The Trail to Goetzis, Austria and to Charles Geissinger
This is an interesting story. How many years has the Mower family been researching the origins of Charles Geissinger? 50 or 60 that I know of. I know that research has been conducted by many individuals in our family and many family groups for many years. My wife, Tedi Jeen, and I have been intensively studying these records for 3 1/2 years.
Last winter (1992) I remember being quite discouraged on the Charles Geissinger line. We had found some interesting clues about him in America after his arrival in 1766--- such as the fact he had been an indentured servant (slave) for a period of time and had run away twice from that service. We also learned he had been a soldier in Portugal before coming to America in 1766. We found his Revolutionary War record, found he had been a prisoner of war to the British. We found a Catholic church record in Adams Co., Pa that we thought was his---but was he Catholic? His immigration record of 1766 said those on ship were Catholic. There were just lots of clues that were interesting, but didn't seem to be of worth to help us find him.
In November 1992 someone on an L.D.S. church mission, in Austria, microfilmed the Catholic church records of Goetzis, Austria. Those are the only records of that area on microfilm. About that time I started looking for more European expertise to help us locate Charles. I obtained a list of certified, accredited genealogists and wrote 6 of them letters. Only two responded. Both said that this was like finding a needle in a haystack and that we would be extremely fortunate to find the clues we needed. We were already aware that it would be a difficult task.
I finally settled on Trudy Schenk, which looking back, was a fortunate decision. Trudy happened to be from the area of Germany lying close to Austria. She is very familiar with Latin. She has relatives from this area of Germany and some in Austria. All of these things combined to help us. Trudy was the one who found a small note in the Freiburg Church book of a Karl Gisinger who came from "Gezeiss". Where Gezeiss was no one knew. She certainly didn't and neither did any of the experts at the Family History Library.
She told me she studied all the records, poured over all the maps, talked to every expert, and even made the problem a matter of prayer and then she had the idea that perhaps the town of Goetzis, Austria was the right place. Perhaps "Gezeiss" was a previous version of Goetzis, since they both are pronounced similarly.
I wrote Dr. Bernd Goelzer, our German specialist in France who was so helpful to us with the Maurer Zweibruecken records about the name Gezeiss. He wrote back immediately that Goetzis was a very likely modern version of the name and he agreed with the probability. So what if Goetzis was Gezeiss I thought--- that still doesn't prove our Charles came from that area. The records of Goetzis were not even at the Family History Library this spring and had to be ordered down by special order.
When the records arrived our clues were verified. The christening of Charles was found on 5 November 1740. The clue of the ad which ran in the Pennsylvania newspaper when Charles ran away from his indentured servant status in 1767 said he was 27 years old. That clue suddenly became very valuable. The fact he had been a soldier in Portugal was verified when Trudy found references in the Goetzis church books that young men had died in the military in Spain in the 1760's. Then she found the birth of another man who had also come to America in 1766 on the same ship with Charles. She found where a German prince had taken troops to fight in Portugal in 1762. And of course, the clues were verified in the Catholic church records which verified the Adams Co., Pa Catholic christening records we had found previously. The Geissingers were Catholic. This also helped explain the ship record that said the men who came in 1766 were Catholics. Suddenly the puzzle came together.
Trudy Schenk extracted the Church records for us. She located the birth records for Johannes Mayer in Goetzis. He also immigrated on the Cullodian. There were 6 other individuals besides Johannes and Charles on that ship and she has located all 6 of those surnames in the Goetzis records. She has also noted in the Goetzis death records that some individuals' deaths occurred while serving in the military in Spain. Now that is compelling evidence in my mind that we have the correct Charles, especially when you put the newspaper ad together. It advertises for Charles, runaway, aged 27 years. This was 1767 when the ad ran. That places his birth about 1740. The Goetzis record verifies a christening on 5 Nov 1740. He may have been born a few days up to a few months prior to that.
