BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF PETER WOLFINBARGER
By Sally Lyons McAlear
2006
(Note that there are different spellings of this surname. Wolfenbarger appears to have eventually become a preferred spelling in the area where he died. I went with Wolfinbarger in this sketch because it matches the spelling on his military headstone and in his Revolutionary War military pension application.)
Peter Wolfinbarger was born in 1751, place unknown – but unproven research indicates "probably Pennsylvania." Peter was the son of _____ Wolfenbarger, Jr., born in Germany or Alsace, and Hannah Sumner. Peter married Susannah Miller (his first wife), date or place not stated. Peter and Susannah were living in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, by 1790. A marriage record from the records of Greenbrier County, [W] Virginia, show that Peter Wolfenberger and Milly Hanson (born in Tennessee, according to the 1860 census) married on February 27, 1807. (Peter would have been about 56 years of age and Milly about 17 years of age at the time of their 1807 marriage.) The date of death of his first wife, Susannah, is not known but would have occurred between 1797 and 1807.
All that is known about Peter Wolfinbarger's Revolutionary War service is contained in his application for a pension (declaration), which was rejected (#R11770), dated August 24, 1832, Knox County, Tennessee. A portion of that document appears below (verbatim): ". . . He lived in Shenandoah County, Virginia at which place he was drafted as a private for three months of the year not recollected but he thinks it was in the month of August he hired a substitute to serve said time by the name of Martin Miller under Capt. George Rinker in Col. Abraham Bird's Regiment said Miller served out the full term of three months for which brought me an honourable discharge which was signed by Col. Bird which is lost. Again while living at the same place in the fall of the year but year not recollected he was drafted for three months under Capt. Henry Daring in Col. Abraham Bird's Regiment of Virginia Militia and he hired a substitute to serve said tour by the name of Henry Fetzer who served out his full term of three months and brought me an honourable discharged signed by the said Col. Bird and is lost. Again while living at the same place in the first of Sept. 1781 he was drafted to serve a three months tour against the British under Capt. Darby Downey in Col. John Tipton's Regiment. We rendezvoused at Millerstown at the Courthouse of said Shenandoah County, marched to Fredericks Burgh thence towards Richmond. We were met by an express and informed that Cornwallace was taken. We were then honourably discharged for a three month's tour but we did not serve that length of time. The true date of the discharge not recollected. The discharge was signed by Col. Tipton but is lost. He has no documentary evidence and he knows of persons whose evidence he can procure who can testify to his service. . . ."
Peter Wolfinbarger died between August 24, 1832, and January 1834, in Knox County, Tennessee, and was buried in Clapp Cemetery (near Washburn, Grainger County, Tennessee). His will, recorded in January 1834 in Knox County, listed 16 children:
FROM MARRIAGE TO SUSANNAH:
Andrew
Samuel
Joseph
Jonah
Philip
Peter
Barbara (Merritt)
Mary (Vansenhart)
Susannah (McKinny)
Rebeccka (James)
Sarah (Highnote)
FROM MARRIAGE TO MILLY:
Elizabeth (Mrs. Samuel Merritt)
Nancy
Milly
Catharine
Rosanah
The Emory Road Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution placed an historical marker on his grave on May 15, 2021, at which time they held a dedication ceremony.
By Sally Lyons McAlear
2006
(Note that there are different spellings of this surname. Wolfenbarger appears to have eventually become a preferred spelling in the area where he died. I went with Wolfinbarger in this sketch because it matches the spelling on his military headstone and in his Revolutionary War military pension application.)
Peter Wolfinbarger was born in 1751, place unknown – but unproven research indicates "probably Pennsylvania." Peter was the son of _____ Wolfenbarger, Jr., born in Germany or Alsace, and Hannah Sumner. Peter married Susannah Miller (his first wife), date or place not stated. Peter and Susannah were living in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, by 1790. A marriage record from the records of Greenbrier County, [W] Virginia, show that Peter Wolfenberger and Milly Hanson (born in Tennessee, according to the 1860 census) married on February 27, 1807. (Peter would have been about 56 years of age and Milly about 17 years of age at the time of their 1807 marriage.) The date of death of his first wife, Susannah, is not known but would have occurred between 1797 and 1807.
