DEBUNKING the VAN HORN MYTH in the KRATZER/KROTZER ANCESTRY:

In 1929 the Rev. Francis M. Marvin published the "Van Horn, Van Horne, Van Hoorn. The Van Horn Family History." On page 125 he shows Cornelius Van Horn's daughter Elizabeth as the wife of Henry Krotzer.

The late Richard E. Coe CEG had this to say about Marvin's Van Horn history:

"This genealogy is undoubtedly one of the most unreliable family histories ever compiled. Not one generation should be accepted without obtaining proof elsewhere... The Reverend got his facts and family records badly mixed up."

Elsie Hollenbeck in her later publication "Our Van Horn Kindred" cleaned up the earlier generations of the Cornelius Van Horn ancestry, but unfortunately copied the descents verbatim without checking them, including the alleged line of descent from Cornelius' daughter Elizabeth. Each subsequent generation from this line shows only one child per generation as follows:

Elizabeth Van Horn m. Henry Krotzer

Margaret Krotzer m. Isaac Reimer

Catherine Reimer m. Matthias Frutchey

Sybilla Frutchey b. 1813 m. Jesse Ettinger

Elizabeth Ann Ettinger b. 1843 m. John E. Apple

Emma Susan Apple

Although the descent above from Henry and Elizabeth is correct, listing only one child per generation is a red flag. Somewhere in the last 1-2 generations, someone apparently hired a genealogist (probably for a hefty sum of money) who obligingly 'hooked them onto' a family with an illustrious ancestry (the original Van Horn volume claimed descent for Cornelius from William of Orange, another falsehood).

This erroneous marriage of Henry Kratzer to a daughter of Cornelius Van Horn is still unwittingly being perpetuated today in numerous family histories and online GedComs. After all: "If it's in print, it must be true."

It is time to put an end to it.

Henry Kratzer was a recent German immigrant, who settled in the Lehigh Valley in Northampton county. He was a farmer, and probably did well for himself. Cornelius van Horn was a second generation Dutch settler of a decidedly higher social standing than Henry Krotzer, who lived a good 80 miles away in Hunterdon Co., NJ.

Henry didn't need to step outside his social status and go 80 miles to find a wife. He found one practically next door....

The estate of Conrad Fuchs (1779) of Bethlehem Twp. names the following heirs:

son: PETER Fuchs
son: NICHOLAS Fuchs
dau: Elizabeth KRATZER
dau: Anna Maria w/o SIMON DREISBAC
dau: Catherine w/o Conrad FOGELMAN
grandchildren: Conrad, Peter, Anna Maria, Margaret c/o decd. son Philip Fuchs

Note that Elizabeth Kratzer is the only daughter who does not have a husband listed, indicating she is a widow. Our Henry Kratzer died in 1778.

Now let's look at some christening records from the various area churches:

Elisabeth Margaretha Kratzer, b. 7 July 1756, d/o Heinrich & Elisabeth, chr. at the Williams Twp. Congregation; sponsors CONRAD FUCHS and wife Anna Margaretha.

Johan Nicolaus Kratzer, s/o Heinrich and Elisabetha Margaretha, chr. 27 Sep 1758 at the Williams Twp. Congregation; sponsors NICOLAUS FUCHS and Margareth Abel.

Hannah Salome Cratzer, d/o Henry and Elizabeth, chr. 24 Aug 1760 at the Tohickon Union Reformed church, Bucks Co., Sponsor PETER FUCHS

Johann Heinrich Vogelmann, s/o Conrad and Catherine (FUCHS) Vogelmann, chr. 9 May 1773 at the Williams Twp. Congregation; sponsors Johann Henrich KRATZER & wife Elisabeth.

Elisabeth Vogelman, d/o Conrad and Catherine (FUCHS) Vogelman, chr. 16 April 1781, at the Williams Twp. Congregation; sponsor Elisabeth KRATZER.

Lastly, in Dec. 1778, Hannah and Philip Kratzer, minor children of the late Henry Kratzer, petitioned the Northampton Co. Orphan's Court for guardians, choosing John Overley and SIMON DREISBACH.

The above documents provide compelling evidence, that Elizabeth, wife of Henry Kratzer, was the daughter of Conrad Fuchs, and lays to rest the myth that Henry married a daughter of Cornelius Van Horne.

See: Conrad Fuchs for further information.