Another compelling fact in my mind is that we have linked a Johannes Geissinger to Charles. He served in the same unit in the Revolutionary War. The Goetzis records substantiate that Charles had a brother named Johannes. There is no record of Johannes Geissinger's immigration. He could have landed in North Carolina (or some other state), where many German speaking individuals landed. Few records exist of North Carolina immigrant ship lists. When I consider: (1) The newspaper ad age; (2) Charles' christening in 1740; (3) The Goetzis records substantiating all the surnames of fellow immigrants; (4) The locating of Johannes Mayer's birth record in Goetzis; (5) The linking evidence of his brother, Johannes; (6) The fact that the Goetzis records state soldiers from Goetzis were dying in the military in Spain--- I think the evidence is there that we have our man.
The fact that the Cullodian only had 8 immigrants tells me it was not an immigrant ship. It was probably a freighter which had room for 8 prisoners. A letter to a historical society in the Philadelphia may lead you to someone who has studied immigrant ships and could give you a history of the Cullodian.
Landing in Philadelphia was common in those days as that was a main port of entry and it required ships to list passengers and for them to take a loyalty oath. Many ships had three lists, one signed by the Captain--- usually recording the names as his scribe thought they were spelled--- incredibly mis-spelled. And one list when the immigrant himself signed the loyalty oath. The signature list is that list.
The fact that the men on the Cullodian had to appear before the Mayor, indicates they were not free men. Other immigrants did not have to appear before the Mayor, it was not required for free persons. Seeing that Charles was sold into indenture (across the river into New Jersey) substantiates the fact he did not come as a free man. Seeing that he ran away from service twice indicates he was being held against his wishes in a position he did not like.
Paula Guisinger has also compared the ship signature list with the signature of Charles when he apprenticed his son, John, to be a blacksmith in Frederick County in 1794. The signatures indicated that the same man signed the Cullodian ship list in 1766 and the apprentice papers in 1794. Thus the Charles who immigrated is the Charles who apprenticed his son.
FHL # 1729781 Catholic Church Records of Goetzis, Austria for christening: Josephus Carolus Gisinger, son of Mathias Gisinger and Maria Walser, they live in Bauren/Bauern, Goetzis, Vorarlberg, Austria; witnesses: Joannes Elsenson and Sydonia Haim.
Trudy Schenk Report: On 5 Nov 1740, I found the baptism for Josephus Carolus Gisinger. In this parish is also one Johann Mayer born about the same time, and the names Ender and Roesch. In Bregenz I find the Oberlaenders in particular. Now to prove I have the correct man I searched all deaths (index in parish). He did not die in Goetzis. In 1774, a marriage of a Carolus Josephus Gisinger made my heart drop. If it was the man I found he would be 34 years old. To my surprise, I found no children born to a Carolus Josephus Gisinger, yet to Franz Josephus with the same wif e's name. So obviously, the pastor made a mistake in his given name in the marriage. In order to prove that there was no infant death I found his confirmation entry in 1754 where he goes by the name Caroly Joseph Gisinger. I searched out his siblings and he has at least one living brother, Johannes. His parents named their first three boys Johannes (the first two apparently died in infancy). The death entries do not include them as infants.
The mother of Carl Joseph is Maria Walser. The church christening record shows seven possibilities all born between 1700-1707. The marriages do not give parents' names, therefore it cannot be determined which one is the correct ancestor. When Charles arrived in America in 1766 he probably came as a prisoner of the war from Portugal. Upon his arrival in America he was taken to the home of the Mayor of Philadelphia, which would be a good explanation for why he was taken to the Mayor. This is not normally done. We have a list of the 8 men who arrived on the ship Cullodian in 1766 with Carl Geissinger. Trudy has identified all of the surnames of the individuals who appeared on that ship list with surnames that appear in the Goetzis, Austria area.
