Stephen Rybolt/Rinebolt
Unmarked Grave
Some say he is
some say he isn't,
buried in Hines Cemetery.
Stephen Rinebolt was born in Amsterdam, Holland in 1710, son of a prominent family there. At the age of 24 he had become a victim of his and his family's involvement in the political affairs of the country. Together he and his family planned his escape. It was agreed Stephen should seek land and shelter in the new British colonies, a land they knew offered both religious and political freedom.
The ship on which young Rinebolt traveled landed in the port of Philadelphia in 1734 and he, not wanting to waste time before the onset of winter, and to his good fortune, immediately set out for the West after obtaining from the Penn family an unlimited grant of land he had hoped for, to be located west of the Allegheny Mountain.
For him it held much promise - a sizable grant of several hundred acres in an area of his own choice - but on the other side of the mountains. Determined, he set out alone, slowly trudging westward and somehow developing skills of survival. After traveling over 300 miles on foot with only the tools and supplies that he could carry on his back, he came to the Kiskiminetas Valley where Avonmore is now located. Here he surveyed his claim of over 2,000 acres of unusually fertile land and set about building a log cabin about one half mile west of the present town of Avonmore. He also planted fruit and vegetable seeds that he had brought with him from Holland. It was typically wooded Pennsylvania land, dense forest areas, where no white person had ever settled. Nearby, a little further up the river, Indians had established some villages. It was virgin country and Stephen Rinebolt liked it. Snug against a hillside (somewhat south of the old tunnel) he built himself a shelter. Thus he became the very first white person to make his home in this area, perhaps even the first in all of southwestern Pennsylvania.
For some 20 years Rinebolt lived alone, visited occasionally by friendly Indians, a dog his only companion. From the seeds he planted which he had brought with him, he grew the food that sustained him physically.
1756 Rinebolt returned to Holland in the hope that conditions might be better than when he had left but obviously his political past still pursued him.
The next year he returned to the British colony of Pennsylvania. To make life more pleasant for himself, he offered to share his land grant with 10 families of relatives and friends, promising each a good portion, bringing ten families of friends and relative with him from Holland he promised to divide his land among them. The name of these families were Bash, Frick, Hine, Huff, Kunkle, Learn, Ringle, Rumbaugh, Taylor, Ulam. Although a few of these families may have accompanied Rinebolt westward to his settlement, the majority of them settled in Monroe, then Northampton County. Then in the 1780's some of their members came to the Upper Kiskiminetas Valley and acquired the portions of land promised to them.
Stephen was a big man, being nearly seven feet tall, and at the time of his coming to America weighed about 250 pounds. He had a pleasing personality but also possessed a fiery temper. The Indians, by which he was surrounded for many a year, as well as white settlers of his time, looked upon him with fear and trembling, as all Indians and white people without exception believed he was his protection from the treachery of the Indians, his only friends for years, who when they approached him which they were in the habit of doing, brought him meat and peace offerings. Those visits and approaches were frequent and accomplished with awe and reverence.
Athough the events surrounding the Stephen Rinebolt story may seem incredible, the local historian and pet and likewise the recorder of the history, Linus Townsend, assures that nevertheless the subject matter contained are veritable and well supported by the oral demonstrations of men of recognized veracity, by men who were neighbor of Rinebolt from 1772, until the time of his demise in 1815.
According to legend Stephen Rinebolt never married, and there is nothing to indicate that he laid out a farm area for himself, although he did have an orchard near his cabin. He lived to be 105 years old and is said to have been the first person buried in St. Andrews Cemetery (originally part of the Simon Hine property)
Hine Graveyard was also known as
St Andrew's Cemetery …
original St James Reformed and Lutheran Church Cemetery
(Info from Happy Birthday USA from Avonmore, Pa as we celebrate our 13th Annual Jubilee.. from the Greensburg, Pa. Historical Society)
Unmarked Grave
Some say he is
some say he isn't,
buried in Hines Cemetery.
Stephen Rinebolt was born in Amsterdam, Holland in 1710, son of a prominent family there. At the age of 24 he had become a victim of his and his family's involvement in the political affairs of the country. Together he and his family planned his escape. It was agreed Stephen should seek land and shelter in the new British colonies, a land they knew offered both religious and political freedom.
The ship on which young Rinebolt traveled landed in the port of Philadelphia in 1734 and he, not wanting to waste time before the onset of winter, and to his good fortune, immediately set out for the West after obtaining from the Penn family an unlimited grant of land he had hoped for, to be located west of the Allegheny Mountain.
For him it held much promise - a sizable grant of several hundred acres in an area of his own choice - but on the other side of the mountains. Determined, he set out alone, slowly trudging westward and somehow developing skills of survival. After traveling over 300 miles on foot with only the tools and supplies that he could carry on his back, he came to the Kiskiminetas Valley where Avonmore is now located. Here he surveyed his claim of over 2,000 acres of unusually fertile land and set about building a log cabin about one half mile west of the present town of Avonmore. He also planted fruit and vegetable seeds that he had brought with him from Holland. It was typically wooded Pennsylvania land, dense forest areas, where no white person had ever settled. Nearby, a little further up the river, Indians had established some villages. It was virgin country and Stephen Rinebolt liked it. Snug against a hillside (somewhat south of the old tunnel) he built himself a shelter. Thus he became the very first white person to make his home in this area, perhaps even the first in all of southwestern Pennsylvania.
