Rachel was a Kratzerville Fetter. The Kratzerville Fetters clearly came there from Northampton -- the area that later became Lehigh -- County. The Fetter settlers of the Kratzerville area were a group of brothers. For some of the brothers I know birth dates, for some marriage dates, for some the names of their children from probate records and for some a sketch of the age and gender of their children from early Census records.

I do not have absolute proof that Rachel was the daughter of Philip but I have deduced it from all the kinds of information cited. I believe he was the only possible candidate by the process of elimination of most of the others and the fact that in the 1800 Census, he did, in fact, have a daughter of the right age to be Rachel. The “tick marks” totally support my theory -- in fact form the basis of my theory.

Wagenseller shows buried in Kratzerville, same cemetery as George Diehl, both Benjamin Fetter born 1797 and Abraham born 1791.

The transcribed Wagensellar listing for Rachel appears to have a typo. It says she was born 24 Nov 1788, died 8 Aug 1872 and was age 83y 3m 15d. I can solve this arithmetic problem by assuming the tombstone says 83y 8m 15d — which is what I have done.

Early on, based on Census listings, I concluded that Frederick’s father was Conrad. Proof, though, came in the form of a deed recorded 8 Apr 1846 wherein the heirs of Conrad Walter -- Abraham Fetter and wife Elizabeth, Christian Dauberman and wife Mary and Catherine Walter -- sold to Frederick Walter “also one of the heirs” -- Conrad’s plantation in Union Township consisting of 118 acres for $384. The land adjoined that of Benjamin Fetter.

Conrad Walter first appeared, in Penns Township, in the 1800 Census. In 1810, he and son Frederick -- then an adult -- were listed. I suspect they came from someplace else but I don’t know if they (or just Conrad) were immigrants themselves or lived some other place earlier. By the time of Conrad’s death, the family was living in or near Kratzerville, Union Township, where Frederick was buried. This area by that time was Union Township, Snyder County but early on was Penns Township (first Northumberland and then Union County). My hunch is the family were Kratzerville residents probably from the time they first came to this area.

1810. Frederick and Conrad Walter live in Penns Township, apart from other Walters of Center Township.

1820. Frederick and Conrad Walter live in Penn Township.

1830. Frederick and Conrad Walter live in Union Twp, Union Co.

1840. Frederick Walter lives in Union Township and his household includes a much older man that might be his father Conrad but who I now think is Rachel’s father Philip.

1850. Frederick Walter is still in Union Twp.

1860. Frederick Walter lives in Jackson Township, Snyder County. We know he ends up buried in Kratzerville which is Jackson Township. But, I believe, he may in fact always have lived in or near Kratzerville his whole adult life, and it was first part of Penns and later Union Township.

On 23 Jan 1864, letters of administration were granted to Henry Geise and Samuel Walter on the estate of Frederick Walter of Jackson Twp. I looked at the buyers at his vendue sale, no one named Diehl was mentioned.

Early in my research into our Kratzerville families, I found this message board posting: ”Want parents of George Diehl born 1807 PA died 29 Jun 1885 Union County, buried at New Berlin wife Elizabeth Walter (daughter of Frederick and Rachel Fetter Walter).” This was posted by Mary B Lontz, noted genealogist specializing in Union County. Nothing in her post provided the documented evidence of how all of that was known, but using that as my guide, I set out to prove as much as I could.

I have subsequently proven beyond doubt that indeed George Diehl’s wife was Elizabeth Walter and George had some connection -- he became the administrator of his estate -- to Philip Fetter who I strongly suspect was Rachel Fetter’s father. All of these people were of the small village of Kratzerville -- and so I have come to believe every detail of Lontz’s post and I do therefore consider Frederick Walter and Rachel Fetter to be our ancestors and Elizabeth’s parents.