It appears that in the early 1760's our Charles and some of the local boys of the Goetzis area joined some kind of military force and went to Portugal to fight in the local war there. There Charles and some of his friends very well might have been captured and brought to America as an indentured servants. The death records of Goetzis show other individuals who died between 1756-1766 with special mention of their whereabouts at the time of death. I was especially interested to see that indeed there were young men in the military during the time period when carl Geissinger would have been. The Vorarlberg area seems to have been involved in the war in Portugal as shown by a Georg Walser who died 29 May 1757 in the military and a Joseph Kopf died 16 Dec 1762 listed in the church record as a soldier in Spain
Overview of the life of CHARLES Geissinger
1. Christened 5 November 1740 in the Catholic Church in Goetzis, Vorarlberg Co., Austria 2. Joined a German led army and fought in 1766 as a soldier in Lisbon, Portugal. 3. Came to America on the ship, Cullodian Oct 1766. Sold as an indentured servant upon arrival. 3. Oct 1766- 9 May 1768: Indentured servant in Salem Co., New Jersey (age 27). Escaped, recaptured, escaped again. 4. Lived in York Co., Pa until joining the Pennsylvania Army in the Revolutionary War. 5. 1776-1780 Revolutionar War Soldier. Captured at the Battle of Three Rivers near Montreal, Canada. Prisoner of the War with the British. Released, went to Pennsylvania and joined up in another unit. Stayed the winter with George Washington's troops at Valley Forge. 6. Appeared in the 1780 York Co. Pennsylvania Tax List (age would have been 40) 7. 1780-1790 Lived probably in York Co., PA and/or Frederick Co., MD 8. Associated with the Catholic Church in America. 9. 1790-1800 Frederick Co., Maryland--on census records 10. Given 100 acres of land for service in the Revolutionary War and lived from 1804-until death abt. 1810, in Bedford Co., Pennsylvania.
ARRIVAL IN AMERICA
15 October 1766, Ship Cullodian lands from Lisbon: Listed as a passenger,
Carl Geissinger. Pennsylvania German Pioneers pg 711.
INDENTURED SERVANT
Documents relating to the Colonial History of the State of New Jersey,
Edited by William Nelson, Volume XXV, Extracts from American Newspapers
Relating to New Jersey:
Page 411-413: Twenty Dollars Reward
"Run away, on the 5 instant from the subscriber, living in Alloway's Creek
precinct, and county of Salem, two Dutch servant men, one named Charles
Geisinger, about 27 years of age, 5 feet 4 inches high, dark complexion,
grey eyes, marked with the small-pox about his mouth, short brown hair;
had on, when he went away, an old felt hat, brown linsey jacket, with an
under jacket, the fore parts the same as the other, the back parts of red
cloth, tow shirt, striped trowsers, and new shoes, speaks no English at
all. The other named John Michael Rider, about 5 feet 7 inches high, 25
years of age, well set, brownish hair, which he wears tied behind, red
beard, whitish eye brows, large curled locks on each temple, and a large
scar on the sole of one of his feet; had on, and took with him, two new
tow shirts, a pair of tow trowsers, a pair of home made bearskin breeches,
lined with tow cloth, a jacket of the same, with three flowered metal
buttons on each sleeve, a red broadcloth jacket, half worn, blue flowered
metal buttons on each sleeve, a red broadcloth jacket, half worn blue
flowered damask ditto, without sleeves, and another blue ditto, bound round
the arm-holes with linen; also a blue broadcloth coat, lined with red,
with button-holes on each side, chiefly false holes, a pair of old leather
breeches patched with new leather, a large felt hat, with a brass button,
two pair of light coloured yarn stockings, old shoes, a pair of boots,
grain side out, a large Dutch pillow case of stamped linen, a piece of
white linen for shirts, a silk handkerchief, a stamped linen ditto, and a
hogskin knapsack, with the hair on; he speaks broken English, but is a
great talker, smokes much, takes snuff, plays on the fiddle and pretends to
be a conjurer. They have two fiddles with them, and one of them has plenty
of money; they have both been soldiers, and came last fall from Lisbon,
can talk Dutch, French, and perhaps Portuguese. It is supposed they will
change their clothes. They crossed the river at New-Castle, and came up
towards Chester, where they were seen, and it is thought they are gone
towards Lancaster or Maryland. Whoever apprehends or secures the said
servants, or either of them, in any of his Majesty's gaols [jails], so that
their masters may have them again, or brings them to their respective
masters, or to Richard Wister, in Philadelphia, shall have Sixteen Dollars
for the first mentioned, and Four Dollars for the last, besides reasonable
charges, paid by us. Signed Martin Halter, Hugh Blackwood, Richard Wister,
July 11, 1767." [This ad appeared in 20 July 1767 issue of The
Pennsylvania Chronicle]
Evidently they were caught because the next year Charles ran away again. This time he was not caught.
