Adam CRAMER, JR

                   John (K.) Cramer's birth & baptismal dates recorded in Sanner Lutheran Church, Somerset Co., PA. John K. Cramer is not included in Mazie Emanuel's list of Adam Cramer Jr.s children. However from his birth & baptismal records in the Sanner Church, and the births page from John K.s bible in possession of Karon Mazie, giving the same date and noting Somerset Co., PA as place of birth, we have placed him here. It is possible that because he apparently "went West" early, that he was not remembered by Mazie Emanuel's two Cramer family sources.
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Further notes by Karon Mazie.
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8-8-97  Received packet of information from the Eastern Nebraska Genealogical Society (ENGS), re: J.K. Cramer and family:    J. K. Cramer died 8-25-1894 at 72 years 4 months and 27 days of age.  He is buried at Ridge Cemetery.  There was a copy of a clipping from the newspaper:  "O. C. Cramer, who was called here a few weeks ago by the death of his father, John K. Cramer, returns today to Hill City, South Dakota, where he has been located for several years, engaged in farming and mining.  His sister, Mrs. J. L. Weaver, who came with him, will return to Hill City on Sunday.     F W H  25 Sept.  1894   8:2"
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Notice of Application for Letters of Administration.   In the county court of Dodge county, state of Nebraska.  In the matter of the estate of John K. Cramer, deceased. --    Notice is hereby given that on the 8th day of October. A. D. 1894, at the county judge's office in the city of Fremont, Dodge county, Nebraska at 10 o'clock in the forenoon the following matter will be heard and considered, to-wit:  The application of Orestes Cramer for the appointment of A. P. Shepard administrator of this estate of John K.
Cramer, late of said county and state, deceased. ****
     By order of the court.
     Dated this 13th day of September, A. D.  1894  (seal)     Claus H
Plamback, County Judge,   S14-4W       F W H  14 Sep 1894   5:3     *****
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Obit for John K Cramer received from ENGS on 3-6-98, Published in the Fremont Herald 31 Aug. 1984
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                 JOHN K. CRAMER
          Sketch of the Life of One of the Oldest Residents of Dodge County.
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Nickerson, Neb., August 30         Editor Fremont Herald:
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The death of John K. Cramer, of Nickerson township, on Saturday, August 25, removes one of the very first settlers of this section.  He came to this county in May, 1855, and resided here continuously until his death, making a residence of over thirty-nine years in this community.
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Mr Cramer was born and raised in the state of Pennsylvania, and was 71 years of age last March.  His wife died five years ago.  He leaves to mourn his loss nine children, all grown, seven of whom were present at his funeral.  Three live in this county, one daughter in Chicago, one son in St. Joseph, MO., one son and one daughter in Hill City, South Dakota. All of these were present at the funeral.
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Mr. Cramer was buried on his old homestead by the side of his wife, the funeral services being conducted by the writer.  The pall bearers were all old settlers, three of them coming here at the same time he did.  A large procession followed the remains to their last resting place.  The deceased was a member of the Old Settlers Association, and he left a good home which he worked hard to make.  His death was very sudden, resulting from paralysis of the heart.
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Mr. Cramer was a subscriber and reader of the Fremont Herald ever since its first issue.   J. A. Garner
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1860 Census,  it states value of real estate owned by J K CRAMER is $2000 and his personal estate is valued at $1325.00     *****
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1880 Census has John K Cramer born in PA, Frances, born in Ohio, her father born in VA and her mother born in Ohio.  He is 67, she is 65, Robert L is living at home, 13 years old and a Emma F Sholtz, 1 year old is living there.  It says she was born in Nebraska, her father born in Germany, her mother born in Nebraska.   It does not say who Emma F Sholtz was born to.     I believe she is the daughter of Pearle, for later we find a marriage of Emma Kreamer to Joseph D Etherton, married Nov 27, 1899.  She was 21, and her parents included father not listed, mother Pearl Kreamer.   In the Fremont paper there was a notice of interment -- Mrs. Emma Etherton, niece of R. L. Cramer was to be buried on the Cramer
farm.  She was 27 years of age.
