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Amos and Elizabeth Riner:
Amos Riner was born circa 1780. That date is based on his having a son born Jan. 30, 1802. All of his children, who were living when the 1880 census was taken, said their father was born in Georgia. The earliest record the compiler has found on Amos, is that he was a witness in Feb., 1803, when Samuel Hartley bought land from William Yates in Montgomery County, Georgia. The deed was recorded Apr. 27, 1807. His name was on the Montgomery County 1804 jury list, saying he lived in the Little Ohoopee District. He registered as the head of a family for the 1805 land lottery, but didn’t win. Registrants for the lottery had to have been paying taxes in Georgia since May 11, 1802. Amos appeared on a list of petit jurors in 1806. He was also a witness in Feb., 1809, when Edward Douglas bought land from Francis Thigpen. The deed was recorded Mar. 9, 1809. In Apr., 1810, Amos sold land on the south side of the Little Ohoopee River to Richard Sumner. The deed was recorded Dec. 1, 1810. It appears that Amos had bought the land from Edward Douglas, who had bought it from Robert Douglas in Apr., 1805. On Jan. 1, 1810, Amos received a warrant for a 500-acre land grant in Montgomery County. It was surveyed Feb. 3, 1810. See details below. Amos was on the 1811-12 Tax Digest for Montgomery County, having 860 acres of land. Based on the date of birth of his youngest child, May 13, 1814, Amos was still alive in 1813. He was listed as the owner of land bordering a grant to John Douglas in Emanuel County in 1815. He may have died before John Douglas was given his grant. He definitely died before 1817, when his widow was given a land grant.
The 500-acre grant: The grant was made Nov. 29, 1815, in Montgomery County. The land was actually located in Emanuel County, which was created Dec. 10, 1812, from Bulloch and Montgomery counties. The land is located just north of Norristown Junction (the intersection of highways U.S. 80 and U.S. 221). It was still being identified as belonging to Amos on Mar. 13, 1829, when an adjacent 350-acre grant was surveyed for William Webb. But it was identified as Webb’s land on Nov. 25, 1838, when an adjacent 980-acre grant was surveyed for Howel McLemore. The 1841 Emanuel County Tax Digest shows the 500-acre grant had been divided into two parcels, one owned by Levi Webb and the other owned by Allen J. Webb. There is a cemetery located in the northeast corner of that land and for lack of the correct name, the compiler calls it Tapley-Webb Family Cemetery. The oldest marked grave is dated Dec. 2, 1885. Alfred G. Webb, a son of Allen J. Webb, is buried there.
Although census reports indicate Elizabeth Riner was born between 1790 and 1794, she was probably born circa 1783. Her oldest child was born Jan. 30, 1802. Inconsistent ages on census reports indicate that the early Riners were busy trying to make a living, and didn’t keep track of their ages. All of her children, who were living when the 1880 census was taken, said their mother was born in Georgia. Elizabeth may have been a Douglas before her marriage. Her neighbors were Douglases and each family named children after older members of the other family. None of her children or grandchildren were married to members of the Douglas family. Elizabeth received a warrant for a 100-acre land grant on Oct. 6, 1817. It was surveyed Nov. 3, 1817, and was advertised July 12, 1818. She could not have gotten the grant in her name if she had not been widowed. Elizabeth was farming in Emanuel County during the 1820, 1830 and 1840 censuses. In 1837 she was given a 500-acre grant adjacent to the 100 acres she had previously received. See details below. Elizabeth sold the 100-acre grant to her youngest son, Wilson Riner, Nov. 15, 1844. Apparently Elizabeth died in 1846 because Wilson bought 100 acres that had belonged to her from his siblings and in-laws on Sept. 15, 1846. On the same date, Elizabeth’s 500-acre grant was also bought by Wilson.
Elizabeth’s land grants: Her grants are located north of the present community of Meeks, about five miles west of the 500-acre grant that Amos received. That area, then in Emanuel County, became Johnson County when it was created Dec. 11, 1858, from Emanuel, Laurens and Washington counties. The deed of Wilson buying the 500 acres from his siblings is the closest the compiler has come to finding “documentary evidence”, proving the nine children of Amos and Elizabeth. There is a cemetery adjacent to the 100-acre grant. Now called Old Riner Cemetery, it was formerly called Douglas Cemetery by some Douglas descendants. The oldest marked grave is dated Nov. 24, 1864. Both of Elizabeth’s land grants are still owned by Wilson Riner’s descendants. The area where the cemetery is, was previously owned by the Douglas family, but is presently owned by a Wilson Riner descendant: Morris T. Riner, Jr.
Amos and Elizabeth are probably buried in unmarked graves in one of the two cemeteries, either Tapley-Webb, or Old Riner.
Their children: John B. (1802 - before 1880), Lydia (1803 - 1866), Edward “Ed” (1805 - 1894), Elizabeth (1807 - 1860s?), William M. (1808 - after 1880), James Russell (1811 - 1892), Wilson (1812 - 1861), Sarah (1813 - 1899) and Nancy (1814 - 1891).
Old records and tombstones in Georgia show the name spelled various ways. The compiler has found it spelled R-H-I-N-E-R, R-H-I-N-O-R, R-H-Y-N-E-R, R-H-Y-N-O-R, R-I-N-E, R-I-N-E-R, R-Y-N-E-R, and R-Y-N-O-R. The spelling R-I-N-E-R was used as early as 1820 (on the census report) and is presently the way the name is spelled by most of the family. Children of two families were told by their school teachers that they should spell their name R-H-I-N-E-R, and their families now spell their name that way.
We have recently been joined by a descendant of Robert Riner b. ca. 1785 in N.C., d. 1866-1869 in Choctaw Co., Mississippi. See more about this family under Project News.
