According to the book, Biographical review, volume 32, Containing Life Sketches of Leading Citizens of Bedford and Sommerset Counties, Pennsylvania which highlights one of George's grandsons, George Reininger was born in Germany and came to America when he was a young man. The first record I found of him was from another book, A history of the Goshenhoppen Reformed charge, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania (1727 - 1819), when he was confirmed in the New Goshenhoppen Church on 9 April 1787. He was 16 years old. The book contains baptisms as well, and finding no baptism record for George, it could make sense that he was born and raised in Germany before immigrating to the US (even though some of the family trees on ancestry.com indicate his birthplace was Upper Hanover, Montgomery County, PA).
George's marriage to Mary Hine is also found in the Goshenhoppen Church book. They were married in May of 1797.
I'm not exactly sure when the family came to Bedford County, but online sources indicate that their 3rd child was born in Montgomery County in 1802 and their 4th was born in Bedford County in 1805. Mary gave birth to 11 children over the course of 25 years. Whether or not she gave birth to other children who died in infancy is something we'll probably never know. She was 46 when her last son was born. Two of their daughters, Margaret and Mary, preceded both George and Mary in death.
Historical church records indicate that George was a trustee for the Old Mock Church, a congregation established by the German Baptist Brethren (aka "Dunkers") and later referred to as the Church of the Brethren. The Mock Church (named for Christian & Mary Mock who donated the land), which is a couple of miles outside Pleasantville, was built in the early 1840s and is still standing. It was restored in 1983. My visit to the church (which I'll write about in an upcoming post) was one of the highlights of our trip.
There's not a lot of online information concerning the Reiningers. The 1861 map shows their homestead adjacent to Thomas Callihan's property on what is now Oldham Road.
We think we found the approximate location of their farm. It was quite a bit more sloped than the Callihan's land, but they still had the benefit of the creek running through their property.
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| At or near the George Reininger homestead |
One of George and Mary's sons, William, purchased land at the base of the Allegheny mountains not too far from where he grew up. It was confectionately, er, I mean, affectionately known as the "Sugar Camp". In a short personal history, my great-grandfather, Horace Ickes, wrote:
"We used to go to our Great Uncle William Reininger's, at the foot of the Allegheny Mountains in the Spring of the year and help make Maple Sugar. We went on sleds to drive through the woods to gather the sap. During this time they always had a yoke of young cattle to break to drive and what fun that was. We would yoke them together, tie their tails together, hitch them to the sled and get in and turn them loose. I shall never forget.
“They had a big log house, but only one room on the main floor, and the other, what was called the loft where everyone slept, was one large room, beds everywhere. There was no stairway but a ladder at the end of the room downstairs, and we would climb the ladder, pinching each other on the way up. When we would awaken in the morning just as likely as not our beds would be covered with snow that had sifted in through the cracks, but that only induced you to hurry and get your clothes on and down to the fireplace, which was roaring with logs burning."
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| William Reininger's homestead on what is now Calvary Hollow Road. |
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| At or near the William Reininger "Sugar Camp" |
I don't know why we didn't make it to their grave sites. The Reininger Cemetery is located near the top of the steep hill behind William's homestead. The directions had been posted by Andii1814 on findagrave.com and I completely overlooked it prior to our trip. She even uses the pond (in the photo above) as a reference point to find the Reininger Cemetery. You can see her directions here. There are 28 Reininger family members buried there including George and Mary. According to findagrave.com, George and Mary's graves are located above Williams and are marked with field stones.
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| Photo courtesy of Andii1814 on findagrave.com. More photos can be seen here. |
As a side note, Andii1814 also mentions George having served in the Revolutionary War. I checked out her references and the proximity to Montgomery County checks out, but I found an associated date of 1777. Since he wasn't born until 1771, this is more than likely his father, Hans George Reininger, who was the Revolutionary War patriot.
Here is his will:
"In the name of God, amen: I George Rininger of St. Clair Township in the County of Bedford and State of Pennsylvania, being advanced in age, but of sound and disposing mine, memory and understanding, and calling to mind the certainty of death and the uncertainty to the time thereof to the end that I may be the better prepared to leave this world whenever it shall please my maker to call me home, do therefore make and ordain this my last will and testament, viz: Principally and first of all I commend my immortal soul into the hands of Almighty God who gave it, and my body to the earth at the discretion of my Executors herein after named. And as touching such worldly estate wherewith it has pleased God to bless me with in this life I dispose of in the following manner, to wit:
I give and bequeath to my dearly beloved wife Mary as much of my stock of horses, cows, sheep and hogs as she may choose to keep and also as much of the farming utensils and house-hold and kitchen furniture as she may think necessary to carry on the farm for her and in her name and for her benefit and advantage during her life (or widowhood) and the remainder of my property, if there be any that she doth not wish to keep as aforesaid, I will that it be sold at public sale by my Executors and all the price and proceed thereof equally divided amongst my six children, namely: George, Elizabeth (the wife of John Nunemaker), Frederick, John, Henry and Marie (the wife of Simon Hendrickson) share and share alike.
"And at my wife’s decease or marriage it is my will that the balance and remainder of all my personal property shall be sold at public sale, and out of the money arising from the same, I will and bequeath to the lawful heirs of my daughter Margaret Callihan deceased the sum of five dollars to be divided equally amongst them share and share alike.
"And to my grandson James Smith I will and bequeath out of the same the sum one hundred dollars to be paid to him when he arrives at the age of twenty one years and in case he shall decease before he arrives at the above mentioned age, then the said hundred dollars together with all the balance of the money arising from the said sale shall go to and be equally divided amongst my aforesaid six children share and share alike as aforesaid.
"I also will and bequeath unto my son Peter that part of my large tract of land on which he at present resides.
"And I further will and bequeath unto my two sons William & Joseph the remainder of the said large tract of land to be divided between them equally quantity and quality considered.
I also will and bequeath to my son William the tract of land whereon I now live, but, this said mansion tract shall not become due nor be enjoyed by him in any respect until after my wife’s decease or marriage.
"And further, it is my will that my son Joseph shall have the Northends of said large tract of land adjoining lands of Jacob Bizel.
"And lastly, I nominate, constitute and appoint my two sons John and William Rieninger to be my Executors of this my last will and testament hereby revoking all the wills, legacies and bequests by me heretofore made and declaring this and no other to be my last will and testament.
"In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal the thirteenth day of April in the year of my Lord one thousand eight hundred and forty six.
"Signed, sealed, published and declared by the said Testator as his last will and testament in the presence of us who in his presence and at his request have subscribed as witness.
Amos Penrose Isaac Beisel"
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All original content, images, commentary, etc. copyright © by Joy Denison 2015-2016. All rights reserved. All writings, poems, speeches, essays, images, scans, likenesses, etc. by Adam Ickes (b 1845) as well as personal histories, images, and all other content by all persons referenced and discussed within the pages and posts in this blog may not be copied, shared, or reproduced in any way without expressed permission by the owner unless included here from other referenced sources or are historical records already considered to be in the public domain.
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