ABOUT PETER BRINER

                 The earliest known ancestor of a certain group of people with the last name, BRINER or BRYNER, is Peter Briner. It is estimated that he lived from approximately 1750 to 1823. He first appeared in Fayette County, Pennsylvania at the time of the first United States Census of 1790. The census taker listed “Peter Brinner: as the head of the family. There were four (4) males and four (4) females listed to Peter Briner in addition to himself. The census taker listed the Peter Brunner Family in the same census just before the listing for the Peter Briner Family.

                  The next mention of Peter Briner was entry #12 of the U.S. Direct Tax of 1798 for Wharton Township, Fayette County, PA (Microcopy #372, Roll 23). This document recorded taxation of Peter Briner’s land and other property of value. He had 320 acres along with the following:

Peter Briner  1-House 24’x26’ ……….Peter Briner, Owner.

John Briner 1-Cabin 12’x14’ ……….Peter Briner, Owner.

Andrew Briner 1-Cabin 16’x18’……….Peter Briner, Owner.

William Kook 1-Cabin 15’x14’……….Peter Briner, Owner.

In addition: 1 – Barn & 2 – Stables

              Peter’s immediate neighbors were Paul Shull and Christian Wireman. Entry #13 of the same tax document was for Peter “Bruner” for 400 acres. The location of this property was elsewhere. The neighbors were Philip Kook and Henry Beeson. The “1798 Tax” document confirms the existence of the Briner, Brunner and Kook families in Wharton Township.

              In the 1800, U.S. Census for Wharton Township there was a listing for the "Peter Prinor” family followed by the Andrew “Prinor” family. It is believed that, these listings were for the Peter Briner and Andrew Briner families. Peter now had two boys between 10 and 16 years of age and one son between 16 and 26 years of age; Peter was over 45 years of age. There was one daughter between 10 and 16 and a woman over 45 years of age. The older woman is believed to be Peter’s wife, Catherine.

              In the 1810 Census for Wharton Township, there were listings for the John “Briner,” Peter "Briner,” and Andrew “Briner” families. In the Peter Briner family there was one boy (approx. 23 years), believed to be George Briner (b. 1787), one young girl (approx. 20 years), believed to be Catherine Briner (b. 1790) and one older woman (over 45 years), believed to be wife Catherine Briner (b. ~1750) living with Peter Briner.

              In the 1816 Property Tax Roll for Wharton Township, there were listings for "Peter, George, John and Andrew Briner.”  Except for George, who was listed as a laborer, all were farmers owning land. The total land they owned amounted to 295 acres.

              In the 1817 Property Tax Roll, there were listings for only "John and Andrew Briner.” The Peter and George Briner families were missing from the tax list. In subsequent years they never again appeared in Fayette County. We know from other sources that in 1816 they left Pennsylvania for Kentucky and Indiana where they remained for the remainder of their lives.

              Starting in the Wharton Township 1823 Tax, Peter Briner property as "Unseated.” This means he was not on what was now 228 acres; nor was anyone else (but the property still was owned by the estate of Peter
Briner.) As was learned later, Peter may have died in 1823. The “Unseated” statement showed up in each yearly Wharton Township tax until 1829, when a person named Joseph Price took over the 228 acres of land, “As Seated.”

               In the 1820 Census  for Orange County, Indiana, the Peter Briner and George Briner families appeared in
Paoli Township. A Peter Briner family was also living in Grassy-Fork Township of Jackson County, Indiana. Another Peter Briner and one young woman was also living in Floyd County, Indiana. It is believed that Peter Briner is and possibly his oldest daughter, Elizabeth, were in Floyd County in 1820 to apply for his first land patent at the U.S. Patent Office in New Albany, Indiana. This Peter Briner in Jackson and Floyd County are believed to be Peter Briner Senior’s (b. 1750) son Peter Briner Junior (b. ~1770).