Volume 26 of New Jersey Archives, Series 1, page 153:
"Run away from the Subscriber, living in Salem county, West-New Jersey, a
Dutch servant man, named Charles Geisinger; he is five feet two inches
high, and about thirty two years of age, has a brown complexion and black
short hair. Had on, when he went away, a double breasted swanskin jacket,
with black spots and brown mohair buttons, also a brown linen one over it,
a pair of half-worn shoes, with brass buckles, and a very small cut hat.
Whoever takes up said serant man, and secures him, in any gaol [jail], or
brings him to the Subscriber shall have ten dollars Reward, and reasonable
charges, paid by me." Signed, George Miller [This ad appeared in 9 May
1768 issue of The Pennsylvania Chronicle]
REVOLUTIONARY WAR RECORD
Charles went to Pennsylvania and there he joined the Revolutionary War serving with the Pennsylvania army. Karl Geisinger (Gysinger) taken as a prisoner of War at the Battle of Trois Rivieres (Three Rivers) 9 Jun 1776.[Canada].
Karl was evidently released not long afterward because we have record of him rejoining the Seventh Continental Pennsylvania Regiment 13 Jan 1777. Karl belonged to Company No. 6 under Captain David Greier, of the Seventh Continental Regiment, formerly the Sixth Battalion from Pennsylvania. Company 6 (or "G") was raised in York County, Pa which was authorized to enlist as of 4 Jan 1776. Karl was also listed under Freiherr Von Ottendorf as an enlisted man who signed up again on 13 Jan 1777, following his release as a prisoner. This was a second enlistment. Listed with him was Johannes Geisinger who enlisted 16 Mar 1777. Ottendorf was authorized to recruit mainly German speaking soldiers for 3 years. This unit was an independent corp of light infantry which was later reorganized into a cavalr y unit.
Taken from: The Pennsylvania Line, Regimental Organization and Operations 1776-1783 by John Trussell, pages 95-99, 287: "The 6th Pennsylvania Battalion was authorized on January 4, 1776. The original plan to recruit the battalion exclusively in Cumberland County was modified during the period of actual organization, with six of the eight companies being raised in Cumberland County and the remaining two in York County." [Note York County---where Charles shows up in 1780 on the tax list]
"The companies of the battalion were as follows:...Company G, raised in York County, was commanded by Capt. David Grier... On the return of the 6th Pennsylvania Battalion to Carlisle in March 1777, [Battle of Three Rivers June 1776] large numbers of its members enlisted in the 7th Regiment, the battalion's successor unit. While the muster rolls of the two organizations give less than a definitive picture, a comparison of those rolls shows 139 enlisted veterans [Grandpa Charles was one!] of the battalion serving in the regiment. As the initial strength of the battalion had been 710 and as it sustained considerables losses from disease and enemy action, together with experiencing the inevitable desertions, it appears that upwards of at least one fourth of the survivors of the 6th Pennsylvania Battalion joined the 7th Pennsylvania Regiment...The battalions uniform consisted of a blue coat and breeches, the coat 'turned up' with red, and a small round hat, bound with braid or tape.
"Col. William Irvine had been captured at the fiasco at Three Rivers on June 9, 1776....In the meantime, when the regiment was first formed, Major David Grier had been promoted to lieutenant colonel...and it was Grier who actually commanded the 7th Pennsylvania Regiment until he was wounded at Paoli on September 20, 1777. He did not return to duty....Many of the men of the 7th Pennsylvania Regiment continued to wear the same 'regimentals' they had been issued when serving in the 6th Pennsylvania Battalion....
"Companies G and H of the 6th Pennsylvania Battalion were raised chiefly in York County [Pennsylvania] and the other companies primarily in Cumberland County....Thus, the ...companies continued to be essentially York County units, and the other companies were manned mainly by Cumberland County residents."
Operations of Charles Geissinger's Unit:
"The 6th Pennsylvania Battalion, then at Carlisle, received orders on March
14, 1776, to join the forces at New York City. Evidently, it was rapidly
uniformed and equipped, for by April 24 the entire battalion had arrived as
ordered; but on April 26 it was directed (along with three companies of
the 4th Pennsylvania Battalion) to go to Albany to join the army attacking
Canada. The battalion reached Albany on May 10, leaving three days later.
