[

                   JOHN STERNER
                    ?     1793

     Before detailing the pitifully little we know of The-
obald's oldest son, let us come back to Uncle Henry for a
moment.  Writing to my nephew John N. Sterner, he says -
"Your paternal grand-dad's grand-dad was John:  that man's
father was John."  Jack's paternal grandfather was, of
course Willard  J. (`Dadoo,' to you children) and his grand-
father was Abraham, not John.  It was John Jr. who was
Abraham's father and his father was indeed John - somehow
Uncle Henry got mixed up in his "greats" and, for a while,
caused me no end of confusion because I had not at the
time ever heard of this Abraham.  After all this Henry
does go on to say - "the last named (i.e., John Sr.) was one
of the soldiers in General Mühlenberg's Division of the
Revolutionary troops etc...."

     The entire Sterner family have always agreed that
John was a sergeant in Mühlenberg's outfit (originally a
regiment) but known to none was his Company.  I have no
reason to doubt this.  Mühlenberg's Regiment consisted of
"Pennsylvania Dutch" volunteers from the Shenandoa Valley
on up to the Allentown area.  It was an excellent outfit
and served at Chadd's Ford, Valley Forge, Monmouth, the
Storming of Stony Point and the Siege of Yorktown.

     After the War John, like his father, lived in North-
ampton County and was a farmer, doubtless working his fa-
ther's place.  We do not know his birth date nor when he
was married although we do know that her name was Marga-
ret and, at the time of his death, there were six survi-
ving children - John Jr., Elizabeth wife of Benjamin
Robertson, Jacob, Abraham, Margaret, and Joseph.  This
much is known because on January 6th 1794 John Sterner of
Allentown had recorded at Easton "a petition setting
forth that he is the oldest son of John Sterner who late-
ly died intestate." (Lehigh County History)

     Apparently he was in the Army Reserve for, from the

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                JOHN STERNER

Muster Rolls filed in the Pennsylvania Archives (Series V,
page 263) we find - "Muster Roll of Jacob Clader's Militia
Company, 2nd Class, 3rd Battalion of Northampton County...
JOHN STERNER - Days served bt Certificate 23; Time of En-
try April 14th 1782; Days served on the Frontier 40;
Total 63; when discharged, May 23rd 1782."  I don't recall
what emergency developed in 1782 which would have called
out oldsters like our John, but that's what the entry says.

     That is the sum total of my gleanings to date.  From
John Jr's petition it is safe to assume that he died late
in 1793.

     So we pass on to the next in line

                   John Sterner Jr.


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