First Families of Orangeburgh District, South Carolina
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FUNCHESS (FUNTIUS, FONTIUS)
1. JOHANN VALENTIN FUNTIUS[2], a son of HANS HEINRICH FUNTIUS and ANNA CATHARINA ____, was baptized 8 May 1700 in Dossenheim, Baden, Germany[2]. He married ANNA CATHARINA HERDEL, a daughter of HANS ADAM HERDEL and SYBILLE RUMMER[15], abt 1724. Johann Valentin died of a fever (hitzigam krankheit) 3 Sep 1749, aged 49 years, 5 months, and 29 days in Dossenheim, Baden, Germany[2]. Anna Catharina died near Cattle Creek in Orangeburgh District, South Carolina, about 1786[15].
Anna Catharina (Herdel) Funtius, the widow of Johann Valentin Funtius, and eight of her children left Dossengeim 9 May 1752 bound for Carolina[3]. Eleven other families from Dossenheim left on the same date[3]. These twelve families probably traveled as a group down the Rhine to Rotterdam.
Anna Catharina and her children sailed from Rotterdam on the ship Cunliffe, arriving in Charleston in September 1752[4]. At least a half-dozen of the eleven other families from Dossenheim arrived with her[3,4].
Catharina Foutchisen petitioned for 350 acres and bounty 7 Nov 1752. She stated that she arrived on the Cunlif and listed six children: Swella aged 23, Elizabeta 18, Cahherin 21, Adam 16, Pastean [Sebastian] 12, and Eliza'th 4 [4]. Her plat for 350 acres was recorded on 30 Aug 1753[5] and the grant was issued on 3 Sep 1754.
Anna Catharina is mentioned three times in The Book of Record as Suret in the baptisms.[13,14].
Children of Johann Valentin Fontius and Anna Catharina Herdel are:
a. HANS GEORG FUNTIUS, bapt. 13 Jul 1725 in Dossenheim, Baden, Germany[2]. He married ANNA CATHARINA ____, widow of Johann Leonhard Ochsner, on 23 Nov 1751 in Plankstadt, Baden, Germany[2]. Did not emigrate[3].
The wedding record for Hans Georg notes that he is the son of the late Joh. Valentin Fontius. His bride, Anna Catharina, is the widow of Johann Leonhard Ochsner from Plankstadt[2].
b. MARIA EVA FUNTIUS, bapt. 22 Oct 1727 in Dossenheim, Baden, Germany[2].
Maria Eva does not appear to have arrived in Carolina with her mother and Siblings. The death records from Dossenheim are missing from 1726 to 1732 so she may have died young. Another possibility is that she married or died on the journey.
c. SYBILLA FUNTIUS, bapt. 23 Jun 1730 in Dossenheim, Baden, Germany[2], died after 1753 in Carolina[4,13,14].
Mentioned in The Book of Record as Suret in the baptism of Zibilla Ziegler 26 Dec 1753[13,14].
d. SUSANNA ELISABETH FONTIUS, b. 27 Jan 1733, bapt. 30 Jan 1733 in Dossenheim, Baden, Germany[2]. She married Col. John Gressett[15].
Mentioned in The Book of Record as Suret in the baptism of William Mitchel 29 May 1757[13,14].
e. MARIA CATHARINA FONTIUS, b. 11 Nov 1735, bapt. 14 Nov 1735 in Dossenheim, Baden, Germany[2], arrived in Carolina[4].
f. JOHANN ADAM FONTIUS, b. 2 Jun 1738, bapt. 4 Jun 1738 in Dossenheim, Baden, Germany[2], died after 1765 in Carolina[4,9].
Hans Adam Fontes petitioned for 100 acres "On the Bounty" on 7 Aug 1764[4]. A plat for 100 acres in St. Georges Parish for Hans Adam Fonteus was recorded on 21 Dec 1764[7] and the grant was issued on 21 Jun 1765[8]. Hans Adam's memorial for the same land was recorded on 15 Jul 1765[9]
g. SEBASTIAN FONTIUS, b. 7 Jan 1741, bapt. 9 Jan 1741 in Dossenheim, Baden, Germany[2] and died after 1773 in Carolina[4,12]. He married Susanna Waber (Weaver)[15].
