OBTAINED FROM ANCESTRY.COM

Godfrey Bainter came to the United States from Dresden, Saxony, Germany; the regional location is also known as Freistaat Sachsen today (familysearch.com, catalog;Wikipedia) about 1750 (Sprague, 253), and married Margaret Benter in 1769 in Maryland.

Gotfrid Bender and wife Margretha had a son Johan George born on 31 August 1771, and had him christened on 13 Sept 1771. Then Gottfrit Bender and Margretha had another son Johannes born 14 June 1777 and christened 22 Nov 1777. The records were at the Salem German Evengelical Reformed Congregation in Washington County, Maryland. There is still a city by the name of Salem in Washington County, Maryland, today (credits to Leona Betteridge notes, see sources). The dates correspond to George and John Bainter's vital data, and contradicts a Sprague History below in that all the children were not born in Pennsylvania.

5 February 1777 Godfrey Painter. Leona Betteridge found a record with Godfrey Painter signing an oath of Allegiance to the State of Maryland on 5 February 1777. Their son Johannes, known as John, was christened 22 November 1777. The family did not leave Maryland before that time.

The Godfrey and Margaret Bainter appeared in Bedford County, Pennsylvania from 1779 to 1789. Researcher Betteridge found Godfrey Panther on a 1779 tax list in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. Godfrey Painter is listed in the Pennsylvania Archives in 3 February 1789 in a roster of inhabitants of Bedford Township, Bedford County that were subject to the militia laws of the state (Leona Betteridge notes, see source Montgomery, 22-24).

Family Trees on Ancestry.com list twelve children for Godfrey and Margaret, but Jerry Herrings WFT on Volume 15 lists 13 with an infant George Bainter born about 1770, died before 1771. George Johan Bainter (14 Aug 1777 - 13 Sep 1849) was the oldest surviving child. He was followed by Jacob Bainter (1772 - 10 Jan 1865); Adam Bainter (8 Mar 1773 - 19 Nov 1856); Susan Bainter born about 1775; Frederick Bainter (4 July 1776 - 28 Oct 1838); and John (Johannes 14 June 1777 - 5 Sept 1846) born in Maryland. Although spouses and places of death are given on some of the trees, few supply sources or other proofs.

Since Godfrey was already on a tax list in 1779 Bedford County, that is likely the place of birth for the twin sisters, Margaret Elizabeth Bainter and Mary Ann born 1779. There were four more children with Bedford roots: David Bainter (1791 - 2 Jan 1864); Henry Bainter (27 Nov 1792 - 19 Sep 1872); Andrew Bainter (26 Sep 1795 - 4 July 1884); Peter Bainter (29 Jan 1798 - 4 May 1883). More information about the places of death and spouses are given on the "tree" sources above.

"Godfrid Panther" was still on the 1800 census in Bedford and St. Clair Townships in Bedford County, Pennsylvania. There were three boys under ten, one age 10-16, and two males age 16-20 with one male over 45. One girl age 10-16, one age 16-16, and a woman 26-45.

Most of the family did not move to Ohio until 1801, but it is known that the oldest son George Bainter married Lydia Sprague and marked a trail into Ohio and up the Muskingum River to become the earliest settlers at Wakatomake Creek, later noted as the Dresden area. The son-in-law, James Sprauge, was renowned as a a wolf hunter, and the Bainters were well-known and rated as great hunters and a pioneer family. Godfrey Bainter and family were among the first settlers of Madison and Monroe Townships in Muskingum County, Ohio, moving on to wild land about 1801 on what became the MadisonTownship area. It should be noted that Godfrey Bainter died in 1805, thus was not part of the occupation of Monroe township in the northeast corner of Muskingum County. Godfrey Bainter had nine sons and three daughters, all born in Pennsylvania (Biog. Hist. Memoirs of Muskingum Cty, XL - Monroe, XXXVI - Madison Twp.; Sprague, 253). An Ancestral File, Pedigree Resource File, has his full name as Godfrey Frederick Bainter.

Wakotomika was the name of two 18th century Shawnee villages in what is now the U.S. state of Ohio. The name was also spelled Wapatomaka, Wakatomaka, and Wakatomaka . . . . The first Wakatomika was located along the Muskingum River, near present-day Dresden, Ohio (Wikipedia). Dresden is a village in Muskingum County, Ohio , United States, along the Muskingum River at the mouth of Wakatomika Creek. The Muskingum River flows through the county capitol of Zanesville, splits the county, and joins the Ohio River at Marietta. Jan 7, 1804 - On January 7, 1804, the Ohio government authorized the creation of Muskingum County. The county's name came from an Indian word for "near the river." The Muskingum River flows through the county (internet archive). Dresden is located on or near the site of the Delaware village of Wakatomika, which gave its name to Wakatomika Creek, the creek that empties into the Muskingum River near the northern edge of the village. Wikipedia shows several variations of spelling for Wakatomika, Wakatomia, Wakatomica, and others.

