John Valentine Kratz

  Noted events in his life were:

• Immigration, 20 Jun 1727. John immigrated to America on board the ship Friendship arriving in Pennsylvania October 17, 1727.
The vessel set sail on the 20th of June, making the voyage in nearly four months. One of his sisters came with him to this country.

• settled, 3 Aug 1734. He settled in Salford Township, where he purchased two tracts of land, one from Gerhart Clemens and one from the commissioners of property. By warrant granted under the lesser seal bearing date August 3, 1734 there was surveyed to John Valentine Kratz on the 12 of March a tract of land in Salford Township containing 163 acres and 71 perches, with allowance of six percent for roads and highways and for which he paid 25 pounds, 6 shillings and 8 d. He received his patent on February 14, 1736. His youngest son Isaac inherited the homestead after his death.

• Property. Listed on the "Lower Salford Tax List of 1734", an enumeration of those landholders who payed the Proprietor an annual quit-rent 1734, Received a patent of 163 acres from John, Thomas and Richard PENN 3 August 1734 in Salford, Montgomery Co, PA, Purchased 53 acres from Gerhard CLEMENS 30 January 1735 in Salford, Montgomery Co, PA,

• faith. ⁷⁴⁶ John Valentine and his wife Ann Clemens were among the original members of the Mennonite church of Salford.

John married Ann Clemens, daughter of Gerhart (Gerhard) Clemens and Anneli (Anna) Reiff, about 1732. (Ann Clemens was born in 1713 in Lower Salford Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, died in 1793 in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania and was buried in Lower Salford Mennonite Cemetery.)

  Marriage Notes:

JOHN VALENTINE KRATZ: Burial: 1780, Lower Salford Mennonite Cemetery, 2 miles west of Harleysville323 Emigrated: 1727, With fourth wave of Palatine Mennonites to come to Philadelphia. Settled first in Salford.324 Emigration: 1727, From Germany to Pennsylvania on ship FRIENDSHIP Property: January 30, 1734/35, Purchased 35 acres from Gerhardt Clemens, father-in-law Will: Witnesses were John Alderfer, Jacob Alderfer, and John Barkey (Bergey)


John Valentine Kratz was born in Germany. He was a Mennonite for which he was driven by persecution from his native alnd to find a home in america, where he arrived October 16, 1727

His father John Philip Kratz was born in Germany on October 8, 1665 and died there in 1746 at age 80 years. His wife died in 1710.

John Valentine Kratz was the youngest son of John Philip who was born in 1707 in the Palatinate a province of Germany, bordering on the east side of the Rhine. He died in 1780 aged about 73 years. He emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1727, when he was 20 years old, and arrived in the ship "Friendship" on the 16th of October 1727.

The vessel set sail on the 20th of June, making the voyage in nearly four months. One of his sisters came with him to this country. He settled in Salford Township, where he purchased two tracts of land, one from Gerhart clemens and one from the commissioners of property. By warrant granted under the lesser seal bearing date 8/3/1734, there was surveyed to John Valentine Kratz on the 12 of March a tract of land in Salford Township c ontaining 163 acres and 71 perches, with allowance of six eprcent for roads and highways and for which he paid 25 pounds, 6 shillings and 8 d. He received his patent on February 14, 1736 and is located in Upper Salford. His youngest son Isaac inherited the homestead after his death.

John Valentine and his wife Ann Clemens were among the original members of the Mennonite church of Salford

Fretz, A. J. [View Citation] [Table of Contents] A brief history of John Valentine Kratz : and a complete genealogical family register with biographies of his descendants from the earliest available records to the present time ... Elkhart, Ind.: Mennonite Pub. Co., 1892, 12-13 p