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Kinser History
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· Early History and Journey·
Kinsers are NOT from Germany! Around the time when the Kinsers made the journey to America, the area was controlled by the Holy Roman Empire. Austria and Prussia were fighting for central control and Beethoven, Bach and other enlightened characters were making a name for themselves. This area is in the southern region known as Saarland and is very near the French border with Luxemburg then Paris to the East. Workers did not own the land but rather were simply tenants and central governments were very unstable. Many families and sometimes even whole towns were fed up with this once they started reading about the success of others who had made the trek to Tuplehocken PA (some townsfolk had moved there already). It was a very expensive trip however as first you would have to travel up the Rhine river and get to France, then make the crossing to England, which is where our ship sailed from.
In the ships manifest i found the Kinser family names who crossed, as well as many others from the town as it seems the Kinser family led the movement. I also found many Sieberts listed alongside and further saw Siebert name in many marriage licenses from Wolfswiler church. What i found out was the Sieberts were in-laws! So these Kinsers were not coming to America unless they could take ALL of thier family members. Cousins, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents….if its a better life there, we are all going.
John Theobald Kuntzer was from Hirstein, earlier Asweiler, and married Oct. l6 to Mary Baum. Thier daughter, Anna Catharine Kuntzer, married into the Siebert family. John Jacob, John Theobalds son, and many of their relatives and friends (The baums, sieberts, etc..) all decided to leave Germany for America together.
They lived in the valley of Nahe and Glan near the little village of Aswiler, a Population of 850 (still has seven seibert families). This western part of Germany is not very far from the French border and during the 1700’s thousands went to Pennsylvania! Weary of war, troubled with economic problems, and sometimes desiring religious freedom these folks found haven across the Atlantic in large families. The Palatine migration in 1709-10 to the Albany, New York region and from there in 1723 to Tulpehocken in Pennsylvania likely influenced the migration of members of the Wolfersweiler parish to Tulpehocken.
After sailing across the ocean in 1737 from Asweiler, Saarland and Wolfersweiler area of Germany to the Tulpehocken region in what is now Berks County, Pennsylvania, all of these Kinser pioneers and cousins helped create the head of the trail that many followed to Wythe, Virginia, then north to Greene county Tennessee and then on to Kentucky (Texas for a few). But here is the start of it all below, from the National Genealogy Society:
During the 50 years before the American Revolution many thousands of Germans came to Pennsylvania. Strassburger and Hinke published many of the passenger arrival lists in their monumental three-volume Pennsylvania German Pioneers. The purpose of this study is to demnonstrate the wealth of genealogical data about these immigrants which may be found in the German census and church records.
Wolfersweiler (Reformed) Parish is 45 miles east of the city of Luxembourg and 30 miles north of the French border. Now a town of about 1,200 persons, it lies in the Nahe Valley about 1,220 feet above sea level. It is in Kreis [County] Saint Wendel. In earlier days it· belonged to the Pfalz and the Duchy of Zweibriicken. From 1815 to 1937 it belonged to the State of Oldenburg, Principality of Birkenfeld. Since 1937 it· has been part of Saarland, now in western Germany. In
1719 Wolfersweiler Parish was comprised of nine villages, all within about three miles of Wolfersweiler.
More history is in this site….keep looking to see the story of how we got from Lancaster PA (there is still a Kinser Pike there) to Wythe, VA to Green county TN and then to Kentucky.
Interesting results are obtained by comparing the '65 Wolfersweiler surnames (Kinser, Baum, Siebert) to the index of Pennsylvania German Pioneers. Limiting the search to the period before 1750, half of the surnames are found in both lists. Omitted from this study are surnames common to several parts of ·Germany. Where two or more Wolfersweiler surnames appear in the same ship list a special examination of that list of passenger arrivals was made, especially where two Wolfersweiler surnames are consecutive. Clearly identified by this analysis as having taken persons from Wolfersweiler Parish to Pennsylvania are the following ships:
| 11 | Thistle | 61 | Davy |
| 32 | Pennsylvania Merchant | 73 & 93 | Loyal Judith |
| 44 | Samuel | 106 | Phoenix |
| 47 | St. Andrew | 120 | Two Brothers |
| 53 | Glasgow | 141 | Leslie |
This confirms what has long been apparent about migration to Pennsylvania, that groups of neighbors or kinsmen migrated together and prompted others to follow. Four families stand out in this study: Kintzer, Baum, Seibert, and Wommer; all settled in -Berks County, Pennsylvania. Based on the ship lists, the 1719 census,2 Wolfersweiler church books,2 other German records, 3 and Pennsylvania records, the following accounts of Wolfersweiler Parish families who emigrated to Pennsyvania have been compiled.