For some 20 years Rinebolt lived alone, visited occasionally by friendly Indians, a dog his only companion. From the seeds he planted which he had brought with him, he grew the food that sustained him physically.
1756 Rinebolt returned to Holland in the hope that conditions might be better than when he had left but obviously his political past still pursued him.
The next year he returned to the British colony of Pennsylvania. To make life more pleasant for himself, he offered to share his land grant with 10 families of relatives and friends, promising each a good portion, bringing ten families of friends and relative with him from Holland he promised to divide his land among them. The name of these families were Bash, Frick, Hine, Huff, Kunkle, Learn, Ringle, Rumbaugh, Taylor, Ulam. Although a few of these families may have accompanied Rinebolt westward to his settlement, the majority of them settled in Monroe, then Northampton County. Then in the 1780's some of their members came to the Upper Kiskiminetas Valley and acquired the portions of land promised to them.
Stephen was a big man, being nearly seven feet tall, and at the time of his coming to America weighed about 250 pounds. He had a pleasing personality but also possessed a fiery temper. The Indians, by which he was surrounded for many a year, as well as white settlers of his time, looked upon him with fear and trembling, as all Indians and white people without exception believed he was his protection from the treachery of the Indians, his only friends for years, who when they approached him which they were in the habit of doing, brought him meat and peace offerings. Those visits and approaches were frequent and accomplished with awe and reverence.
Athough the events surrounding the Stephen Rinebolt story may seem incredible, the local historian and pet and likewise the recorder of the history, Linus Townsend, assures that nevertheless the subject matter contained are veritable and well supported by the oral demonstrations of men of recognized veracity, by men who were neighbor of Rinebolt from 1772, until the time of his demise in 1815.
According to legend Stephen Rinebolt never married, and there is nothing to indicate that he laid out a farm area for himself, although he did have an orchard near his cabin. He lived to be 105 years old and is said to have been the first person buried in St. Andrews Cemetery (originally part of the Simon Hine property)
Hine Graveyard was also known as
St Andrew's Cemetery …
original St James Reformed and Lutheran Church Cemetery
(Info from Happy Birthday USA from Avonmore, Pa as we celebrate our 13th Annual Jubilee.. from the Greensburg, Pa. Historical Society)
Stephen Rybolt/Rinebolt
Unmarked Grave
Some say he is
some say he isn't,
buried in Hines Cemetery.
Stephen Rinebolt was born in Amsterdam, Holland in 1710, son of a prominent family there. At the age of 24 he had become a victim of his and his family's involvement in the political affairs of the country. Together he and his family planned his escape. It was agreed Stephen should seek land and shelter in the new British colonies, a land they knew offered both religious and political freedom.
The ship on which young Rinebolt traveled landed in the port of Philadelphia in 1734 and he, not wanting to waste time before the onset of winter, and to his good fortune, immediately set out for the West after obtaining from the Penn family an unlimited grant of land he had hoped for, to be located west of the Allegheny Mountain.
For him it held much promise - a sizable grant of several hundred acres in an area of his own choice - but on the other side of the mountains. Determined, he set out alone, slowly trudging westward and somehow developing skills of survival. After traveling over 300 miles on foot with only the tools and supplies that he could carry on his back, he came to the Kiskiminetas Valley where Avonmore is now located. Here he surveyed his claim of over 2,000 acres of unusually fertile land and set about building a log cabin about one half mile west of the present town of Avonmore. He also planted fruit and vegetable seeds that he had brought with him from Holland. It was typically wooded Pennsylvania land, dense forest areas, where no white person had ever settled. Nearby, a little further up the river, Indians had established some villages. It was virgin country and Stephen Rinebolt liked it. Snug against a hillside (somewhat south of the old tunnel) he built himself a shelter. Thus he became the very first white person to make his home in this area, perhaps even the first in all of southwestern Pennsylvania.
For some 20 years Rinebolt lived alone, visited occasionally by friendly Indians, a dog his only companion. From the seeds he planted which he had brought with him, he grew the food that sustained him physically.
1756 Rinebolt returned to Holland in the hope that conditions might be better than when he had left but obviously his political past still pursued him.
The next year he returned to the British colony of Pennsylvania. To make life more pleasant for himself, he offered to share his land grant with 10 families of relatives and friends, promising each a good portion, bringing ten families of friends and relative with him from Holland he promised to divide his land among them. The name of these families were Bash, Frick, Hine, Huff, Kunkle, Learn, Ringle, Rumbaugh, Taylor, Ulam. Although a few of these families may have accompanied Rinebolt westward to his settlement, the majority of them settled in Monroe, then Northampton County. Then in the 1780's some of their members came to the Upper Kiskiminetas Valley and acquired the portions of land promised to them.
