Author: Gerald Gieger
Johannes Axline was born on September 19, 1739 in Loudoun County, Virginia; He was the third son of Georg Christoff Öechslen and his wife Catarina. These Palatines emigrated from Alsace, Deutschland. Christoff signed the Oath of Allegiance upon arrival at Philadelphia on October 7, 1727 aboard the English ship “Adventure,” with John Davies as Master. It is believed that he was unmarried at the time, but his father and perhaps his grandfather also, had served in the Prussian Army of Friedrich Wilhelm I. It is noteworthy that the earliest record of the family was in Canton Schaffhausen before the migration to Alsace, making them Germanic-Swiss who had fled the Religious turmoil of the Seventeenth & Eighteenth Centuries. The Axline name is anglicized from Öchslen (with Umlaut) which the English Ship-Clerks and Royal scriveners had trouble with. Umlauts were often dropped and the names spelt as they sounded to the untrained ear. Therefore “AXLINE” in not recognized in Europe and virtually every person with that surname in the Western World is descended from Johannes Axline. This is because the names of his two older brothers Adam (b1733) and Georg (b1735), were anglicized as “Exline.” Johannes had an older sister born ca.1737, who married Leonhard Herringer, but her given name is unknown.

Some of Johannes’ childhood may have been in PA however he is found in VA in 1771 where he married Christena Mertz/Martz (b1750), the stepdaughter of his eldest brother, Adam.

During the Revolutionary War, Johannes spent much of his time in hiding. Johannes Axline served in the Revolutionary war as a Private under Lt. Col. Posey in the Company of the 3rd. Regiment with his name spelled "John ExIine." He was a powder maker - Sodium Nitrate (Salt-Peter), or Niter - and made vast quantities for the Troops of General Washington. Because of this, the British Redcoats and Tories harassed his wife and children, desiring to hang him with a rope. His wife, Christina, kept a diary in which she detailed the mistreatment. One of her quotes noted "Everything is in confusion around me. Since John (Johannes) made the last gunpowder, the British have confiscated everything we have." Johannes would serve for a time, then go home to make gunpowder, before rejoining the fighting. On September 14, 1784 a certificate for the sum of 16 pounds, 19 shillings was issued to John Exline (Johannes Axline) in payment for his services.

Johannes and Christina had ten identified children: David Axline (b1772); Johannes Axline, II (b1774); Scharlotte Axline (b1776); Elizabeth Axline (b1780); Jacob Axline (b1782); Daniel Axline (b1784); Catharine Axline (b1786); Philip Henry Axline (b1788); John Axline (b1792); and Anna Marie Axline (b1798)

The Will of Johannes (John) Axline is recorded in Will Book "U", Folio 299, Leesburg, Virginia.

Johannes Axline died on February 19, 1833 in Lovettsville, VA. Christena (Mertz/Martz) Axline died on April 16, 1828. Both are buried in New Jerusalem Cemetery at Lovettsville, VA. In 1974, The Daughters of the American Revolution marked his grave with a bronze plaque.


References:

GENEALOGY of the EXLINE & AXLINE FAMILY, by Thoesen, et al, UMI Books, Dallas 1952
BRITANNICA Online Encyclopedia
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