First Families of Orangeburgh District, South Carolina
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Felder (Fälder)
1. HANS HEINRICH FELDER, the son of BERNHARD FELDER and his second wife EVA GROB, was born 23 Mar 1672 in Kappel, St. Gall, Switzerland[2,12] and died abt. 1738 in Orangeburgh Township, South Carolina[2]. He married URSULA ZUBER, the daughter of JÖRG ZUBER and ANNA BÖSCH, on 24 Apr 1721[1]. She was baptized 28 Jan 1692 in Wattwil, St. Gall, Switzerland and died in 1739 in Orangeburgh Township, South Carolina[2].
Hans Heinrich was a "Meister Rothgerber" or master red tanner[1]. A red tanner specialized in turning cow hides into the hard red or brown leather used in boots, shoe soles and bags as opposed to a white tanner who made softer more supple leather from goat and sheep skins.
Hans Heinrich and family traveled down the Rhine to Rotterdam where they boarded the ship Samuel. After a stop in Cowes they arrived in Charles Town, South Carolina on Sunday, July 13, 1735[5]. They and the rest of the Switzers from the Samuel left Charleston for Orangeburgh on 24 Jul 1735[5].
Hans Heinrich platted 200 acres of land and a town lot in Orangeburgh Township on 9 Oct 1735[6]. The grant for the 200 acres and town lot was issued 17 Sep 1736[7]. The 200 acres would indicate a family of four. Three were certainly Hans Heinrich, Ursula, and their son Heinrich. The fourth was probably the son Johannes but there is no mention of him in South Carolina records. Assuming he was the fourth family member, he would have died before 1739 since there is no mention of him in Ursula's will.
Hans Heinrich apparently died in 1738 without a will. Ursula apparently died in 1739. Her will was dated 30 Aug 1739 and was recorded 8 Nov 1739[2,7]. Her will was written in German but an English translation was done at the time by Christian Motte:
A True and Exact Translation from the German into the English Tongue of the Last Will & Testament of Ursula Felderin late of Orangeburgh Township Widow deced Made the 30th day of August 1739 Translated P Christian Motte -Anno 1739 the 30th August Have I Ursula Felderin upon my Sick Bed, in Consideration of my Dear Child, whose name is John Henry Felderin I have ordered to be wrote that he after my Death all that from me and his deceased Father Shall be left, that shall he as Rightfull Heir as his property take to hand, but as the Child is not Yet in Condition the from his Father and Mother left Effects himself to Manage, So have I (as being yet in good Sense) Mr Henry Wurzer him in his Care delivered with body & Goods, till He Namely John Henry Felder Nineteen or Twenty years of age Shall be, and again promises to be unto him as a Father & to take Care of his Body and Soul So fan- God shall give his Grace & shall mentioned Child pay no Boarding unto Henry Wurzer and Shall the Child be Obedient to him till the said time Now followeth wherein the Left Estate Consists, First Two hundred Acres of Land left by Father and Mother, More One hundred, more fifty acres from Gelser, in Summs the Child be an Heir of all, be it of horses of Cattle or of Debts yet standing Out or House furniture, or whatsoever name it may have Now do I Henry Wurtzer promise to take Care of the Boy and his Estate as if it were my Own, without Pay Ursula Felderin Test Henry Wurtz W Goreing George Giesendanner Jacob Christaller Michell Christopher Rowe Recorded this 8th Day of Novemb' 1739[2,8]
Heinrich (Henry) Felder was 13 years old at the time of his mother's will. Of the three tracts of land left to Henry Felder by his parents, the 200 acres was presumably that granted to Hans Heinrich Felder in 1736. The source of the 100 acre tract is not mentioned and the 50-acre tract had been granted to Daniel Goltzer or Geltzer on 17 Sep 1736[2].
Children of Hans Heinrich Felder and Ursula Zuber are:
a. BERNHARD FELDER, bapt. 13 Feb 1722 in Wattwil, SG, Switzerland[1], d. 3 May 1722 in Wattwil, age "11 weeks"[1].
b. ZUSANNA FELDER, bapt. 26 Mar 1723 in Wattwil, SG, Switzerland[1], d. 7 Nov 1726 in Wattwil, Age "3 yrs 7 months"[1].
c. JOHANNES FELDER, bapt. 20 Jan 1725 in Wattwil, SG, Switzerland[1], d. 2 Mar 1725 in Wattwil, age "6 weeks"[1].
2. d. HEINRICH FELDER, bapt. 21 Mar 1726 in Wattwil, SG, Switzerland[1] (see below)
e. BERNHARD FELDER, bapt. 19 Mar 1728 in Wattwil, SG, Switzerland[1], d. 21 Aug 1732 in Wattwil, age "5 years"[1].
The death record says only: "21 Aug 1732: A 5 years old little boy; his father, Hans Heinrich Felder, red tanner from the Point"[1]. Earlier work attributed this death record to Heinrich[2,3,12], however it is virtually certain that the dead "5 years old little boy" was 4 ½ year old Bernhard rather than 6 ½ year old Heinrich.
f. ZUSANNA FELDER, bapt. 12 Dec 1730 in Wattwil, SG, Switzerland[1], d. 10 Jan 1731 in Wattwil, age "5 weeks"[1].
g. ZUSANNA FELDER, bapt. 2 Jan 1732 in Wattwil, SG, Switzerland[1], d. 31 Aug 1732 in Wattwil[1].