All that is known about Peter Wolfinbarger's Revolutionary War service is contained in his application for a pension (declaration), which was rejected (#R11770), dated August 24, 1832, Knox County, Tennessee. A portion of that document appears below (verbatim): ". . . He lived in Shenandoah County, Virginia at which place he was drafted as a private for three months of the year not recollected but he thinks it was in the month of August he hired a substitute to serve said time by the name of Martin Miller under Capt. George Rinker in Col. Abraham Bird's Regiment said Miller served out the full term of three months for which brought me an honourable discharge which was signed by Col. Bird which is lost. Again while living at the same place in the fall of the year but year not recollected he was drafted for three months under Capt. Henry Daring in Col. Abraham Bird's Regiment of Virginia Militia and he hired a substitute to serve said tour by the name of Henry Fetzer who served out his full term of three months and brought me an honourable discharged signed by the said Col. Bird and is lost. Again while living at the same place in the first of Sept. 1781 he was drafted to serve a three months tour against the British under Capt. Darby Downey in Col. John Tipton's Regiment. We rendezvoused at Millerstown at the Courthouse of said Shenandoah County, marched to Fredericks Burgh thence towards Richmond. We were met by an express and informed that Cornwallace was taken. We were then honourably discharged for a three month's tour but we did not serve that length of time. The true date of the discharge not recollected. The discharge was signed by Col. Tipton but is lost. He has no documentary evidence and he knows of persons whose evidence he can procure who can testify to his service. . . ."
Peter Wolfinbarger died between August 24, 1832, and January 1834, in Knox County, Tennessee, and was buried in Clapp Cemetery (near Washburn, Grainger County, Tennessee). His will, recorded in January 1834 in Knox County, listed 16 children:
FROM MARRIAGE TO SUSANNAH:
Andrew
Samuel
Joseph
Jonah
Philip
Peter
Barbara (Merritt)
Mary (Vansenhart)
Susannah (McKinny)
Rebeccka (James)
Sarah (Highnote)
FROM MARRIAGE TO MILLY:
Elizabeth (Mrs. Samuel Merritt)
Nancy
Milly
Catharine
Rosanah
The Emory Road Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution placed an historical marker on his grave on May 15, 2021, at which time they held a dedication ceremony.
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF PETER WOLFINBARGER
By Sally Lyons McAlear
2006
(Note that there are different spellings of this surname. Wolfenbarger appears to have eventually become a preferred spelling in the area where he died. I went with Wolfinbarger in this sketch because it matches the spelling on his military headstone and in his Revolutionary War military pension application.)
Peter Wolfinbarger was born in 1751, place unknown – but unproven research indicates "probably Pennsylvania." Peter was the son of _____ Wolfenbarger, Jr., born in Germany or Alsace, and Hannah Sumner. Peter married Susannah Miller (his first wife), date or place not stated. Peter and Susannah were living in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, by 1790. A marriage record from the records of Greenbrier County, [W] Virginia, show that Peter Wolfenberger and Milly Hanson (born in Tennessee, according to the 1860 census) married on February 27, 1807. (Peter would have been about 56 years of age and Milly about 17 years of age at the time of their 1807 marriage.) The date of death of his first wife, Susannah, is not known but would have occurred between 1797 and 1807.
All that is known about Peter Wolfinbarger's Revolutionary War service is contained in his application for a pension (declaration), which was rejected (#R11770), dated August 24, 1832, Knox County, Tennessee. A portion of that document appears below (verbatim): ". . . He lived in Shenandoah County, Virginia at which place he was drafted as a private for three months of the year not recollected but he thinks it was in the month of August he hired a substitute to serve said time by the name of Martin Miller under Capt. George Rinker in Col. Abraham Bird's Regiment said Miller served out the full term of three months for which brought me an honourable discharge which was signed by Col. Bird which is lost. Again while living at the same place in the fall of the year but year not recollected he was drafted for three months under Capt. Henry Daring in Col. Abraham Bird's Regiment of Virginia Militia and he hired a substitute to serve said tour by the name of Henry Fetzer who served out his full term of three months and brought me an honourable discharged signed by the said Col. Bird and is lost. Again while living at the same place in the first of Sept. 1781 he was drafted to serve a three months tour against the British under Capt. Darby Downey in Col. John Tipton's Regiment. We rendezvoused at Millerstown at the Courthouse of said Shenandoah County, marched to Fredericks Burgh thence towards Richmond. We were met by an express and informed that Cornwallace was taken. We were then honourably discharged for a three month's tour but we did not serve that length of time. The true date of the discharge not recollected. The discharge was signed by Col. Tipton but is lost. He has no documentary evidence and he knows of persons whose evidence he can procure who can testify to his service. . . ."
