432 



HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY. 



ship. He is greatly interested in local 

 affairs, and is an industrious, useful cit- 

 izen. September 20, 1890, Mr. Truni- 

 bauer was united in marriage to Ida 

 Christine Gross, born November 24, 

 1866, daughter of Edwin and Lydia 

 (Fluck) Gross, for many years residents 

 of Lower Saucon township, Lehigh 

 countyj from whence they removed to 

 and settled in Springtield township, 

 Bucks county. Six children were the 

 issue of this marriage, as follows: Pearl, 

 deceased; Stella, born June 14, 1893; 

 Minnie Elizabeth, November 8, 1894; 

 Laura Lydia, March 12, 1898 ; Mary 

 Sarah, March 13, 1901; and Margaret, 

 July 12, 1903. Mr. Trumbauer, realiz- 

 ing the value of a good practical educa- 

 tion, loses no opportunity to give his 

 children the very best possible advan- 

 tages along this line. Mr. and Mrs. 

 Trumbauer are members of the Spring- 

 field Reformed church, at Pleasant 

 Valley. 



H. ERWIN FRETZ, of Fretz, one of 

 the most highly esteemed citizens of 

 Bedminster township, traces his de- 

 scent from Abraham Fretz, who was the 

 father of a son, also named Abraham. 

 This second Abraham had a son who 

 likewise received the name of Abraham. 

 He was born August 17, 1775, and mar- 

 ried April 4, 1797, Rachel Kratz, born in 

 Plumstead, September 5, 1797. Their 

 children were: Susan, Mary, Jacob, Ann, 

 Elizabeth, Abraham, and Philip K., men- 

 tioned at length hereinafter. Mr. Fretz 

 died in May, 1815, and was survived 

 many years by his widow, who passed 

 away May 22, 1852. 



Philip K. Fretz, son of Abraham and 

 Rachel (Kratz) Fretz, was born June 25, 

 1809, on the farm ajjjoining the one now 

 occupied by his son, H. Erwin Fretz. 

 For a few years he hired the Mitman 

 farm, and then settled on that portion 

 of the homestead which has since de- 

 scended to his son above-mentioned. On 

 the land he erected buildings which are 

 still standing and in use. He was a Re- 

 publican in politics, and a member of the 

 Mennonite church. He married, Novem- 

 ber 22, 1836, Eliza daughter of Henry 

 Fretz, by whom he was the father of the 

 following children: Rebecca, who is the 

 wife of James L. Reber, of Chicago, Illi- 

 nois; Anna, who resides with her sister 

 mentioned above; and H. Erwin, men- 

 tioned at length hereinafter. These three 

 are the survivors of a family of five. 

 The mother of the family died in Au- 

 gust, 1867, and in September, 1872. Mr. 

 Fretz married Magdalena Hunsberger, a 

 native of New Britain. The death of Mr. 

 Fretz occurred when he had reached the 

 advanced age of eighty-three. 



H. Erwin Fretz, son of Philip K. and 

 Eliza (Fretz) Fretz, was born April 6, 

 1847, on the farm which is now his home, 



and received his education in the com- 

 mon schools and at the Normal School 

 at North Wales, working on the farm 

 during the summers. From his seven- 

 teenth year he spent the winters in Phil- 

 adelphia working for different .lusiness 

 houses for six years, and in 1870 took 

 charge of the home farm. In 1882 his 

 father purchased from the John K. 

 Myers estate, for his son, Jacob F., the 

 milling property now owned by H. H. 

 Randt. Jacob F. Fretz, who was then in 

 the west, came home and took charge of 

 the property, but not meeting with the 

 success he anticipated, his brother, H. 

 Erwin Fretz, agreed to take a half in- 

 terest in the business and endeavor to 

 advance it. From that time the enter- 

 prise became prosperous, the firm 

 handling almost all the grain from this 

 section, together with many carloads of 

 western grain. One year later, at the 

 height of their success, Jacob F. Fretz 

 was accidentally killed while waiting at 

 the station with his team for the arrival 

 of some grain. The business was then 

 conducted by H. Erwin Fretz for about 

 a year, after which he sold out to H. H. 

 Randt. He then engaged in the sale of 

 agricultural implements, beginning in a 

 small way, but was soon compelled by 

 the rapid growth of the business to pro- 

 vide greater facilities for its conduct. 

 The second year he sold three carloads 

 of reapers and mowers, and three years 

 after the inception of the business he 

 added to his line that of buggies, wag- 

 ons and harnesses, and has become the 

 leading business man in the community. 

 He is now the owner of the homestead, 

 the estate having descended to him by 

 will on the death of his father. He is a 

 Republican in politics and has never 

 been an office-seeker. He is a member 

 of the new Mennonite church. Mr, 

 Fretz married, December i, 1870, Aman- 

 da, daughter of Christian Moyer, of New 

 Galena, and thirteen children have been 

 born to them: Eliza, deceased; J. Oscar, 

 who lives on the homestead; Warren, a 

 resident of New Britain township; 

 Philip, a steamfitter in Philadelphia; 

 Clarence, wdio lives in Haycock town- 

 ship; Bertha, resides at home; Eugene, 

 lives at home; Florence, who is attend- 

 ing the IMillersville Normal School; Her- 

 bert; Blanche; Harold; Arthur, de- 

 ceased; and Russell. 



MAFTLON M. FRETZ, of Bedminster 

 township, is among the representatives 

 of one of the oldest families of the 

 count}'. He is a descendant of John 

 Fretz. who emigrated from Baden, Ger- 

 many, i;etween 1710 and 1720, was ac- 

 companied by two brothers. Christian, 

 and another whose name has not been 

 preserved, and who died at sea. It is not 

 known at what port they landed, but it 