JACOB BAUM of Wolfersweiler , b. 1692, son of Christian; m. 1715, Mary Kintzer (b. 1698, dau. of Nickel); 1 son and 2 daus . in 1719; arrived on ship
no. 44 in Pa. 30 Aug. 1737, with wife Mary and son John, age 18.
ADAM BAUM arrived on ship no. 106 in Pa. 20 Oct. 1744. [Probably from Wolfersweiler.]
CATHARINE BAUM, left Wolfersweiler for Pa. in 1738.
JACOB BRITZIUS of Wolfersweiler, b. 1690, son of Nickel_; d. 1743; m. 1715, Mary Kiintzer (b. 1699, dau. of Theobald); 1 dau . in 1719. Daughter Elizabeth Catharine, b. 1718; m. 1736, David Fortune [see below]. Son Jacob, b. 1730; arrived with mother , brothers , and sisters on ship no . 120 in Pa . 15 Sept. 1748
THEOBALD KUNTZER of Hirstein , b. 1662, son of Bernard (1634-1720); d. 1731; m. 1683, Margaret Baum (b. 1661, dau. of Jacob; d. 1720); no children
at home in 1719. Children: Michael , b. 1684 [see below] ; Catharine, b. 1687 [see Seibert]; Bernard, b. 1689 [see below]; Nickel, b. 1696 [see below]; and
Mary, b. 1699 [see Britzius].
MICHAEL KUNTZER of Hirstein, b. 1684, son of Theobald [above]; d. 1736; m. 1705, Margaret Klein (b. 1684, dau . of Nickel; d. 1761); 2 sons and I dau.
in 1719. Son Jacob Kiintzer, b. 1714, arrived on ship no . 44 in Pa . 30 Aug.1737
BERNARD KUNTZER of Asweiler , b. 1689, son of Theobald [above] ; m.1708, Catharine Seibert (b. 1689, dau. of Nickel; d . 1752); 2 sons and 3 daus.
in 1719. Children: Jacob, b. 1709; arrived on ship no. 47 in Pa. 26 Sept. 1737. Nickel, b. 1715; arrived on ship no. 11 in Pa. 29 Aug. 1730; d . Tulpehocken
Twp., Berks Co., Pa., 20 Jan. 1794; m. (]) 3 Jan . 1742, Catharine Hoester; M. (2) 29 Oct. 1743, Juliana Schneider.
NICKEL KUNTZER of Hirstein, b. 1696, son of Theobald [above]; m. 1715,Christine Britzius (dau. of Nickel) ; I son and no daus. in 1719. With wife and
son Jacob , b. 1721, arrived on ship no. 61 in Pa. 25 Oct. 1738
NICKEL KUNTZER of Asweiler, b. 1667, son of Bernard (1634-1720); d.1741; m. 1696, Barbara Schweig (b. 1672, dau. of Jacob; d . 1739); no sons
and 5 daus. in 1719. Dau. Mary, b. 1698; m. Jacob Baum [see above] .
HANS SEIBERT, son of Nickel, m. 1669, and had son:
NICKEL SEIBERT of Eitzweiler, b. 1679; d. 1766; m. 1700, Mary Molter (b.1681, dau. of Peter; d. 1769); 4 sons and 2 daus. in 1719. Son Jacob, b. 1719,
arrived on ship no. 53 in Pa. 9 Sept. 1738; was in Berks Co., Pa., 1744. Son~Bernard, b. 1717, arrived on ship no. 61 in Pa. 25 Oct. 1738 with cousins
Jacob and Wendel Seibert; d. Shenandoah Co., Va., 1801.
NICKEL SEIBERT, son of Nickel, m. 1677. Children: Barbara, b. 1681; m.1699, Matthias Gisch of Eitzweiler [see above]. Jacob, b. 1678 [see below].
Catharine, b. 1689; m. 1708, Bernard Kiintzer of Asweiler [see above].
