O L I N G E R
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Into Our Past, A Genealogy of the Parsons, Smith and Associated Families, Vol. 1
�1996, Judy Parsons Smith
The Olinger family is of German origin. On
12 Oct 1741, among the Palatines imported in the Ship
Friendship, Alexander Thomson, Master from Rotterdam, but
last from Cowes, as by clearance thence , we find:
Hans Jurg Olinger 25
Philip Olinger 20
Perhaps Hans Jurg Olinger and Philip
Olinger are brothers.
John Phillip Olinger
John Phillip Olinger arrived in this country on 12
Oct 1741, aboard the ship "Friendship" and
subscribed to the oath of allegiance at Pennsylvania. His age
is listed as 20 in the passenger records. (By subtracting 20,
the age listed in the passenger records, from 1741, we arrive
at 1721 as his date of birth. Ms. Bales in "Early
Settlers" concurs with this as his date of birth, also
from her we find that John Phillip Olinger was born in
Germany.) Arriving several years prior to John Phillip
Olinger is Juliana
Umberger, who arrived in this
country about the ship "Hope" in 1733. Her age is
listed as 12 in the passenger records .
John Philip Olinger assisted in
establishing American Independence by acting in the capacity
of Patriot by furnishing flour for the army. In "Augusta
County Public Service Claims, Augusta County, Virginia",
his service is listed as follows:
Revolutionary War
Service:Furnishing Supplies - Flour to feed army
"I do hereby certify that I have Rec'd
of Philip Olinger one hundred and forty weight of good Flower
at fifty pounds per hundred payable at the Treasurer of
Virginia within six months From this Date with interest at
six per centum thereon, Agreeable to a late act of general
Assembly for procuring supply of provisions for the use of
the army. Given under my hand this first day of December one
thousand seven hundred and eighty --
140 Flour ------------------- John
Moffet CPL."
From Virginia Publick Claims, Augusta
County :
"Provisions purchased by John Moffett,
Commissioner of the Provision Law for the County of Augusta
1780. Philip Ollinger, 140# flour �70."
John Philip Olinger, b. ca. 1721 in
Germany; d. ca. 1786/1787 in, Augusta County, VA; m. 2 Feb
1744, Lebanon County, PA to Juliana
Umberger, daughter of Hans
Heinrich & Juliana (Steeger) Umberger, b. p. 8 Jan 1719, Reyhen, Germany. John Philip
& Juliana (Umberger) Olinger had (5) five children, they
were listed in Philip's will probated 12 Apr 1787:
I. Jacob
II. Stophel, b. 18 Feb 1752, Lancaster Co., PA; m. Eva
Margaret Silder.
III. Barbara, b. abt. 1742; m. Jacob Gabbert (Gebhardt).
IV. Philip
V. Katherine, m. Casner (Kershner).
Jacob Olinger
I.
Jacob Olinger, son of John Philip & Juliana (Umberger) Olinger, m. Anna Elisabeth ______. Jacob & Anna Olinger
had a son:
Ia. Jacob, b. 24 Dec 1770, Lancaster,
PA; bp. 24 Dec 1770, Lancaster, PA at the Trinity
Lutheran Church.
(Stophel) John Christopher Olinger
II.
(Stophel) John Christopher Olinger, son of John Philip &
Juliana (Umberger) Olinger, b. *18
Feb 1752, Lebanon County, PA; d. 20 Feb 1827, Lee County, VA;
m. 1 Dec 1780 or 1 Jan 1781, Augusta County, VA to Eva
Margaret Siler (Sidler), daughter of Jacob, Sr. & Lizzie
(Bentz) Sidler, b. 2 Aug 1754, Germany; d. 1 Jun 1854, Lee
County, VA.
John Christopher is the translation of
Stophel from German to English. (Stophel) John Christopher
Olinger held a variety of occupations including: farmer,
general blacksmith, wagon maker and gun maker.(Stophel) John
Christopher Olinger served in the Revolutionary War.
Revolutionary War
Service:Captain Cunningham's Company of Augusta County.
In his Pension application dated 2 Jun
1818, Russell Co., Virginia he states that he: "enlisted
with John Wrentch a Lieutenant in the Flying Camp in the 2nd
Regiment under the command of Colonel Seyhock for six months
as a private soldier. He marched with the Regiment from Hagen
Town in Maryland to Philadelphia by water to Trenton, from
Trenton to Brumwick, and from thence to Sandy Hook, New York,
landing the day after Lord Sterling was defeated on Long
Island. He remained at Sandy Hook, New York until he was
discharged.
He then enlisted at Carlisle under Capt.
