John Geissinger Jr was born in Upper Saucon township, a son of John and Anna Landes Geissinger. As a boy, John Jr must have known how much his family had contributed to the state of Pennsylvania. He knew his grandfather Philip Geissinger had emigrated from Germany to observe religious freedom & had helped Saucon become a township. Through a reduced sale & donation from his grandfather, the Evangelical/ Lutheran congregation received several acres of his property for a church. As a boy, he watched as a Company of men came to seize all of the possessions of his family and the families of his Uncle Abraham & Uncle Henry because they were Mennonites who refused to takes Oaths of Allegiance to the state of Pennsylvania because taking an oath was against their religious beliefs. He likely watched as their homesteads were stripped bare and then everything was sold at public auction. He then had to sleep on the floor with no bedding wondering if the state would follow through with banishing his father from the state because he would not take the required Oath. After this trauma to the family both John Jr and his father served in the Revolutionary War.

John Geissinger served two enlistments in 1777, one of six months and one of three months in a company commanded by Laphauiah Lott, Captain, and by Kirkbride, and Beyers, regimental Commanders

John's Geissinger Jr's 1830 census lists him as a veteran. The Pension Committee confirmed his service record but denied his pension application 8/14/1837. In the end, John's military service got some of the recognition his family had paid so dearly for. John and others service records were recognized and through Act # 31 the Pennsylvania Senate & House of representatives overroad the Governor's objections to the earned pensions by the needed 2/3 vote on Apr 10th & 11th, 1838. Ad Act for the relief of soldiers & widows was passed naming each recipient specifically in the bill. The State Treasure was required to pay John Geissinger & others forty dollars immediately, as a gratuity, and an annuity of forty dollars to each during life to commence back to 1 Jan 1838. (Source: Laws of Pa. Genealogical Data on usgwarchives.net) John Geissinger Jr died March of 1844 and was buried in McConnellstown Cemetery. His initial marker did not have dates but stated he was a soldier in the Revolution.

May 21, 1801, John Jr.married Hannah Sellers, of the same township of Northampton County. They were the parents of at least 4 children: Charles S., John, William and Hannah (wife of Solomon Raugh).

NOTE: SAR records have DOD as 11 Nov 1846 but John's wife Hannah renounced administering his estate on March 16, 1844.