In the book "Twin Valley" there is a short sketch about Abraham Pontius which reads: "This man is the last to be mentioned among the settlers of 1804. He located and lived in Miami Twp., and was not a very thrifty man. His name is here given mainly because he outlived all his associates. The least industrious, frugal, and useful--apparently-the one who could have been most easily spared-he long survived after all the rest were sleeping in their graves." Abraham Pontius and his wife Eva Catherine both died in 1862. He was 92, she 84. They are buried in the Stettler Church Cemetery. Curiously, nothing in our Stettler research seems to substantiate the description of Abraham Pontius quoted above. Could the author, Mr. J. P. Hentz, have confused the two sons-in-law? As mentioned previously, there were two church congregations, the Lutherans and the Refomeds, commonly referred to as the Gebhardt Church and the Stettler Church, respectively. The land for the Reformed church was given by the Stettler family. An agreement dated 26 August 1808 and recorded in Montgomery Co. Deed Book B, page 411, reads: "Daniel Stetler, William Stetler, Henry Stetler, John-Barlet bound by written obligation to convey to George Stetler 6 acres of land in Sec. 16 and fractional Sec. 15 to be used for purposes of having thereon a church or meeting house erected to go by the name of and be called "George Stetler's Church" to be used by Presbyterian or Lutheran or congregation who have united." All four men signed their names; their wives signed by mark. The congregation of the Stettler Church was actually founded in 1803, the first Lutheran Church in the State of Ohio, by the Rev. John Jacob LaRose, a Presbyterian minister. In 1976 the congregation merged with the St. John's Lutheran (Gebhart) congregation in Miamisburg. Several members of the pioneer Stettler family are buried in the Stettler Church Cemetery. Some tombstone inscriptions are: George V. Stettler, born Aug. 31, 1739, died Apr. 23, 1815. Eva Catharine, wife of George V. Stettler, born Feb. 16, 1742, died June 9, 1838. (Note: These tombstone inscriptions are the only known record of the initial "V." in George's name. gm) Henry Stettler, died Jan. 26, 179 age 55 yrs 10 mo. 18 da. (Note: Apparently there was difficulty in reading this tombstone when it was copied in 1971. Baptismal records of the Altalaha Evang. Lutheran Church, Rehersburg, Berks Co, Pa. show 6 that Henrich, son of Georg Stettler, was born Mar. 13, 1769 and baptized on Easter Day. The administrator of Henry's estate was appointed 28 Feb. 1825. Henrys wife Margaret is buried in the old Willshire Cemetery, Van Wert Co, Ohio. She died in Oct. 1845, 65 yrs of age. gm) J. William Stettler, died Feb. 11, 1836, aged 58 yrs 10 mo. 11 da. Mary, wife of J. W. Stettler, died May 18, 1859, aged 82 yrs 8 mo. - da. Daniel Stettler, died May 15, 1858, aged 78 yrs 10 no. 15 ds. Catherine, wife of Daniel Stettler, died Nov. 27, 1863, 78 yrs 1 mo. 16 da. Thomas Stettler, died Sept. 4, 1881,-aged 78 yrs 3 mo. 11 ds. Elizabeth, died Aug. 9, 1877, aged 71 yrs. Abraham Pontius, died Dec. 16, 1862. (Note: no age given.) Eve Catharine, wife of Abraham Pontius, died Nov. 3, 1862, age 84 yrs I mo. 15 ds. During 1830s and 1840s number of families migrated from Montgomery Co onto new lands in Van Wert and Mercer Cos. Among these were Henry Stettler's sons Jacob, Daniel, George and John, and his dau Elizabeth, md John Bolenbaugh. Also making this move were J. Williams dau Margaret, md to Jacob Tickle, and Pontius and Sharrits families. They settled close together along the St. Marys River in Willshire Township of Van Wert Co. and Black Creek Township of Mercer Co. Here they cleared their farms and raised large families. Gene Mozley (Mrs. R. G.)327 Bon Air Drive Sept. 1979 Sidney, OH 45365 Sept. 1997 note from Kirby Stetler: Thanks to Gene Mozley for sharing this story with us. To put her last paragraph is a different kind of summary, heres what George V. Stettlers eight children did: Jacob stayed in the Miamisburg and Germantown area, in Montgomery Co. Oh. His son Michael moved to Indiana and this is the Glaze and Kerns Connection. Gene Cassman in Layfayette Indiana is descended from here. George Jr. stayed in Montgomery Co. Henrich stayed in Montgomery Co but after his death in 1825 his wife Margaret and their sons Daniel, George, Jacob, and John S. as well as a daughter Elizabeth Betsy (m. John Bolenbaugh) moved into the Willshire Van Wert Co. area. If I have this straight, Dicky and Donald Stetler descend from Jacob=s son Willis, and The Frank Stetler family descends from Jacob=s son Thompson. The David, Orlando, and Emmanuel Odus Stetler clan descend from Daniel. Orlando=s brother Edmund had children Elmer and Fannie and they settled in Plymouth Indiana. Daniel remained in Montgomery Co. Ohio. Chadrina married Johannes Barlet and stayed in Montgomery Co. At least one of their sons went to Butler and Warren Counties, Ohio. Eva Catherine Stettler married Abraham Pontius and remained in Montgomery Co. Their daughter Lydia married another George Stettler and moved to Willshire Twp. after 1833. J. Wilhelm Stettler remained in Montgomery Co. but his daughter Ann married Jacob Shupert and took the Ohio River over to Indiana and moved up to Elkhart. This is Allen Schiebers line. Another daughter married Jacob Tickle and moved up into Mercer and Van Wert Counties. Elisabeth married Jacob Shubert and went to Elkhart County, Indiana. A Shuppert descendant lives there. kstet@bright.net Thanks go to Gene Mosely of Dayton Ohio for finding the story in the old book "Twin Valleys" (about the Ohio Miami Valley area). I've put this story onto some websites also. There appear to be two separate lines of Stettlers in PA in the mid 1700s. My branch purchased a farm north of Rehrersburg PA (which was just previously purchased from Richard Penn's "Manor of Andulhea") another "Abraham Stettler family" lived near the Allentown area. Thanks - Kirby Stetler http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/k/i/r/D-S-Kirby/ HANS PETER1 STETLER b 1680 d 1740. Children of HANS PETER STETLER are: 2. i. HEINRICH2 STETLER, SR., b. 1706, Zurich, Canton, Switerland; d. Sep 16 1763 Frederick Twp, Montgomery Co Pa.. 3. ii. JOHANN ADAM STETLER, b. 1710. VALENTIN1 STETTLER was born Bef. 1764, and died 1815 in Union Co., Pa.. He married ELIZABETH UNK. Notes for VALENTIN STETTLER: Source: Making Vallentin Stettler the father of Nicholas Stetler. Deed Book F, Page 321, Union Co., Pennsylvania. This is a transcription of the release of Michael Gross and Nicholas Stetler as administrators of Vallentin's Estate. "spurs mannmoon" mannmoon@hotmail.com Harry Myers STEVEN STETTLER, a PA state legislator from York Co., PA. Fr David Statler http://www2.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/memberinfo/house_bio.cfm?districtnumber=95 Spelling really varies, if you look at the transcription of the cemetery you will see Statler, Stetler and Stotler.In the first Newletter I published March 1986 page 3, I go into more detail on spelling. Newsletters are on the Statler Family website under Family documents: fr Sandra Hall http://www.jcn1.com/mabccs _________________________________________________________________ Add MSN 8 Internet Software to your existing Internet access and enjoy patented spam protection and more. Sign up now! http://join.msn.com/?page=dept/byoa