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Jonathan "Jonas" Friedrich Sr. (1799-1859) was born on April 6, 1799 in Berks County, PA, the son of George "Adam" and Sarah (Meinder) Friedrich.

He married Lydia Ann Mest (Dec. 8, 1801-1869), reputedly the daughter of George Henry and Eva Catharine (Moyer) Mest. The ceremony was held on June 10, 1821, when he was age 22 and she 19.

Their four children were Reuben Frederick, George Michael Friedrich, Adam Friedrich and Jonathan Friedrich Jr. 

When the federal census was counted in 1850, Jonathan and Lydia lived near his parents in Rockland Township, Berks County. Also residing in their home was 17-year-old Mary Thompson, relationship unknown. The value of his estate was estimated at $6,000 that year.

He died in Rockland Township at the age of 60 on Jan. 11, 1859. Burial was in the Mertz Church in Rockland Township. The Bible reference of Psalms 94:19 was inscribed on his grave marker. The scripture reads: "In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul." [Find-a-Grave]

Lydia outlived her husband by a decade. She passed away on April 20, 1869, at the age of 67.

~ Son Reuben Frederick ~

Son Reuben Frederick (1821-1904) was born in 1821.

He married Mary "Caroline" Kaercher (1827- ? ).

They were the parents of these known children -- Matilda Frederick, Tillara Frederick, Sarah Anna Adelina Frederick, Annie Emmaline Frederick, Lydia Frederick, Obadiah K. Frederick, Rose Frederick and Alisa Ritter.

Circa 1860, when the federal census enumeration was made, the family lived on a farm in Rockland Township, Berks County, receiving their mail at the Lobachsville post office. The 1870 census shows that the local post office was Lyons in Rockland Township.

They remained in Rockland during the 1870s as shown in the 1880 census.

Reuben died in Pikesville, Berks County on Feb. 16, 1904. Burial was in Christ Mertz Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery in Dryville. His grave marker was inscribed in German. [Find-a-Grave]

Daughter Matilda Frederick (1846-1931) was born on Oct. 9, 1846. She was united in marriage with William Moyer ( ? - ? ). They made a home in 1916 in Fredericksville in Rockland Township. For a number of years, Matilda's unmarried sister Emmaline lived under their roof until her passing in 1916. Later, they relocated to Longswamp Township. Widowed in her elder years, she suffered several strokes and succumbed at the age of 84 on June 13, 1931. Interment was in Huff's Church Cemetery. John Reese of Mertztown signed her death certificate.

Daughter Talara S. Frederick (1849-1894) was born on April 22, 1849. She was joined in wedlock with David Benjamin K. Moyer (1856-1939). Their three known children were Caroline F. Schollenberger, Clara F. Boone and Annie Torinda Moyer. At the age of 44, Talara died on Feb. 26, 1894. Her remained were lowered into repose in Huff's Union Church Cemetery. David then married her cousin by marriage, Louisa (DeLong) Frederick, widow of William J. Frederick.

Daughter Sarah Anna Adelina Friederick (1857- ? ) was born on Feb. 4, 1857. Sadly, she only lived for two years. The Grim Reaper plucked her away on March 21, 1859. Burial was in Christ Mertz Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery in Dryville. Today, her marker stands but is cracked in pieces. [Find-a-Grave]

Daughter Annie Emmaline "Emma" Frederick (1857-1916) was born on Dec. 6, 1857 in Rockland Township. In infancy, she was baptized by Rev. Benjamin E. Kramlich of the Lutheran wing of Huff's Church and was sponsored by William and Rebecca (Fenstermacher) Kercher. When she was age 13 (marked as 11), the U.S. Census-taker noted that she could neither read nor write, despite the fact that two younger siblings had the ability. She never married. For many years, she suffered from Bright's Disease (kidneys). In later life, she shared a home with her married sister Matilda Moyer in Fredericksville, Rockland Township. A;lso burdened with chronic bronchitis, she passed into eternity at the age of 58 on Feb. 28, 1916. An obituary in the Reading Times reported that her pallbearers were Nathan Miller, Orlando Rohrbach, Nathan Drey and Frank Hilbert.

