Revised 4/10/2017. Copyright @2017; The following Documentary Timeline has been compiled and created by Paul Rhetts. It may be copied for research purposes; but it may not be reproduced for inclusion in any printed or electronic distribution of any kind without the express written permission of the author. Any requests to use this information should be sent to Paul Rhetts, LPDPress@q.com.


Balthasar KOONTZ 1735-18?? m. 1756/1784 Catherine ? 1738-1821
s/o Georg Heinrich Koontz 1708-1796 & Anna Gertraut Falckenberg 1711-1761
d/o


Pugh’s or McNishes Run, Germany/VA??
Saumsville/Woodstock, Frederick
(1766)-Brock’s Gap,
Rockingham VA (1770s-1790s)-Greenbrier WV (1800s)
aka Balser, Balzer, Palser, Paulser, Balthzer, Baltzer, etc.
Counce, Kounse, Counts, Koontz, Kuhns, etc
His uncle was John Michael Koontz 1706-1777; s/o Heinrich 1708-1796; b/o Heinrich 1727-1822?

??1735 Oct 1 birth Frederick/Rockingham, VA (brother Henry was born in Frederick, VA

1753 Oct 29 payment by Joannes Vogler, Cooper, to [John] Funk Junr 18 pounds 10 sh. 1-1/2p. in regards to 315ac. Property in Cedar Creek, Little North Mountain, Frederick, VA; witnessed by Baltzer Cuntz (transcription from Cheryl Bloomfield)

??1756 marriage to Catherine ??

1757 Son Heinrich born Augusta, VA; listed as receiving confirmation and 1st communion by Pastor Carl Friederich Wildbahn at Strasburg Kirchenbuch; (Heinrich [Kunz] age 18 yrs 3 mos. along with brother Christian Kunz, age 16 yrs 6 mos) Page 227 (document transcription from Cheryl Bloomfield) [NOTE: This later was called St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Strasburg, VA; the list on page 227 says: “Anno 1776, the 22nd of September, 16th Sunday after Trinity. Holy communion was administered by Pfarrer Widbaln of Pennsylvania. during his visit in the congregation the following young people were confirmed and received communion for the first time” (Historical Church Records, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Strasburg, VA. http://www.csonner.net/luth55.html)] [Heinrich married Susan Schaeffer 12 Nov 1783 in Frederick, VA]

1759 Mar Son Christian born Augusta, VA; listed as receiving confirmation and 1st communion by Pastor Carl Friederich Wildbahn at Strasburg Kirchenbuch; (Christian Kunz, age 16 yrs 6 mos along with brother Heinrich [Kunz] age 18 yrs 3 mos.) Page 227 (transcription from Cheryl Bloomfield)

1760 Nov Balsar Combs, chain carrier in for survey of Geo. KELLER lands. (Extracted from North Neck VA Warrants and Surveys (Frederick Co VA) 1747-1780, vol. II; comp by Peggy S Joyner; Portsmouth VA 1985, by Combs Researcher Thom Mont) [NOTE: Research provided by Cheryl Bloomfield indicates that Balser Combs is likely the same as Balsor COUNTS of Frederick Co, Va., who obtained a Northern Neck grant for 471 acres on a branch of McNishes Run adjoining the land of Charles Huddle on 1 Sept. 1766...(S=Northern Neck Grants N, 1766, p. 172 (Reel 295). He is later found in Rockingham Co, Va. records. The last name is shown as Counts, Counce, Koon(t)z, and other variations. Balser may have evolved from Balthazar. No relationship has been found between this Kuntz family and the Counts family of Shenandoah Co who later migrated to Russell Co, VA, and was allied with the Stacy family.]

