Revolutionary War Soldiers Series: Remembering Anthony Sonner

By Waw-wil-a-way DAR and 
Southern Ohio Genealogical Society

Anthony Sonner was born Sept. 4 1760, near Strasburg, Frederick County, Va. and died Sept. 2, 1843 in Highland County, Ohio.

In this week’s column, we continue the life of yet another Revolutionary War soldier buried in Highland County whose name appears on the bronze plaque located on the south wall of the courthouse placed there in 1930 by the Waw-wil-a-way Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution.

Anthony T. Sonner was born Sept. 4, 1760 near Strasburg, Frederick Co., Va., the son of Johan Phillip Sonner and his wife, Christina Windle.  

In 1772, Shenandoah (Dunmore) County was established from Frederick; at that time, Anthony Sonner became a resident of the new county.

During the Revolutionary War, Anthony served as a private in the Virginia State Militia at three different intervals. In his second period, he only served one month before hiring a substitute to serve out the remaining two months of his service. He served four months in 1777 and three months in 1778, for a total of seven months service. At the time, he was living in Millerstown (Woodstock) in Shenandoah County.                                                                                     
Circa 1796, Anthony Sonner married Elizabeth Geeting. She was born Feb. 8, 1776, in Washington County, Md., the daughter of George Adam and Barbara Geeting.  Family tradition says they were married by the Rev. William Otterbein, founder of the United Brethren Church.         

Anthony and Elizabeth were the parents of seven known children: Ann, born in Woodstock, Shenandoah County, Va., married John Gibler (Kibler) in Highland County 1820-22; John Jacob Sonner, born 1797 in Woodstock, Shenandoah County, Va., married Christina Ambrose in Highland County in 1822 (she was the daughter of the Rev. William Hanby Ambrose and his wife, Susanna B. Crum, and the granddaughter of Christian Crum, Christina was born 1801 in Berkley County, Va., now West Virginia; George T. Sonner, born 1804 in Woodstock, Shenandoah County, Va., married Hannah Cailey, 1828, in Highland County; David Sonner, born 1806, in Woodstock, Shenandoah County, Va., married Elizabeth Barnes, 1836, in Highland County; his twin brother, Jonathan, died in infancy; William Sonner, born in Woodstock, Shenandoah County, Va., married 1835, Ann Cailey in Highland County; and Sarah Sonner, born 1817 Highland County, married the Rev. John Cailey, 1837, in Highland County.  
     
In the Shenandoah County deed records, we find Anthony purchasing several town lots in Woodstock at different intervals from 1792-1809. On Jan. 10, 1814, Anthony and Elizabeth sold a five-acre lot for 25 pounds and on Feb. 7, 1814, they sold two in-lots of one half acre each in the town of Woodstock for $725.  Shortly after, they left for Ohio.  

On Oct. 31, 1814, Isaac and Christina Collins conveyed 138 acres and 144 poles of land to Anthony Sonner. Anthony and his sons erected a grist and saw mill on this land known for many years as Sonner’s Mill.
      
Meetings held in the humble log house of Anthony and Elizabeth Sonner led to the establishment of the United Brethren Church known as Sonner’s Chapel. As the congregation saw the need for a more convenient place of worship, a blacksmith shop on the south bank of Whiteoak Creek, opposite the old Sonner mill, was transformed into a church. A cemetery was established about one-half mile from the church known as Sonner Cemetery.
     
In 1871, the present church was built about a quarter of a mile further south at the crossroads. In 1917, under the auspices of the Rev. Hoagwood – the old chapel was moved a distance of three miles, to East Danville (Winkle). The church is known as Sonner’s Chapel in honor of its founder, Anthony Sonner.

In 1968, at Dallas, Texas, the Methodist and Evangelical United Brethren churches merged forming the United Methodist Church.  Sonner’s Chapel was in this merger.
     
In the 1820 census, Anthony Sonner is listed in Concord Township. From 1821-40, he is listed in Whiteoak Township. In the list of Revolutionary War Pensioners, Anthony Sonner is listed in New Market Township, age 79 years.

In 1833, Anthony Sonner applied for and was granted a pension for services in the Revolutionary War. He received $23.33 per annum.
     
Anthony Sonner died Sept. 2, 1843, at the age of 82 years. He was buried in the Sonner Cemetery. Elizabeth died July 25, 1848, at the age of 72 years and rests beside her husband.