On May 24, as part of a force under Brig. Gen. John Sullivan, it passed
Lake George; it reached Chambly on June 3, and joined the main army at
Sorel the next day. On June 5, with other troops under the overall command
of Brig. Gen. William Thompson, it was sent on to Nicolette to reinforce
troops under Col. Arthur St. Clair. It was this force which was involved
in the fiasco at Three Rivers on June 9.
"In that action, seventy-eight of the members of the 6th Pennsylvania Battalion were killed or captured. Among the prisoners was the battalion commander, Col. William Irvine. [and Charles Geissinger!] ...The survivors of the battalion, with the rest of the American force, fell back to Isle Aux Noix. While still camped there on June 24, Captains McClean, Adams, and Rippey, along with Lieutenants Samuel McFerren..[others]... and four privates, decided to leave camp 'to fish and disport themselves,' going across the lake to a point about a mile away from camp but still within sight....they went unarmed. After a time, they went into a nearby house and were drinking spruce beer when they were attacked by a group of Indians who had been watching their movements....[4] were scalped 'in a most inhuman and barbarous manner'.
"The American force at Isle Aux Noix retreated to Crown Point, which it reached July 1. While the other troops moved on to Ticonderoga, the 6th Pennsylvania Battalion remained behind forming the outpost for the army. For the next three and a half months it continued in this mission, having occasional brushes with the enemy and sustaining some casualties....The battalion stayed at that post as part of the garrison unitl the men's enlistments ran out. It then returned to Carlisle, where it was mustered out on March 15, 1777.
"With so large a portion of veterans re-enlisting, the 7th Pennsylvania Regiment was ready for field duty in a short time. As part of one of the brigades under Brig. Gen. Anthony Wayne, the 7th Pennsylvania Regiment marched south with Washington's army...". Charles Geissinger is listed as joining again for a 3 year enlistment on 13 Jan 1777, just 6 months after having been taken prisoner in the Battle of Three Rivers---so he wasn't a prisoner long, and he didn't hesitate to join up again. By 1780 he was released and living back in York County.
Obituary Holdren Missouri Press 1929: Lamach Guisinger born 26 Mar 1836 near the town of Thornville, Perry, Ohio. His parents were Philip and Sarah Guisinger. He had four brothers and one sister, and he was the youngest of the family. His grandfather (this would be Charles) served 7 years in the army during the Revolutionary War. He was a member of Anthony Wayne's command, took part in the capture of Stony Point, and spent the winter at Valley Forge.
FOLLOWING THE WAR
Charles Geissinger is listed on Frederick Co., Maryland Census of 1790: 4 males to 16, 1 male 16 and up, and 4 females listed. We know of these children: John, Charles Jr. and Catherine, plus the parents, thus this census shows we need the names of 2 other males born between 1774 and 1790 and 2 other females.
On 23 May 1794, Charles allows his son, Charles Jr. to place himself as an apprentice for 5 years to Henry Darkey to become a farmer. FHL #014050: Frederick County, Maryland, Inventories.
On 13 Sep 1794, Charles places his son, John Geisinger, as an apprentice for 9 years to Conrod Ricker to become a blacksmith. John was 10 years old and his birth is recorded as 5 March 1784. FHL #014050: Frederick County, Maryland, Inventories.
After we found Charles in 1780 in York Co., Pa, we searched for records to tell us more about him there. We could not find him in a church anywhere, which is odd because these people were generally church-going people, but Charles may have not been that kind of a man. We then checked the Catholic records of Adams County, Pa which lies next door to York Co., Pa and found a very interesting entry:
Michael Geissin of Charles and Catharine Geissin; b. 9 Aug 1793; bap. 14 Mar 1794; Sponsors: Michael and Elisabeth Ritelmoser; I-13. Conewago Chapel Roman Catholic Records, page 189 in Adams County Church Records of the 18th Century. FHL 974.842 K2a This turned out to be Michael Guisinger, son of Charles Geissinger.
