Anthony Aylor

What we know about him

This is all the information I have collected so far on the mysterious Anthony (Anton) Aylor of Rockingham County, VA, ca. 1750. If anyone can add to this please let me know and I will update it. From the info below it seems the family split, with some moving to Georgia and others to Ohio then on to Nebraska. Thanks to all the folks who have already contributed to this project!

I would like to know if Anthony is related to the Aylors from Germanna. So far, I cannot find any direct evidence of this. It is known that Henry Aylor of Germanna owned property in Rockingham County. If you can tie Anthony to the Germanna Aylors, PLEASE let me know.

Click here to see the latest info
as of Feb 20, 2004

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Here is my new, easier-to-read
Family Tree for Anthony's descendants.

[Contact Information]

Download a GEDCOM file containing the entire Anthony Aylor line (32k) Feb 2004
You can also download a GEDCOM file containing the family info for Peter Eiler (18k) which is not as complete, but its all we know about him.

Anthony Oehler (Aylor) m. Anna Catherine Elias Smith 4 Sep 1753 at the Peaked Mountain Church in Rockingham/Augusta County VA

children:
   Anna Margaret b. 12 Jun 1755  d. bef. April 1801, at least 3 children
   John b. 30 Mar 1757  m. Mary Hammons   [see note 1]
   Anna Barbara b. 15 Nov 1759  m. John Hammons Jr. bef. 1790
   Anna Catherine b. 25 Jan 1762
   John George b. 30 Jun 1764   [see note 2]
   Elizabeth  [mentioned only in Anthony's will]
   Anna Susanna b. 11 Feb 1766
   Anna Maria b. 20 Sep 1769
   Magdalene chr 25 Oct 1772 (Peaked Mtn)

source: LDS/IGI [mostly]

Note 1:
Apparently he moved to Georgia and died around 1804.

Note 2:
He was usually referred to as George. Orebaugh says he was born in PA. See his family below.

John George Aylor b 30 June 1764 d. Dec 1834, Augusta Co VA married 22 Apr 1791 Mary Tanner.

their children:

1. Catherine Aylor
2. Barbara Ann Aylor b 4 Nov 1799 Augusta Co, d 25 May 1863 Augusta Co
   married John Orebaugh 19 Dec 1816 in Augusta Co
3. Susannah Aylor b 20 Oct 1799  (very interesting dates)
   d 7 Jun 1866 m. Martin Overpeck [Orebaugh] 12 Oct 1818 Augusta Co
4. Mary Eve Aylor
5. Margaret Aylor m. David Link Salem Luth. Ch. (Augusta Co) 28May1827
6. John Aylor [m. Charlotte ? and moved to Ohio? -see below]
7. Anthony Aylor
8. Diann(e) Aylor
9. Nancy Aylor
10. Elizabeth Aylor

John George Aylor's parents were Anthony Aylor and Anna Catherine Elias Smith, who were married 4 Sep 1753. [Peaked Mtn. Church records] (which I believe is in Rockingham or Augusta County VA)

Mary Tanner's parents were John Tanner & Catherine ??

source: Mirl Orebaugh [mostly] except #5, from Terry Graham, see below: Mirl Orebaugh is the author of a book titled "The Descendants of Andreas Oberbeck and Elizabeth Drach," which contains references to numerous Aylors (I have a copy of the index but was unable to get a copy of the book. I tried both ILL and the LDS). I will attempt another try at getting a copy from the LDS.

Terry Graham (tgraham@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu) wrote:
"David and Margaret moved to Madison Co, OH prior to 5/4/1844." "... Upon the death of Margaret's father, George AYLER, Margaret and "her bothers and sisters" sold the deed on a three-acre tract of land in Madison Co., OH which had belonged to their father. I do not know if George AYLER actually lived in OH or simply possessed some land here. [...] After moving to OH, David [Link] and Margaret were "lost" to the LINK family ("whereabouts unknown"). We since have discovered that David and Margaret settled in Cincinatti. David is my mother's great grandfather. In our family, we jokingly call him "the missing LINK".
[END of Terry's comments]
---
Note the Madison County named here is in Ohio. That's the next county over from me but I haven't yet looked into the records there to see what I can find. The land was sold to Martin Orebaugh [Oarbaugh, Yarborough], Margaret's brother-in-law.

I have another "cousin" descended from these folks who had ancestors who married in Madison (or Union) County, Ohio. He states that John Michael Aylor b. 13 Oct 1828 Augusta Co. VA d Dec 1914 married in 1850 Madison Co. Ohio, Eleanor Knipe Norris (b. 20 June 1832 d. Feb 1914).