Son Obadiah K. Frederick (1863-1939) was born on Jan. 6, 1863 in Pikesville. He married Katherine Helen "Katie" Weidner (1865-1941) and had these children -- Lawrence Frederick (1885- ? ), Walter Frederick (1891- ? ), James Reuben Frederick (1893-1959), Nora Frederick (1897- ? ) and Nathan Frederick (1900- ? ). The family resided at 320 South Third Street in Reading, Obadiah's occupation over the years was as a laborer in and around Reading, and he retired from this work. When in his 77th year, he fell in the bathroom at home and broke his femur bone. Thereafter, he grew listless, lacking enthusiasm and vigor. In early February 1939, he began to suffer symptoms from cancer of the rectum. The disease spread quickly, and he died later that month, on Feb. 18, 1939. Following a funeral service at St. Paul's/Lobach Church, burial was in the church cemetery in Lobachsville, Berks County. Only a perfunctory death notice appears to have been published in the Reading Eagle.

Daughter Rose Frederick (1863- ? ) was born in about 1863.

Daughter Alisa "Alice" Frederick (1864-1931) was born on Sept. 24, 1864. She married James H. Ritter (Oct. 22, 1864-1939). Plagued with diabetes for the final two years of her life, Alice died at the age of 65 on Jan. 18, 1931. Her remains were placed into eternal rest in Union Cemetery in Bechtelsville, Berks County. [Find-a-Grave] James survived her by eight years. He succumbed at age 74 on March 26, 1939.

~ Son George Michael Frederick ~

Son George Michael Frederick (1824-1902) was born on April 18, 1824.

George was united in marriage with French immigrant Mary Magdalena Veix (Jan. 1, 1825-1898), also spelled "Feick," a native of Kutzenhausen, Alsace.

They were the parents of a dozen offspring, among them Franklin Frederick, Benjamin James Frederick, Nathan Henry Frederick, William Lando Frederick, Nathaniel A.F. Frederick, Sarah E. Frederick, George Jefferson Frederick, Mary Haber, Edwin C. Frederick, Amanda C. Kourian, Edward "Eli" D. Frederick and Fyanna Sherwin.

They surrendered infant son William to death in 1853.

Circa 1851, at the birth of their son Nathan, they resided in Richland Township, Bucks County.

Later, they migrated to Illinois, settling in DuPage County.

Sadly, in Glen Ellyn, DuPage County, Mary passed into eternity on March 22, 1898.

George survived her by two years. died at the age of 78 on Nov. 24, 1902. Interment was in Naperville Cemetery.

Son Franklin Frederick (1847-1903) -- possibly also known as Jonathan -- was born on May 30, 1847 in Berks County. He did not relocate to Illinois with his parents but instead stayed behind in Pennsylvania. He married Katie H. (1848-1905). Their three known offspring were Ella Mary Dry, Annie Louise Frederick and Franklin F. Frederick. Franklin passed away in Chester County, PA in June 1903, at the age of 56.

Son Benjamin James Frederick (1849-1911) was born on April 22, 1849. As with his older brother Franklin, he did not make the move with his parents to Illinois. He married Mary Ann Schultz (1852-1914) and were the parents of Charles S. Frederick and Franklin S. Frederick. They spent their lives in Chester County, PA. Benjamin died at age 62 on Dec. 9, 1911.

Son Nathan Henry Frederick (1851-1908) was born on July 20, 1851 in Richland Township, Bucks County. Reported the Reading Times in 1908, "When a young man he moved to Pottstown, and from thence came to Reading. For 18 years he was a freight engineer on the Reading road..." His first wife was Amanda Huyett (1854-1906?), daughter of John H. and Mary Ann Huyett. Their three known children were John Preston Frederick, Sylvester George Frederick and Mary C. "Mamie" Frederick. He earned a living as an engineer. In 1877, at the birth of their son Sylvester, they lived in Stonersville, Berks County. Circa 1898, their address was 611 North Ninth Street, and that year Amanda's widowed mother died in their home. In about 1905-1906, he was promoted to stationery engineer with the Reading Railroad. He was a member of the Lincoln Chamber of the Order of the Knights of Friendship and Camp 678 of the Patriotic Order of the Sons of America. Amanda passed away sometime in 1906. Then in late 1907, he wedded his second bride, Mary Tothero ( ? - ? ). They established a residence in 1908 at 336 North Sixth Street. On March 30, Nathan complained that he wasn't feeling well and went to lay down in his bedroom. He was found several hours later, having suffered a stroke, "stretched across the bed, in an unconscious condition," said the Times. He was rushed to Homoeopathic Hospital in Reading and passed into eternity on March 30, 1908, at the age of 56. Pallbearers at the funeral were fellow members of his lodges. Rev. W.O. Lamb and Rev. James R. Brown officiated at the service, with burial in Schwarzwald Cemetery in Berks County. Son Sylvester, living at 121 West Douglas Street, signed the death certificate.