??1764 Son George born Rockingham, VA

1766 Sep 1 or 3 Benjamin Layman was issued a Fairfax grant for 500 acres on McNishes (Pughes) Run on 3 Sept 1766. He sold 471 acres to Balser Counts and 528 acres to John Lewis Selser. Both tracts were located on Pugh's Run and all three tracts were section's of the 1,585 acres which Layman bought from Baughman. Counts and Selsor....rec'd Fairfax grants for their tracts dated on 2 Sept 1766. The tracts were surveyed on 20, 21, and 22 Nov 1751. Layman's 500 acre tract (Tract N-174, Map 11A) was located partly within the 4,600 acres Northern Mountain tract and that division was in the South section of John Baughman's 792-acres survey (Tract 96-I, Map 11). Shenandoah County Hwy 642 crosses the tract from near the South corner to the Northeast line which conforms to Co Hwy 600. County Highways 600 and 662 from US Hwy 11 both provide access to the property. The tract maps presented here, it is clear that the tract mortgaged to Jacob Funkhouser was contained within the bounds of a tract of 471 acres sold by Benjamin Layman to Balsor Counts, who obtained a Fairfax grant for the tract on 1 September 1766 (Cecil O'Dell's book, Pioneers of Old Frederick County Virginia, p. 401 states that Layman sold the 471 acre tract to Counts). Below is the list of tracts that adjoined the Balsor Counts 471 acre tract ( the names are spelled as they are in the abstracts of the grants from the Library of Virginia): to the north — Frederick Parrett, 347 acres, granted 10 June 1767; to the north east — Charles Huddle, 201 acres, granted 8 June 1751 (in the original of the grant, only his last name is listed and the abstract gives only the year — however, in Shenandoah Co. Deed Book H, p. 464 we discover the balance of the information); to the south east — John Lewis Selser, 528 acres, granted 2 September 1766; to the south west — Philip Weesman, 240 acres, granted 13 August 1766; also to the south west (north west of Weesman) — Frederick Woolford, 93 acres, granted 29 May 1777; to the north west — George and Godfry Wilkey, 400 acres, granted 11 September 1756. In addition, Leonard Baldis [Baltis], who signed as a witness to Jacob Funkhouser's mortgage, owned a tract in the vicinity, 435 acres granted on 27 January 1761. His tract adjoined Benjamin Layman's tract of 500 acres, granted 3 September 1766 (the Baldis tract was south of the Layman tract). Benjamin Layman's 500 acre tract adjoined John Lewis Selser's 528 acre tract (the Layman tract was south east of the Selser tract). Jacob Funkhouser occupied the south west portion of the 471 acre (Balser) Counts tract and that Gottlieb Zink occupied at least part of the north east portion of the same tract. It is interesting to note that a David Funkhouser bought 120 acres of the Benjamin Layman 500 acre tract (Shenandoah Co. Deed Book E, p. 382 — 26 Oct. 1785). In addition, Benjamin Layman had a daughter named Barbara who married Christian Funkhouser. For each of the tracts mentioned above, further information from county deed books was examined, regarding subsequent owners of the land. In all of the grants and deeds examined in the area of the Balsor Counts 471 acre tract, Gottlieb is mentioned only in the abstract quoted above. Counts, Balsor, grantee. Land grant 1 September 1766. (Northern Neck Grants N, 1766, p. 172 (Reel 295). Original survey exists. Part of the index to recorded copies of land grants issued by the agents of the Fairfax Proprietary between 1690 and 1781 and by the Commonwealth between 1786 and 1874. Original and recorded surveys are also indexed when available. The collection is housed in the Archives at the Library of Virginia. (http://image.lva.virginia.gov/cgi-bin/GetLONN.pl?first=172&last=&g_p=GN&collection=NN Grant) (abstract in book by Amelia C. Gilreath) (NOTE: The Funkhouser and Zink families are connected to the Ratts family – Gottlieb Zink (1730-1802) is connected to the Wright and Sears families and is distantly related to my 2nd great grand aunt [Sarah Jane Wright] [and to the Summers family: Mary Magdalena Summers married to John Christian Counts families]

1770 Aug 5 Balzer Koontz deeded 132 acres in Frederick VA to Woolry Kessler (from Sharon Milich Kouns)

??1772 Dau Mary Polly born Frederick VA [married John Fitzwater 20 Oct 1793 in Greenbrier, WV]

??1776 in Frederick, VA

??1776 Son John born Russell, VA [married Hannah Knapp 26 Nov 1792 in Greenbrier WV]

1780s in Brocks Gap, Rockingham, VA; his son Henry and Henry's children, settled in Monroe Co., and Nicholas Co., VA after Nov 12 1783 when Henry, wife Susanna and children proclaimed in Rockingham 3 times.