John Geissin of John Geissin and Barbara Bern; born Feb 1805; FHL 974.841 D2o Founding Catholic Families of Conewago, page 28. This could be John Geissinger (son of Charles) and Charles and Catharine Geissinger, or it is John Geissinger, brother to Charles who md. Barbara Bern. Most likely it is not the brother of Charles as he would be very old.
Charles is listed on 1800 Census of Frederick Co., Md: 2 males under 10, 1 male 10-16, 1 male 45 and over, 2 females under 10, 1 female over 45. According to apprenticeship papers John and Charles were gone and Catherine was married to Michael Mower, thus this records shows we need the names of 2 additional males who were born 1790-1800, 2 additional females born 1790-1800---assuming these were his children and not relatives living in his home.
1807 List of Taxable Inhabitants: Colerain Twp., Bedford Co., Pa: Charles Gisinger. FHL # 1449358
1808, 1809, 1810 Tax List: Colerain Twp., Bedford Co., Pa: Charles Gisinger. FHL # 1449359
Bounty Land Warrant #202-100 for Pennsylvania issued to Charles Kissinger or Kissenger. National Archives Record States: "Charles Kissinger enlisted November 25, 1776 in the Pennsylvania troops and was discharged Aug 9, 1783, and a Warrant numbered 202 for one hundred acres of bounty land, for the above services as a Private, was delivered to him March 28, 1805. There are no further particulars given."
In the files of the National Archives a inquiry was made March 3, 1919 in regards to the Bounty Land Warrant by: Mrs. Ella G. Edmonds, 5639 Rippey St. Pittsburgh, Penn. (I suspect this to be Ella Geissinger Edmonds, probably a descendant.)
In Archives B.L. Wt. file 202-100: "Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Bedford County---Personally appeared before me the Subscriber one of the Justices of the Peace in and for said County, John Scott, Esq., who being duly sworn on the Holy evangelist of Almight God doth depose and say that Charles Kissinger produced to him a Discharge Signed Ay. Butten (or Butler) of the 9th August 1783. Enlisted the 25th November 1776 with whom he has been acquainted in or about two years during which time he always knew him by the name of Charles Kissinger. Sworn and Subscribed the Second day of June A.D. 1804."
Charles Geissinger appears on the spring tax list of 1810 but not on the fall tax list, so he must have died by fall 1810 in Bedford Co., Pa.
His daughter, Catherine (Geissinger) Mower and her husband Michael Mower lived in Bedford Co., and raised a family there. Their son, Henry Mower Sr. was living there in 1836 when Mormon Elders came by prostyleting and Henry and his wife and family joined the Church. The Mower family moved west to Nauvoo and then eventually to Pleasant View, Utah. In 1857 to avoid Johnston's Army the family went south to Springville, Utah and Henry Mower died there in 1878. His son Henry Mower Jr. went south to Fairview, Utah and established a homestead there and that is the area of Utah thought of to be the home of most of the Utah Mowers.
Report from Jim Petty on Geissinger
September 17, 1993: "Dear Mr. Mower: I was excited to hear about the possible connection in the Geissinger family that may have been found with Paula Geissinger. I certainly agree that it sounds as though her husband's ancestor John Guisinger is the same John who was a son of Charles and Catherine Geissinger of Frederick County, Maryland. I have proceeded in searching records in Fairfield and Perry Counties, Ohio, and I feel I have gathered a little more in the way of confirming evidence. I also have taken time to review over a variety of our past findings, and some of them fit together like a hand in glove. I am looking forward to discussing them with you this weekend. I will present some of those ideas in this report for your reference later, so that you can add notes on the report and add it to your record.
"During the time since my last report to you, I have been hoping to hear back from a researcher that I hired in Pittsburgh, to search for Ella G. Edmonds. His name was James L. Sheenan, and I had gotten his name and address from the public library in Pittsburgh as doing record searching. I spoke to him once prior to hiring him, and he agreed to search cemetery listing and deaths and obituaries for Ella Edmonds. However, in July I wrote him and have received no reply, and in August I called and his number was disconnected. So I may have gotten a bum steer on that connections. I will call the various cemeteries myself and see if I can find a listing for Ella. I also have some other names of researchers in Pittsburgh now who may be more reliable.