The death record says only: "Item [31 August] A little daughter, her father, Master Hanß Heinrich Felder, / red tanner, from the Point."
h. JOHANNES FELDER, bapt. 11 Oct 1733 in Wattwil, SG, Switzerland[1], probably died in South Carolina between 1735 and 1739.
No death record can be found in the Wattwil Parish Records (which appear to be complete) for Johannes so he is presumed to have emigrated with his parents and older brother. Since he is not mentioned in his mother's will and since his father's grant implies a family of four, he is presumed to have died in South Carolina between 1735 and 1739.
2. HEINRICH FELDER [Capt. Henry Felder, Sr.],was baptized 21 Mar 1726 in Wattwil, St. Gall, Switzerland[1] and was "killed by a party of Tories in 1780" in Orangeburgh Township, South Carolina. He married (1) MARY ELISABETH SHAUMLÖFFEL 15 Dec 1747 in Orangeburg Township, South Carolina[10,11]. He married. (2) CATHARINA MAGDALENA SCHNELL abt. 1772[2]. She was baptized. 14 Apr 1747 in Orangeburgh Township, South Carolina[10,11].
Although his mother's will calls him John Henry (Hans Heinrich), he was baptized Heinrich and there is no indication (other than his mothers will) that he was ever called anything except Henry (Heinrich).
On 10 May 1751 Henry Felder, Cordwainder, purchased 200 acres from Abraham Husenhood and his wife Mary(see the Hazelwood First Family Biography)[9]. A cordwainder was a person who worked or dealt in fine red or brown leather (cordovan). Thus Henry appears to have followed in his father's footsteps as a worker or dealer in leather. In later records he was referred to as Henry Felder, Planter. Also, according to his son, he "kept store in his Dwelling House near Orangeburgh" in 1778 when the building was burned by Tories.[3].
Research Notes:
Earlier Swiss research was apparently based on the Toggenburgisches Genealogienwerk[12], a compilation of Toggenburg area baptism, marriage and death records. Unfortunately the Toggenburgisches Genealogienwerk[12] incorrectly attributed the death of Hans Heinrich's "5 years old little boy" to 6 ½ year old Heinrich instead of 4 ½ year old Bernhard.
REFERENCES:
1. Evangelisch-Reformierte Kirche Wattwil (Sankt Gallen). "Kirchenbuch, 1603-1798". FHL INTL Films 957664, 957665
2. Julian Dantzler Kelly, Jr. "The Swiss Felder Ancestry", Orangeburg German Swiss Newsletter, Vol. 7, No. 7, Summer 1999.
3. Julian Dantzler Kelly, Jr., Captain Henry Felder, His Origins and Children, Unpublished Manuscript, August, 2000.
4. Mary E. Sandel and Rev. Elias Wesley Sandel. The Felder Family in South Carolina, Louisiana and Texas, Privately Published, 2000.
5. SC Archives, The South-Carolina Gazette, July 19, 1735 & July 26, 1735..
6. SC Archives, Colonial Plats, (Felder, Hans Hendrich) Ser. S213184, Vol. 0009, Pg. 00436, Itm. 03.
7. SC Archives, Colonial Grants, (Felder, Hans H.) Ser. S213019, Vol. 0034, Pg. 00487.
8. Register of Mesne Conveyance (Charleston County Deeds) Book LL. p. 344.
9 Orangeburgh German-Swiss Genealogical Society, "First Family Biography - Whisenhut or Hazlewood".
10. Joop Giesendanner, "The Book of Record, Orangeburgh, SC". http://www.xs4all.nl/~sail/.
11. A. S. Salley, The History of Orangeburg County, South Carolina.
12. Jakob Wickli-Steinegger, Toggenburgisches Genealogienwerk, 1550-1980 (Federle - Frey), FHL INTL Film 1860955.
Other references to this surname are found in OSGSG Newsletters: Vol. 1, p. 7, 33, 52, 57, 61, 93, 106; Vol. 2, p. 3, 4, 30, 85, 122, 123, 145, 146, 150, 155, 156; Vol. 3, p. 1,3, 4, 7, 8, 15, 21, 23, 32, 41, 47, 48, 49, 61; Vol. 4, p. 2, 7, 10, 11, 20, 25, 39, 47; Vol. 5, p. 2, 5, 9, 39, 41, 114, 121, 137, 144, 148; Vol. 6, p. 4, 14, 31, 35, 48, 68, 79, 83, 85, 86, 91, 93, 107, 120, 152; Vol. 7, p. 8, 35, 78, 80, 91, 152, 156, 159; Vol. 8, p. 12, 41, 43, 62; Vol. 9, p. 5, 29-31; Vol. 10, p. 3-6, 41, 59, 77, 106, 127.
Information provided by Julian Dantzler Kelly and Charles Howard Felder with Swiss Church Book validation by Jim Rickenbacker 7/25/06..