SHINTAFFER

Philip Shintaffer (Jr)

Charlotte's Sister Delila Shintaffer

Marriage Document: "Phillip Shindoffer" and Anne Butler December 14 1802 by John Osborne

MY DIRECT LINE CONNECTION TO SHINTAFFER IS:
Nancy (Osburn) Jones married William R. Jones.
...Harvey Lee Osburn married Mayme _______.
......Stephen Douglas Osburn married Purthena Smalley.
.........Charlotte Shintaffer married Stephen Osburn (I).
............Philip Shintaffer married Nancy Ann Butler.
...............George Shintaffer Married Wycott??

MY SHINTAFFER ANCESTORS by NANCY (OSBURN) JONES
I have totally enjoyed searching this family. I have especially enjoyed reading about Philip Shintaffer, my great- great- great- great- grandfather, son of George Shintaffer. Such a character, always getting into mischief, being sued for slander, having to pay a dollar fine, doing it again and again. After reading various accounts of him, I have come to the realization that he was totally loved by his children. I don't know why I feel this way, but it is what I have felt from the beginning. If I could go back in time, and could meet anyone, I think I would pick Grandpa Philip. I have a special place in my heart for him.
George Shintaffer appears in Giles County, West Virginia in the late 1700's. It seems that the name Shintaffer was drastically changed from the original spelling. It could have been, Schintaffer, Schendefer, Schentefer, Shintoffer, or something totally different.

I think that only one Shintaffer family exists in the United States and I think George was the head of this family. He was probably born about 1740 or so, and according to the census, was born in Germany. Many German speaking people have told me that the name, the way it's spelled, originated in Bavaria.

GENEALOGICAL DATA

THIS IS WHAT I KNOW ABOUT GEORGE SHINTAFFER AND HIS DESCENDENTS:
George Shintaffer (born abt.1740, died ?) married Wycott ??.
Their Children:
(01) Elizabeth (born abt.1772 in Virginia, died 1860) married James Thompson.
(02) Charlotte Shintaffer (born abt. 1782, died September 10 1859) married Samuel Smith.
(03) Mary Shintaffer (born ?, died ?) married John Quibley.
(04) Philip Shintaffer (born abt. 1775, died 1840) married Nancy Ann Butler (born 1774, died 1839).
Their Children:
(01) Samuel Shintaffer (born March 31 1813, died ?) married Rebecca Straton.
(03) James Shintaffer (born 1808, died ?) married Rachel _____.
(04) Philip Shintaffer (born ?, died ?) married Hannah _____.
(05) Eleanor Shintaffer (born 1807, died 1850) married Samuel Soesbe.
(06) Delila Shintaffer (born October 28 1818, died 1885) married James Kelsey.
(02) Charlotte Shintaffer (born June 01 1811, died ?) married Stephen Osburn (born May 14 1801, died ?) on December 25 1828.
Their Children:
(01) Eleanor (born May 10 1830, died shortly after birth).
(02) Philip (born May 22 1831, died shortly after birth).
(03) Nancy (born July 19 1834, died ?) married William Rucker.
(04) Simms Butler (born October 10 1836, died ?) married Nannie A. _____.
(05) Philip (born September 09 1838, died ?) married Mary Ellen Timberlick.
(06) Mary Jane (born August 19 1840, died ?) married _____.
(07) Elizabeth (born January 11 1842, died ?) married Newton Morgan.
(08) Andrew (born March 31 1844, died ?) married Cynthia A. _____.
(09) Charlotte (born March 31 1846, died ?) married Louis Counts.
(10) Silas (born January 22 1849, died ?) married Elizabeth _____.
(11) Stephen (born October 10 1851, died ?) married Purthena Smalley (born January 18 1857, died ?) on June 14 1874.
Their Children:
(01) Elizabeth (born July 12 1875, died ?) married Oscar Berry.
(02) Sadie (born August 25 1876, died ?) married John Mulanax.
(03) Simm Butler (born March 18 1878, died ?) married Margarite _____.
(04) Riley Newton (born April 27 1881, died ?) married Mollie (Mary Acenath) Mulanax.
(05) William Fredrick (born July 02 1886, died ?) married Georgie Sholty.
(06) Carrie Viola Belle (born March 05 1883, died ?) married Lee Phillis.
(07) Nannie Eleanor (born April 30 1888, died ?) married Elmer _____.
(08) Cora A. (born February 17 1891, died ?) married Clarence B. Ramage.
(09) Charles Calvin (born October 06 1893, died ?) married Verna Howsley.
(10) Curtis Pinkerton (born April 21 1895, died ?) married Stella _____.
(11) Minnie Cloteal (born September ?? 1897, died ?) married Rhel Stoner.
(12) (James) Harvey Lee (born April 20 1901, died April 30 1970) married Mayme _______ (born March 14 1899, died July 06 1965) on August 18 1923.
Their Children:
(01) Jacquelyn Purthena (living) married Charles Thomson.
(02) Barbara June (living) married Lawrence Lepore.
(03) Nancy Ann (Living-Me) married William R. Jones on February 25 1956.

HISTORICAL DATA

EARLY HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY INDIANA
At this term Philip Shintaffer pleaded guilty and was "censured by the court" and fined one dollar and fifty cents.

Philip Shintaffer settled on the edge of the prairie, a little to the south of where Daniel F. Shryer now lives. Mr. Philip Shintaffer had sixteen yoke of work oxen and his wife had sixteen boys and girls to help her do the work on the farm and about the house on wash days.