• Grandson  Sylvester George Frederick (1877- ? ) was born in 1877 in Stonersville, Berks County. While in his 20s, he obtained a job as a shipping clerk with the U.S. Navy and moved to New York, where he lived at 357 Greene Avenue in Brooklyn. Two days after Christmas 1904, in Reading, the 27-year-old Sylvester was united in wedlock with 22-year-old Florence Estella Dearolf ( ? - ? ), daughter of Howard and Sallie Dearolf. They lived at 121 West Douglas Street in Reading in 1908.

Son Nathaniel A.F. Frederick (1853-1935) was born on Feb. 13, 1853. He resided in adulthood in Chester County, PA and wedded Katherine Schultz (1854-1907). They produced these six known sons -- Oscar Schultz Frederick, Elmer Schultz Frederick, Horace S. Frederick, William Schultz Frederick, Howard Schultz Frederick and George Schultz Frederick. Nathaniel earned income over the years as a janitor at the Madison School on Beech Street in Pottstown. The family were members of the Lutheran Church. At the age of 82, Nathaniel dwelled with his son George at 365 Schuylkill Avenue in Reading. Burdened with hardening of the arteries and heart disease, died at home on June 23, 1935. An obituary was published in the Reading Times naming his sons and surviving siblings Eli and Fianna. The Pottstown Mercury also printed a funeral notice. His remains were transported to Pottstown for funeral services, led by Rev. Luther A. Krouse of Emmanuel Lutheran Church. Burial followed in Mt. Zion South Cemetery in Pottstown. His pallbearers were George Frederick, Russell Frederick, Oscar Frederick, Joseph Frederick, Elwood Frederick and Denton Kline.

• Grand George S. Frederick lived at 365 Schuylkill Avenue in Reading in 1935. At his father's passing in 1935, he signed the death certificate but could not furnish the names of his father's parents.

• Grandson Elmer Frederick relocated to Wisconsin.

• Grandson Howard Frederick migrated to Detroit.

• Grandson Joseph Frederick resided in 1935 in Haddon Heights, NJ.

• Grandson Oscar Frederick dwelled in Philadelphia in the mid-1930s.

• Grandson Horace Frederick was deceased by 1935

Daughter Sarah E. Frederick (1856-1910) was born on March 20, 1856 in Longswamp Township, Berks County. She appears to have never married. She migrated to San Miguel County, NM. At the age of about 53, she was swept away by the Grim Reaper in 1910. While Sarah's name is inscribed on her parents' grave marker in Naperville, IL, it's not known if she actually is buried there.

Son George Jefferson Frederick (1857-1929) was born on Sept. 20, 1957 in Berks County. He migrated to Wisconsin and resided in Walworth County. George married Emma Schuster (1860-1937). They bore three known children, Mae Agnes Frederick, Daisy Estell Johnson and Frank George Frederick. At the age of 71, George succumbed on June 7, 1929. Burial was in Hazel Ridge Cemetery.

Daughter Mary Frederick (1859-1913) was born in 1859. She married (?) Haber.

Son Edwin C. Frederick (1862-1880) was born on March 27, 1862. The family was plunged into grief when he died at age 18 on April 9, 1880. The cause is not yet known. He rests today with his parents in Naperville Cemetery.

Daughter Amanda C. Frederick (1864-1922) was born in 1864. She wedded (?) Kourian.

Son Edward "Eli" D. Frederick (1865-1936) was born in 1865. In about 1876, he left Reading and moved west to seek his fortune. His home in 1896 was in Naperville, IL, and that year he made his first return visit to Reading, staying with his brother Nathan at 143 Poplar Street, an event covered in the gossip columns of the Reading Times. He resided in 1935 in Chicago when named in the Times obituary of his brother Nathaniel.

Daughter Fyanna Frederick (1867-1954) was born in 1867. At the age of 17, she was joined in wedlock with 19-year-old Edwin E. Sherwin (1868- ? ). They bore one known daughter, Lillian Kraft. Circa 1920-1940, they lived in Joliet/Aurora community of Kane County near Chicago. Edwin worked as a repairman in a automobile garage in 1920, and kept three lodgers in the household. Strangely, the census-taker recorded in 1920 that Fyanna's father had been born in Vermont, not Pennsylvania. In 1930, they boarded with printer Edwin and Glenna Dart. The federal censuses of 1930-1940 show Edwin having no occupation. For 24 years, she spent her winters in St. Petersburg, FL, starting in about 1929. When she made the trip in September 1953, she stayed at 340 Beach Drive North. At the age of 86, on March 8, 1954, she died in a local St. Petersburg hospital. An obituary was printed in the Tampa Bay Times, which said she "was a native of Reading, Pa." The remains were shipped back to Aurora for burial.

