If, as it appears, David & Christina had only two children, John W. and Barbara, then presumably Henry's father was John W., who would appear to have been missed in the censuses in 1870 and 1880 (along with other kin known to have survived) and to have died before the 1900 census.

1.  Marriage Record:

2.  1850 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  David PURSINGER (æ 26, b. OH) and wife Christena (æ 22, b. VA) are living in Union Twp., Johnson Co., IN (p. 44A), with their daughter, Barbary E. PURSINGER (æ 7/12, b. IN).

3.  1860 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  David PERSINGER (æ 37, b. OH) and wife Christeena (æ 32, b. VA) are living in Green Twp., Morgan Co., IN (p. 673), with two children: Barbary E. PERSINGER (æ 10, b. IN) and John W. PERSINGER (æ 7, b. IN — John's middle initial is clearly "W").

4.  1870 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  can't find.

5.  1880 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  David PERSINGER (æ 56, b. OH/VA/VA) and wife Chritene (æ 53, b. VA/VA/VA) are living in Sugar Ridge, Clay Co., IN (p. 524C), with the PRESNELL family.  Can't find son, John, and I did page-by-page searches of Sugar Ridge Twp. and Harrison Twp., Clay Co., IN; nor can I find his sister, Barbara, who is now married to John EVERWINE and should be in Clay County.

6.  1890 Census:  the 1890 Census Population Schedules were destroyed.

7.  1900 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  Henry E. PERSINGER (b. Oct 1893, IN/IN/IN) is living in Harrison Twp., Clay Co., IN (p. 127A), with his grandparents, David W? PERSINGER (b. Feb 1824, OH/VA/VA) and Christina (b. Jan 1828, VA/VA/VA), and their granddaughter (presumably Henry's sister), Anna A. PERSINGER (b. May 1883, IN/IN/IN).  David's middle initial may be "W," but it might not be — this is the year the stupid, incompetent jackasses at NARA vandalized the census by scribbling numbers over the given names of the heads-of-households.  John & Barbara (PERSINGER) EVERWINE are also in Harrison Township.

8.  1910 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  Henry PERSINGER (æ 16, b. IN/KY/KY — indexed "Perringer") is living in Perry Twp., Clay Co., IN (p. 70A), as "hired man" with the HAIT family.

9.  1920 Census Every-Name-Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com):  can't find.

10.  1930 Census Index/Images (online at Ancestry.com, Image #17 of 23):  Jeffers Road, Perry Twp., Clay Co., IN, Roll 581, p. 195A, SN 9A, ED 11-16, SD 7, enumerated 23 Apr 1930, official enumeration date 1 Apr 1930 (extracted by Diana Gale Matthiesen):¤-

1930:  for an explanation of the column headings, please see What the Numbers in the Federal Census Mean (missing columns contained no data).

1

3

4

5

6

7

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

24

25

26

27

30

32

*

202

202

Persinger Henry E

Head

O

Y

M

W

38

M

32

N

Y

IN

IN

IN

Y

Farmer

General Farm

O

N

186

_________ Mary E

Wife

F

W

42

M

18

N

Y

IN

IN

IN

Y

none

Stroup Rubby R

Step-Dau

F

W

17

S

Y

Y

IN

IL

IN

Y

none

______ Dolly F

Step-Dau

F

W

15

S

Y

Y

IN

IL

IN

Y

none

______ William A

Step-Son

M

W

13

S

Y

Y

IN

IL

IN

Y

none

______ Marry E

Step-Dau

F

W

11

S

Y

Y

IN

IL

IN

Y

none

______ Sarah E

Dau

F

W

3 ?/12

S

Y

IN

IN

IN

none

*Jeffers Road

Sarah should be surnamd PERSINGER.

11.  LDS.  Family Search: Internet Genealogy Service: Pedigree Resource File (index to CDs, online at FamilySearch.org).

12.  WorldConnect / Ancestry World Trees (online at RootsWeb.com/Ancestry.com).  Files there give John W. PERSINGER middle initial "M"; no wife or children named.

13.  Messages posted to the Persinger Family Genealogy Forum (online at GenForum.com).