The Kraushaar/Crouser Families in Germany

We have seen the names Crouser and Kraushaar in the records of quite a few countries. Most of them seem to be in Germany, and that is where we will concentrate our efforts for the time being.

Friedrich Kraushaar (Crouser) and his wife, Magdalena
of Hirschthal, Bayern

My immigrant ancestors came from a section of Germany which is along the French border due north of Straussburg, France. We found them in the parish records of the Lutheran church in a small town called Schönau. The place they actually lived was Hirschthal, a tiny village on the French border about two kilometers from Schönau.

Friedrich Kraushaar and his wife, Magdalena, had three children of whom we know.

  1. Caroline Kraushaar was born 11 April 1820 (location unknown) and was confirmed in Schönau in 1832.
  2. Jacob was born 16 July 1822 (location unknown) and was confirmed in Schönau in 1837.
  3. Friedrich was born 29 November 1831 (probably in Hirschthal) and baptized in Schönau on 4 December 1831.

The parish records of Schönau say that at the time of their marriage in the church (5 March 1836) Friedrich and Magdalena had been in a civil marriage for many years. We have not yet found the records of that civil marriage which could have occured anywhere in Germany or France.

Family history notes left by Friedrich, Jr., who went by the name Frederick B. Crouser in this country, say that Magdalena's maiden name was Lape. Friedrich, Jr.'s baptismal record calls her Magdalena Low, and her church marriage record possibly calls her Magdalena Loeb. More research needs to be done on this matter.

We don't know when the family left Hirschthal, but they sailed from La Havre, France, in May of 1837, and arrived in Baltimore, MD, in August after a voyage of 72 days. Their ship was the "Glide".

Friedrich and his family lived in Pittsburgh for a few months while they got acclimated and acquired some equipment. Then they moved northward into Mercer County, PA, where they settled down and began farming. For more information on this family, go to "the Crousers in Mercer County".

Jacob Kraushaar and his wife, Juliana Bitsch
of Erlenbush, Bayern

All we know about this couple was that they had a son named Jacob who died in a tragic accident in Hirschthal, Bayern, in 1836. His death was recorded in the parish records of the Lutheran Church in the nearby village of Schönau said that his parents were the deceased Jacob Kraushaar and his widow, Juliana Bitsch, from Erlenbush which we assume to be Erlenbush-bei-Dahn which is nearby.

Johannes Kraushaar and his wife, Susanna Berthold
of Oberkalbach, Hessen

Johannes and Susanna had a son Friedrich Kraushaar who was born 17 April 1819 in Oberkalbach. He was married on 6 November 1843 to Katherine Heil. He and his family came to the United States in 1852. They settled first in Ohio, then Michigan.

Do you have any information about Kraushaar or Crouser families in Germany? If so, I would love to hear from you. Please sign our Guestbook before you leave or write me at betty@crouser.com.

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