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1885 Federal Census for Nebraska, Township of Maple, shows John is 72, his wife is listed as Asserkus, 70 years old, born in Ohio, her father and mother born in Ohio.  Robert is living at home, he is 19 years old. A granddaughter Clara is living with them.  She is 10.  It does not say who her parents are.  Fulton, his wife and daughter Flora are living next door.
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In a questions and answers about Adams County Illinois, it states Rail service would not reach Quincy until 1854.  The river was a great avenue of commerce.  People were coming to Illinois, it became a state in 1818 and that meant protection and safety in the new frontier, and it means the US Government was promoting growth in the area.  Many people came up the Mississippi River into the Port of Quincy, and then spread out into the neighboring counties.
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12-2-97  Frances B West was found on 1850 Census for Adams Co IL, but John K Cramer was not found on that census, info from Robert Oltmanns, see Frances West page.     *****
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2-7-98  by phone:  Marlene Cramer WHITE said they were told that the original spelling of the name was Krahmmer, and presumed to be Dutch.  It was then changed to Kramer, and later to Cramer.  She had met someone who was from Holland and he said the name Krahmmer was a common name there.
She said she and her father had very fair complexion, and turn very red, easily, sunburn easily, and this was attributed to being "red faced Dutch".
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4-23-98  Across the Elkhorn River from the mouth of Maple Creek, the Nebraska Colonization Company, made up of more than ten members from Illinois, bought real estate "20 miles square" during 1854 from Logan Fontenelle and named in his honor.  This land purchased from the Omaha Indian for $100 now lies in Washington county, NE, but the Fontenelle settlement had once served as Dodge county seat before the year 1860. Dick Taylor 
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Dick, Karon asked, "what do they mean, made up a colony."  Can you answer that for her?     You see the term "colony" used in reference to German-Russian settlements in Russia.  The term "daughter colony" is seen most frequently.  It means:    A group of people of similar interests concentrated in one area.  That was common among many immigrant nationalities in this country in the 1800's, and early 1900's, because of a common language.    garymartens@earthlink.net
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Out of a history book, on the Nebraska genealogy web site, I copied this information about John Cramer . . .   The first deaths that occurred were those of Mr. Porter and Mr. Demaree two young men who, while breaking prairie one mile east of Fontenelle, were on July 16, 1855, shot and killed by a wandering party of Santee Sioux. After scalping the slain, the Indians beat a hasty retreat.
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They were pursued by a party of volunteer citizens, but without result. The people of the surrounding country were considerably alarmed, and two volunteer companies of soldiers were raised for their defense,--one company being from Omaha, commanded by Captain William Moore, the other
composed of citizens of Fontenelle. As the Indians made no attack the duties of the soldiers consisted only of patrolling, scouting, hunting and fishing--mainly the latter--fish being abundant in the Elkhorn. This military period has been facetiously termed the "Catfish War."
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It had an effect, however, on the new industries of the county, for in that summer, Harlow Carpenter, John Cramer and Isaac Underwood, after having ten thousand brick ready for the kiln, suspended their labors to join in the general defense.
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The first saw mill was erected by Samuel and Silas Francis, in the summer of 1856.
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Fontenelle is now a village of some two hundred inhabitants. It contains a church, schoolhouse, a general store, besides a blacksmith and wagon shop; and is surrounded by a beautiful and fertile country.     *****
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1890-91  NEBRASKA STATE GAZETTEER - DODGE COUNTY   FARMERS LIST
Cramer, Fulton, Nickerson
Cramer, J K, Nickerson
Cramer, R S, Nickerson
This information found on the internet, in the Dodge County NE genealogy site.
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MAPLE CREEK, a rural post office in the central part of Dodge county, 12 miles north of Fremont, the county seat.    Hooker E W, postmaster, justice.
