The Eptings: A Documented History 1700-ca. 1920

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Introduction     Chart     Acknowledgements

 St. John's Church. A replacement building for the original St. John's Church Building, built on the land granted to the church elders John Adam Epting and Peter Dickert in 1763.
      Double click photo for larger image.

Introduction

This book began as an effort to document information published in the past by many Epting researchers. I was particularly interested in documenting my own line ascending and descending from George Epting, Sr., who died late in 1846. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe the task would balloon into this amount of research. What I discovered was that in order to prove one relationship, I had to sort out all of the Eptings with the same first names. Not only did I have to sort out all the Georges, but the Johns, the Adams, and the Jacobs! This book is a result of the "sorting" process.

After filling four boxes of files with copies of original records from the Newberry and Lexington Courthouses, the S.C. State Archives, and literally taking a volunteer job at a local research room to get more research time at their facility, I still did not prove exactly what I wanted to prove. I wanted to know who the father of George Epting, Sr. was! I have my own theory from studying his land records. I believe George Epting, Sr. was the son of Johan Jacob Epting instead of the son of John and Anne Lohner, as tradition says. But I did not find an original record to prove or disprove my theory! Bible Records from the Lohner Family would be most helpful, and any Bible Records having the earliest Epting names would be cherished!

What I did find were several wonderful surprises along the way (a notable one about the immigrant Barbara Osiander Epting) and I learned that not all lawsuits were adversarial as we think of lawsuits today. In the "olden days," suits for the partition of land of a deceased family member (who died without a will) were a common occurrence and required by the county.

I met so many wonderful experts in the field who were kind enough to share their research and brainstorming with me! It is my greatest desire that you will find joy in reading the combination of these discoveries, and that you will contact me when you have proof of an early family line that I was unable to find. It goes without saying that you will find errors, probably many (especially in punctuation), but they are not intentional. Even though I aimed for perfection, I found out quickly that it probably would not be attained. I ask now for the reader’s help. Will you post corrections on one (or all) of the Epting Genealogical Internet pages? Thank you so much! My ultimate goal is accuracy for the descendants.

My first genealogy instructor advised her students to "Follow the Land," when tracing ancestors. Finding her advice to be wise, my book is heavy with land records, abstracted to cull out the legal jargon, but complete enough to show relationships. Often, several seemingly unimportant deeds will be listed in a series that will eventually prove a relationship. Good fortune stood on the side of the Newberry County courthouse. The records there never experienced a courthouse fire. However, the records in the Lexington Courthouse experienced two separate fires. Because of this, I had to piece together small bits of information from "later" records to recreate evidence that proves relationships.

In closing, a chart is presented next to help the readers follow the many early Eptings who shared the same first names.

Chart

The German immigrants Johan Adam and wife Barbara Hepding (Epting) will generally be called "the pioneers or the immigrants."

Generation 1 Johan "Jacob" Epting, born in Germany in 1745, will be referred to as Johan Jacob, Jacob. Sr., or "Old Jacob."

Generation 1 Adam Frederick Epting, will be called "Adam Frederick."

Generation 1 John Epting, traditional husband of Anne Lohner, will be called "Old John."

Generation 2 John Epting who married Eve Zeigler and, secondly, Elizabeth Werts, will be called "John-1778"; "John (b. 1778)"; or "John, Sr.

"Generation 2 John (JE) Epting (traditional son of Adam Frederick) will be "John-(his mark JE)"; "John, who married Caty Coon"; or "John (d.1820)".

Generation 2 Adam Epting, who married Elizabeth Counts, will be "Adam 1771-4" (his approximate birth date) or "Adam, Sr." (until his death when his son became Adam, Sr.)

Generation 2 John Adam Epting (proven son of Adam Frederick) will be "Adam d. 1801" because he died in Newberry District in 1801.

Generation 2 Jacob Epting (parents unknown) will be "Jacob-1821" because he died in Lexington District 1821.