A plat for 300 acres of land on the Pon Pon [Edisto] River for Sebastian Funtious was recorded on 3 Oct 1772[10] and the grant was issuede on 2 Apr 1773[11]. Sebastian's memorial for the same land was recorded on 6 Aug 1773[12].
h. JEREMIAH FONTIUS, b. 11 Jun 1745, bapt. 14 Jun 1745 in Dossenheim, Baden, Germany[2].
Jeremiah did not arrive in Carolina with his mother and siblings and he does not appear in the death records from Dossenheim. Possibly he died on the journey.
i. ELISABETHA CATHARINA FONTIUS, b. 22 Apr 1748, bapt. 24 Apr 1748 in Dossenheim, Baden, Germany[2], arrived in Carolina[4].
Research Notes:
Yoder says that Johann Fontius left Dossenheim with his wife and eight children but Johann had been dead for over two years before Anna Catharina and the children departed.
Johannes Fontius, born 1700, and his wife Anna Catharina,went, with all eight of her children, with the exception of the oldest, Johann Georg, to Carolina, May 9, 1752, ten persons.[3].
Hacker says that Johann and family were accompanied by the widow of Valentin Fontius, but Johann Valentin is dead and it is his widow who is taking the family to Carolina.
FONTIUS VALENTIN'S WIDO DOSSENHEIM 1752 A IX0488
FONTIUS W 8CH 10P JOHANN DOSSENHEIM 1752 A IX0487[1]
It may seem unusual that a widow would take her children on such a dangerous journey but conditions in Dossenheim were very bad. There was rampaging illness, poor crops, a heavy tax burden and the population was in great despair[3]. Several of the twelve emigrant families of 9 May 1752 were headed by widows[3].
REFERENCES:
1. Werner Hacker. Eighteenth Century Register of Emigrants from Southwest Germany, 1994
2. Evangelische Kirch Dossenheim (A. Heidelburg), "Kirchenbuch, 1695-1962", FHL INTL Film #1192196 Items 5-7.
3. Don Yoder. Rhineland Immigrants: Lists of German Settlers in Colonial America, 1981.
4. Brent Holcomb. Petitions for land from the South Carolina Council Journals, Vol. III : 1752-1753, 1997, pp. 84,85.
5. SC Archives, Colonial Plats (Tentchinson, Katherine), Ser. S213184, Vol. 0011, Pg. 00566, Itm. 02.
6. SC Archives, Colonial Grants (Twinchinson, Anthony), Ser. S213019, Vol. 0006, Pg. 00105.
7. SC Archives, Colonial Plats (Fonteus, Hans Adam), Ser. S213184, Vol. 0008, Pg. 00304, Itm. 02.
8. SC Archives, Colonial Grants (Fonteus, Hans Adam), Ser. S213019, Vol. 0012, Pg. 00369.
9. SC Archives, Memorials (Fonteus, Hans Adam), Ser. S111001, Vol. 0006, Pg. 00503, Itm. 03.
10. SC Archives, Colonial Plats (Funtious, Sebastian), Ser.: S213184, Vol. 0015, Pg. 00236, Itm. 01.
11. SC Archives, Colonial Grants (Funtius, Sebastian), Ser. S213019, Vol. 0029, Pg. 00018.
12. SC Archives, Memorials (Funtious, Sebastian), Ser. S111001, Vol. 0012, Pg. 00350, Itm. 02.
13. Joop Giesendanner, "The Book of Record, Orangeburgh, SC". http://www.xs4all.nl/~sail/.
14. A. S. Salley, The History of Orangeburg County, South Carolina, p.142.
15. Bill R. Linder, "Johann Valentin Funtius of Dossenheim, Germany", date unknown. Provided by Joop Giesendanner, Personal Communication, 19 Jan 2006.
Other references to this surname are found in OSGSG Newsletters: Vol. 1, p. 80, 93; Vol. 2, p. 97, 141, 151; Vol. 3, p. 8, 9, 37, 49; Vol. 4, p. 21, 23, 31; Vol. 6, p. 3, 13, 14, 28, 67; Vol. 10, p. 74.
Information provided by Jim Rickenbacker 1/27/06.