The first Schrivers immigrated to the U. S, in 1683, and settled in Goshenhoppen and Connewago, PA.  Peter Schriver, 1785-1831, Henry's father, married Justine Hartman, 1792-1874. They had eleven children, Andrew, Luther, Peter, John, Henry Ahart, Sarah, Katherine, Justine, Rosana, Margaret and Lehna. Peter Schriver, a carpenter, died in a fall from a barn roof at age 45, January 14, 1831; Justina died at 82 in 1874.

Henry Ahart was born February 18, 1829 in York, PA.  He was two years old when his father died, and his mother was forced to place him, and some of her other children with relatives. Henry felt he was mistreated and when old enough, ran away. He worked his way to New Orleans with the intention of going to California. He missed his ship, and said later that he felt he was lucky. The ship never reached California, and was never heard from again.  He decided to return home, but was stricken with cholera in St. Louis. A local saloon keeper took him in and nursed him back to health, allegedly with copious doses of whiskey. Since he was a strict Methodist, this must have been painful for him.

I am unable to determine the date he arrived in Newport, Kentucky. Someone in St. Louis had told him Newport was a good place to live, and I surmise that he must have reached there early in the 1850's. He found work as an apprentice to a wagon maker, and later became a master carpenter and joiner.

Crescentia Mielich was born in Wolferstadt, Bavaria, January 27, 1833. A priest from Wolferstadt wrote to her family, saying that there was work available in Dayton, Kentucky. Crescentia and three sisters came to the U. S. on a sailboat and eventually to Dayton. She was working as a maid in a home in Dayton, when Henry was working on a house next door. After falling in love, they had a major stumbling block to overcome. She was a devout Catholic and he was a very strict Methodist. They agreed to wait six months to see if one could persuade the other to change. He was apparently more convincing, and they were married in the Methodist church in Newport, June 1, 1854.  Her family disowned her, but over the years all was forgiven. One family legend has it that her local priest called on her after the marriage, and after a diatribe, left her in tears. Henry, after learning the details, called on the priest, thrashed him thoroughly and there was no recurrence.

"A pledge made to God by the undersigned for the implacable blessings thou hast let upon us this first day of March 1860, namely, that we take up our cross daily and follow Christ with all our hearts, souls, and bodies the remainder of our lives in spite of the Devil and all of his followers. We ask that God, who know the secrets of the heart, will give us grace and strength to fulfill this pledge daily and the remainder of our lives. Be ours few or many, and make Heaven at last our happy home." Signed, H. A. Schriver and C. C. Schriver.

Swift's Iron and Steel Works was established in 1867 by Alexander Swift of Cincinnati, at the site of the present Newport Steel Co. Operations were gradually expanded to include the manufacture of plate and wrought iron, 32 puddling furnaces, rail mills, places for battleships, coke ovens, charcoal-fired blast furnaces, and a foundry to make castings. Control of the company was gained by Mr. E. L. Harper, a well known Cincinnati entrepreneur. Among other businesses, Mr. Harper was heavily involved in the grain business. As the result of a 10 million dollar failure in the grain business, the iron works came on very hard times. On January 21, 1887, the officers of Swift's Iron and Steel Works turned over all of their assets to Mr. Adam Wagner, as trustee to liquidate the assets and distribute the proceeds to the creditors. There is no record that I have been able to locate giving the facts of this disposal, however, the Master Commissioner of Campbell County sold the mill properties and stock on the court house steps. The buyers were Adam Wagner, proprietor of a firm making wagons for the Geo. Wiedemann Brewing Co. (Wagner was the son-in-law of Charles Wiedemann) and Henry Schriver, a carpenter contractor. They paid $153,000.00 for the property and $96,000. for the stock. In 1889 John Trapp, Geo. Wiedemann and Joseph Weingartner became owners of the mill.

I can find no records covering the period when Adams and Schriver operated the mill. What follows is based partly on family legend with a liberal dash of conjecture. I have always been told that the Schriver family blames the failure of the operation on Adam Wagner. I am guessing that Henry Schriver, occupied with his own business, left management of the iron works to Wagner. (This is the period when the Avenel was being completed, and the contract for the Army Post was either being bid or under construction.)  I also know that O. P. Schriver, my grandfather, had almost an obsession of not signing notes for anyone. He once gave as his reason the fact that his father had been in extreme financial trouble when a co-signor on a note had not been able to come up with the money when needed. It is possible that Henry Schriver signed a note for Wagner, and had to make good on it. This is, of course, a possibility for which I have no proof.

