Stover/Bowman/Supinger/Pifer/Funkhouser/Coffman Ancestry

Sources:

Zuppinger was the original Swiss version of the surname Supinger. Roth was the original German version of the surname Rodes, which is also seen as Rhodes. Christina Neuschwander, wife of Jacob Rodes (Roth), settled around Middletown, VA in the 1770s. The Stauffer family was a branch of an extensive Anabaptist family expelled from Canton of Bern Switzerland in the late 1600s. They lived for several generations in the German Rhineland, before emigrating to Pennsylvania between about 1717 and 1750s. Christian Stover first appears in Pennsylvania records in 1719. Richard W. Davis of Provo Utah has done extensive work on the Stauffers and can get this Anabaptist line back to the late 1400s around Eggiwil in Canton, Bern, Switzerland.

Geni.com: Shenandoah Valley Settlers

↑
Christian Stauffer
of Salford Township, Montgomery Co., PA		   ? unknown   Christian Bowman
- of Germanic descent - lived at Sandy Hook across from Strasburg, Virginia
(More details at 3. to the right →)		   Elizabeth? unknown

Bowman

According to The Heritage Museum Newsletter, Volume 38, No. 1, Winter 2016, published by the Harrisonburg-Rockingham (VA) Historical Society, "Bowman (Bauman) was a fairly common surname among early settlers of Rockingham and Shenandoah Counties in Virginia. ... Written records available from the 18th century provide evidence that Bowmans came to Shenandoah and Rockingham at different time and from different places." The newsletter focuses on five early Bowman families who, despite being thought to be related, have been through Y-DNA testing and determined to not be related to one another. To summarize the article, there are these 5 early families:

  1. George Bowman (1699-1768) and Mary Hite - came from PA in the 1730s; owned land along Cedar Creek north of Strasburg, VA. George also owned land that spanned into Warren County as well as land on Linville Creek in Rockingham County. Thirteen children, including 6 sons: Joseph, George and John who had no children as well as Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
  2. George Bowman (1712-1786) and Barbara Keller - born in Bodigheim, Baden, Germany; went to PA in 1749; came from Berks Co., PA, ca. 1770 and had land just north of Timberville in Rockingham Co. Six children: 3 sons reached adulthood: George, Elias and John. George the son may have relocated to Shenandoah County, having 2 sons George (m. Elizabeth Roush and went to Brown Co., OH) and Nicholas (m. Catherine Derrick and went to Sevier Co., TN). Meanwhile, Elias settled in Berkeley Co., WV, and then Washington Co., TN.
  3. Christian Bowman (1698-1763) - Germanic descent arrived mid-1730s, settled Sandy Hook south of Strasburg, VA. Relocated to mouth of Narrow Passage Creek north of Edinburg, VA; established a line of Bowmans from Strasburg to Forestville; affiliated with Lutheran/Reformed Church. Eleven children with 2 wives; sons: Jacob, David, John, Christian, Daniel, Henry, Benjamin and Samuel.
  4. Jacob Bowman (1722-1778) and Elizabeth Rueger (Unger) - came from Lancaster Co., PA, to Shenandoah Co., VA; purchased land on North Fork Shenandoah River near Woodstock, VA; speculated that Jacob was Mennonite prior to marriage in Lutheran Church in Earl Town, Lancaster Co., PA. Seven children; 2 sons: Jacob and Samuel. Descendants in Indiana and Greene Co., TN.
  5. Jacob Bowman, Sr. (1718-1803) and Varena - from Washington Co., MD, where Varena died; with second wife Barbara, relocated to Linville Creek area near Broadway, Rockingham Co., VA, 1778-1779; after Barbara died, married a third time. Affiliated with Flat Rock Church of the Brethren. Jacob's descendants spread through Rockingham Co. an Tennessee and Indiana. Eight children; sons though to be John, Isaac, Jacob, Henry, Benjamin and Joseph. Isaac and Henry stayed in Maryland.
According to Susan Richardson, Christian (to the left) can be found in the Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mennonite Vital records. This states that he was born in Weidenthal, Germany around the years 1664-1665 and that he is the son of Jacob (a Mennonite linen weaver). Christian also appears in the compiled VA census records arnd 1759-1760. There is strong evidence supporting this to be the correct Christian Bowman/Baumann. However, given that the Christian Bowman to the left was born 1698 (supported by references above this paragraph), it seems the Christian Bowman b. 1664-1665 could possibly be a father of Christian to the left. However, that brings that Christian's ancestry into question. The birthdate of that Christian's father Jacob Bowman is 1657, which doesn't make sense if Christian was born 7 to 8 years after his father! Jacob could feasibly be a father of Christian b. 1698 shown left. If that can be proven, Susan has Jacob Bowman's ancestry traced to Ulie Julius Bowman (1369-1425).
b. ca. 1680
d. 1735		 m. b.
d. 		  b. 1698
d. 1763		 m. b.
d. 		                             
                                           
