George Klees was born in 1753 in Eckenheim near Frankfurt-am-Main, a son of Andreas Klees (1722-1785) and wife Anna E. Schwab (1721-1800).

George fought for the British in our Revolution as a Hessian mercenary and was captured at the battle of Saratoga. An intelligent guess is that after being captured, he may have served three years as an indentured servant in Berks County, Pennsylvania.

George appears as a single freeman in Exeter Township, Berks Co., PA, in 1786, and in the same place as a married man in 1788. The marriage of George Klees (incorrectly translated "Gros") and Elizabeth Roth was recorded at Spiess Church in Alsace Twp., Berks Co., PA, on October 30, 1787. The infant baptism of their eldest son Henry was recorded in 1789 at Schwartzwald Reformed Church, Exeter Township, Berks Co., PA (again, incorrectly translated as "Gros").

(The family of Mary E Klees Lipp 1840-1916 had preserved the marriage date of October 30, 1787, for George Klees and Elizabeth Roth, along with the names and precise dates of birth for all 14 of George's and Elizabeth's children.)

Brenckman, Fred, "History of Carbon County, Pennsylvania . . ." (Harrisuburg, PA: James J. Nungesser, 1918 (second edition), pages 294-295: "The first settlers of Quakake Valley were Daniel Heil and George Glaze, who came to this section in 1790. They came from beyond the Blue Mountain, following a road which had been built to a point four miles south of Tamaqua. The intervening fifteen miles were covered on a road of their own construction. . . ." Daniel Heil was one of George's fellow Hessian mercenaries.

Abner George Klees (1843-1930) had told a similar story, about his grandfather and another man carving a road through the wilderness, in a letter to his brother James Alfred Klees (1851-1930).

Isaac Kleese (1837-1920) of Washington, Iowa, had a deed dated December 29, 1809, for land which "George Kless of Luzerne [sic, should be Lausanne] Township Northampton County" purchased from "Joseph Hiester of the Borough of Reading" "that certain Tract of Land situate in Quakake Valley Northampton County". This deed is recorded Northampton County, PA, Deed Book E-3, p. 336.

George Klees is assessed in Lausanne Twp., Northampton Co., PA, as late as 1819.  (The eldest son Henry is there until 1823.) "George Klease" and family appear in Madison Twp., Columbia Co., PA, in the 1820 federal census with one male over age 45 in the household. The 1820 assessment for Madison Twp. cannot be found. "George Glace jr" (the oldest son who would have been with the family) is crossed off Madison Twp. in the 1821 assessment.

An intelligent guess is that George Klees the Hessian mercenary probably died in Madison Twp., Columbia Co., PA, shortly after the 1820 federal census.

Northampton County Continuance Docket 24, p. 563, shows "Nov. 27 A. D. 1822 The Sheriff acknowledged the Deeds to the following persons . . . #2 Deed to Joseph Hiester Esq Estate of Late George Kleiss". Both Easton Centinel and Der Northampton Correspondent of October 25, 1822, carry notice of the sheriff's sale "in virtue of a certain writ of Levari facias" for "a certain tract of land in Quakeake valley" of "200 acres 37 ½ perches" "on which is erected a log dwelling-house, a log barn and other appurtenances".

In the 1830 federal census the widowed mother Elizabeth, the married daughter Elizabeth Nevel (1794-1863), and the unmaried children Catherine born 1802, Jacob born 1806, Isaac born 1380, and Phebe/Philipina born 1810 cannot be found. (It is assumed that both John and William Klees are living with a wife rather than an unmarried sister.)

The widow Elizabeth Klees may be living with her son Jacob Klees in the 1840 federal census. According to Isaac Kleese (1837-1920), Elizabeth died at the home of her son Henry Klees in 1850. Henry's home was later occupied by his great-great-grandfather Helen Marie Klees Schaeffer (1924-2002).

isaac Kleese (1837-1920) had said that his grandmother Klees was from Philadelphia. The following infant baptism is a very close match to Elizabeth's obituary in the Muncy Luminary newspaper, died January 19, 1850, age 80 years 2 months 25 days:
Anna Elisabetha Roth, born Sept. 22 1769, parents Joh. Jacob & Anna Elisabetha Roth, baptism recorded First (German) Reformed Church, Philadelphia, PA.