I do not believe that Henry was bankrupt, but he was surely in dire financial straits, and had to get some outside help. I  believe this help came from Mr. Henry Stegeman, a friend and owner of the Old 76 Distillery in Newport.  Jessie Lee Ware (Mrs. C. L. Kress) tells me that the story she had from Aunt Jessie (Justina Schriver) is that Mr. Stegeman did indeed offer a loan, as did three other businessmen. Henry borrowed from a man in Cincinnati, whose name is unknown, and was able to ride out the storm.

Henry Schriver's contracting ventures ranged from family homes to churches, to commercial buildings, to the Avenel Hotel and to his largest project, the Ft. Thomas Army Post. A separate report is attached on the Avenel. At this writing I do not have enough verifiable information to complete the story of the Army Post, but will do that as a separate section, to follow later.

He had an Army contract to build wagons during the Civil War, and O. P. Schriver did some work on the wagons, as I'm sure did some of his other sons. He must have gotten his start building residences.  In 1869 he bought a lot at 922 Washington Ave. from (the estate of) General James Taylor, founder of Newport. This building is now owned by Mr. James Moorefield and Mr. James Fisher who have done an outstanding job of rehabilitation. Workmanship on this house, much of which had to be hand work, reflects a high degree of craftsmanship, and is a far cry indeed from the present day level of shoddy work.   From the similarity of the facades of some of the Washington Ave. homes, I assume that he must have built several of them.  He also built a Methodist Church in Newport, which I believe has since been torn down, as well as the Highland Methodist Church in Ft. Thomas.  Upon completion of this church he contributed a stained glass memorial window. The Rink Building, NW corner of 7th and York was another of his contracts. This building had offices on the first floor and a roller skating rink on the second floor. When the building was torn down to be replaced with a Wiedemann Brewing Co. warehouse, they found a heavy layer of sand in the first floor ceiling. This was no doubt put there to dampen the sound of the roller skates on the second floor.  He also did some work on buildings in Cincinnati. It is impossible to get even a small listing of the buildings he constructed in this area, but he surely made a large contribution.

Henry's and Crescentia's final years were spent in their residence on Manor Lane, now occupied by Mr. & Mrs. Kenneth Graves. Crescentia died there on October 11, 1902 after a long illness which completely immobilized her. Henry suffered a stroke while in the Avenel on September 11, 1908, and lived for only a short time. They are interred in the family lot in Evergreen Cemetery, Southgate, KY.

Henry Schriver's accomplishments as a business man are obvious, and command great respect and admiration. I find it impossible to make any assessment of Henry Schriver as a person separated from the businessman.

I have a distinct feeling that he was the family patriarch whose word was final and who brooked no dissent. This could have been the result of an unhappy childhood and possibly his German heritage. Aunt Helen does not recall that he every showed her or any of the other grandchildren any affection. From what I gather, the only member of the family who ever stood up to him was Aunt Tillie wife of Uncle Robert Schriver. His reaction to that was to cut her out of his will. In any case, I believe that his descendants have every reason to be proud of him. We should do so well.

Cincinnati Times Star, October 14, 1902

Mrs. H A Schriver died at 9:40 AM October 14trh at her residence near Ft. Thomas Ky.

Kentucky Post, September 9, 1908

Henry A Schreiber, 76, one of the wealthiest retried capitalists of Campbell County, dropped dead this morning at his home at the Avenel hotel in the Highlands.  The aged man suffered a paralytic stroke, but his death came somewhat unexpectedly.  He was the owner of the hotel in which he died.

Kentucky Post, September 10, 1908

The funeral of Henry Schriver, 80, who died suddenly at the Avenel Hotel yesterday will take place tomorrow afternoon at three o'clock. Internment being in Evergreen Cemetery.  He leaves five sons, Robert, Charles, Oliver, George and Walter; three daughters, Mrs. Mentor Ware, Mrs. Smith and Miss Jessie Schriver.  The deceased was at one time quite wealthy, having accumulated a fortune in the iron business.  He also built the Avenel Hotel. (Note; His daughter was ot Mrs. Mentor Ward but Mrs. Raymond Ware)

Kentucky Post, September 11, 1908

Eureka Lodge, K of P, last night named John Moore, Jake Boltz, Dr. J M Digby and Al Schreck as honorary pallbearers for the funeral of Henry Schriver, which takes place this afternoon with services at Evergreen Cemetery Chapel.

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