I do have a record of this marriage from the IGI only it says Union County (nearby). I am not sure who John Michael Aylor is or how he is related to this family. He could be John George Aylor's child #6 from above, but the dates are a little far apart. John Michael, according to my cousin, had a brother Abner and a sister Hannah, and the 3 were children of a William Michael Aylor and Elizabeth Knipe Aylor. Elizabeth was allegedly born in Harrison Co. Ohio. He didn't give me a date for their marriage, and he says that Wm Michael was born in Madison Co VA. I am skeptical about this last link.

NOTE: Since the above was written, new evidence has surfaced that seems to indicate John Michael Aylor was the son of John Aylor (#6 above). Evidently John #6 married a woman named Charlotte and moved to Ohio.

Dorothy Boyd-Rush once wrote:

"I'm still at a dead end with Peter EILER Junior (1766-1841 - died in Rockingham) married Elizabeth RUSH 14 Dec 1796 in Rockingham. According to the baptismal records when their son Oliver was baptized his sponsors were Peter EYLER and wife Catherine. The baptism occurred at the Peaked Mountain Church in Rockingham and was in 1801."

According to the VIRGINIA VALLEY RECORDS by John Wayland, John and Henry Aylor were landowners in Rockingham Co in 1789. (Henry, I think, is from Germanna). Also, a Peter Eiler owned a large tract in 1755. We have since determined that the Peter Eiler [Oehler] named in the beginning of Germanna Record #12 (Aylor-Tanner-Snyder) was not the husband of Anna Magdalena Snyder as Mrs. Lewis had originally thought, so I don't know if Peter Eiler is related or not.

Evidently the Peaked Mountain Church changed its name to the Upper Massanutten Church at some point.

The following information was extracted from the above named book. I tried to get anyone whose name even remotely resembled Aylor.

p36 Christian Oler m. Molly Kite May 16 ???? (missing prev page)
p36 William Oler m. Paticy Runkle Nov 7 ???? (missing prev page)

p42 John Aylor owned 44 acres, militia district 3, 1789
p42 Henry Aylor owned 140 acres, militia district 3, 1789
p46 Peter Iler owned 110 acres, militia district 11
p47 John Oler owned 184 acres, militia district 14
p47 Wm. Oler owned 260 acres, militia district 14
p47 Henry Oler owned 187 acres, militia district 14

Militia Vouchers 1788, Rockingham
p116 Wm. Oler - 1 tithable, 2 horses, Cpt. Michael Rorick's Co #17
p116 Henry Oler - 1 tithable, 4 horses, Cpt. Michael Rorick's Co #17

Fines for no-shows at militia musters (75c per) each had 1 time.
p147 Christian Ohler (Capt. Jacob Strole, 2nd battalion, 1818)
p147 William Ohler ditto
p149 Christian Ohler ditto, Oct. 1819

p320 Dr. Harvey Kyle of Bridgewater m. Miss Elizabeth Eiler early 1800s

p322 "The Eiler Family: Peter Eiler acquired a large tract of land in east Rockingham, bordering on the Page line, prior to 1755. George Eiler, whose home was in the Mill Creek Valley, below Massanetta Springs, was a descendant of Peter Eiler; and so was Wm. Eiler, whose home was on the Keezletown road, a short distance below Peale's Cross Roads. James A. Eiler, of this family, was a gallant Confederate soldier; and Mrs. Dr. Harvey Kyle was a daughter of George Eiler. The late A.H. Eiler of Harrisonburg was a son of Mr. Wm. Eiler."

p394 W. Eiler, A. Huffman and George Secrist witnessed the will of Joseph Bilhimer, Aug 20, 1851.

p403 Rockingham Wills: "Eiler, Margaret; March 24, 1850 - The estate of my son Samuel, dec'd. My nephew John Pirkey. [lists several other Pirkeys]. Witness Wm. Briwt, Addison H. Paine.

p412 Wm. Eiler witnessed will of Margaret Hinton 11 July 1859.

p425 Henry Pirkey's will March 4, 18-- mentions his sister Margaret Eiler and her son Samuel Eiler.

p428 Will of Lewis Runkle Dec 10 1804(?) proved by oaths from James Hoard and Wm. Oler.

The following is from an unknown source [IGI?]:
John Ayler b 19 Nov 1798 child of Peter Ayler & Elisabeth

A History of Rockingham County VA, also by John Wayland, page 60, lists Anthony Aler, William Oler, Henry Oler, and John Oler, but I cut off the previous page and am not sure what this list is referring to.

On pages 61 & 62 is an agreement between the Reformed and Lutheran Congregations for use of the Peaked Mountain Church signed 31 Oct 1769. Among the signers: Anthony Oehler, Henry Kohler, John Reisch(*), George Zimmerman (*), Peter Euler, Jacob Risch(*), and Martin Schneider(*).

(*) names included because I thought they sounded like they could be Germanna descendants (Risch = Rouse?)

Note this book was not as well indexed as its successor (Valley Records) and I found these names by leafing through the book, so I may have easily missed some.

