Church [vid. Plate F XXI]. He is buried, however, in a cemetery in Upper Hanover Twp., near Kraussdale, Pa. Tradition states that he left his home on horseback one morning in midwinter, and after admonishing his children and family to be good while he was gone, rode to ‘‘Goshenhoppen”’ as the Upper District. was then called, to transact some business. While on this journey he was stricken with illness and died suddenly and was buried in the so called ‘‘Kraussdale Cemetery.’’ He was naturalized June 21, 1743.
In 1735 Caspar and his brother purchased 189 acres in Towamencin Twp., for 242 pounds; in 1744 Melchior sold his claim to Caspar for 158 pounds. On Dec. 6, 1764, Caspar sold his farm to his son, Abraham, for 1500 pounds. The history of this farm after that is simply a series of transfers from father to son up to the present generation.
Mr. Kriebel was a well educated man and took an active part in the affairs of the Schwenkfelders. He assisted Christopher Schultz in the establishment of the Schwenkfelder School System, and took an active part in their administration, contributing a loan of fifty pounds, and was elected one of the first trustees of the School. A number of letters written by Caspar Kribel in a clear legible German script are still extant. For the most part these letters are written to his cousin, Rev. Christopher Schultz, and various phases of the school activities, as well as other topics that engrossed the minds of the early settlers, are discussed therein.
A number of religious meetings of the early Schwenkfelders were held in the home of Caspar Kriebel. On Dec. 1, 1756, in company with Christopher Schultz, Caspar Kriebel attended the meeting of the contributors to the Friendly Association for preserving peace with the Indians. This meeting was held in the Friends’ Schoolhouse in Philadelphia.
In regard to the Schwenkfelders attending the Moravian conference held in Germantown, in 1742,
in a letter to Christopher Schultz among other things Caspar Kriebel said:
“It is the opinion of myself and some others that it is not advisable to attend said conference.
Hitherto we have had nothing to do with him (Zinzendorf). He indeed makes pretensions against us,
but theseare European and not American.” [Vid. Schwenkfelders in Pennsylvania— Kriebel, p. 118.]
Caspar Kriebel was also a hymnologist, as he contributed a number of hymns to the early Schwenk-
felder hymn book.
Children (2):
[25-3] 1. George [FE 99], b Nov. 3, 1732, in Berthelsdorf, Saxony; baptized Nov. 4, 1732; sponsors: | ‘ Georg Scholtz, Jr., Melchior Wiegner, Jgfr. Anna Drescher; d Dec. 1, 1805; m Anna Anders.
[25-4] 2. Abraham, b Oct. 18, 1736; d Jan. 30, 1801; m Susanna Schultz.
Parents’ family: [25] Melchior Kribel, Sr and S. H. L