Eva Wampler, my 5th great-grandmother on my mother’s side, was born to Hans Peter Wampler Jr. and Anna Maria Brenneissen in Botetourt county, Virginia on June 2, 1738 (1). Her parents were both born in Germany (Hans Peter Jr. from what is now Bas-Rihn, France and Anna Maria from Sishelm, Germany). Family lore passed down has been told of Eva being kidnapped by Indians as a young girl and then returned as a teenager – again the ages at which these events occurred are not without inconsistencies.
From History of the City of Dayton and Montgomery County, Ohio, Volume 1 (Drury, Augustus Waldo; S.J. Clark Publishing Company; 1901; p. 762) an account reads: “Eva Wampler born in Boutecourt county Virginia in 1738 was at the age of seven stolen by the Indians. When about fourteen she was returned to her parents but seemed to have utterly forgotten all that she had known of the English language. She recognized melodies sung to revive her memories but seemed unable to understand the language spoken about her. After a time she was out with her father who was building a fence. As he was going to get a rail she called out ‘I ll fetch that rail’ and from that moment all of her childhood was brought back to her. At the age of twenty two she was married to Henry Kinsey and brought up a family of six children.”
What is known: Eva married Henry Kinsey in Ohio. He was born in 1735 in Pennsylvania. The couple had six children. John Kinsey (b. 1762) married Anna Wagamon and died in 1846. Hannah Kinsey (b. 1764) married Jacob Wolf and died about 1856. Mary Kinsey (b. 1768) married Peter Hackman and died about 1839. Sarah Salome Kinsey (my ancestor) (b. 1774) married Johannes (Kohler) Caylor and died in 1853. Elizabeth Kinsey (b. 1775) married Daniel Graybill and died in 1848. Abraham Kinsey (b. 1787) married Mary Magdalene Wagner and died in 1872.
Eva died in 1821 in Montgomery county, Ohio and Henry followed her in death about a year later.
There are so many published reports concerning the Wampler/Wampfler family, that I have not had time to read everything. That is something I want to do in order to better understand the circumstances this family faced and how events in history shaped their migration – not only of the family that immigrated to America but from Virginia to Ohio. I wonder about all the adversity Eva and her family had to conquer; what her fears were while she was a captive, what she did to survive, and how that shaped the rest of her life – especially if she was an overprotective mother always making sure she knew where her childen were.
From Eva, I am descended from her daughter, Sarah Salome, through her son, Abraham Caylor, through his daughter, Nancy Caylor, through her daughter, Martha Jane Stern, through her daughter – my maternal grandmother – Vesta Christena Wilt, through her daughter – my mother – Mary Helen Johnson.
(Image of the Coat of Arms from The Wampler/Wampfler Genealogy Web Site; maintained by John E. Wampler; Georgia; 2011) No copyright infringement intended.
(1) Date of Eva’s death is only speculation as there are several accounts that offer conflicting reports. [The Puzzle of Eva Wampler; “The Wampler/Wampfler Genealogy Web Site”; John E. Wampler; 2001; http://www.wf-page.net] [The Puzzle of Eva Wampler, Revisted; “The Wampler/Wampfler Genealogy Web Site”; John E. Wampler; 2011; http://www.wf-page.net]
All My Branches Genealogy 