James Potter in the Regiment commanded by Colo. Smith for
three years and marched to White Marsh in Pennsylvania and
there joined the army. He was taken from the Rank, and set to
drive General Thompson's Baggage waggon. They then marched to
the Jerseys from thence to Kings Ferry on North River, from
thence to the white plains. Then to Fredericksburg, then
marched to Middlebrook where the detachment wintered. In the
spring, marched from Middlebrook to New Windson and West
Point and wintered in Morristown (now known as Valley Forge).
He was discharged after the Battle of Brandy Wine.
Upon returning to Staunton, Virginia he was
drafted for three months to the siege of Little York, and was
at the taking of Cornwallis. He was one of the Guard to
Winchester under Capt. Buckhannan in Colo. Lewis's Regiment.
He was discharged at the Barracks at Winchester and received
no pay for three months."
According to family tradition John
Christopher met his wife, Eva Siler, while at Valley Forge,
during the war while under the command of General George
Washington. While at Valley Forge it is told, that he and the
General ate some of their meals in the home of Jacob Siler,
while Eva acted as sentinel. This indeed may be on family
tradition based on fact, from his pension application we find
he did winter with the troops in Morristown (now known as
Valley Forge), Pennsylvania during the winter of 1777/1778.
It would not be unheard of for the Sidler family to have
migrated to the Augusta County, Virginia area after the war,
as that was the usual migratory path from 0Pennsylvania, to
the South.
On 6 Feb 1789, he was granted leave to keep
an ordinary (hotel or bed & breakfast) at the house of
William Robinson in Christiansburg, VA. On 2 Jun 1818, John
Christopher Olinger applied for a pension in Russell County,
Virginia, at that time he declared under oath that he was
"now 66 years of age...".
(Stophel) John Christopher & Eva
Margaret (Silder) Olinger had (9) nine children:
A. Martha Ann, no further records
found.
B. Virginia Margaret, b. 3 Dec 1784, Augusta County, VA;
m. bef 1808, Russell County, VA to Samuel Duff.
C. Jacob Blubaugh, b. 20 May 1787, Augusta County; m. ca.
1808, Russell County, VA to Virginia Hannah Hobbs.
D. John
Christopher, II, b. 7 Nov 1790,
Augusta or Montgomery County, VA; m. Lydia
Ann Skaggs.
E. David C., b. 12 Jun 1792; m. Nancy Patrick Horton.
F. Mary Ann, b. 20 Jul 1795; m. Absalom Hobbs.
G. Juliana (Julie Ann), b. 4 Sept 1798; m. John Drake.
H. Joseph
Kendal, b. 9 Sept 1801, Russell
Co., VA; m. Elizabeth Collier.
I. Nancy Araminta, b. 11 Jan 1806; m. Stafford Holmes.
NOTE: According to Ms. Bales in
"Early Settlers", John Christopher Olinger was born
18 February 1737, in Germany. There is a quite of bit of
evidence which supports 18 February 1752 as his actual date
of birth, and Pennsylvania as his place of birth. * In John
Christopher Olinger's
petition for a pension, on 2 Jun 1818, he declared under oath
that he was "now 66 years of
age...". By subtracting 66 from 1818, we arrive at 1752.
Having arrived at 1752 as his date of
birth, it is then obvious that his place of birth was not
Germany. John Christopher Olinger's
parents were John Phillip Olinger and Juliana (Umberger)
Olinger.
John
Christopher Olinger, II
D. John Christopher
Olinger, II, son of (Stophel) John Christopher & Eva Margaret
(Sidler) Olinger, b. 7 Nov 1790,
Augusta or Montgomery County, VA; d. 12 Nov 1863, Lee County,
VA; m. ca 1815, Russell County, VA to Lydia Ann
Skaggs, daughter of Jeremiah
& Hannah (Lester) Skaggs, b. 2
Nov 1793, Russell County, VA; d. 12 Dec 1871, Lee County,
Virginia. Both John C. & Lydia Olinger are buried in a
family plot on a hilltop near the village of Olinger in Lee
County, Virginia .
John Christopher Olinger, II served in the
War of 1812. He was drafted at the courthouse in Russell
County and served as a sergeant in Capt. Hammond's Company in
the Fifth Regiment, Virginia Militia, commanded by Lieut.
Col. McClanahan. John Christopher Olinger, II's occupation
was that of a farmer. He also operated a grist mill, saw
mill, blacksmith shop and tannery on his farm. He also
accumulated more than 90,000 acres of farm and mineral land
in Lee County, on which some of the richest iron and coal
fields in Virginia were found.