Amos Riner was born circa 1780. That date is based on his having a son born Jan. 30, 1802. All of his children, who were living when the 1880 census was taken, said their father was born in Georgia. The earliest record the compiler has found on Amos, is that he was a witness in Feb., 1803, when Samuel Hartley bought land from William Yates in Montgomery County, Georgia. The deed was recorded Apr. 27, 1807. His name was on the Montgomery County 1804 jury list, saying he lived in the Little Ohoopee District. He registered as the head of a family for the 1805 land lottery, but didn’t win. Registrants for the lottery had to have been paying taxes in Georgia since May 11, 1802. Amos appeared on a list of petit jurors in 1806. He was also a witness in Feb., 1809, when Edward Douglas bought land from Francis Thigpen. The deed was recorded Mar. 9, 1809. In Apr., 1810, Amos sold land on the south side of the Little Ohoopee River to Richard Sumner. The deed was recorded Dec. 1, 1810. It appears that Amos had bought the land from Edward Douglas, who had bought it from Robert Douglas in Apr., 1805. On Jan. 1, 1810, Amos received a warrant for a 500-acre land grant in Montgomery County. It was surveyed Feb. 3, 1810. See details below. Amos was on the 1811-12 Tax Digest for Montgomery County, having 860 acres of land. Based on the date of birth of his youngest child, May 13, 1814, Amos was still alive in 1813. He was listed as the owner of land bordering a grant to John Douglas in Emanuel County in 1815. He may have died before John Douglas was given his grant. He definitely died before 1817, when his widow was given a land grant.
The 500-acre grant: The grant was made Nov. 29, 1815, in Montgomery County. The land was actually located in Emanuel County, which was created Dec. 10, 1812, from Bulloch and Montgomery counties. The land is located just north of Norristown Junction (the intersection of highways U.S. 80 and U.S. 221). It was still being identified as belonging to Amos on Mar. 13, 1829, when an adjacent 350-acre grant was surveyed for William Webb. But it was identified as Webb’s land on Nov. 25, 1838, when an adjacent 980-acre grant was surveyed for Howel McLemore. The 1841 Emanuel County Tax Digest shows the 500-acre grant had been divided into two parcels, one owned by Levi Webb and the other owned by Allen J. Webb. There is a cemetery located in the northeast corner of that land and for lack of the correct name, the compiler calls it Tapley-Webb Family Cemetery. The oldest marked grave is dated Dec. 2, 1885. Alfred G. Webb, a son of Allen J. Webb, is buried there.
Although census reports indicate Elizabeth Riner was born between 1790 and 1794, she was probably born circa 1783. Her oldest child was born Jan. 30, 1802. Inconsistent ages on census reports indicate that the early Riners were busy trying to make a living, and didn’t keep track of their ages. All of her children, who were living when the 1880 census was taken, said their mother was born in Georgia. Elizabeth may have been a Douglas before her marriage. Her neighbors were Douglases and each family named children after older members of the other family. None of her children or grandchildren were married to members of the Douglas family. Elizabeth received a warrant for a 100-acre land grant on Oct. 6, 1817. It was surveyed Nov. 3, 1817, and was advertised July 12, 1818. She could not have gotten the grant in her name if she had not been widowed. Elizabeth was farming in Emanuel County during the 1820, 1830 and 1840 censuses. In 1837 she was given a 500-acre grant adjacent to the 100 acres she had previously received. See details below. Elizabeth sold the 100-acre grant to her youngest son, Wilson Riner, Nov. 15, 1844. Apparently Elizabeth died in 1846 because Wilson bought 100 acres that had belonged to her from his siblings and in-laws on Sept. 15, 1846. On the same date, Elizabeth’s 500-acre grant was also bought by Wilson.
Elizabeth’s land grants: Her grants are located north of the present community of Meeks, about five miles west of the 500-acre grant that Amos received. That area, then in Emanuel County, became Johnson County when it was created Dec. 11, 1858, from Emanuel, Laurens and Washington counties. The deed of Wilson buying the 500 acres from his siblings is the closest the compiler has come to finding “documentary evidence”, proving the nine children of Amos and Elizabeth. There is a cemetery adjacent to the 100-acre grant. Now called Old Riner Cemetery, it was formerly called Douglas Cemetery by some Douglas descendants. The oldest marked grave is dated Nov. 24, 1864. Both of Elizabeth’s land grants are still owned by Wilson Riner’s descendants. The area where the cemetery is, was previously owned by the Douglas family, but is presently owned by a Wilson Riner descendant: Morris T. Riner, Jr.
Amos and Elizabeth are probably buried in unmarked graves in one of the two cemeteries, either Tapley-Webb, or Old Riner.
Their children: John B. (1802 - before 1880), Lydia (1803 - 1866), Edward “Ed” (1805 - 1894), Elizabeth (1807 - 1860s?), William M. (1808 - after 1880), James Russell (1811 - 1892), Wilson (1812 - 1861), Sarah (1813 - 1899) and Nancy (1814 - 1891).
Old records and tombstones in Georgia show the name spelled various ways. The compiler has found it spelled R-H-I-N-E-R, R-H-I-N-O-R, R-H-Y-N-E-R, R-H-Y-N-O-R, R-I-N-E, R-I-N-E-R, R-Y-N-E-R, and R-Y-N-O-R. The spelling R-I-N-E-R was used as early as 1820 (on the census report) and is presently the way the name is spelled by most of the family. Children of two families were told by their school teachers that they should spell their name R-H-I-N-E-R, and their families now spell their name that way.
We have recently been joined by a descendant of Robert Riner b. ca. 1785 in N.C., d. 1866-1869 in Choctaw Co., Mississippi. See more about this family under Project News.