The first road in Madison Township crossed the Muskingum River at Bainter's Ford, The first births were in the Bainter, Stoner, and Shirer families. The first death was of Godfrey Bainter in 1805, aged sixty years. The one history states he was buried there in the woods on the farm of his son John Bainter. If he was buried there, he was probably moved to the Bainter Cemetery, see below (Biog. Hist. Memoirs of Muskingum Cty, XL - Monroe, XXXVI - Madison Twp.).

Godfrey Bainter died 18 May 1805 in the Wakotomika area, near what is now Dresden in Madison Township (Ancestry.com Family Trees; Hargrove). The Bainter Cemetery is near Dresden, 2 miles south on Rt. 666 from the Bridge at Dresden, one-fourth mile to the left up a hill aong a line fence, in the woods, on the Swope Farm (Cemetery Inscriptions, 65). The Muskingum County Genealogical Society published a list in 1983, but messages on the internet state the cemetery is now in very bad shap. "Bainter - In memory of Godfrey, d. ___ (fm) G.B. stone broken in half," and unlegible. Margaret Bainter, "w/o Godfrey, d. Sept 10, 1815, 63 yrs (fm) M.B." (Cemetery Inscriptions . . ., 65).

GODFREY BAINTER SOURCES:

1800 Census, Pennsylvania, Ancestry.com Online, Bedford County, Bedford and St. Clair Townships, Ancestry.com, Online, National Archives. Godfred Panther.

Ancestral File (TM), Family History Department, Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints, http://www.familysearch.org. Pedigree Resource Files (several). Volume 3 CD's 51-75, Godrey Frederick Bainter on CD #63 Pin 76245.

Betteridge, Leona. GROUP SHEETS GEORGE AND GODFREY BAINTER WITH FACT SHEET (Jan 1993). Leona B. Betteridge, 2709 West Soundview Dr, Tacoma WA 98466.

Biographical and Historical Memoirs of Muskingum County, Ohio, Chicago. Goodspeed Publishing Co., 1892, Chapter XXXVI - Madison Township, XL - Monroe Township.

Cemetery Inscriptions of Hopewell, Licking, & Muskingum Townships, Muskingum County, Ohio. Muskingum County Chapter Ohio Genealogical Society, 1983, "Jefferson & Madison Townships," page 65, Bainter Cemetery SR 666. Bainter Cemetery -- about fourteen Bainters including Godfrey and Margaret.

Family Tree Maker, Genealogy.com, LLC, 1700 Progress Drive, PO Box 100, Hiawatha, IA 52233-0100, 1998., Volume 15 #127, CD250. SUBMITTER: JERRY HERRING, 1095 STARLIGHT DR, REYNOLDSBURG OH 430068.

German Evangelic Reformed Congregation, Salem Reformed Church, 1771-1783. Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, Filmed by Genealogical Society of Utah, 1949, Maryland, Washington County, Family History Center, Salt Lake City, Utah, Film 141145 item 2; 014145 extract. Credits to Leona Betteridge. Gotfrid Bender and wife Margretha on 31 August 1771 had son Johan George-- christened 13 Sept 1771. Gottfrit Bender and Margretha son Johannes 14 June 1777 and christened 22 Nov 1777.

Hargrove, Sylvia and Hilda E. Yinger, Muskingum County, Ohio Footprints. Zanesville, Ohio, 1984; Ancestry.com, Fiche 6010648, Volume 3, Fiche 6010645 (set of six).

Jackson, Ron V., Maryland Census 1771-1890, Accelerated Indexing Systems: The Generations Network, Inc., Provo, UT, 1999, Maryland, Washington County, Ancestry.com, http://search.ancestry.com. MD Early Census Index, Fidelity Oath: Godfrey Painter.

Montgomery, Thomas Lynch. Pennsylvania Archives, Sixth Series, Vol. III. Harrisburg Publishing Co., Harrisburg, 1907, Militia Rolls 1783-1790 pp. 22-24, http://www.archive.org/details/militia rolls. Internet, Americana Collection, Library of Congress 10145101, Digitizing Sponsor, Sloan Foundation. "LIST OF THE INHABITANTS OF BEDFORD TOWNSHIP MADE SUBJECT TO THE MILITIA LAWS OF THE STATE" . . . 3rd February 1789 . . . Godfrey Painter.

Sprague, Warren Vincent, M.D. Sprague Families in America, Warren Vincent Sprague, M.D. The Tuttle Company, Printers, Rutland, Vermont: 1913, page 253, paragraph 425, FHC Film 928209, Item 1.