~ Son Reuben Frederick ~

Son Adam Frederick (1826-1858) was born in 1826.

He wedded Sarah Ann Fegely (April 30, 1823-1913), daughter of Philip and Barbara (Fischerin) Fegely. She was unable to write.

Their two known daughters were Lydia C. Frederick, Lucetta Barbara Meck and Hannah "Caroline" Trexler.

Heartbreak enveloped the family when Adam died at the age of 31 on Feb. 23, 1858. His remains were buried in the Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church Cemetery in Dryville.

Sarah survived him by an astonishing 55 years. The federal censuses of 1860 and 1870 show her heading her household in Longswamp with her daughters.

Toward the end, she suffered from insufficient blood flow in the heart and gangrene, and made her home with her married daughter Mrs. Trexler in Hancock. At the age of 90, she succumbed at home on Dec. 2, 1913. Mrs. Alvin Trexler of Hancock signed the death certificate. Funeral services were held in the Trexler home and in the Mertztown Church, led by Rev. F.K. Berndt of Kutztown, with burial in the church cemetery. An obituary in the Reading Times said that she was survived by five grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren and misspelled her maiden name as "Fagley."

Daughter Lydia C. Frederick  (1849- ? ) was born in about 1849. She was age nine at the death of her father.

Daughter Lizetta Barbara Frederick (1851-1923) -- sometimes spelled "Lucetta" -- was born on May 7, 1851. She was seven years old when her father died. She wedded Charles M. Meck (March 24, 1846-1929), son of Charles and Catherine (Moyer) Meck. They were the parents of two daughters -- (?) Beitler/Beidler and (?) Rohrbach. They dwelled on a farm in Trexler's Furnace in Longswamp Township in 1913-1923. Burdened with what doctors considered chronic bronchitis, and what the Reading Times called a general debility, she died at home at the age of 71 on Jan. 22, 1923. Interment was in Huff's Church Cemetery, with Bryan M. Rohrbach of Mertztown signing the death certificate. Among the mourners attending the funeral were Mrs. David S. Hess and Mrs. Manas B. Reinert. Charles outlived his spouse by six years and dwelled with his married daughter (?) Beitler/Beidler in Shamrock. He was felled by a stroke and was bedfast for six weeks until death cut him away on Feb. 17, 1929 at the age of 82. His remains were lowered into repose at Huff's Church Cemetery, with Rev. W.F. Bond preaching. Son-in-law Edwin Beitler signed the death certificate, and an obituary in the Allentown Morning Call said he was survived by six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren

• Granddaughter (?) Meck married Edwin Beitler, also spelled "Beidler." Their home in 1929 was in Shamrock, Longswamp Township.

• Granddaughter (?) Meck wedded Greely Rohrbach. They lived in Oley in 1929.

Daughter Hannah Carolina "Annie" Frederick (1854-1927) was born in 1854. Her father died when she was only four. She married furnace laborer Alvin G. Trexler (July 8, 1856-1939), son of John and Maria (Geist) Trexler. They were the parents of Franklin Alvin "Frank" Trexler and Mary Trexler. Their home in 1880 was in Longswamp, and Caroline's widowed mother and Alvin's four-year-old cousin Alvin Butterweck lived under their roof. The Allentown Leader reported in April 1901 that Alvin had "taken the place of Frank Warmkessel at the Murasco works." Then in February 1904, living in Hancock, he was named night watchman for the Hartley Silk Manufacturing Company in Topton. They were active members of the Lutheran congregation of St. Paul's Church of Mertztown. Alvin retired in about 1918 after four decades of labor. Caroline's health began to decline in 1922, and she suffered for the final five years of her life with chronic rheumatism and a bad cold and flu. She passed into eternity on Feb. 15, 1927 at the age of 71. Funeral services were held in the Mertztown church, with interment in the church cemetery. The Allentown Call published an obituary, stating that "The remains rested in a fine oak couch coffin and covered with flowers.... L.J. Fisher, Harry Knappenberger, George Issamoyer, Frank Titlow, Levi L. Waltert and Frank N. Warmkessel acted as pallbearers." In his funeral oration, Rev. W.S. Dry preached a sermon based on Jacob (James) 1:12: "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him." Alving lived for another dozen years, burdened with hardening of the arteries and chronic heart disease. He also grieved in December 1938 when his son Frank, a moulder in a stove foundry, died of liver cancer. Alvin passed away on March 28, 1939 at the age of 83. Rev. Dry again officiated at the funeral. Harry Trexler of Topton was the informant for the official Pennsylvania certificate of death.