From A
Biographical History of Central Kansas, Vol. I, p. 526
published by The Lewis Publishing Co, Chicago & New York, 1902
GEORGE W. GINTER
In Wilson township there is a highly improved farm of three hundred and twenty acres which is the property of George W Ginter, one of the well known, intelligent and enterprising agriculturists of Rice county. He came here in 1866 and has since made his home in this portion of the state. He was born in Atlanta, Blair county, Pennsylvania, February 22, 1847. His father, Jonathan Ginter, was born in the same county and was of German lineage. He was reared upon a farm in the place of his nativity, and later arriving at years of maturity he was there married to Sarah Yingling, who was born in Blair county, where her girlhood days were passed. Mr and Mrs Ginter became the parents of five children: David was a soldier in the First Pennsylvania Bucktails, a regiment that made a most gallant record for brave service in the Civil war. He is now living in Herington, Kansas. George W is the next of the family, and the younger children are Mrs Anna Smith, Solomon and Samuel. The father of this family died when George W was only eleven years of age and the mother afterward married again, becoming the wife of a Mr Grumbling, by whom she had four children, namely: Charles, Alice, John and Lucy. The mother departed this life at the age of fifty-five years. She was a member of the Baptist church, and her many excellent qualities of heart and mind won her the esteem and regard of all who knew her.
George W Ginter was reared in Blair county, Pennsylvania, upon a farm, and received his education in the schools of the neighborhood. During the war he enlisted, in August, 1861, in response to President Lincoln’s call for three hundred thousand men, in the Seventy-eighth Pennsylvania Infantry, as a member of Company D. He was under command of Captain R H McCormick and Colonel William Sirwell. He participated in the battle of Green River, Kentucky, and was with the Army of the Cumberland at Stone River and at Dug Gap. He was also in the battle of Chickamauga and the Atlanta campaign with Sherman’s army, including the battle of Kenesaw Mountain and the siege of Atlanta. He likewise took part in many skirmishes and lesser engagements, but though often in the thickest of the fight he escaped serious injury. He was honorably discharged with a good military record at Kittanning, Pennsylvania, on November 4, 1864.
Not long after this Mr Ginter went to Lawrence county, Ohio, and secured a situation in the furnace works, where he remained for a number of years. In 1878 he came to the west on a prospecting tour, looking over the country, and then returned to the east. Prior to again coming to Kansas he sought and won as a companion and helpmate for the journey of life Miss Binie Norman, a lady of intelligence and a representative of one of the good families of Gallia county, Ohio. Her father, William Norman, was a resident of that locality, where he followed farming pursuits. He married Maria Parkins, who was born in Virginia, a representative of one of the old and highly respected families of that state. This worthy couple became the parents of seven children, three now living, namely: Mrs Nora Edwards, of Gallia county, Ohio; Mrs Emma Bartles, also of the Buckeye state; and Mrs Ginter, the honored wife of our subject. Those who have passed away are Elizabeth, Mrs Elva Smith, Paulina and one who died in infancy. The father departed this life at the age of forty-four years. He had made farming his chief pursuit, and by his energy and diligence in that line of labor he provided a comfortable living for his family. In politics he was a Democrat and in religious faith was a Methodist. His widow belongs to the same church. She still survives her husband and is now living in Gallia county, Ohio, at the age of seventy years. The marriage of our subject and his wife was celebrated on the 1st of January, 1879, and they began their domestic life in the Buckeye state, where they remained until 1886, when they came to Rice county, Kansas. Mr Ginter now has a good farm of three hundred and twenty acres of rich land, upon which he has made excellent improvements, including the erection of a house and barn and the planting of groves and orchards. His pastures and cultivated fields are in good condition, and through his efforts in raising grain and stock he is winning a comfortable competence.
The home of Mr and Mrs Ginter has been blessed with three children: Ollie, Garfield, who is now a student in Cooper College; and Clare. The children are being provided with good educational privileges, for the parents realize the value of mental discipline as a preparation for life’s work. Mrs Ginter is a member of the Methodist church, and Mr Ginter is a man of sterling worth, whose word is as good as his bond. The family is one honored and esteemed throughout the community, and upon the battlefields of the south, in business life and in social circles Mr Ginter has made for himself an enviable record.