Mystery Monday

Caspar Kuhn and Life in the Old Country

Little is known about Caspar Kuhn’s family back home in the old country. There possibly is a paper trail for them, but that is a research plan for another time. Researching the Kuhn family here in America will keep me busy for a while.

Caspar left his homeland a young man and probably hadn’t been married for long to Anna Magdalena Mejer. They had an infant daughter when he and Anna Magdalena left their homeland to set out for a new adventure and a new life. Little did they know that their daughter wouldn’t make it to their new home in Carolina. Sometime during the trip to Carolina Baby Anna died and there were two additional children added to the Kuhn family – Margaret and Caspar, Jr.  However, their births were not listed in the Giessendanner list of births and marriages. Therefore, the conclusion is they were born in Germany or on board the ship to America. Anna isn’t listed in Caspar’s will and neither is Caspar Jr. however a granddaughter Elizabeth and Margaret are named in Caspar’s will.  I have not found any online records for Caspar Kuhn Jr. A trip to the South Carolina Archives will be in the future for this researcher.

When the Kuhn family arrived in Charles Town, South Carolina there were Caspar, Anna Magdalena, Margaret, and Caspar, Jr. They came into South Carolina about 1749.

Sometime after the arrival Caspar petitioned for a grant of land or fifty acres of land given to settlers to the area in this case South Carolina. Caspar was granted fifty acres for each individual, therefore he received two hundred acres of land; fifty acres per headright or head.

What was Caspar’s family like that he left behind in Switzerland? Were they a family of means? Did he have the finances to pay his way to America when he set sail for the colonies? When looking at Caspar’s arrival in South Carolina and then acquiring land one could assume that he had some knowledge of how to do business. What family life was like back in the old country is a mystery and one that is worthy of being solved. Perhaps one day a trip to Switzerland to research the Kuhn family line. Until then I will continue researching each of his descendants families to learn about them.