Dan, The earlier spelling of the name Vinyard/Vineyard is Weinert. This seems to be distinct from the Wenger variations. Richard R. Weber ---------- > From: Daniel Lee Wenger <DanielWenger@worldnet.att.net> > To: VABOTETO-L@rootsweb.com > Subject: Gish/Vinyard/Wingert/Wenger issue > Date: Sunday, November 08, 1998 8:11 PM > > I am trying to sharpen up my understanding of the Jacob B. Gish marriage. > If there is anyone > on this group who could comment on the following I would appreciate it. > Also, if there is a Gish email > group that I could post this material to I would appreciate hearing about > it. I have seen one GEDCOM file that > gives Anna's father as Isaac White Vinyard. Is there anyone who knows the > source of this information? > > Many thanks. > > Dan Wenger > > The assumption that I am working on is that Anna Wingert who married Jacob > Gish is the daughter of Martin Wenger/Wingert of Franklin Co. Pa. I have > only circumstantial evidence to go on here. > > 1) Martin's family was from around Jonestown, Swatara Twp. Lancaster Co. > (now Lebanon Co.) Pa. The Gish family was from Lebanon Twp. Lancaster Co. > Pa., presumably this was just south of Jonestown. Martin's sister Judith > Wenger married Martin Funk and lived just north of the town of Lebanon, > presumably in Lebanon Twp.. Martin moved to Franklin Co. (then Cumberland > Co.) Pa. quite early (by 1775) and settled just north of Chambersburg. He > was the first Mennonite Deacon in Franklin Co. > > 2) One of Martin's sons, Joseph Wenger, went to Botetourt Co. Va. from > Franklin Co. Pa. and his descendants are still there. > > 3) A daughter of Jacob Gish and Anna Wingert, Elizabeth Gish, married > Christian Wenger/Wingert who I believe is a nephew of Martin > Wenger/Wingert, ie. Elizabeth married her second cousin. > > 4) I believe that Jacob Gish went to Va. from Lebanon Twp. Lancaster Co. > Pa. via Franklin Co. Pa. and probably met Anna there. I believe that they > were married about 1786 or 1787 in Pa. He was in the Fed. census of 1790 in > Cumberland Co. Pa. He is reported to have moved to Daleville, Va. in 1792 > with family. > > 5) George Houk, the father of Sophia Houk who married Christian Gish, was a > neighbor of Martin Wenger/Wingert in Franklin Co. Pa. There was thus an > opportunity for Jacob and Anna to have met in Franklin Co. Pa. George > Houk's grandson Jacob Gish and Martin Wenger's daughter Anna could well > have met due to George and Martin living as neighbors. > > 6) There are no other known Wenger/Wingert families in the area that Anna > could be from. There is the Christian Vinyard family and Anna's name has > been given as Anna Vinyard, but the death record for Jacob Gish in > Botetourt Co. Va gives that he married first Anna Wingert and secondly > Catharine (Stover) Sizer. Jacob did use the name Vinyard in his will. There > is an interesting mystery here. The name Wenger is usually given as meaning > a mountain meadow or alp. The Wengers were thought to have originally come > from such locations in Switzerland, ie. Wengen, Switzerland. But vinyard > has also been given for the meaning of the name Wenger. So the mystery is, > is the Christian Vinyard family of Va. really a Wenger family? Since the > town of Vinton is named after the Vinyard family one wonders if the name of > the town comes ultimately from the name Wenger. > > Daniel Lee Wenger > Santa Cruz, CA > DanielWenger@worldnet.att.net > http://hum14.ucsc.edu > > > > ==== VABOTETO Mailing List ==== > The VAGenWeb's Surname Register is located at URL: > http://people.delphi.com/fspradlin/vasurnam.htm