Wayland states that "The most complete and best preserved records are perhaps those found in the Peaked Mountain Church. Parts of these records were translated and published in 1905, by WJ Hinke and CE Kemper, in the Wm. & Mary College Quarterly." I would be very interested to see what that material says. I have read Hinke & Kemper's work before, in the VA Magazine of History and Biography from about 1904 and it is excellent.

Below is a list of Germans who arrived in America.

Ship: Marlborough Sep 1741
   Anthonius Oehler
Other names of interest:
   Joh. Jacob Kemper
----------------------------
Ship: Edinburgh Sep 1748 from Rotterdam via Portsmouth
   Joh. Jacob Eyler
   Lenhard Oehler
Other names of interest:
   Adam Rauch
   Johann Peter Weber
----------------------------
Ship: Dragon  Sep 1749 from Rotterdam via Deal, England
   Anthon Oehler
Other names of interest:
   Michel Schneider

*****************************************************************
Preceding all from book:  Names of Foreigners who took the Oath of
Allegiance.  (unfortunately it didn't list destinations)
*****************************************************************


Ship: Saint Andrew Galley, Sep. 1737, from Palatine to PA.
   Wilhelm Ohler
Other names of interest:
   Peter Weyland
---------------------
Ship: Townsend Sep 1737 to PA from Amsterdam
  Johan Georg Ayler
---------------------
Ship: St. Andrew Oct 1743 to PA from Palatine
  Hans Jerg Oehler
Other names of interest:
  Hans Adam Zimmerman
---------------------
Ship: Henrietta  Oct 1754 to PA from Rotterdam via Crowes
  Jacob Eyler (Oehler)
Other names of interest:
  John George Snyder  (Johann Georg Schneider)
  Peter Stroh  (as in Stoh's Beer???)
  Hartman Raush
---------------------
Ship: Minerva  Oct 1768 to PA from Rotterdam via Portsmouth
   Phillipp Jacob Ohler

*****************************************************************
Preceding all from book: Pennsylvania German Pioneers
*****************************************************************

One final book, the Wuerttemberg Emigration Index, lists several Oehlers, almost all from the same area in Germany where "my" Aylors came from (towns: Botenheim, Cleebronn, Haefnerhaslach), but no Anthony's. In fact, all of them listed in this index left between the years 1831 & 1866, which eliminates any who were in America during the timeframe I am looking at. However, there is a high probability that they are all related. It might be interesting to try to piece together exactly how, but I would need German records for all the years between 1720 and 1830, and I don't see that happening. Plus, the destinations are mostly listed as "N. Amer."

Lee Hay (LEEHAY338@AOL.COM) wrote the following 4/1996:

The line I am tracking is the Hammons line and accidentally ran into the Aylors. These are the same Aylors that you are tracking. This is how I connect:

Barbara Anne (you have her as Anna Barbara) was married to John Hammons Jr. before they arrived in Wilkes County, Ga. around 1790. (These are my direct ancestors.)

Her brother John Aylor (b. 1757) married John Hammons sister, Mary Hammons. I still can't find if they were married in Wilkes County or before.

I did find that John Hammons father, John Sr. had lived in Rockingham Co., Va. (once Augusta Co.) with the Aylors for some time before they went to Wilkes Co., Ga. I don't know if you know it, but Philip Zimmerman along with his father, Barnhardt moved to and lived in Wilkes Co., Ga. too. Philip Zimmerman was also executor of Anthony's will. It was recorded in Wilkes Co., Ga. I did find that on one of my trips.

The thing that was most interesting is that you find the Aylors on the ship Edinburgh and I have tracked the Hammons back to the Edinburgh to Johann Jacob Hammon. Is that name on the list? If it is, then I think we have it. I think this is the John Sr. that I was looking for. Since 1750, I could find the Aylors and the Hammons together and even married into the family. The Aylors would be direct decendants to me through Anna Barbara.

You didn't mention it, but there is also documentation on Anna Catherine ( I have it as Elizabeth) Smith's father as being Henry Smith (also a name from Germanna).

Follow-up from Lee Hay (LEEHAY338@AOL.COM) 4/1996:

PENNSYLVANIA ARCHIVES page 301

1749 ship Edinburgh Jakob Hamman of Rusperg leaves with wife and four children for America - Arrives Sept. 15, 1749

Just wanted to give you this so you would know that I have found where my John Jacob Hamman had been on that ship.

(sent to me [Lee] by Louis Finlay of Jackson, Alabama)

Inventories and Appraisments, Book LL, 1806-1807, Wilkes Co., Ga.

John Aylor, deceased. Inventory, March 29, 1804. Lemuel Zimmerman, Christian Poss, Nathanial McMechin, apprs. Page 17.

