Layrle (Lyerly)

The Layrle family were German Lutheran immigrants who are thought to have come from Konstanz, Germany, near the border of Switzerland. Although our earliest documented Layrle ancestor is Johann Christoph Layrle who arrived in Philadelphia in 1754, family lore indicates his father may have been a Soloman Layrle, born in Konstanz in 1681. Family legend indicates there were Layrle’s as far back as the early 1500s and that some were involved with Martin Luther in the Protestant Reformation. Muh of the family records from 1517-1681 were apparently lost or destroyed in 1904. The name has been found spelled numerous different ways including Leierle, Leyerle, Lierle, Lyarly, Lyerley, etc.1

Johann Christoph Layrle

According to family tradition, Johann had come earlier in 1736 as a missionary and school teacher to a German speaking colony near Charleston, South Carolina. He returned to Germany before arriving back in Philadelphia in 1754. What is known for sure is that Johann was a passenger on the ship Richard and Mary which arrived on 30th September 1754, where he appears on a list of passengers who took the oath that day. The title of the list reads: “The Foreigners whose names are underwritten imported on the ship Richard & Mary John Moore Master from Rotterdam and last from Cowes? Inhabitants of the Dukedom of Wertenberg did this day take the usual oaths and declarations.”2 Württemberg is in the southern part of Germany.

From the Richard and Mary Passenger List

Liley-Lyerly and Related Families claims that Johann was married three times, first to Christina, then to Barbara, then to Anna Maria Christina. It furthermore claims that Johann married Christina in Harper’s Ferry, Virginia where he lived for a brief time. So far, any record of this first marriage or his residence there has yet to be found.

In his Revolutionary War Pension Record, his son Zechariah stated “that he was born in Culpeper County State of Virginia as well as he recollects, having no record of his age on the 2d day of June in the year 1755 – that he continued to live in said County & State until he was 8 or 10 years of age when his parents removed to Rowan County North Carolina.”3 This indicates that Johann lived in Culpeper County as early as 1755 and moved around 1764-1766. In 1763, the Culpeper County Court appointed Christopher “Lyrle” administrator of Christian Reapman.4 In 1765, Christopher Layrle and his wife Barbara sold 100 acres of land to Mumford Stevens in Culpeper County.5 This may represent their move from Virginia to North Carolina.

Johann Christoph Layrle was a member of the Organ Church in Rowan County where Reformed and Lutherans worshipped. In 1771, being in need of teachers and helpers for the churches in the area, they, along with other churches asked Governor William Tryon that Christopher “Layrele” and Christopher “Reintelmann” be allowed to go to England to solicit for aid. The records from St. Luke’s Church include resolutions and information on their petitions and travels. The records state “that two of their members namely Christopher Layrle and Christopher Reintelmann are deputed by them humbly to beg of the protestant brethren and other friends to the Kingdom of Christ in England Holland Germany their benevolence and charity to enable them in supporting a learned and orthodox protestant minister, in order that the means of grace may be duly administered and the Kingdom of our blessed Lord Jesus Christ be likewise established and propagated among them.”6 In 1772, the two men traveled down to Charleston, South Carolina and from there sailed to Europe and traveled several countries asking for aid. They returned to North Carolina in the fall of 1773 with Rev. Adolph Nussmann (1732-1794) and a teacher named Johann Gottfried Arends (Arndt) (1740-1807) who was later ordained as a Lutheran minister. Rev. Nusmann became the founder of the Lutheran Church in North Carolina. His second wife was Barbara Lyerly, daughter of Johann Christoph Layrle.

In 1780, Christopher “Lyarly” bought 398 acres “on both sides of the Mill Branch of Dutch Second Creek” in Rowan County.”7

Johann Christoph Layrle wrote his will on 12 Oct 1784. It was written in German. He mentions his wife Anna Maria Catherine and his children Zachariah, Peter, Christopher, Jacob, Margaret, Barbara, and Catherine. Interestingly he refers to his son Christopher as “a natural son of his mother” which could indicate he was not Johann Christoph’s biological son. Johann gave to his wife “the chest, with all the linen, and the clothes that I brought along from Germany.” Although the available transcription of his will erroneously states “As executor of this my will, I appoint and authorize Conrad Friedrich,” there are actually clearly two names given in the executors statement in the original. The first is Conrad Keiker. The second appears to read Friederich Grimmice, which would be Frederick Grimminger.8

Catherine Lyerly

In 1852, Frederick Krimminger Jr. gave testimony in court about his father Frederick Sr.’s service in the Revolutionary War. He stated that “Fred: left a widow (Cath:) who died 17th July 1843. Fred: & Cath: married in N. C. in 1782. Children left: Dept & Christopher.” Later in the record he gives further details: “That said Frederick Kriminger Senr left a widow whose name was Catherine and that said widow died on the 17th day of July in the year 1843 which has been fully proven to the satisfaction of said court that Fredrick Kriminger and Catherine were married in the county of Rowan and State of North Carolina. That they were married in the year 1782 – that her name before her marriage was Catherine Lyerly. And that when the said widow died she left two children Christopher Kriminger aged 66 years and myself, this applicant.” Jacob Shuping gave testimony that he “recollects well when Fred Kriminger was married which was in the year 1782 that he married a woman by the name of Catherine Lyerlie who was a cousin of his (sd J. Shupines) he further states that he recollects the time of his marriage from the fact that he received a whipping on that day from his father for crying to go with him & my mother to the weding.”9 The family of Johann Christoph Layrle appear to be the only ones by that surname in Rowan County at this time, so this must be Johann’s daughter Catherine. The family may have lived with her brother Jacob after Frederick Sr.’s death around 1786. In the 1790 census, Jacob is listed with two boys under 16 along with two females in the household.10 Jacob is thought to have only just married about 1790, so the extra female and two boys in the household could very well be Catherine Krimminger and her two sons.

See the Krimminger family for more of this line.

  1. Liley, Howard B. & Amalie H. (1988). Liley-Lyerly and Related Families, pp. 19, 21, 25 ↩︎
  2. Strassburger, Ralph Beaver. (1934). Pennsylvania German Pioneers; a publication of the original lists of arrivals in the port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808, pp. 703-704 ↩︎
  3. Revolutionary War Pension Record, Zachariah Lierly, North Carolina, S. 32389 ↩︎
  4. Prichard, A. M. (1930). Abstracts from the County Court Minute Book, 1763-1764, Culpeper County, Virginia: Culpeper. Court Minutes 1763–1764, p16, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSZX-BS14-P) ↩︎
  5. Culpepper County, Virginia Deed Book E, p124, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSKW-G8W7) ↩︎
  6. State Records of North Carolina, Vol. VIII, p630 ↩︎
  7. Rowan County, North Carolina Deed Book 9, p282, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-L9DH-26MQ) ↩︎
  8. Rowan County, North Carolina Will Book E, p129, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:SQWX-HQN4-9), transcription (with apparent errors) available at https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3Q9M-CSZR-8SGR-P ↩︎
  9. Revolutionary War Pension Record, Frederick Krimminger, R. 6063 ↩︎
  10. “United States, Census, 1790”, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XHK1-BYB : Wed Jan 15 19:54:59 UTC 2025), Entry for Jacob Lierly, 1790. ↩︎