Geo Oyler Ohio 3rd son



SAMUEL OYLER OF HAWKHURST & FAMILY




Despite the lack of a birth record there is over-whelming evidence that George Oyler was the third son of Samuel and Elizabeth Oyler of Hawkhurst. Their first two sons Thomas Pettit Oyler (1792) and Samuel Oyler (1793) were born in Winchelsea, Sussex where their parents owned some property which was sold in Feb 1795, just 6 months before the birth of George.

Their next child Hannah Oyler, was not born until 1797, in Hawkhurst. It would be unusual, in that era, to have a four year gap between children so it is probable that George was born to this couple in 1795.    Although his birth date is on his gravestone in the Old Baptist Cemetry in Harrison Township, Hamilton Co. Ohio as 16 Aug 1795 there is no record of his birth in the Parish Registers of either Hawkhurst, Cranbrook or nearby Kent communities, nor in Sussex Parish Records. 

The first official record of George Oyler is his marriage to Sarah Goeble 27 Jun 1815 at Benenden, Kent.  George and Sarah Oyler had 5 sons while living in England:

  •  George Gobel Oyler Born 27 Jun. 1815 in Benenden, Kent. m. 1st 1838 Elizabeth Gerrard, who d.1876; m. 2nd Honor J. Minor.
  • Daniel Oyler   Born: 29 Jul 1819 Marriage: 09 Sep 1847 in Tippecanoe City, Ohio, USA   Death : 29 Nov 1900 Dewitt, Saline City, Nebraska, USA
  • Alfred Oyler Born 1824


On May 26, 1828 the family sailed from Rye on the Schooner Fame for the USA. George (33), Sarah (34), children: George (12), William (10), Daniel (8), Samuel (6), Alfred (4). Accompanying them were John Oyler (23, George’s younger brother) and Elizabeth Oyler (25, John’s wife).  (Source:Immigration Records)

After their arrival in the USA George and Sarah had two more sons:

  • George Washington Oyler  born June 1828 at Butler City, Ohio,
  • John Oyler, b. 1831 also in Ohio
George and Sarah Oyler settled in Harrison Township, Hamilton Co., Ohio.  Sarah Oyler died June 27, 1841 and is buried in Hamilton Co. Ohio. 
Ohio records show that George then married a second time in 1841 to Sophia Rabson, born Oct. 10, 1806, died 10 Oct., 1864 aged 58 years.
I can find no record of a Sophia Rabson born 1806 in England or America but it is possible that she was related to the Rabsons of Ticehurst, Kent

US CENSUS:

1828    George Oyler and Sarah (Goeble) Oyler  emigrated to the USA  arriving in the Port of New York. What route the Oyler family took from New York to Ohio is not known, other than in the obituary of Daniel Oyler, it stated they came via the Ohio River.

1830    Although George Oyler came to the United States in 1828, he did not appear on the1830 Ohio census.

1840    census of Crosby Township in Hamilton County, Ohio mentions George Oyler

1850    census of Crosby Township in Hamilton County, Ohio all family members, for the first time, were named. George's wife's name was given as "Sofia".

George Oyler had two wives. The first was Sarah Goeble, the mother of his children. She died in 1841. The second wife was Sophia Rabson who died in 1864.  

On the 1850 census George was listed as being between 40-50 years of age, and his wife between 30-40. They had living in their household three males, one between the ages of 5-10, and two, 15-20. In 1850 the census reported that George "Oiler" was 53 years of age, a farmer with property valued at $6,000 and that he was born in England. His wife, Sophia, was 43, and she, too, was born in England.

 
1870    George Oyler Sr. appears as head-of-household with daughter-in-law Mary Ann Haise Oyler (Samuel’s widow) and her children Ellen, Fanny and Samuel. Charles John Oyler, son of Mary Ann Haise Oyler and Samuel Oyler had been sent to live in Clarkshill, Indiana with Charles and Elizabeth Wright at this time .

1880 US Census, George Oyler Sr. appears in Harrison Township, Hamilton County,Ohio. He was listed as age 84, a widower and retired.