1798-1811 Inferior Court Minutes- Wilkes County, Ga.
Philip Zimmerman named power of attorney to handle Estate of Anthony Aylor, dec'd in Augusta County, Virginia. Son John Aylor married Mary Hammons. Their daughter, Susannah married Eli Townsend of Wilkes County, Ga. (note: Philip Zimmerman's wife was named Elizabeth Hammons. Who is this?)

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WILKES COUNTY [Ga.] LAND GRANTS

Ayler, John......641 acres in 1787.....Survey book H, page 224 adjacent Hammon, Tullery, Milligan, and Knox

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EARLY RECORDS OF GEORGIA, WILKES COUNTY page 193

Aylor, John, dec'd, est. John Aylor, admr. Expenses of fetching the wagon from N.C. and burrial expenses. Returns for 1805.

page 52---John Ayler, Admr of John Ayler, dec'd, petition to sell land.

page 251- John Aylor appointed guardian of Anthony and Susannah orphans of John Aylor,dec'd.

page 66-Nov. 30, 1803. John Ailer, dec'd. John Ailer appointed Admr.

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ROCKINGHAM COUNTY, VIRGINIA MINUTE BOOK 1778-1792

page 242---A deed of bargain and sale from Anthony Ailor and his wife Catherine to John Hammon, she being first privately examined, was acknowledged and ordered recorded. 1784

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Extracted from original court records of Augusta County, Virginia, 1745-1800

page 314--23d September, 1749. Henry Ayler (Ehler) and Cleve Danner, of Culpepper to Jacob Hammon. Delivered to Mrs. Hammon, 24th July, 1758.

(note: this is the only time I could find anything pertaining to Culpepper, home to Germanna Colony. Never found anything else like it.)

page 123--19th November, 1755. Adam Miller's bond as guardian to Michael Cogar, orphan of Nicholas Cogar, with sureties William Oller (Owler, Wilhelm Ohlner), Henry Miller.

Page 63-12th December, 1803--Christian Zimmerman's (German) will-To son Stophel; son, Christian; son, John (the elder, being by the first wife) son, Jacob; son Lawrence; son, Henry; son John (the younger by the present wife); daughter Catherine Jones;.......................

page 175 9th April, 1801. Anthony Ohler's (Ahlar) will--To deceased daughter Margaret's three children, Molly, Barbara, and Catherine; to son John; to daughter Barbary; to daughter Catherine; to son George; to daughter Elizabeth; daughter Susannah; daughter Mary; daughter Madelena. Executors, friend George Ahlar and Teater Fishburn. Teste: Tobias Danner, Hennery Benter. Proved 29th September, 1801. Executors qualify.

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>From Denton Aylor of Maryland [to Lee] a letter in part dated Jan. 04, 1996

..................................I have a record of an Anthony Aylor married to a Sophia Earhart in the year of 1797 04 April, the record shows Augusta. Where, I do not know......

The Latest

Feb 20, 2004

I was recently contacted by Betty Ollar Mozisek with some interesting news! It seems that she has run across our Anthony in her quest for her Ollar/Oller/Aller roots. The following information is all from Betty, except where noted:

The will of Henry Smith, father of Catherine who married Anthony:

York county PA. Henry Smith wrote his will on 25th June 1771 and it was probated 20 Sept. 1771. This was in Hellam Township in York County PA. Children:

George Smith

Rosanna wife of Lorentz Crone

Catherine w/o Anthony Oler

Elizabeth w/o Frantz Bishop

Barbara w/o Jacob Harbaugh (maybe Herbaugh)

Magdalena w/o George Deats Executors were Margaret (Maggie) and Michael Trease

The name of Anthony's father is Casper. Casper had a brother Adolphus. The record from the IGI that I have on Adoph is: Adolphus Alers christened 06 May 1711 in Oldenburg (state) Bakum County, Romeish (town), Katholische Parish in Germany.

Parents:Johannes and Anna Catherina (Deels) Alers.

Adolph arrived in the colonies in 1743 then married Elizabeth christina Campbell 04 October 1744. He made his will in Frederick county VA. 13 Sept 1768 and it was probated 18 August 1770.

His children were:

Mark (Marcus), oldest son and admin.
Godfrey
Adolph

I have found my record on John Casper Aylor. He came over on the ship St. Mark with Capt. Wilson from Rotterdam. The name on my records was John Caspar Ahlas. One of his shipmates was Lorentz Crone. I am sure you will remember that name. The date they qualified was 26 September 1741. I believe this was 2 years before his brother Adolph Aylor came.

Notes from Jeff:: I checked on the internet for the ship lists she mentions and was able to find both of them. Not having any of the original research, I always question the IGI and how people make the connection between their ancestors and a particular ship, especially given the long list of Anthony Aylors I have listed arriving on ships earlier in this web page. However, this is the first evidence I have seen that proposes to link Anthony to his ancestors, so I am all ears!