Wilhelm Kress

This information was taken from page 121 in Kress Family History by von Frank.

Wilhelm Kress (listed as #39 in Kress History by von Frank) was the ancestor of all the Kresses at Halle and their later branches. According to a report of Reverend Gueinzius at Halle of June 26, 1734, and further according to the Register of Citizens at Halle, he was presented with the freedom of the city on July 9, 1519, "after he had submitted to an honourable city-council a written account of his descent and had been presented according to the custom and habit of city-hall, by the citizen Philipp Rothermund." Unfortunately, this written account was not preserved, so that we cannot documentarily prove his descent from the Kresses at Nuremberg, line of Dormentz. However, it was proved that he and his descendants used the Kress coat-of-arms with the sword, just as the Nuremberger, a fact, which also Dreyhaupt of Gueinzius recorded and that they confirmed their descent from the Nuremberger.

It is striking that the presentation at the city-council at Halle was performed by a citizen named Rothermund. The Rothermunds, also written Rothmund, were citizens of Nuremberg. In their coat-of-arms they bore in silver two red lions on their hind paws, facing each other. As there are no matriculae of that time, the date of Wilhem's death could not be ascertained, nor if he had any children besides his son Christoph (#71 in Kress Family History by von Frank).