Stephen was a big man, being nearly seven feet tall, and at the time of his coming to America weighed about 250 pounds. He had a pleasing personality but also possessed a fiery temper. The Indians, by which he was surrounded for many a year, as well as white settlers of his time, looked upon him with fear and trembling, as all Indians and white people without exception believed he was his protection from the treachery of the Indians, his only friends for years, who when they approached him which they were in the habit of doing, brought him meat and peace offerings. Those visits and approaches were frequent and accomplished with awe and reverence.
Athough the events surrounding the Stephen Rinebolt story may seem incredible, the local historian and pet and likewise the recorder of the history, Linus Townsend, assures that nevertheless the subject matter contained are veritable and well supported by the oral demonstrations of men of recognized veracity, by men who were neighbor of Rinebolt from 1772, until the time of his demise in 1815.
According to legend Stephen Rinebolt never married, and there is nothing to indicate that he laid out a farm area for himself, although he did have an orchard near his cabin. He lived to be 105 years old and is said to have been the first person buried in St. Andrews Cemetery (originally part of the Simon Hine property)
Hine Graveyard was also known as
St Andrew's Cemetery …
original St James Reformed and Lutheran Church Cemetery
(Info from Happy Birthday USA from Avonmore, Pa as we celebrate our 13th Annual Jubilee.. from the Greensburg, Pa. Historical Society)
Unmarked Grave
Some say he is
some say he isn't,
buried in Hines Cemetery.
Stephen Rinebolt was born in Amsterdam, Holland in 1710, son of a prominent family there. At the age of 24 he had become a victim of his and his family's involvement in the political affairs of the country. Together he and his family planned his escape. It was agreed Stephen should seek land and shelter in the new British colonies, a land they knew offered both religious and political freedom.
The ship on which young Rinebolt traveled landed in the port of Philadelphia in 1734 and he, not wanting to waste time before the onset of winter, and to his good fortune, immediately set out for the West after obtaining from the Penn family an unlimited grant of land he had hoped for, to be located west of the Allegheny Mountain.
For him it held much promise - a sizable grant of several hundred acres in an area of his own choice - but on the other side of the mountains. Determined, he set out alone, slowly trudging westward and somehow developing skills of survival. After traveling over 300 miles on foot with only the tools and supplies that he could carry on his back, he came to the Kiskiminetas Valley where Avonmore is now located. Here he surveyed his claim of over 2,000 acres of unusually fertile land and set about building a log cabin about one half mile west of the present town of Avonmore. He also planted fruit and vegetable seeds that he had brought with him from Holland. It was typically wooded Pennsylvania land, dense forest areas, where no white person had ever settled. Nearby, a little further up the river, Indians had established some villages. It was virgin country and Stephen Rinebolt liked it. Snug against a hillside (somewhat south of the old tunnel) he built himself a shelter. Thus he became the very first white person to make his home in this area, perhaps even the first in all of southwestern Pennsylvania.
For some 20 years Rinebolt lived alone, visited occasionally by friendly Indians, a dog his only companion. From the seeds he planted which he had brought with him, he grew the food that sustained him physically.
1756 Rinebolt returned to Holland in the hope that conditions might be better than when he had left but obviously his political past still pursued him.
The next year he returned to the British colony of Pennsylvania. To make life more pleasant for himself, he offered to share his land grant with 10 families of relatives and friends, promising each a good portion, bringing ten families of friends and relative with him from Holland he promised to divide his land among them. The name of these families were Bash, Frick, Hine, Huff, Kunkle, Learn, Ringle, Rumbaugh, Taylor, Ulam. Although a few of these families may have accompanied Rinebolt westward to his settlement, the majority of them settled in Monroe, then Northampton County. Then in the 1780's some of their members came to the Upper Kiskiminetas Valley and acquired the portions of land promised to them.
Stephen was a big man, being nearly seven feet tall, and at the time of his coming to America weighed about 250 pounds. He had a pleasing personality but also possessed a fiery temper. The Indians, by which he was surrounded for many a year, as well as white settlers of his time, looked upon him with fear and trembling, as all Indians and white people without exception believed he was his protection from the treachery of the Indians, his only friends for years, who when they approached him which they were in the habit of doing, brought him meat and peace offerings. Those visits and approaches were frequent and accomplished with awe and reverence.
Athough the events surrounding the Stephen Rinebolt story may seem incredible, the local historian and pet and likewise the recorder of the history, Linus Townsend, assures that nevertheless the subject matter contained are veritable and well supported by the oral demonstrations of men of recognized veracity, by men who were neighbor of Rinebolt from 1772, until the time of his demise in 1815.
According to legend Stephen Rinebolt never married, and there is nothing to indicate that he laid out a farm area for himself, although he did have an orchard near his cabin. He lived to be 105 years old and is said to have been the first person buried in St. Andrews Cemetery (originally part of the Simon Hine property)
Hine Graveyard was also known as
St Andrew's Cemetery …
original St James Reformed and Lutheran Church Cemetery
(Info from Happy Birthday USA from Avonmore, Pa as we celebrate our 13th Annual Jubilee.. from the Greensburg, Pa. Historical Society)
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