Generation 2 Jacob Epting (proven son of Adam Frederick) will be "Jacob who married Mary Cannon" or "Jacob-d. 1816" because he died in Newberry District in 1816.

Generation 2 George Epting (proven brother of John-1778) will be "George, Sr. "His residence, when he died in 1846, was right on the Newberry-Lexington line.

Generation 3 Adam Epting, (son of Adam and Elizabeth Counts Epting); married Harriet Busby, daughter of Mary Rawls Busby, will be "Adam-1802" or "Adam, Sr." The Sr. was added to his name after his father Adam died in Lexington District in 1839.

Generation 3 Adam Epting who married Eve Koon, and secondly, Harriet Summer, will be "Adam-1804" or "Adam, Jr." He died in Newberry District in 1871.

 

Acknowledgements

I wish to thank the following people from the bottom of my heart for their help in getting this book together. These people, listed below in alphabetical order, make me happy; and if you see them, thank them for all they do!

Robin Asbury, Director of Public Relations for Newberry College, who gave me permission to use Epting-related material found in the College Library;

L.H. Buff, Jr., Betty Bundrick, Edith Greisser, Margaret Sease Jayroe, and the volunteers of the Dutch Fork Genealogical Association, the Lexington Genealogical Exchange, and the Old Newberry District Genealogical Society for their publications andbooks from which Epting information was gathered;

Mr. Ralph Epting for locating the home of Jacob and Mary Ann Chapman Epting, my great-great grandparents (later their son Ed Epting’s home);

Ted Epton, for his wonderful book about the Eptings and Eptons, and for sending me countless copies of original records he collected while compiling his book. He also sent me Epting photographs and proofread a chapter of my book;

Susan Harrison, who provided me with many Epting stories and tromped through the woods with me to hunt for Sally Epting’s Spring. She also proofread several chapters of my book;

Mrs. Theresa Hicks, an experienced researcher and writer, for providing background information about the Dutch Fork, and lending her experience in many other areas;

Richard Long for sending Epting records, photographs, and maps and for helping me locate David Epting’s old home site and headstone;

Susan Epting Longshore, who tromped through the woods with me on several occasions looking for grave sites and Sally Epting’s Spring;

Tom Longshore who acted as my official Newberry County guide on many occasions and helped me locate churches, tombstones, records, and aerial photographs;

Newberry County Probate Judge Kelly B. Nobles, and staff, Rebecca A. Allen, Wendi B. Koon , and Amelia W. Shields for providing me with countless estate records;

Dr. Carl W. Nichols, for his expertise in South Carolina land records and for brainstorming with me about Epting relationships;

David Sease, who sent many Bible records with Epting names in them, proofread a chapter for me, and answered many questions I had about Epting relationships;

Linda Smith, an experienced genealogist, who helped me with theories and sent records to me from the S.C. Archives. Linda even sent Epting records and books that she ran across in her own research, and she was invaluable in my getting this book finished;

The S.C. Archives staff: especially Paul Begley, Marion Chandler, Wade Dorsey, Patrick McCawley, and Robert Mackintosh who helped me copy many microfilm records and answered thousands of my questions. Wade Dorsey and Marion Chandler went to great lengths to help me understand and interpret Barbara Hebding’s interesting land records and suits;

Tucky Neel Taylor, Librarian at the Newberry County Library, Mr. and Mrs. Richard Berley, and Buck Stuck, who helped me locate the remote headstone for Mary Eve Zieglar Epting which was deep in the woods;

Madge Warner, who catalogued all my microfilms at the LDS research room near Atlanta, and gave me "my own drawer;"

Michelle Wolfe, my computer guru, who taught me how to index this book and make better use of my computer. (She had a green, green student.)

Most of all, my admiration and thanks go to my dear and faithful husband Fred Blackmon who tromped through woods to find graves, who tirelessly wound reel after reel on the microfilm machines and made countless copies for me; who found hotels and food while we researched for records in South Carolina, who kept silent while I thought through complicated theories, who brought me sandwiches while I typed, and who dedicated two years of his life to my book! I will never be able to repay him! 

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