JACOB SEIBERT of Eitzweiler, b. 1678, son of Nickel; d. 1726; m. 1705,Catharine Kiintzer (b. 1687, dau. of Theobald, see above); 5 sons and 1 dau.
in 1719. Son Jacob, b. 1716; arrived [with mother?] on ship no. 61 in Pa. 25 Oct. 1738; d. Tulpehocken Twp., Berks Co., Pa., 1761; m. (1) 26 Feb . 1739,
Elizabeth Theiss; m. (2) 7 June 1741, widow Susanna Schµltz. Son Wendel, b. 1721; age 17, arrived on same ship; d. Berkeley Co., Va., 1802.
CATHATHARINE SEIBERT, widow of Michael, left Wolfersweiler for Pa. in 1742
Kinser Timeline
Johann Jacob Kintzer, who came to the US in 1737 and sailed on the ship “Samuel” was born 25 January 1709 in Wolfersweiler, Saarland, Germany. He was the son of Johann Bernard Küntzer and Anna Catharina Seibert. Source:”On the Far Side of the Sea” by Charles Wayne Garman
Johann came to America on the “Samuel” from Rotterdam. He arrived in Pennsylvania on August 30, 1737. Johann was 28 years old at the time. The Captain of the Samuel was Hugh Percy. (The spelling of Kuntzer was changed to Kinser by Captain Percy on his ship's mani-fest.) The passenger list said “Jacob Kuntz”. Johann Jacob supposedly migrated with his father Hans Bernard, but his father isn't on the passenger list. Johann Jacob and Anna moved to Montgomery County, Virginia in 1770 or early 1771. He is listed on Walter Crockett's list of tithables. On December 14, 1774 Jacob had about 454 acres of land surveyed on Tates Run in Wythe County, Virginia. They lived there until his death in 1775 or early 1776. Jacob died without a will; however, Elizabeth (Jacob's son Michael's wife) and her children sold 100 acres to Curtiss Grubb in 1832.
Brief Life History of John Jacob I
When Jacob Kintzer was born on 25 January 1709, in Wolfersweiler, Birkenfeld, Oldenburg, German Empire, his father, Johann Bernhard Kuntzer, was 19 and his mother, Anna Catharina Seibert, was 19. His parents came with him along with most of his cousins on the ship when he was around 28. He married Anna Maria Newman on 10 May 1744, in Pennsylvania, United States. They were the parents of at least 2 sons and 1 daughter. He died in 1775, in Wythe, Virginia, United States, at the age of 66
Brief Life History of John Jacob II
When John Jacob Kinser II was born in 1756, in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, first in our family line to be born in USA, his father, John Jacob Kintzer I, was 47 and his mother, Anna Maria Newman, was 39. He married Esther Elizabeth Wampler on 30 November 1777, in Montgomery, Fayette, Virginia, United States. They were the parents of at least 8 sons and 9 daughters. He died on 22 July 1816, at the age of 60, and was buried in Sinking Springs Cemetery, Midway, Greene, Tennessee, United States.
IT IS BELIEVED THAT JOHN JACOB AND HIS FAMILY MOVED FROM WYTHE CO., VA TO GREENE CO., TN AROUND 1808 FOR THE FOLLOWING REASON. In the Montgomery (Wythe) Co, VA Land Tax Records for 1782, Jacob had 100 acres of land joining that of Michael Wampler. Probably was part of Jacob Kinser Sr.'s land located on Tates Run, a branch of Redd Creek. For several years following the formation of Wythe Co. in 1790, Jacob's land holding is given as 152 acres. 1807 is the last entry for Jacob on the Wythe Co, VA Personal Property Tax List. In 1808 Jacob and Esther sold 327 acres of land to Barnabas Messersmith (Deed Book 5, page 96). During the same year they sold another 150 acres to Jacob Wampler ( Deed Book 5, page 105). So, this was probably the year the family moved to Greene Co, TN. Jacob later purchased land in Greene Co, TN. THE FAMILY SETTLED NEAR THE SINKING SPRINGS COMMUNITY OF GREENE CO., TN.
Brief Life History of George Washington Kinser
When George Washington Kinser was born on 2 April 1791, in Wythe, Virginia, United States, his father, Jacob Kinser, was 35 and his mother, Esther Elizabeth Wampler, was 33.