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Luray Valley Museum - includes history regarding the home of Jacob Stover, the Time Traveler's Mileposts there referring to him as "a Swiss land agent."

More about Jacob Stover (and his land grant dealings) is in Wayland, pp. 47-50, 60-61 and Kercheval and Faulkner, p. 65. Jacob sold land to my other ancestor Abraham Strickler on 15-16 Dec. 1735 per Wayland, p. 61.

Jacob Stover (Stauffer)
brother of Peter Stover who founded Strasburg, VA, in 1761 (related land history), which was named for Strasbourg, Alsace, France, though some called it Staufferstadt, German for Stovertown.

According to The Survival of German Dialects and Customs in the Shenandoah Valley (A Preliminary Survey) by John Stewart and Elmer L. Smith (local copy), after Adam Miller settled in the Shenandoah Valley in 1726, Jacob Stover led a group of Lutherans, Mennonites and Calvinists, who settled in what is now Page County, Virginia.

Jacob and Catherine also had a daughter, Catherine, who married Reuben Boehm, son of Samuel. After he died, she married my ancestor Christian Funkhouser, Sr. (his second wife). His first wife was Barbara Layman, my ancestor. He married Catherine after Barbara died.		 Magdalena Catherine Bowman
She went by Catherine as it was customary for German and Swiss families to call children by their middle names. Wayland, p. 49, refers to her as Margaret.		   Henry Pifer, Sr.
(Heinrich Pfeiffer)		 Henry Pifer, Sr., had 410 acres "near the Great Wagon Road" surveyed in March 1752. His land is northwest of Strasburg, Virginia, pretty much the southwest corner of the junction of I-81 and Rt. 55. You can actually see the old Pifer cemetery on the hill to the left just before you get to the Rt. 55 exit of I-81. ? unknown   ↑
Hans Ulrich Zuppinger (Supinger)		 ↑
Anna Schonauer		   Jacob Rodes (Roth) ↑
Christina Neuschwander		     Much thanks to Daniel Bly for information about the generation below and back!  
  b. ca. 1717 in Mannheim, Germany
Arrived in America in 1718 with his brother Peter and father Christian; he was in Virginia by 1746 (Source: Stauffer Families... book by Davis)
d. ca. 1767		 m. b.
d. 		  b.
d. in the Fall of 1778		 m. b.
d. 		  b. 1722
baptized 20 September 1722
Arrived in Philadelphia in 1735
d. in the fall of 1797 in Shenandoah Co., VA, near Lebanon Church		 m. ca. 1748
in Lancaster Co., PA		 b.
d. 		  b. ca. 1730
d. 20 April 1812
in Frederick Co., VA		 m. b. 25 May 1732
in Switzerland
d. 11 January 1814		        
                                       
