John was born in 1789. He died in 1870. [1]
Our Winebarger family's first generation ancestor is (1) John Winebarger whose birth parents surname was "Festler". Tradition holds that John's parents whose names are unknown died aboard ship traveling from Europe to America so John was adopted as a boy by Cunrod Winebarger, Sr. & wife Katherine Weills of Lincoln Co., NC. Cunrod's parents were George Winebarger b. 1745 & Anna Katrina – b. 1750 are the first generation of the original Winebarger family in NC as recorded in the 1790 Lincoln Co., NC Census. The 1790 Lincoln Co., NC Census also shows a Peter Festler entry #430 residing with 1 male of 16-years & upward, 1 male under 16 & 1 female next door to George Winebarger entry #431 who resided with 2 males of 16-years & upward and 2 females; however, we do not know if there is a connection between Peter Festler and John (Festler) Winebarger. The first evidence of the (1) John (Festler) Winebarger family is found in the 1850 Catawba Co., NC Census when he was a 41 year-old farmer and residing with him were wife Nelly – 47; Hiram – 19 & a farmer; Levi – 16 & a farmer; Wilson – 14; Abel – 10; Marcus – 6; Susan – 14; Elly – 8 & Sally – 7 indicating that three older children in the family (Jacob, John Jr. & Nancy) had left home by 1850 moving into the mountains. It seems that most of the Winebarger's in the northwest North Carolina mountains are descended from John Winebarger & Nelly Oxford Winebarger. Many Winebarger's are buried in the Winebarger family cemetery on a hill to near the Winebarger Mill on Meat Camp. According to family tradition, the original Winebarger family was part of the "Pennsylvania Dutch" German migration which came from PA into the Catawba Co., NC area date uncertain. John Moretz brought members of the Winebarger family who were carpenters and millrights to Meat Camp community in Watauga Co., NC to rebuild an old grist mill and replace a wood dam he had bought. In 1848, Jacob Winebarger married John Moretz's daughter Sarah (Sally) and moved up Meat Camp Creek about 5-miles from the Moretz Mills and there he built his home and the original Winebarger Mill which has been inherited and operated by four Winebarger generations.
"The Heritage of Watauga County, North Carolina, Vol. I, 1849-1984" edited by the Book Committee of the Heritage of Watauga County, NC Society in article #610 on pages 388-389 contributed by Earl & Nora Greene states:
"Tradition has it that John's parents died on board a ship en route to America and that it was here he, John Festler, was adopted by the Winebarger family. Of German lineage which had its early roots in Pennsylvania, we find the Winebargers moved to Catawba County after crossing the Yadkin and Catawba Rivers. John Winebarger and his son Jacob were millrights and later came to Watauga County in 1839 where they built one of the finest water-powered grist mills to be found in the mountains."
Travis Wagner, firsthand knowledge. Entered by Travis Wagner, Jul 26, 2012. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Travis and others.
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John is 24 degrees from Herbert Adair, 21 degrees from Richard Adams, 16 degrees from Mel Blanc, 26 degrees from Dick Bruna, 17 degrees from Bunny DeBarge, 32 degrees from Peter Dinklage, 19 degrees from Sam Edwards, 14 degrees from Ginnifer Goodwin, 19 degrees from Marty Krofft, 14 degrees from Junius Matthews, 17 degrees from Rachel Mellon and 18 degrees from Harold Warstler on our single family tree. Login to find your connection.
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