The following summary was written by me based on information researched by my grandfather, Donald Cameron Rininger Sr. of Somerset, PA and recorded in his 1978 book entitled, "The Reininger/Rininger Ancestry" which is available by contacting me at my email address listed below.

The Renninger/Reininger/Rininger family emigrated to the port of Philadelphia from Wurtemburg, Germany in 1750 seeking land granted to them by John Penn, the grandson of William Penn. The promise of land to farm in Pennsylvania lured many German families to make the arduous voyage up the Rhine River and across the Atlantic ocean to America.

Frederick Rininger, grandson of German emigrant Hans George Renninger, married Sarah Bertha Barefoot, and settled in Paint Township, Somerset County in April 1830 and began farming and the carding of Woolens. His woolen mill stood on the right bank of Shade Creek opposite the log gristmill built by David Livingston in 1812. Frederick continued the trade of carding and cloth-dressing meeting with such success that he enlarged his mill, installed more machinery and continued its operation until his death.

One of Frederick's son's, William Rininger also continued the family tradition of carding and weaving by establishing a 3 story woolen mill at Kantner, Quemahoning Twnshp, Somerset Co. in 1884 after a ten year period of employment in William S. Morgan's Mills in Jennerstown. The Rininger Woolen Mill at Kantner was soon known far and wide for its fine quality of yarns, carpet, blankets, coverlets, flannels, skirting, cashmeres, and satinets. William's four boys actively involved themselves in the family business. This mill building still stands today and was recently rebuilt by Bill Sturtz after being used as a farm implement storage barn for Forrest Lohr's Kantner Implement Co. William Rininger had been enlisted in the union Army in D Company of Col. Robert P. Cummins' 142nd Pennsylvania Infantry Regiment, seeing action at Fredericksburg and Gettysburg where his Regt. faced Gen. Pickett's legendary Charge at "The bloody angle."

Ross M. Rininger, William's oldest son, eventually took over the Woolen Mill when William became interested in farming the John Mong property which he bought in 1899. The Mong farm was the site of what was then known as the "Mong School" or "School #9" at Sprucetown/ Kantner in Quemahoning Township. Ross Rininger eventually built his concrete block house directly across the street from this old one-room schoolhouse where he and his wife, Myrtle May Specht, attended grade school. Part of the The Mong School still stands and is part of a garage now owned by Floyd Berkebile.

Ross Rininger attended Law School at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and eventually became a Justice of the Peace for Quemahoning Township, Somerset Co. in 1900. He continued the management of the Rininger Woolen mill but this became a side issue as his law practice increased. In the fall of 1906, his wife's father, Josiah Specht was elected to serve as Somerset Co. Commissioner for a 4 year term. Ross became the Chief Clerk under his father-in-law. Josiah Specht also was the proprieter of the Specht Mill and Grocery Store at Kantner which was located on the Stony Creek River by the old Iron Bridge. The Specht Store burned at least three times as recorded in period newspapers and had to be re-built.

Ross and his siblings formed a partnership and operated the Rininger Brothers Coal Company in Kantner near the Rininger Woolen Mill during World War I. Later, they leased their holdings to Daniel B. Specht who improved operations and opened new seams of coal, building a narrow gauge railroad to an improved loading dock and shipped the coal by the B&O railroad through Stoystown, PA. The Coal Co. passed to the Bowman Fuel Co. on a royalty basis until the B and C seams of coal were exhausted.