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↓		         1803-1806 Journal Names, compiled by Calvin "Cal" Sonner, a journal believed to be from the Toms Brook, VA, area (just a few miles south of Strasburg) and relating to a tannery, mentions David Coffman.
    Barbara Stover The Pifer surname has also been seen as Fifer, Pfeiffer, Pfeifer and Piper according The Heritage Museum Newsletter, Volume 39, No. 1, Winter 2017, published by the Harrisonburg-Rockingham Historical Society David Pifer       Conrad Supinger Conrad Supinger was one of 7 children. His sister Anna Supinger (b. ca. 1770) married Daniel Funkhouser, oldest son of Abraham Funkhouser, Sr. Barbara, the oldest daughter of Abraham Funkhouser, Sr., married Abraham Rodes, brother of Esther. Esther Rodes   ↑
Abraham Funkhouser, Sr.		 Click on their names to learn more about them.

I have DNA matches with whom I potentially share common ancestors Abraham and Mary Magdalena (Campbell) Funkhouser. John Rusnak and Hillary Reed. 		↑
Mary Magdalena Campbell		 A Genealogy and History of the Kauffman-Coffman Families of North America 1584 to 1937, compiled by Charles F. Kauffman, offers more information about David Coffman. ↑
David Coffman, Jr.		 Envelope to Mr. G. Bernard Coffman, which contained notes on the Kauffman-Coffman families, naming David Coffman, Jr., his ancestors and some of his descendants ↑
Elizabeth Strickler
    b.
d. 		m. b.
d. 1 December 1829		 These dates for the Pifers are from the stones in the old Pifer graveyard just west of Strasburg, VA.   b. ca. 1762
in PA
d. 30 October 1813		 m.

I have a DNA match who shares with me common ancestors Conrad Supinger and Esther Roads. Laura Ann Sine.

b. ca. 1766
d. 1 April 1847		 Learn about the home of Abraham Funkhouser, Sr. b. 1742
d. 1796

Notes: Abraham Funkhouser prepared by Jane Hunter Hogsdon		 m.

FamilySearch has a marriage document for their daughter which shows them.

 b. 1744
d. 1830s		   b. 1755
d. 18 April 1830		 m. 1780

I have a DNA match with these ancestors. Michelle Myer.

 b. 1760
d. 26 October 1843
                                     
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↓		 Funkhouser Notes from WikiTree sources, compiled by Dan Hylton, descendant of Joseph Funkhouser, son of Abraham (Jr.) and Catherine (Coffman) Funkhouser. |
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          Joseph Pifer           Rebecca Supinger

The 1867 Strasburg Journal Names, compiled by Calvin "Cal" Sonner, mentions Catherine Funkhouser (to the far right) on p. 37.


The Abraham Funkhouser, Sr., home

The Abraham Funkhouser Home is on the south branch of Tumbling Run, west of Fishers Hill, Shenandoah County, VA. The section on the left was the original German style house built over the spring (about 1765). The long north wing (on the right) was build by Abraham, Jr. in the 1820s (Source: Geni.com and Daniel Bly).

 Abraham Funkhouser, Jr.

Abraham and Catherine Funkhouser Bible Records

Notes: Abraham Funkhouser to James "Jamie" Arthur Johnson

More: The Abraham Funkhouser Home (Shenandoah County GenWeb Project) 		Catherine Coffman
(earliest born ancestor photographed in my family tree)
(colorized) (enchanced from Ancestry) (enhanced/colorized)

Catherine's brother Joseph Coffman was connected to Abraham Lincoln through marriage. He married Abigail Lincoln (daughter of the President's first cousin Captain Jacob Lincoln) and there is an interesting story to go with it: During the American Civil War, Sheridan's men of the 5th New York Cavalry set fire to houses within a 3-mile radius of Dayton, VA. Abigail Lincoln Coffman saved one house. In one version of the story, it was her child's house and the men stopped when they saw a framed picture of Abraham Lincoln in it. Abigail explained that she and he were first cousins. In another version, when they came to burn the house (her house), Abigail confronted them saying, "You cannot burn this house. I am a first cousin of the president." She was a first cousin once removed of Abraham Lincoln.     Joseph and Abigail (Lincoln) Coffman