"On the Geissinger family information that you sent me this week, there are a couple of things that you might have forgotten from our past research that tie in very nicely. In the tax lists of Bedford County, Pennsylvania, and in the 1810 census, we were able to identify John Geissinger (variant spellings) in Bedford Township up through 1810, but not later. In 1810 he had one son under 10 and three daughters under 10. We also found George Gisinger in Cumberland Valley Township, which borders on the south of Bedford township, and the west of Colerain Township. He was 16-26, his wife 16-26, and two younger girls under 10. George had appeared on the tax rolls as a single taxable male from 1806 to 1810, and was listed as a regular (married or adult) taxable male in 1811, and disappeared after that. This would indicate that he appeared when he turned 18, and therefore was born about 1787 or 1788. I have previously speculated that he was the George Gysinger who married Barbara Roach on 13 Aug. 1810 in Washington County, Maryland.
"We have Charles Geissinger disappearing from record in 1810; I believe he died, possibly a pauper or close to it. John and George disappear after the 1810 census or the 1811 tax lists. You noted from the information from Paula Guisinger, and I have also seen the Fairfield County, Ohio deeds, that show that John Geisinger/Guisinger, blacksmith, first bought land in 1812, in Middleton, Ohio (which later became Somerset, and later yet, became Perry County, Ohio). What you may not know is that George Guisinger (or Kyssinger) was a private in Captain George Sanderson's Company of Ohio Militia mustered for service in April 1813 from Fairfield County, Ohio.
"I searched the early tax lists of both Fairfield and Perry Counties (Perry was organized in 1818 out of Fairfield). I was disappointed to find that the lists began in 1816, and pertained to the property owners only. Many counties have double lists showing assessments for both property owners and pole taxes. I searched the records from 1816 to 1823 (the first volume), and then the Perry County Property Tax lists from 1819 to 1825. I didn't find John Guisinger (under any spelling) listed in either county. The only person of interest found in Fairfield County, was David Garringer or Garsinger. He appears in Fairfield County in a published tax list for 1806, and appeared in the lists that I searched up to 1819, after which he disappeared from the lists. I suspected that he was part of the county that went into Perry, but he didn't show up there either. However, Hocking County was formed at the same time that Perry was formed and the Township that David lived in borders Hocking in modern maps, so it might be that he became part of that county. I mention David because I thought at first that he might have been a Geisinger (in fact the first listing in the taxes looked like Geisinger), and also because I found him in the 1790 census listing for Frederick County, Maryland near Charles Geissinger. Interesting coincidence.
"In the Perry County tax lists I found George Guisinger in 1819 with 20 acres of land. He wasn't listed in 1820, but was there in 1821 and again in 1825. That was as far as I search in the tax list. He appeared in the 1820 census (index). I didn't search that list, because I thought I already had it in my notes at home, but I didn't. He was not there however by the 1830 or later censuses.
"I quickly reviewed the early deeds of Fairfield County, as you can see from my notes. John and his wife Ann (or Nancy) Guisinger purchased land in Middleton (Somerset), in Reading township in 1812 and sold all of it by 1814. They bought land again in New Market, Liberty Township in 1825, and sold it by 1826. John did not appear in the tax lists between those dates, which happened to be the time period that I searched. In 1828, John appears in the Common Pleas Court Minutes of Fairfield County as an insolvent debtor, and his remaining taxes were dropped from the rolls. He did not appear in the County in the 1820 or 1830 census rolls. I am not sure where he was at those times. Perhaps Paula's information can fill in that data.
"In the deed records I also found property transactions for a Michael Kissinger, with his wife Catharine. He bought land from an Abraham Dreisbach and wife, and then he and his wife sold it back to Dreisbach in 1817. He also didn't show in the tax lists. I don't believe he is the Michael whom we speculate as a son of Charles and Catharine Geissinger. Michael Kissinger's deed in 1813 was witnessed by Francis Kisner, and David Kissner. When he sold his land to Dreisbach in 1817, Michael was also listed as Kisner, and Benjamin Kisner was a witness to the deed. I found Michael Kessner in Frederick Co., Maryland in the 1790 census listed near David Garsinger. I am wondering if Michael Kissinger/Kisner and David Garsinger/Kissner might be related. Michael was not in Fairfield or Perry Counties in the 1820 census, but in reconsideration, he might have also been in Hocking County.
