George Krebs or Kreps

[1] In census and land records that have been found George’s surname is spelled all three ways.  Vivian A. Krepps told his daughter that the name had been changed from Krebs to Krepps at some point.  Early census records consistently spell the name Kreps.  An 1874 Butler County, Pennsylvania, land map spells George Sr.’s name Krepps.  Other maps and records refer to Krebs bank on Brush Creek on property owned by George.  George’s widow, Anna’s name is spelled Krebs in the 1900 census and she signed probate documents with the Krebs spelling.  The original birth record at the Butler County Court House for Vivian Krepps (George, Jr.’s son) spells the name Krebbs.  In 1945 Vivian had the record corrected to read Krepps and was issued a delayed certificate of birth with the Krepps spelling.  The Social Security Death Index spells Vivian A.’s (George, Jr.’s son) name Kreps. Vivian’s name is spelled Krepps in all of his military records.  Most of John Henry Krebs’ (father of George) descendants who remained in Butler and Beaver Counties used the Krepps spelling; however some descendants also spell the name Kreps, Creps or Krebs.

[2] There were several Kreps’ families also living in Cranberry Township according to the 1820 thru 1860 census records.  All of the Kreps families except George disappear from Cranberry Township census records after the Civil War.  If census records are correct George was born in about 1821, however Courthouse death records indicate that he was 83 years old at the time of his death, which, if accurate, would indicate he was born about 1813.