John Christopher & Lydia (Skaggs)
Olinger had (7) seven children:
D1. Ann Eliza, b. ca. 1817, probably
Russell County, VA; d. 28 Feb 1892, aged 75 years; m. 12
Jun 1852, Lee County, VA to Jonathan Kelly, Jr.
D2. Margaret, b. abt. 1820.
D3. Jacob
Blubaugh, b. 22 Aug 1824; d. 24
Jan 1903
D4. Amanda
Melvina, b. abt. 1827-1828; m. William
S. Parsons.
D5. John Christopher, b. 19 Apr 1832; Of more later.
D6. Juliana, m. Ira G. Sprinkle.
D7. Araminta, b. abt. 1835.
D8. Van, Pastor of Olinger Missionary Baptist Church . He
is also mentioned is correspondence from his brother John
Christopher (#5) to his father John Christopher.
Joseph Kendal Olinger
H.
Joseph Kendal Olinger, son of (Stophel) John Christopher & Eva Margaret
(Silder) Olinger, b. 9 Sept 1801,
Russell Co., VA; m. abt. 1823, Lee Co., VA to Elizabeth
Collier. Joseph & Elizabeth (Collier) Olinger had eleven
(11) children:
H1. David
H2. Daniel
H3. Catherine
H4. John
H5. Eliza
H6. James Martin, b 1836, Lee Co., VA; m. 1868 to Martha
Cecil Graham.
H7. Marion
H8. Harvey
H9. Jacob
H10. William
H11. Mary
Jacob Blubaugh Olinger
D3.
Jacob Blubaugh Olinger, son of John Christopher
& Lydia (Skaggs) Olinger, b. 22
Aug 1824; d. 24 Jan 1903, Lee Co., VA ; m. 24 Feb 1848 to
Martha Jane Pennington, b. 24 Mar 1829; d. 1 Jan 1896. Both
are buried in Olinger, Lee Co., VA.
Jacob Blubaugh Olinger served for three
years during the Civil War. It is told that while he was home
on leave a group of robbers from Kentucky came and told their
livestock and all their bed clothing. The group attempted to
hang Jacob, telling his wife that if she cut him down they
would come back to kill her. She did not heed their warning
and cut him down. The group of robbers did not return.
Jacob & Martha Jane (Pennington)
Olinger had nine (9) children:
D3a. John David Dinker, m. Phoebe
Parsons.
D3b. Martin Van Buren, moved to Missouri; d. buried
Missouri.
D3c. James "Doc", b. 20 Sep 1854
D3d. Lydia Ann, b. 13 Sept 1864; d. 13 Jul 1900; m. ____
Thompson. Twin of Phoebe Jane.
D3e. Phoebe Jane, b. 13 Sept 1864; d. young. Twin of
Lydia Ann.
D3f. Rachel Malinda; m. ____ Walton. Moved to Florida.
D3g. Craig Lee; d. young.
D3h. David Bauregard; d. young.
D3i. Mary Louise, b. 18 Mar 1851; d. 6 Oct 1940; m. 3 Apr
1870 to Maroni Eldrige Hyatt.
Amanda Melvina Olinger
D4.
Amanda Melvina Olinger, daughter of John Christopher
& Lydia Ann (Skaggs) Olinger,
b. abt. 1827-1828, Lee County, VA; d. date unknown;
m.1st-1848 to William S. Parsons, son of
William, Sr. & Phoebe (Pennington) Parsons, b. 1828, Lee County, VA; d. 13 Mar 1864,
a prisoner of the Civil War in Camp Douglas, Illinois; She
m.2nd- 11 Feb 1875, James Monroe Parsons. William S. &
Amanda (Olinger) Parsons had (3) three children:
D4a. John S., b. 1849. SEE PARSONS.
D4b. Zion Mitchell, b.
1855.
D4c. James Kyle, b. 1859.
John Christopher Olinger
5.
John Christopher Olinger, son of John Christopher
& Lydia Ann (Skaggs) Olinger,
b. 19 Apr 1832. Served in the Civil War as a Lieutenant in
Company A, 50th Regiment, Floyds Brigade. The follow this
link to the contents
of a letter (transcribed from the
original) sent to by John Christopher to his father in 1861.
Formation of Olinger Missionary Baptist
Church
In 1905 several members of the Olinger family joined together
with others to form the Olinger Missionary Baptist Church.
Among those Olingers who were member we find:
James Aaron Doc Olinger, Julia Olinger
Turner, Phoebe Olinger Thompson, John Dinker Olinger, Phoebe
Parsons Olinger (wife of John Dinker Olinger), Jacob Blubaugh
Olinger.
Records indicate that member Jacob Blubaugh
Olinger d. 24 Jan 1903.