Jacob Ovenshine (1782 - 1821)

Born 8 Jan 1782 in Douglas, Elizabeth Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania

Ancestors

Husband of Rebecca (Lessig) Ovenshine — married 17 Mar 1805 in Berks County, Pennsylvania

Descendants

Died 31 May 1821 at age 39 in Pottsgrove, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania

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Biography

Jacob was born in 1782, the son of Reinhold and Hannah Anna (Wilson) Abendschon, in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. Jacob's father died when he was just a year old. He was the youngest of 15 children. His mother lived on until Jacob was about 8 years old in around 1790. It is assumed that Jacob reached adulthood while living with one of his older siblings. Records show there were 4 living sons at the time of Reinhold's death and of them, Jacob was the only one to remain in Pennsylvania.

Reinhold's four sons' surname began being changed in various records. The German spelling of Abendschon became Obenchain, Obenshain or Obenshane among Jacob's older brothers who moved to Virginia, while Jacob adopted the surname of Ovenshine.

On March 17, 1805, Jacob married Rebecca Lessig, the daughter of Johann Christian and Elizabeth (Reifschneider or Reifsnyder) Lessig, in Berks County, Pennsylvania. They settled in Pennsylvania and had the following children:

Samuel Ovenshine (1806–1867)

Catharine (Ovenshine) Rutter (1808–1891)

Sarah (Ovenshine) Glackens/Clark (1813–1893)

Rebecca Ovenshine (1815–1822)

Elizabeth (Ovenshine) Still/Shaffner (1817–1858)

Henry Ovenshine (1818–1854)

Englebert Ovenshine (1821–1859)

Jacob worked as a trapper and fur trader, working across the Schuykill River from Pottstown. Near the end of the War of 1812, Jacob is enrolled as a Private in the Pennsylvania Militia on September 17, 1814. He was a member of the 7th (Pottstown) Company of Light Infantry under Captain Peter Hanley in the 32nd (Krickbaum's) Regiment of the 1st Brigade, 2nd Division, of Pennsylvania Militia. No records of combat action have been found. He contracted a fever in Camp at Marcus Hook and was an invalid as a result the rest of his life.

Jacob lived to be 39 years old, passing away in 1821. Rebecca lived on until 1869 when she died at 82 years old. Their bodies are buried in the Pottstown Cemetery in Pottstown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania,

Sources

• The family of Richard Powell and Emma Tipton Ovenshine - A short History of Richard Ovenshine and Emma Tipton and their families through 11 generations, written by Richard Ovenshine and found on Family Search. You will have to insert the keyword "Ovenshine" in the search engine. [1]

• Descendants of Wendel Abendtschon Obenchain [2]

• Abendschein-Obenchain Family, by Mrs. Ruby Jennings, Roanoke, Virginia. “The Pennsylvania Dutchman” Volume II, Number 6. August 1950. Page 6. [3]

• Find a Grave Memorial for Jacob Ovenshine [4]

See Also:

• Lineage Book, by the National Society, United States Daughters of 1812. Pennsylvania. Page 144. [5]

• Lineage Book of the Charter Members of the Daughters of the American Revolution, Volume 90. Daughters of the American Revolution, 1927. Page 49. Jacob Ovenshine and Rebecca Lessig are mentioned. [6]