He married America Caroline Etter on 12 February 1823, in Greene, Tennessee, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 5 daughters. He lived in Greene, Tennessee, United States in 1860 however he and several sons moved to Texas. GEORGE KINSER IS THE S/O JOHN JACOB KINSER AND WIFE, ESTHER ELIZABETH WAMPLER. GEORGE MOVED WITH HIS FAMILY TO GREENE CO., TENNESSEE AROUND 1800. HE MARRIED FIRST IN GREENE CO. MARY ANN DAVIS IN 1815. THEIR 5 CHILDREN ARE WILLIAM M.-1816, LILLIE-1817, VINNIE-1818, DANIEL A.-1819, CATHERINE-1820.ALL WERE BORN IN GREENE CO., TENNESSEE. AFTER MARY'S DEATH AROUND 1822-23, HE MARRIED AMERICA CAROLINE ETTER IN 1824 IN GREENE CO.,TENNESSEE. THIS COUPLE HAD 8 CHILDREN ALL BORN IN GREENE CO.,TENNESSEE. THEY ARE SUSAN CAROLINE-1824, GEORGE JR.-1827, JAMES H.- 1829, ANDREW JACKSON-1833, MARY ELIZABETH-1835, LEWIS M.-1837, AMERICA ETTER-1841,AND MINERVA CAROLINE-1845. 1850 census Greene Co., TENNESSEE George is listed as a farmer. GEORGE AND HIS SECOND FAMILY, EXCEPT FOR ANDREW,AND JAMES H. MOVED TO TEXAS IN 1867. IT IS PRESUMED THAT AFTER THE CIVIL WAR CONDITIONS IN TENNESSEE WERE DIFFICULT, LAND IN TEXAS WAS CHEAP AND PERHAPS CONDITIONS WERE BETTER THAN IN TENNESSEE.
He died in 1871, in Marble Falls, Burnet, Texas, United States, at the age of 80, and was buried in Pleasant Valley Cemetery, Marble Falls, Burnet, Texas, United States.
Brief Life History of George Washington Kinser II
When George Washington Kinser was born on 10 October 1827, in Greene, Tennessee, United States, his father, George Washington Kinser, was 36 and his mother, America Caroline Etter, was 23. He married Mary Jane Hartman on 30 October 1845, in Greene, Tennessee, United States. They were the parents of at least 3 sons and 4 daughters. He lived in Maury, Tennessee, United States for about 10 years and Tennessee, United States in 1865. He died on 7 August 1859, in Mount Vernon, Rockcastle, Kentucky, United States, at the age of 31.
Brief Life History of Andrew Kinser
When Andrew Kinser was born in July 1851, in Greene, Tennessee, United States, his father, George Washington Kinser II, was 23 and his mother, Mary Jane Hartman, was 23. He married Sarah Ann Eleanor Roberts on 16 April 1871, in Edmonton, Metcalfe, Kentucky, United States. They were the parents of at least 6 sons and 1 daughter. He lived in Lockport, Henry, Kentucky, United States in 1880 and Shelbyville, Shelby, Kentucky, United States in 1900.
Brief Life History of George Washington Kinser
When George Washington Kinser was born on 6 March 1880, in Henry, Kentucky, United States, his father, Andrew Kinser, was 28 and his mother, Sarah Ann Eleanor Roberts, was 27. He married Anna McCaskey on 9 May 1898, in Henry, Kentucky, United States. They were the parents of at least 4 sons and 4 daughters. He lived in Waterford, Spencer, Kentucky, United States in 1920 and Magisterial District 2, Jefferson, Kentucky, United States in 1940. He died on 19 December 1946, in Jefferson, Kentucky, United States, at the age of 66, and was buried in Jeffersontown, Jefferson, Kentucky, United States.
Brief Life History of George Washington Kinser
When George W Kinser was born in 1911, in Kentucky, United States, his father, George Washington Kinser, was 31 and his mother, Anna McCaskey, was 30. He married Lillian Blair on 4 August 1928, in Jeffersontown, Jefferson, Kentucky, United States. They were the parents of at least 6 sons. He lived in Jefferson, Kentucky, United States in 1930 and Magisterial District 4 La Grange, Oldham, Kentucky, United States in 1940. He died on 18 June 1963, in La Grange, Oldham, Kentucky, United States, at the age of 52.