My great-great-grand aunt, Sophia/Sophie Hoffmann, was born in June 1864 in France. The fifth child of Jacob Hoffmann and his first wife, Annette (Meyer) Hoffmann, she was the younger sister of my 2G-grandmother, Catherine, and the older half-sister of my great-grandfather Paul. At age 18, Sophie traveled with her family from France to America, arriving May 16, 1883.
A little over three years later Sophie married John W. Kuntz in Pontiac, Illinois, on July 26, 1886. John and Sophie were the parents of six children: Samuel Henry, born June 15, 1888; William John, born about April 1, 1890; Walter Louis, born February 17, 1894; Frieda Ann, born about January 14, 1897; Raymond Napoleon, born about August 21, 1899; and Joseph, born about January 26, 1901. All of the children were born in Woodford County, Illinois, where the family was also enumerated in 1900, in Metamora Township:
June 14-15, 1900 Metamora Twp., Woodford, Illinois
Kuntz John W Head W[hite] M[ale] Nov 1858 41 M[arried] 14 Illinois Switzerland Switzerland Farmer
—Sophia Wife W F June 1864 36 M 14 5 5 France France France 1884 16
—Samuel H Son W M Jun 1888 11 S Illinois Illinois France At School 8
—William J Son W M Apr 1890 10 S Illinois Illinois France At School 8
Kuntz, Walter L Son W M Feb 1894 6 S Illinois Illinois France At School 6
—Frieda A Daughter W F Jan 1897 3 S Illinois Illinois France
—Raymond N Son W M Aug 1899 10/12 S Illinois Illinois France
Dargel, Wm H Boarder W M Apr 1883 17 S New Mexico Germany Germany Farm Laborer 0 yes yes yes
About six days after the birth of her son Joseph, Sophie died at age 36, presumably as a result of complications from childbirth. Baby Joseph lived only another week. Sophie was buried in the Roanoke Apostolic Christian Cemetery in Roanoke, Illinois.
Following Sophie’s death Raymond, the youngest surviving child, was raised by Sophie’s sister Lena (Hoffmann) Yost, who had no children of her own. John and Sophie’s second child, William, died about February 7, 1907 at age 16. John himself lived to age 92, dying on June 7, 1951 in Bluffton, Indiana. He shares a tombstone in Uniontown Cemetery, Zanesville, Indiana, with his son Ordie Smith, who died in 1940 at age 15.
My grand aunt Nettie Norene Fry married a Henry Kuntz (1876-1969), but they lived in Pennsylvania. Do you know if John Kuntz had relatives in Clearfield County, PA.?
I don’t know of any Pennsylvania relatives from this particular branch. The information I have indicates that John’s parents were born in Switzerland and came to Illinois about 1857, and all the descendants were in the Illinois/Indiana area. It looks from Ancestry.com like your Henry was the son of Philip and Lydia Kuntz, though you may already have that information on file!
I’m not a direct descendant of Henry Kuntz, related on through marriage. He and Nettie had a daughter named Jessie Mae. Was curious if your ancestors fit into my relatives’ lineage. That’s what I love about Tombstone Tuesday. If you pay attention, you might find a distant cousin. 😉