George Oyler died on 24 April 1883. He was buried in the Baptist Cemetery in Harrison Township, Hamilton County, Ohio.  The cemetery is located on the southwest corner of the Harrison-new Haven Road and Edgewood Road. It is still being used and is well cared for. The tombstone which is made of granite and measures over five feet in height is located over the fence from the cemetery surrounded by weeds. In an old atlas of Hamilton County, one that prints property owner’s names and the acres they own, show George Oyler's property abutted the cemetery, so he was buried on his own property next to the fence surrounding the cemetery. On the base of the large monument on one of the four faces was engraved in large letters, "GEO. OYLER". The four faces of the monument each have a different inscription.


Side One

Side Two

Side Three

Side Four

George Oyler
born
August 16, 1795
Died
April 24, 1883
Sarah, wife of Geo Oyler
Died in June 1841
aged 46 years
Sophia, wife of Geo Oyler
Died Oct.10, 1864
Aged 58 years
Sarah, daughter of Geo & Sarah
Died in 1845 aged 15 days.
John, son of Geo & Sarah
Died in 1832 aged 7 months

There is a discrepancy regarding the inscription for Sarah, Daughter of George and Sarah. Either the year of her birth is incorrect, or she was not the daughter of George and Sarah, since Sarah died in 1841. Also, the obituary for George Oyler stated that he had nine sons, five dead; it did not mention a daughter. However, since the child lived only 15 days, they may not have thought about her forty years later when the obituary was written. If such were the case then the date of her birth on the monument is incorrect.

In the Hamilton County Library in Harrison, Ohio, is an original copy of the newspaper which gave George's obituary. The following is an exact wording of that obituary:

"George Oyler was born in Hawkhurst, England, August 16, 1795 and died April 24, 1883 aged eighty-seven years eight months and nine days. He was one of a family of nine children, leaving one brother, who survives him. This brother lives in Clarks Hill, Indiana, and he being seventy-nine years old was present at his brother's funeral. The deceased was married to Sara Goeble, June 15, 1815, and sailed from England to America April 6, 1828, arriving in New York May twenty-fourth, and settling on a farm in Hamilton County near Harrison, which was then Crosby Township, but is now Harrison township, where he spent his last days with his second son, W.G. Oyler.

He crossed the Atlantic Ocean five times and had a great desire to visit his "old home" in England once more. The result of their marriage was nine children, four sons now living and five dead. He had twenty-five grandchildren and thirty-five great grandchildren. His wife died in 1839. He was an industrious and upright man in all his dealings with his fellow men. He was very temperate in all respects which accounts for his living to see so many years. He was scarcely ever sick, old age bringing him to his grave. In his last days he was kindly cared for by his sons.

The funeral services were held in the Presbyterian Church at Harrison, on Friday following his death, and were conducted, by Elder W.H. Kern, assisted by Reverend B.W. Childlaw, in the presence of a large audience, after which the remains were placed in the vault to await final interment. He leaves one brother, four sons, and a large circle of relatives and friends to mourn their loss. The pall bearers were Messrs. John Small, W.W. Ross, M.S. Bonnel, Joseph Sater, James Wright, and Ezra Bonham."

It is interesting to note that the obituary does not mention his second wife, Sophia, but only his marriage to Sarah, the mother of his sons. Note also that the obituary gives the death of Sarah as 1839. The tombstone gives 1841. Family "hearsay" records state that George was in his nineties when he died; he was eighty-seven.

 

Just prior to and during the early years of the Civil War, that is from 1857-1862, George Oyler financed a college preparatory school, The Oyler Institute, in Harrison, Ohio. His son, George Washington (G.W.) Oyler was the head of this school. George W. Was a graduate of Old Farmer's College.  Later, this G.W. Oyler was a well-known principal and supervisor in the Cincinnati school system. He was the principal of the Twenty-First District School in 1888 where he supervised thirty-two teachers and 1,600 pupils in four buildings. An elementary school in Cincinnati was named for him. Samuel Oyler, son of George Oyler Sr., died in 1863 in Harrison, Ohio.


Thanks to Patrick Jones for his contribution to the information on Charles John Oyler.


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