Henry Funk Sr. (abt. 1726 - bef. 1790)

Born about 1726 in Strasburg, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania

Ancestors

Descendants

Died before 25 Feb 1790 before about age 64 in Shenandoah, Virginia, United States

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Biography

Henry was about ten years old when his family settled near the present-day site of Strasburg, Virginia, at time an uninhabited wilderness. In 1745 he was deeded 150 acres of land by his father and he proceeded to build a mill on the creek that flowed through his land. 6 Aug 1745 Jacob Funk sells to Henry Funk 150 acres part of a tract of land conveyed to said Jacob Funk in Orange Co by Henry Willis signed by Jacob Funk with his A mark^[1]

Henry apparently remained a Mennonite, even though many of his relatives were attracted to the Sabbatarian and Dunker sects. He held regular worship meetings in his home and hosted visiting clergymen. Ezekiel Sangmeister and Henry's cousin, Jacob Funk ('Brother Kenan') considered him obstinate for not embracing their pietism, but he nevertheless welcomed them to his home and gave them shelter when they first arrived in Virginia. 'Brother Kenan' lived and worked for Funk in the late 1740s and in the Fall of 1752 Sangmeister came from Ephrata. Henry Funk sold him a plot and tools he needed (Sangmeister, Part 3, pp. 13-4). In 1772 Henry was among the signers of a Mennonite petition objecting to fines levied for not participating in militia musters (Journal of the House of Burgesses 1770-72, pp. 266, 280). 

Henry Funk went to Frederick County, Maryland in the Fall of 1754 and purchased land from his brother, Jacob on Antietam Creek at the same time he sold him his tract on the Shenandoah (Frederick County, Va. Deed Book '3',p. 421 and Frederick County, Md. Deed Book 'E', p. 627). By the Spring of 1755 he had sold his land in Maryland back to Jacob and returned to Frederick Co, Virginia where he bought back his old tract where the 'Town Run' joins the Shenandoah (Ibid. Md. Book 'E', p. 804 and Va. Book '5', p. 13). Sangmeister records that in the winter of 1755-6 he was called upon to teach Henry Funk's son, 'a boy the age of eight' to read and write and to minister medication to his wife, who was suffering a painful illness. She had a small child still nursing (Sangmeister, Part 3, pp. 39-40).   Henry Funk began acquiring property on Passage Creek several miles east of Strasburg in the 1760s and eventually had 1145 acres there. He moved there, built another mill and had a saw mill and a still house (mentioned in the sale of the property after his death, Shenandoah County Will Book 'E' p.126). In his will, Henry also referred to land he had acquired in 'Suffrings Valley in the west," apparently meaning the Severns Valley in Hardin County, Kentucky. Henry wrote his will 20 October 1789 and it was probated 25 February 1790.(Shen. Co. Will Book "C," p. 115. The names of his sons-in-law-are found in the settlement of his estate. 20 Oct 1789 Will of Henry Funk was probated and exhibited by Jacob Funk Executer 25 Feb 1790 bequeth to my son Jacob, my son Henry, my daughter Elizabeth Caty, the child belonging to my deceased daughter Mary namely Caty Supinger and my daughter Barbary, my son Jacob's daughter Elizabeth wife of Frederick Feltzer^[2]

26 Jul 1791 Jacob Funk Executor of Henry Funk deceased sells 102 acres to Anthony Ament^[3]

This biography is verbatim from the Funk Chapter in: Daniel W. Bly, From the Rhine to the Shenandoah, Baltimore, MD (1992), pp. 71-72. It was originally posted as an import from another site and did not include any acknowledgement of its origin. That is a major flaw in allowing uploads from Gedcoms and other sites.

DAR Eligible

Though not a Daughters of the American Revolution Qualified Ancestor at this time, Henry Funk did in 1783 pay Personal property tax in Shenandoah Co, VA. Henry Funk paid tax for 2 polls 7 Horses 17 Cattle and does qualify for Patriotic Service^[4]

CONFLATED

Henry Funk Sr of Shenandoah Co VA is not Henry Funk Sr of Washington Co MD

• http://wengersundial.com/WDRes/2Descend.pdf different family?

Sources

1. ↑ Frederick Co VA Deed Book 1 pages 236 237 238[1]
2. ↑ Shenandoah Co VA Will Book C page 115[2]
3. ↑ Shenandoah Co VA Deed Book H page 167[3]
4. ↑ 1783 Shenandoah Co VA[4]