Another version of the story according to The Heartland: Rockingham County by Nancy B. Hess (p. 306)

The Joseph Coffman House, Dayton, VA from The Heartland: Rockingham County by Nancy B. Hess (p. 307)

          b. 11 June 1792
d. 14 August 1850
Burial: Pifer Cemetery Strasburg, Shenandoah Co., VA

Calvin "Cal" Sonner's information about the Pifer Cemetery (2) mentions "Joseph Pifer born June 11, 179_ died Aug. 14, 1850 aged 58 yrs 2 mo 4 d."

m. 22 November 1819

Joseph Pifer was married twice. He was first married to Lydia Lowman on 24 June 1812 in Augusta Co., VA. He was second married to Rebecca Supinger 22 November 1819 in Shenandoah Co., VA. He is also seen as "Jos. Piper" in that record (Source: Find-A-Grave).

 b. ca. 1770-1780
d. 2 December 1835

The Abraham Funkhouser Home, mentioned above, went from John Funkhouser to his son Abraham Funkhouser, Sr., August, 27, 1776, and then to his son Abraham Funkhouser, Jr., April 11, 1796. On April 1, 1851, Abraham Funkhouser, Jr., bequeathed the home farm to his daughter Rebecca, wife of Isaac Pifer as shown below (source: Shenandoah County GenWeb Project: The Abraham Funkhouser Home).

b. 14 or 17 September 1778, Shenandoah Co., VA
d. 6 January 1855, Shenandoah Co., VA
Find-A-Grave Memorial		 m. 17 January 1806
(Abraham's ancestry and marriage is mentioned in A Genealogy and History of the Kauffman-Coffman Families of North America 1584 to 1937, compiled by Charles F. Kauffman)

Marriage documented in "Virginia, County Marriage Records, 1771-1989", p. 119 and p. 194

I have multiple DNA matches with whom I potentially share common ancestors Abraham and Catherine (Coffman) Funkhouser. Sandra Jeanne Frye, Michelle Stedwell and Patricia Dellinger.

b. 28 October 1784
d. 20 November 1870 Sources:
• S.P.D., fellow descendant of Charles Florence Fisher through his son John H. (J.H.) "Homer" Fisher
• The Historical Marker Database
• Find-A-Grave Memorial
               

On pages 14 and 15 of A Historical Sketch of the Funkhouser Family (1902) by Jacob Funkhouser, the author writes, "The last will and testament of Abram Funkhouser, Sen., dated April 11th, 1796, refers to the division of his farm of 208 acres, between his two sons, Daniel and Abram. The latter resided at his father's home. He was born in 1778 and died in 1855. He married Miss Catherine Coffman. They had twelve children, eight sons and four daughters -- William, David, Joseph, Lydia, Elizabeth, John, Obet, Catherine, George, Abraham, Milly and Rebecca Funkhouser. Rebecca was born March 31st, 1827, in Shenandoah county, Virginia. She married Mr. Isaac Pifer; they resided at the old home place; have four children -- Joanna V., wife of Ephraim Baker; Mary E., wife of Charles Fisher; John H. and Mattie R., wife of Edwin Baker. John H. Pifer married Miss Emma Ma- phis, daughter of Joseph Maphis. They have four children -- Joseph E., Herman I., and two twins, Martha R. and Mary M. Pifer."

Calvin "Cal" Sonner's information about the Pifer Cemetery located west of Strasburg, Virginia, mentions "Catherine Funkhouser born Oct. 28, 17[8]4 died Nov. 25, 1870 aged 86 yrs and 27 days" and "Abraham Funkhouser born 1778 died 1855."

Notes from Carolyn F. Johnson showing her descent from Abraham and Catherine in the left column.

   
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                Isaac Pifer
 According to Ancestry.com, Isaac Pifer was employed in 1880 as a farmer. At the time, he was living in Davis, Virginia. The average workweek in 1880 was around 60 hours a week. For a common laborer, the average weekly wage was $8, or $204 in today's (2021) dollars.