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NICKERSON - a station on the F E & M V RR, in the eastern part of Dodge county, eight miles from Fremont, the county seat.  Population , 150.  HAVEN, W H, genl mdse, hardware, justice, postmaster.
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J K Cramer was involved in these areas during his lifetime.     *****
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This enumeration was signed, under oath, October 11, 1855, by John W. Pattison.
                                 FONTENELLE

John R. Cramer(note a)(note d), b. in Pa., carpenter; 1 m. 21 up.; 1 f. 16 up.; 1 f. und. 16.
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(a) Drew 160 acres of land and 2 town lots in drawing held at Fontenelle,
May 3, 1855. - Verne          C. Fuhlrodt, Pioneer History of Fontenelle,
Nebr., a master's thesis, pp. 143-4.
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(d) Harlow Carpenter, John Cramer and Isaac Underwood had the first brick
yard in 1855. -          Fuhlrodt, p. 62.
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NEBRASKA CENSUS, 1856, DODGE COUNTY

John C. Cramer, b. in Pa., farmer; 1 m. 21 up.; 1 m. und. 16; 1 f. 16 up.; 1 f. und.  16.      *****
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It is probable they lived in a sod house called a soddy when they first arrived in Nebraska.  The following is a description of how these houses were built, given in answer to a question, on the internet.  I include it because I find it interesting.
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   "The sod (grass) had such tightly bound roots that a rectangle of it would hold together with the soil. So the pioneers cut rectangles, leaving the grass and soil together, and stacked the rectangles like blocks for the wall of the home. Small tree trunks were the ceiling, which were also covered with sod.  There was very little wood in some  areas.  Later, trees were sawed into lumber when the lumber mills got
going and the soddies were replaced by frame homes.  But the soddies were warmer in winter and cooler in summer.  Actually those old frame houses were terribly cold in winter.  So that's a soddie.
     One of my relatives in western Nebraska lived in a house that was originally a soddie, frame walls had been built around the sod walls, and never  changed. The house was remodeled in the 1950's, and the original sod was still in the walls."      *****
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Here is more information about sod houses:
                            NEBRASKA  STATE  HISTORICAL  SOCIETY
                                                 THE SOD HOUSE
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On the prairies, away from the streams which provided logs and timber for cabins,  the settler turned to materials furnished by his environment to build his home. Like the  Indian who had constructed lodges of earth, the pioneer found most of his building materials in the native soil. Bricks made of sod, which some jokingly called "Nebraska marble," made a satisfactory and reasonably comfortable home.
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When the settler first arrived, his primary concern was to provide shelter for his family. When the terrain allowed, the dugout was the most practical solution. Building into a hill was advantageous for the settler
because it was less work and effort than building another type of home. A ravine or a hill was selected, preferably facing south or east, away from the prevailing winter winds. The excavation was then covered with a roofing of logs, brush, and prairie sod. Sod bricks were laid up around the wooden door and  indow frames to form the front wall of the shelter.
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The dugout blended into its surroundings, and often the only sign of habitation was a stove pipe sticking up over the hill. Occasionally in the darkness, a wagon might rumble over the dugout, knocking dirt into
the room below, or even crashing through the ceiling.
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When able to do so, the family built a sod house, which was a more substantial home than the dugout. With a "grasshopper" plow, they plowed about one acre of ground into strips twelve inches wide and four inches thick. The strips were then cut into about three-foot lengths. In laying the sod bricks, the builder placed them lengthwise, making a wall two feet in depth. The process was reversed every few layers, and the bricks were laid alternately lengthwise and crosswise to bind the walls, and to make them solid. All sod was laid with the grass side down.
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Wooden door frames were set in place as the wall construction began. Window frames of wood were positioned when the wall reached the proper height. Sod was laid around the sides and on top of boards placed above the frame. A gap, left at the top, above the frame, was filled with rags or grass, which allowed the sod to settle without crushing the glass panes in the window. Pegs, driven into the sod through holes in the frames, held them in place.