Peter Wolfinbarger died between August 24, 1832, and January 1834, in Knox County, Tennessee, and was buried in Clapp Cemetery (near Washburn, Grainger County, Tennessee). His will, recorded in January 1834 in Knox County, listed 16 children:
FROM MARRIAGE TO SUSANNAH:
Andrew
Samuel
Joseph
Jonah
Philip
Peter
Barbara (Merritt)
Mary (Vansenhart)
Susannah (McKinny)
Rebeccka (James)
Sarah (Highnote)
FROM MARRIAGE TO MILLY:
Elizabeth (Mrs. Samuel Merritt)
Nancy
Milly
Catharine
Rosanah
The Emory Road Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution placed an historical marker on his grave on May 15, 2021, at which time they held a dedication ceremony.
By Sally Lyons McAlear
2006
(Note that there are different spellings of this surname. Wolfenbarger appears to have eventually become a preferred spelling in the area where he died. I went with Wolfinbarger in this sketch because it matches the spelling on his military headstone and in his Revolutionary War military pension application.)
Peter Wolfinbarger was born in 1751, place unknown – but unproven research indicates "probably Pennsylvania." Peter was the son of _____ Wolfenbarger, Jr., born in Germany or Alsace, and Hannah Sumner. Peter married Susannah Miller (his first wife), date or place not stated. Peter and Susannah were living in Greenbrier County, West Virginia, by 1790. A marriage record from the records of Greenbrier County, [W] Virginia, show that Peter Wolfenberger and Milly Hanson (born in Tennessee, according to the 1860 census) married on February 27, 1807. (Peter would have been about 56 years of age and Milly about 17 years of age at the time of their 1807 marriage.) The date of death of his first wife, Susannah, is not known but would have occurred between 1797 and 1807.
All that is known about Peter Wolfinbarger's Revolutionary War service is contained in his application for a pension (declaration), which was rejected (#R11770), dated August 24, 1832, Knox County, Tennessee. A portion of that document appears below (verbatim): ". . . He lived in Shenandoah County, Virginia at which place he was drafted as a private for three months of the year not recollected but he thinks it was in the month of August he hired a substitute to serve said time by the name of Martin Miller under Capt. George Rinker in Col. Abraham Bird's Regiment said Miller served out the full term of three months for which brought me an honourable discharge which was signed by Col. Bird which is lost. Again while living at the same place in the fall of the year but year not recollected he was drafted for three months under Capt. Henry Daring in Col. Abraham Bird's Regiment of Virginia Militia and he hired a substitute to serve said tour by the name of Henry Fetzer who served out his full term of three months and brought me an honourable discharged signed by the said Col. Bird and is lost. Again while living at the same place in the first of Sept. 1781 he was drafted to serve a three months tour against the British under Capt. Darby Downey in Col. John Tipton's Regiment. We rendezvoused at Millerstown at the Courthouse of said Shenandoah County, marched to Fredericks Burgh thence towards Richmond. We were met by an express and informed that Cornwallace was taken. We were then honourably discharged for a three month's tour but we did not serve that length of time. The true date of the discharge not recollected. The discharge was signed by Col. Tipton but is lost. He has no documentary evidence and he knows of persons whose evidence he can procure who can testify to his service. . . ."
Peter Wolfinbarger died between August 24, 1832, and January 1834, in Knox County, Tennessee, and was buried in Clapp Cemetery (near Washburn, Grainger County, Tennessee). His will, recorded in January 1834 in Knox County, listed 16 children:
FROM MARRIAGE TO SUSANNAH:
Andrew
Samuel
Joseph
Jonah
Philip
Peter
Barbara (Merritt)
Mary (Vansenhart)
Susannah (McKinny)
Rebeccka (James)
Sarah (Highnote)
FROM MARRIAGE TO MILLY:
Elizabeth (Mrs. Samuel Merritt)
Nancy
Milly
Catharine
Rosanah
The Emory Road Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution placed an historical marker on his grave on May 15, 2021, at which time they held a dedication ceremony.
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