On page 27 of A Historical Sketch of the Funkhouser Family (1902) by Jacob Funkhouser, the author mentions Isaac and Rebeccca (Funkhouser) Pifer's children: 1) Joanna Virginia Pifer (b. March 6, 1850) m. John Henry Funkhouser (b. August 3, 1833, d. October 16, 1878), later m. Ephraim Baker. 2) Lydia Catherine Pifer (b. September 16, 1854, d. May 12, 1856). 3) Mary Elizabeth Pifer (b. April 16, 1S58), m. Charles Fisher (b. October 17, 1855). 4) John H. Pifer (b. November 8, 1863), m. Emma T. Maphis. 5) Mattie Rebecca Pifer (b. June 28, 1863), m. Edwin Baker. Virginia, Vital Records, 1715-1901 shows another daughter Martha born in 1868.

Rebecca Funkhouser
 Enhanced, colorized close-up of Rebecca  
                b. 2 November 1820
d. 7 May 1902,
Strasburg, Shenandoah Co., VA
Find-A-Grave Memorial
Obituary		 m. 14 December 1848 b. 31 March 1827
d. 5 February 1907,
Strasburg, Shenandoah Co., VA
Find-A-Grave Memorial
obituary (Source: Shenandoah Herald, Volume 90, No. 6) 		   
                         
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                      ↑
Charles Florence Fisher



(an older Charles pictured, enhanced, colorized close-up)		 (picture w/ Charles and Mary)
(picture - reunion)
(picture - tomb)
(picture - tomb close-up)

1880 Census

1910 Census

 Mary Elizabeth Pifer

 Charles and Mary (Pifer) Fisher are third cousins via their shared great great grandfather John Funkhouser, Sr. (Johannes Fankhauser, Sr.).
                      b. 17 Oct. 1855, Tumbling Run, Shenandoah Co., Virginia
(Source: "Virginia Births and Christenings, 1584-1917", database, FamilySearch)
d. 6 June 1917		 m. 29 April 1879
(Shenandoah County Marriage Records)
Announcement from May 7, 1879, edition of the Shenandoah Herald, Volume 59, p. 4 (Woodstock, VA): Charles Florence Fisher marriage to Mary Elizabeth Pifer (Source: Ancestry.com).		 b. 16 April 1858, Tumbling Run, Shenandoah Co., Virginia
(Source: "Virginia Births and Christenings, 1584-1917", database, FamilySearch
d. 12 February 1936		          
                                     
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descendants through son
Otto Keiter Fisher
via his marriage to
Mollie Clara Nash		                   
Zuppinger was the original Swiss version of the surname Supinger.
Roth was the original German version of the surname Rodes, which is also seen as Rhodes. 
Christina Neuschwander, wife of Jacob Rodes (Roth), settled around Middletown, VA in the 1770s.
The Stauffer family was a branch of an extensive Anabaptist family expelled from Canton of 
Bern Switzerland in the late 1600s. They lived for several generations in the German Rhineland, 
before emigrating to Pennsylvania between about 1717 and 1750s. Christian Stover first appears 
in Pennsylvania records in 1719. Richard W. Davis of Provo Utah has done extensive work on the 
Stauffers and can get this Anabaptist  line back to the late 1400s around Eggiwil in Canton, 
Bern, Switzerland. 



                                                    
                                                    