"The Deeds of Fairfield County, show that a Charles Guisinger and his wife, Eliza purchased land in Greencastle in 1832, and sold it again in that same year. They appear in the 1830 census in Clayton Township, Perry County. Charles was 20-30 years old, as was his wife, and they had a young son over 5. Also in the 1830 census of Perry County, was a Michael Guisinger who was 30-40 years old with 5 sons under 20, and 2 daughters. His age fits with that of Michael GEISSEN who was born in 1794 in Conewago, Pa. (son of Charles and Catherine). This Charles Guisinger, could be a son of John Guisinger.
"At this point a new and interesting item came to light. George Guisinger had disappeared from Perry and Fairfield County, and I was trying to find John Guisinger, which your letter implied was living in Ohio in the 1850 census. [Indiana] I happened to notice that a George, Michael and John Guisinger all appeared as entries in the 1850 census of Jackson Township, Crawford County, Ohio. This wasn't the John in question as it turned out, but the George Guisinger here was born in 1788 in Pennsylvania (the very year I had estimated for our George from tax lists in Bedford County, Pa). His wife Sarah 60, was born in Maryland. With him was a son George L. 21, born in Ohio, and a daughter Sarah Jane 17, and next to him was Michael Guisinger 30, born in Ohio (in 1820), with his wife Barbara 28. A couple of entries away was John Guisinger, 38 born in Pennsylvania (in 1811 or 1812) with his wife Sarah 30, and their children Mary 12, Delilah 8, and Samuel Guisinger 5. This seems to fit perfectly our George, even with a son born in Pennsylvania in the last year that our George was in Bedford County. And he had a son Michael.
"I began searching records of Crawford County, Ohio, and found some interesting items in the published histories. Before I cover those, let me mention that I found a listing for an estate (no will) for a George Gretsinger after 1850, and later still an estate for a George L. Gressinger in Crawford County. These appear to be the George and his son that I was looking for, but I still need to study the records further to determine that. In the histories of Crawford County I found an account of a John Guiss. John was the son of Abraham Guiss, a native of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, who in turn was a son of Jacob Guiss and Eva Spaeth. The account states that the name was originally Guissinger, but that the "inger" was dropped from the name by the grandfather. The story is that Jacob Guissinger wandered from home when he was young, and that upon attending school somewhere, the teacher had dropped the latter part of the name and it stuck. Another history of Crawford, gives a more complete account of the family stating that Jacob Guissinger was born Mar. 1, 1787 or June 30, 1786 (two accounts give different dates). Both accounts state that he died Feb. 10, 1856. Jacob had nine children, namely: George, Anna, John, Abraham, Susannah, Christian, Henry, Magdalena, and Catherine.
"The information about Jacob fits well with the dates of the sons of Charles and Catherine Geissinger. Jacob also fits with the geography of the problem, having left home as a young man, and going to Westmoreland County, which was North and West of Bedford, and which was also the location of the Catholic Diocese at Latrobe, the parent church of the Chapel in Bedford. Charles had four sons born prior to 1790; they could have been: Charles Jr. ca. 1780, John 1784, Jacob 1786/7, and George 1788. He then had Michael in 1793, and one otherson that was listed in the 1800 census who is yet to be identified. [Philip]
"While my information about both George and Jacob is still speculation, it does seem possible, and it is also interesting that George appears to have moved from an association with John in Fairfield/Perry Counties, to live near Jacob in Crawford County. I need to search the deeds and court minutes of both Perry and Crawford County further to learn more about these families. I also need to search Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania records further to find more about the Guisinger family there.
I would assume that Paula's connection is a good one and gather all the information that she will allow you to have. I feel it is a great breakthrough. Seeing these possible developments with the GeissingerS in Ohio, leads me to think that we might also find the Mowers showing up in Ohio as well. I looked for the family in Fairfield County, but found nothing to indicate that they went there, but other counties might produce some good possibilities. Sincerely, James W. Petty.
Since this report, we have placed another Geissinger into the family: Philip Guisinger. We have learned that he followed his brothers into Westmoreland Co., Pa and then on into Ohio to Perry Co. Philip appears to have been the last Geissinger born to Charles.