As we study past history, we find it was common practice in ancient civilizations to hand down stories of ancestors and forefathers to descendants for many generations. Ancient tribal peoples told and retold tales of their ancestor's courage, determination, and stamina when faced with difficulty and challenges. The Old Testament is full of such stories which even today enable the Jewish people to feel like they know their forefathers even after milleniums of time. It was considered a duty to share the stories, thus leaving a legacy for their children and children's children.

Today, how many grandchildren even know their grandparents, or their aunts and uncles? Many of us live in historical vacuums unable to name more than a generation or two of our ancestors. At times I have felt disappointed in my lack of knowledge concerning the genealogy of my family. It's hard to feel like I know ancestors who left no diaries, letters, or journals. With only names and dates and not much else, how can we know the stock from which we descended? I strongly wish they would have left a record of their lives for our generation to read and enjoy. This could provide families and friends with a link to history which can be cherished for generations to come.

In today's world we stay in touch with our loved ones by telephone and E-mail. Few write letters and rarely does anyone keep a diary. We preserve no written record of all the ups and downs of our lives and the times in which we live. How will our grandchildren and their children ever know from whom and from where they came, or the condition of the world in our time unless we record our memories in a form they can keep?

A growing curiosity has motivated me to try to discover more about the Bolender* and Shinkle* family roots. The connection of the two families will be explained in the first chapter of this book. A genealogy of the Bolender and Shinkles has evolved over the years with extensive research by Harold Miller, a distant relative, from Milford, OH. My brother, Leon Bolender of Mt. Vernon, OH, with careful accuracy, has refined, corrected, and further recorded more complete information. 

In October 1997, my wife Donna and I enjoyed a vacation trip to Pennsylvania which included three days in the Lancaster County area. This is the area to which Peter Bolender, my fourth great grandfather, immigrated in 1750 from Germany. While there, we visited the Old Lancaster Court House archives and were able to locate some old records dating back to 1772. One record was the original document giving Peter Bolender's wife, Barbara, administratrix authority concerning his estate. This old paper was no doubt filled out with a goose quill pen by authorities representing the British Crown. It was exciting to see the original which predated the Revolutionary War by a few short years.

At the Court House, we also found several court records, copied from the originals, of an Orphans Court distributing the balance of Peter Bolender's monies (measured in pound sterling, shillings and pence) to his widow, Barbara, and to the four children. Other records pertained to the granting guardianship of the three younger daughters. Their son, Stephen Bolender, my third great grandfather, was 16 years old at the time, so he didn't require a guardian.

While in Lancaster, I visited the Lancaster Co. Historical Society's archives and Berk's Co. Historical Society looking at records and ship passenger list of emigrants from Germany in the eighteenth century. I searched church records at the archives of the Reformed Theological Seminary. This proved to be a treasure trove of information.

In the following book, I will attempt to describe the historical setting concerning why our ancestors left Europe for the New World, what conditions they faced on their journey in coming here, what life was like for them in the Colonies, their involvement in the Revolutionary War, and their migration westward to Ohio and beyond.

It has been an exciting adventure researching and exploring history which directly affected the Bolenders' and Shinkles' sojourn and saga. During our trip to Pennsylvania, I had the feeling I was visiting our forefathers at their home and getting to know them. 

Since our trip, I have corresponded with a number of distant cousins, by E-mail, who are also researching the Bolender and Shinkle genealogy. They have shared with me further bits and pieces which help toward completing the puzzle. 

Several public and historical libraries have been helpful in my studies of history that directly affected our forefathers. At the end of this genealogical-historical coverage will be a bibliography of the resource material used.

This book is not intended to replace the present genealogy records which others have prepared over the years. It is intended to be a helpful tool alongside other records to aid the reader in understanding the historical setting. It will add flesh and blood to what otherwise would be only names and dates.
 
 

For the sake of time and space, I have limited most of this book to my direct line ancestry.