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Construction of the side walls varied little from house to house. The roof, however,  allowed the builder a wide range of choices. The gable roof, hip roof, and shed roof were commonly used. Of these types, the
gable roof was the most popular.
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A variety of materials was used, depending on the locality and the finances of the builder. Cedar logs, when available, were used as ridge poles because they were rot-resistant and strong. The ridge pole
sometimes needed extra support, and this was commonly provided by, placing a forked post under each end, inside the walls. This provided the added advantage of having a place to put in pegs or hooks for hanging up clothes and utensils.  Occasionally the forked supporting posts were placed just outside of the walls.
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Willow, cedar, or other woods were used for rafters. Crude roofs were often constructed by spreading native wild plum or chokecherry brush, or similar growth over the rafters. This layer of brush was then covered with wild prairie grass and a layer of sod was added on top of the grass.   This type of roof always leaked when it rained. White muslin or canvas was often tacked to the ceiling to catch dirt, mice, bugs, and other vermin which might enter through the ceiling. A twice-a-year washing of the ceiling cloth was customary.
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A better roof could be made with sawed lumber, which, however, increased the cost of the soddy. Also, in early Nebraska, lumber may not have been available in some areas. Lumber roofs consisted of a combination of 2x6's for a ridge post, 2x4's for rafters, and wood sheathing nailed over the rafters. Tar paper, placed on top of the sheathing, did much to improve the generally leaky roof. The best roofs were made by adding wood shingles; more often sod, somewhat thinner than that used in the side walls, was placed on top of the tar paper to provide a roof.
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Windows were generally set even with the outside wall. Twelve-pane, doublehung windows were  commonly used. The area on the sides of the windows, beveled to allow more light to enter, was white-washed in an attempt to control the dirt which was constantly flaking off into the room. The thick wall beneath the window provided a ledge (or sill), which often held colorful plants growing in tin cans. During a hard rain, these ledges were sometimes occupied by family members, since this was often
the only dry spot in the house.
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Curtains were sometimes hung at the windows. When a family could not afford glass windows or when they were not available, buffalo robes, blankets, or oiled paper were used.
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Dirt floors were found in the majority of the early homes. A family which could afford them might fasten carpets to the dirt floor. In some cases, rough or planed split logs were used for flooring, but only a few could afford the luxury of wide, roughcut planks from the sawmill. After the initial planing, these boards became polished to a hard finish through daily wear and through scrubbing. Boards made of cottonwood soon warped, giving an uneven surface, and 
                  

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Adam Cramer. He was assumed to be the son of Adam Cramer Jr. by elimination of other possibilities.
The 1850 Salt Lick Twp., Fayette Co., PA census of An Adam Cramer family reads: Adam Cramer, 28, Laborer; Susan Cramer, 26; Nancy, 10; John, 8; Levinia, 3?; Louis, 3; Martha, 1.
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However, It appears that Adam, son of Adam Cramer, Jr. was in Adams Co., IL in the 1850 census. So the Salt Lick, Fayette Co. Adam may belong to another family. Thus the wife, Susan, and the children may belong to another family.
                  

                   Michelle Detwiler says her g.g. grandfather Jacob Kohen Cramer went west in a covered wagon before 1857 (55-56?) He traveled with the Cromwell & Priscilla Axe family. When they reached the San Francisco area he married their daughter, Eleanore, 20 May 1857. Jacob & Eleaanore moved from the Bay area to Tulare Co., where they raised their children. Michelle says he always went by Jacob K. (or Kohen) Cramer and that family tradition is that Kohen (or Kohn/Kuhn) was the maiden name of Jacob's mother. Eliza who was married to Adam Cramer. We as yet have no records to confirm the Kohen name.
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In 1900 census he was living with Mabel Dinson/Stinson and possibly married her.
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Jabob's marriage(s) and data on his descendents from e-mail of Karon Mazie & Michelle Detwiler, Feb., 1999.