Gramling Family

Two men are believed to be the immigrant ancestorys of the Henry County Gramling families. "Rupp's 30,000 Immigrants" lists Hans Adam Gramlich and a Hans Adam Gramlich, Jr. as being among the passengers, Palatines and persons from the duchy of Wurtemburg that arrived on September 19, 1749, from Rotterday on the ship "Patience" commanded by Captain Hugh Steele. The Dutch name, translated into English, would be John Adam Gramling. These names have been given over and over again in succeeding generations.

John and Mary Groff Gramling were born and married in Pennsylvania. They came with their family and settled in Wayne County, Ohio, where they are buried in West Lebanon Cemetery in Paint Township. John was born on November 5, 1788 and died on December 18, 1865. His wife, Mary, was born on March 8, 1800 and died on May 11, 1885. They were the parents of eight children, four sons and four daughters. Their sons were John, Jr., Jacob, Adam, and Peter. Jacob died while crossing the plains to California in 1849. Adam and Peter also went to California and became gold miners. Adam spent the remainder of his life there. Peter sold his mining interest, returned to the east and later participated in the Black Hills mining experiment and finally returned to California and died in San Francisco. Neither Peter nor Adam married. Both were successful as farmers as well as miners.

Two daughters came to Ohio and settled in Washington Township, Henry County. Elizabeth Gramling, born in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania on November 19, 1821, married in 1850 David Patton, born in Tuscarawas County in 1813. David and Elizabeth Patton had eight children. David also had five children from a previous rr a rriage.

Hannah Gramling, born in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania in 1823, married in 1842 John Weirich, born in Lebanon County, Pennsylvania. To this union ten children were born.

John Gramling, Jr. was born in Pennsylvania on January 15, 1819. He grew up there and when about twenty-five years of age, still unmarried, came to Wayne County, Ohio. Later he went to the vicinity of Logansport, Indiana and secured wild land along the Wabash River. He soon sold that 160 acres and returned to Ohio. He settled in Henry County and worked on the canal for several years. In the meantime, he invested in 160 acres in Washington Township now owned by his great grandson, Robert Guyer.

He married Sylvenia Snell in Fulton County, Ohio. She was born on January 31, 1833, the daughter of William Snell, an early settler in Fulton County, who came with his wife, Catherine, from New York State.

After his marriage, John kept up the work of clearing the forest and extending the area of cultivation. He died of dropsy on August 15, 1889 and is buried in Mohler Cemetery, near Liberty Center, Ohio. He was a Republican and was reared as a Lutheran. Sylvenia Snell Gramling was a school teacher before her marriage. She died of pleurisy on March 26,

1896.

The children of John and Sylvenia Gramling were Mary, Elizabeth, Adam.

Mary Gramling, born April 7, 1852, died May 36, 1926, married Peter Greiner on March 12, 1874. Their children were Mary Greiner Connolly; Nettie Greiner Poulson; Arthur Greiner; and Moses Greiner, a stepson of Mary's.

Elizabeth Gramling was born in 1854, died April 2, 1889, and married Frank Shannon. Their children were: Bertha Shannon Russell; Hazel Shannon Eversole; Grace Shannon Moyer; Ethan Shannon.