1782-3 Rockingham, VA Tithables: contains enumerator John Fitzwater. There are three KUNSE names in order: Christn KUNSE 2 horses 3 cattle Balser KUNSE 3 horses 7 or 17 cattle Henry KUNSE 2 horses (p2) (doc)

1789 Sep 30 Andrew Correll (Cassell) and Elizabeth, his wife, sold to Martin Miley, for the sum of 400 pounds, a certain tract of land lying on waters of McNeeses Run, being a moiety (sic) of a tract granted to Palser Counts by deed from the Proprietor's Office of the Northern Neck, dated Sept. 1, 1776. Deed Book G, Page 409 [The Joseph Maphis home was located on this tract One and one half miles southwest of Saumsville on Route 652. 19 Jan 1895: At January term, 1890 Chancery Cause of Lorentz & Ritter vs: Joseph Maphis, etc. (Joseph Maphis being the son of George Maphis, Jr.) (Foreclosed under mortgage). Deed made Jan. 19, 1895. William T. Williams, Special Commissioner, and P.W. Magruder trustee, sold to J.L. Wisman, the farm on which the said Joseph Maphis now resided, on McNeeses Run, containing 204 acres. It being the same land that was devised by Martin Miley to George Maphis and wife, Magdalene, and then to their children. Joseph maphis having purchased the interest of the other children. Deed Book 42, page 389; 5 Jan 1907: J.L. Wisman and Virginia C. Wisman, his wife, convey to Jeremiah Kibler, for the sum of $5500. Deed Book 66, page 321. [Physical Description: This home is attractively located on a slight elevation with a fine view of Shaver's Gap in North Mountain as a background. A large lawn surrounds the house with old trees scattered about. McNeeses Run flows at the foot of the hill where there is a good spring of water with old log spring house over it. This building is also used as a wash house, and has a broad squatty chimney with brick top. A graveyard is on a distant hill on the place, and is now (1937) overgrown with young locusts, and no fence around it. Historical Significance: The bricks for this house were burnt on the place; the clay hole still remains. McNeeses Run, also known as Layman's Run, is a branch of Pugh's Run, and an old road, now Route 676, follows this branch and passes through Shaver's Gap in the mountain. This road was once used as the mail route to Van Buren Furnace. There is a tradition that George Maphis had money buried on this place. He told his wife that he had buried it, but would not disclose the place, as his mind became weakened, but he made many trips toward the mountain. Digging has been done at different times and places on the home, but no money has ever been found, except a few coins beneath the house, where a trap door opened in the floor. A story is told that when the wing to this house was being built at a later date than the main part of the house, attention was called to the fact that the window frames were not straight. Whereupon a workman replied that the reason might be because of the still-house across the road where there was a barrel of good apple brandy, and it had a spigot in it and a cup beside it, and the men made frequent trips across the road. Source: Virginia W.P.A. Historical Inventory Project, 1937]

??1790s in Greenbrier, WV

??1790 Federal Census Greenbrier, WV; age abt. 55

??1800 Federal Census Greenbrier, WV; age abt. 65

??1810 Federal Census Greenbrier, WV; age abt. 75

??1820 Federal Census Greenbrier, WV; age abt. 85

??1821 wife Catherine died Greenbrier, WV

??1830 Federal Census Greenbrier, WV; age abt. 95

??1835 Aug 10 death in Greenbrier, WV??

Ballser Kouns or Coontz of Holland Dutch descent settled in Rockingham Co Va in 1700's (article on Chas. W. Kouns) (from Sharon Milich Kouns)

RECORDS/DOCUMENTS Balthasar Catherine
Birth
Marriage
Death
1782 Tithables X
1790 Census X
1800 Census
1810 Census
1820 Census