We have the names of many of the old road wagoners, who hauled dry goods from Louisville, Kentucky, to supply all of the olden-time store houses. Among the old wagoners was Philip Shintaffer.

Philip Shintaffer, one of our earliest settlers, was a man of considerable note. He was famous for ox driving and it was said he could drive as well without as with a road. He was also noted for a quick temper, which often brought him grief. On February, 1822, he appeared in open court and caused to be spread upon the record of retraction of a slander against one of his neighbors.

The May term,1824, was held by Jacob Call, president Judge, and by Thomas Bradford and Martin Wines. At this term, there was a famous slander suit between parties long and favorably know by the people of the county, and especially the defendant, who was one of our best citizens. The case was tried by a jury, and after having been continued and passed until the witnesses and parties were brought into court on seven different days. At this term also the famous ox-driver, Mr. Philip Shintaffer, was fined one dollar, which was a very heavy fine for that time.

At the fall term, John B. Potter was president Judge. At this term, Mr. Philip Shintaffer, who had heretofore signed what is in common parlance is called a libel appears not to have profited by his past experience, and another slander case was presented against him.

HISTORY OF CASS COUNTY MICHIGAN
Philip Shintaffer and family, consisting of three sons and two sons-in-law, came to Beardsley's Prairie and settled in 1831, on the farm now owned by Cool Runkle and resided there until his death, his wife's death also occurring there. The family came from the Wabash Country, but probably were natives of Virginia and were as rough specimens of humanity as could be found anywhere. They kept a large number of horses and a huge wagon and sled either of which they would take to the woods, and backing to a tree, no matter how large, and fall it across the axle, and then hitch the team enough to draw it home. At one time the old Mr. Shintaffer professed to get religion, and the numerous anecdotes of his religious experience, as related by the old settlers, are amusing but hardly appropriate to be recorded. The children all moved west. Little can be learned regarding this family, except that they were quite rough in their manners, they being frontiersmen of the broadest type!

EARLY HISTORY OF GREENE COUNTY INDIANA
Those who take special interest in the early settlers around Bloomfield, would probably like to know what became of the somewhat noted Mr. Philip Shintaffer. He finally became disgusted with the "ups and downs" of Greene County life and especially with courts and silently he glided away down the waters of White River and still downward until he reached the father of the water, the Mississippi. On it's banks, he erected his cabin; but, in a few years, he came to an untimely death by being killed in some difficulty with a neighbor. After this year his name ceased to adorn the dockets of our courts, the last time it appeared there being a "nolle prosequi".

MCLEAN COUNTY ILLINOIS
A little difficulty occurred in McLean County, Illinois, with the Miami Indians. Some of them came to the house of a pioneer named Shintaffer and insisted on having Whiskey, which was refused. One of them in his anger struck Shintaffer's wife on the cheek, and it hurt her severely, as she was suffering from a toothache. Mr. Shintaffer picked the Indian up and threw him in the fire, while Mrs. Shintaffer took the butt end of the whip to him. The Indian was severely burned and would have been roasted alive, had not the squaws made an outcry. This was in the fall of the year. During the following spring, Mr. Shintaffer went with John Smith to blaze a road to the Wabash River and a party of twelve Miami Indians attempted in his absence to murder his family; but he returned just as they were about to commence and was assisted in defending his family by some whites, who were watching the Indians. After a severe scuffle, one Indian and one white man were killed. The Shintaffer and the Smith families moved down to the mouth of the Eel River.

Philip Shintaffer probably for the purpose of drawing the trade of the white people, procured and hung a good grindstone, which was the only one in the neighborhood. There were at this time quite a number of roving bands of Indians in the vicinity and an Indian village northwest of Strawtown. Early in the spring of 1821 two or three Indians, possibly more, dropped in on Shintaffer and commenced trading and drinking. A quarrel ensued between one of the Indians and Shintaffer, resulting in a fight. Shintaffer got the better of the Indian and again threw him into the fire and held him there until he died. One of the other Indians and Shintaffer also fought, and this second Indian was also thrown into the fire and badly burned, but recovered.
In June, 1821, Benjamin Fisher took his chopping ax to Shintaffer to have it sharpened. Two or three other white man were there for the same purpose. Before the white men were ready to leave, some eight to ten Indians came to Shintaffer's cabin. They had no guns but each had a tomahawk and a sharp knife. The two white men present at once took up the cause of Shintaffer and entered his cabin with him. A regular battle with clubs and stones ensued. The white men finally charged at the Indians and drove them from the premises, but were afraid to follow them for fear of being ambushed. Then the Indians again advanced and so the battle raged for some time. In one of those advances by the whites, Fisher stumbled and fell and was cut to pieces by the Indians. The Indians then advanced on the rest of the whites who were all inside the enclosure, which surrounded the house, the Indians being outside.
One of the Indians threw a club at Shintaffer striking him in the head and knocking him down. The Indians then advanced, knife in hand for the purpose of scalping Shintaffer. When in the act of crossing the fence, the formost Indian was met by Jacob Hire with a mattock handle in his hand. He struck the Indian with the mattock handle killing him almost instantly and thus ended the battle. The Indians secured the dead body and retreated to their village across the river.

That night, Shintaffer loaded all of his household goods and also his family into a large canoe and disappeared and was never heard from again.

He was, however, heard from again.....he went to Greene County, Indiana and fought something worse than Indians, the courts!