Frederick Lauer was a beer brewer from
Reading Pennsylvania and was a founding organizer and first president of the
United States Brewers Association. He was born in Germany on October 14, 1810
and died in Reading September 12, 1883. Many Philadelphia brewers were at his
funeral.
‘The funeral of the late Fred Lauer took
place at 1 o’clock yesterday afternoon from his residence, No. 122 South Third
street, Reading, and was one of the largest that has taken place in that city
for some years. From an early hour in the morning the house was visited by
several thousands of persons. The funeral was attended by DeMolay Commandery,
No. 9, Knights Templar, of which deceased was a member; Lodge No. 62, A.Y.M.; the
board of managers of the Reading Dispensary, 25 members of the Canstatters
Volkfest Verein, directors of the Board of Trade, members of the Berks County
agricultural society and a large delegation of the Liquor Dealers’ association.
The pall-bearers were Peter Schemm, of New York [Philadelphia]; Jacob Conrad,
secretary of the Philadelphia brewers’ association; Richard Katzenmayer, of New
York, secretary of the National brewers’ association; Theo. Engel, of Bergner
& Engel, Philadelphia; John Alter, of Philadelphia; Peter Barbey, of Reading;
John F. Betz, of Philadelphia, and John C. Miller, of Philadelphia, members of
the Brewers’ Congress; H.H.C.L. Crecelius and S.A. Garrigues of De Molay
Commandery, and Harry Johns and Alfred Franks, of Lodge No. 62 and the members
of the vestry of St. John’s Lutheran church. Services were held in St. John’s
German Lutheran church by the pastor, Rev. J.J. Kuendig, who preached a sermon
from the book of St. John, taking as his text from the twenty-first to the
twenty-fifth verses of the third chapter. He based his remarks principally upon
the twenty-first verse, viz: “But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that
his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.” He dwelt
principally upon the good deeds the deceased had done for the welfare of the
city, his works in aid of charity and the lending hand he gave to the church.
He was followed by Rev. Dr. J. Fry, of the Trinity Lutheran church.'
'Among the prominent brewers of the country,
in addition to those already mentioned were: A. Schwartz, editor of American
Beer Brewer; Philip Schader, of Philadelphia; John Guckes, of the firm of
Bergner & Engel, Philadelphia; A.E. Moyer, of New York; Wm. Massey, of Philadelphia;
C. Miller, of Germantown; Philip Schade, of Philadelphia; A.C. Koenig, of
Harrisburg, and S. Siebert, of Lebanon brewery company. The interment was made
at Charles Evans Cemetery.'
-Harrisburg Telegraph, September 11, 1883,
page 1.
