Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1892-04-01
4 Monument to their Ancestor.

Il MUnuIlGnl III llGl AuuGDlUl
A MEETING OF THE DESCENDANTS
OF MICHAEL KOINER.
In South River district of this county
in the old Trinity cemetery, there is
rough sandstone grave slab from which
time has nearly effaced the inscription
showing that it lies over the grave OF
Michael and Margaret Koinardt, the ances-
tors of that numerous and powerful family
in this county and elsewhere, which spells
its name Koiner, Coyner, Coiner and KY
ner. The different spelling came from the
early days when German, Irish and Eng
lish were drifting into this new valley.
just as the old German name of ROthgeb
became Roadcap, and the old English name
of Taliaferro became Tulliver, so the Micha-
81 Keinedt the sturdy young German, who
was married in the little church at New
Holland, Pa, on Feb. 81, 1749, to Marga-
ret Diller, daughter of Casper Diller,
became on the tombstone which covered him
in the Valley Of Virginia, Michael Koin-
ardt. lie must have been sturdy young
fellow, for of the sixty three Koiners who
met together in Staunton Monday-there
would have been more but for a change in
the place of meeting ranging from sixty
live years down to twenty years in age,
there was not a man who was not fine
! specimen OF manhood in size, health and
V1gor. The venerable patriarch of the
name, Simon Koiner, of South River, who
is eighty seven years old and is still an ac-
tive man, was not present, but if he had
been be would have seen set OF younger
Koiners worthy of him. There were pres
ent farmers, lawyers, doctors, Confederate
veterans, a former state Senator, present
member Of the House Of Delegates, a pres
ent member Of the Board of Supervisors and
men who had filled many offices of promi-
nence and trust with credit to the name.
1t is the largest land holding name in Au-
gusta county, and it has been said of those
who bear it that "there ism It Koiner who
enough to manage it."
THE PROGRAMME.
| The meeting was organized by the cleo
ton Of ex-senator Absolom Koiner Chair
man, and E. 7. Coyner of Waynesboro,
Secretary. The chairman explained that
the object of the meeting was to arrange
for the erection of a suitable monument to
the memory of Michael and Margaret Koi-
ner, the prOgenitors of their family in this
country, who were buried in old
Trinity cemetery in this county, their
graves being unmarked save by piece of
sandstone from which the German inscrip-
ton has been nearly obliterated. Another
object was to arrange for a great reunion
OF all bearing the name, at the unwilling of
the monument, and yet another was to agree
upon some uniform spelling of the name
and have it Iegalized by the legislature.
MI. Geo. w. Koiner offered resolution
that this meeting resolve itself into Me-
mortal Association, the duty of which
shall be to provide for the monument; for
the gathering of all the names of the vari-
GUS members of the family in the United
States, and for the adoption of the spelling
OF the name as gathered from the tombstone
and from cOtemporaneous writing. He
said the Koiner family in Augusta was
now numbered by the hundred and in few
years would be numbered by the thousand
and the monument should be such an one
as should inspire every Koiner who came
to Virginia, with desire to visit it. The
members of the family were scattered from
Pennsylvania Westward to the Pacific and
Southwark to Florida, and the monument
should be worthy of the founder of such an
extensive house.
The following committee was appointed
to consider Mr.. Koiner's resolution and
arrange for carrying it out-Messrs. G.. W.
Koiner, Marion Koiner and Elijah Koiner.
"A "REMINISCENCES OF THE FOUNDER.
Maj. Absolom Koiner, while the commit
tee was out. said that the burning of Trim
ity church book had compelled him to 60
to other sources for the earliest record of
Michael Koiner. He had a letter from
Rev. j. w. Hassler, pastor of the Lutheran
church at New Holland, Pa. The pastor
gave the copy Of the marriage record of
their ancestor from the church books. 1t
recorded the marriage of Michael Keinet
Tor Kennedy son of Conrad Keinedt of
Wurtemberg, Bavaria, to Margaret Diller,
daughter Of Caspar Diller, on the 2lst OF
February, 1749. Another entry in the
church record was the baptism of their
first child, John Martin, on August 9th,
1851. This child grew to manhood and is
buried at Messy Creek in Augusta county.
Rev. MI. Hassler writes that the church
record is written in German, is greatly
faded by time, and is hard to decipher.
There was no record, he adds, of the time
Michael left Germany except that it must
have been previous to 1749. The change
in the spelling OF the name Maj. Koiner
said was common to the transition to
new and English speaking country. Just
as Swoope, a well known Augusta name,
was originally Schwab. and Lightner had
it's origin in Leitner. Those two names
were frequently found in the church regis
ter. Leaving the record and taking up
tradition, it is said that Michael came to
this country and returned to Germany,
crossing the ocean in all five times on trad
ing voyages. His last voyage to America
was losing one, he having been caught
in storm. He lost most of his cargo, and
his sister who was with him was washed
overheard. So that his last voyage left him
as poor as ever. Maj. Koiner showed a
| time stained letter written by Conrad
Keinedt to this country. In Pennsylvania
the spelling of the name had drifted into
Kyner; in Virginia it had been var1ously
shaped by the writing OF church and other
| Officials In one letter ha bod soon u-xit