his ancestry                
     ↑                 
Christian    
Stauffer,    Bowman, 
of Salford   lived at                  
Township,    Sandy Hook                
Montgomery   across from          
Co., PA      Strasburg, VA      
b. ca. 1680       d. 1764       
d. 1735             |           
   ↓                |      
 Jacob       Catherine 
 Stover    + Bowman               
(Stauffer),|                      
 brother   | Jacob & Catherine            
 of      +-+ also had a daughter,             
Peter    | Catherine, who married                   
Stover   | Reuben Boehm, son of Samuel,       
who      | After he died, she married my      
founded  | ancestor Christian Funkhouser, Sr. 
Strasburg| (his second wife). His first       
VA       | wife was Barbara Layman, my    
b.ca.1717| direct ancestor. He married   
         | Catherine after Barbara died. 
         |                               
         |                               
         |   Hans    + Anna Schonauer     her ancestry
         |   Ulrich  |                    ↑      
         |  Zuppinger|     Jacob + Christina
         | (Supinger)|     Rodes | Neuschwander
         |           |    (Roth) | b. 25 May 1732 in Switzerland 
         |           |    b. ca. | d. 11 Jan. 1814
         |           |    1730   |
         |           |    d. 20  |
         +-------+   |    April  |
                 |   |    1812   |      Much thanks to Daniel Bly for information 
Henry Pifer, Sr. |   |  Frederick|      about the generation below and back!
(Heinrich        |   |   Co., VA |
 Pfeiffer)       |   |           | 
 d. Fall 1778    |   |           | 
He had 410       |   |           | 
acres "near the  |   |           | 
Great Wagon Road"|   |           +-----------------+
surveyed in      |   |                             |
March 1752. His  |   +-----------------+           |
land is northwest|                     |           |          
of Strasburg,    +----------+          |           |          
pretty much the             |          |           |
southwest corner of the     |          |           |
junction of I-81 and Rt. 55 |          |           |                           
You can actually see the    |          |           |                           
old Pifer cemetery on the   |          |           |                           
hill to left just before    |          |           |                           
you get to the Rt. 55 exit  |          |           |                           
of 81. +----------+         |          |           |                             
                  |         |          |           |                           
                  |         |          |           |                           
                  |         |          |           |                           
                  David  Barbara    Conrad      Esther    Abraham         Magdalena    David     Elizabeth
                  Pifer + Stover    Supinger  + Rodes     Funkhouser,   + Campbell     Coffman + Strickler
                   d. 1 |         (b. ca. 1762 | b. ca.    Sr.(1742-1796)| (1744-1830s) (1755-  |(1760-
                   Dec. |            in PA    | 1766                    |               1830)  | 26 Oct
                   1829 |        d.10/30/1813)| d.4/1/1847              |                      | 1843)
                        |                     +------+                  |                 (m. 1780)
These dates for the     |                            |                  |                      |
Pifers are from stones  |                            |                  |                      |
in the old Pifer        |                            |                  |                      |
graveyard just west of  |                            |                  |                      |
Strasburg.              |                            |                  |                      |
                        +-----+                      |          +-------+                      |
                              |                      |          |                       +------+
                              |                      |          |                       |
                              Joseph           Rebecca    Abraham        + Catherine Coffman (picture)
                              Pifer      +     Supinger   Funkhouser,Jr. | (18 Oct. 1784-
                        b. 11 June 1792  |    b. 1770-80 (17 Sept. 1778- |  20 Nov. 1870)
                                  (m. 1800-1810)          6 January 1855)|  
                        d. 14 Aug. 1850  | d. 2 Dec. 1835          (m. 17 Jan. 1806)
                                         |                               |
                                         |               +---------------+  Abraham and Catherine Funkhouser Bible Records
                                         |               |
                                         Isaac     Rebecca
                              (picture)  Pifer   + Funkhouser (picture)
                                         +----+-----+-----+
                                         |b. 2|m. 14|b. 31|
                                         |Nov.|Dec. |March|
                                         |1820|1848 |1827 |
                                         |d. 7|     |d. 5 |
                                         |May |     |Feb. |
                                         |1902|     |1907 |
                                         +----+--+--+-----+
                                                 |
                                                 |
                                   Charles    Mary 
                                   Florence + Elizabeth  
                                   Fisher     Pifer   (picture)   
                                  +------+------+-----+  
                                  |b. 17 |m. 29 |b. 16|  
                                  |Oct.  |April |April|  
                                  |1855  |1879  |1858 |  
                                  |d. 6  |      |d. 12|  
                                  |June  |      |Feb. |  
                                  |1917  |      |1936 |  
                                  +------+--+---+-----+