This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list.
Surnames: Kessinger
Classification: Query
Message Board URL:
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/an/Di.2ADE/1627
Message Board Post:
I would appreciate hearing from anyone with a connection to the Kessinger's of
Harrison Co. I've done a little bit of work trying to connect all of Kessingers (of
Harrison Co.) and far as I can tell, they all share Jacob Kessinger as a common ancestor
(or at least as far as the early-mid 1900's they do).
The message below was posted on a Kessinger family forum a few months ago:
The following Biographical sketch was copied from the book "HISTORY AND BIOGRAPHY
COUNTIES OF WHITE AND PULASKI, INDIANA. Historical and Biographical. Illustrated. Chicago;
F.A. Battey & Co., Publishers. 1883.
page 729, White Post Township, Pulaski County, Indiana.
"HIRAM KESSINGER was born in Washington County, Maryland, February 2, 1823, and is
one of the nine children of JACOB and MARGARET (BEARD) KESSINGER, named as follows: JACOB,
THEODORE, BENJAMIN, HIRAM, LUTHER, MARY (deceased), MARGARET, LUCINDA and GEORGE. The
father was born in Maryland, took part in the war of 1812, and was engaged in a variety of
occupations during life, such as tanner, merchant, manufacturer of earthenware, tinner and
farmer. He was well educated, and was quite a linguist; he died in Harrison County,
Indiana, in 1838. HIRAM KESSINGER came to Harrison County with his father in 1837, and he
there was engaged in farming and merchandising. In January, 1870, he came to this
township. He was married July 17, 1859, to ROWENA GAITHER, and has had born to him four
children - THOMAS, CAROLINE, WALTER, and MARGARET, the last named deceased. In February,
1862, he enlisted in the Fifty-third Indiana Volunteer Infantry. Two months later, he
became Ward Master in the ho!
spital, and then Steward, holding the last-named position until mustered out in July,
1865. He was present at the sieges of Corinth, Vicksburg and Jackson; at the battle of
Kenesaw Mountain, at the siege of Atlanta, at Jonesboro, with Sherman on his renowned
march, at Savannah, Columbia, Raleigh, and other points. He owns a fine farm of 100 acres,
two and a half miles south of Medarysville, raises a variety of crops, and has a neat
residence and commodious outbuildings."