Kunsman
Variations – Kunstman, Kuhnsman, Conesman, Cuhnsman, Kunzman, Kuntzman

Written by Rich Henninger
Copyright 2004

          The story of our Kunsman family in America begins with the arrival the ship “Hope” in Philadelphia on September 23, 1734. The “Hope” sailed from Rotterdam and was captained by Daniel Reid. Among the 125 passengers on board was 22-year-old August Henrich Kunstman. He was born in Alsace-Lorraine, Germany in about 1712. It is not clear if he married before or after his arrival in America. His first known child was born in America in 1735. It is thought that he fathered nine children in all. The child of most concern to this researcher is August Henrich’s eighth child and youngest son Philip Kunsman (1755-1820). Philip was born in Lower Saucon Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. Not much is known about Philip. He served in the Revolutionary War, First Battalion, First Company, Second Class in the Northampton County Militia. He very likely was a farmer and it is known that he was married three times. To this point much of what has been stated is from Kyle Miller’s research. Of Philip’s existence and that he is one of my ancestors I have no doubt. Philip is mentioned numerous times in Pennsylvania German Church Records II, 1729-1870. This is the source that has Philip as the father of Jacob Kunsman, my great-great grandfather. I am less convinced that August Henrich was Philip’s father. Kyle Miller does not give a specific source for this claim in his database.  Kyle, if you are reading this, I’d sure like to get a look at that binder.

          Jacob Kunsman  (1807-1877) was born in Lower Saucon Township. He married Juliana Huber in 1832 at the First Reformed Church in Easton, Pennsylvania. He eventually settled in Williams Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania. In the 1850 census Jacob gives his occupation as a Tailor. In all subsequent census he is a farmer. Jacob’s homestead was located on what is present day Tumble Creek Road in Williams Township. From the intersection of Gaffney Hill Road his home was located at the bottom of the steep hill on the left, well off the main road. No trace of it exists today. I only know of its existence through 1874 property maps and correlation with census data. Interestingly enough I hunted on this land when I was a boy. Little did I know in 1974 that I was hunting on my great-great grandfather’s land. Jacob is buried in St. John’s Cemetery, which is on the map at the right edge. This cemetery is still active to this day though Jacob’s tombstone is quite weathered and his wife Juliana’s stone is broken and tipped over. You can see pictures of these stones at this http://www.frankenfield-beam.net/Cemeteries/stjohnsluth.htm website.

          Jacob’s youngest son Stephen Alfred Kunsman was born on September 11, 1855. In 1880 he lived next to his mother who by this time was widowed. Stephen was working as a farmer. He would later work as a livestock drover. Stephen had a son Floyd (1894-1964) who is my grandfather. Floyd was a truck farmer selling produce door to door through out Easton, Pennsylvania. His farm was located in Williams Township very near the border with Lower Saucon on Valley View Road. The home and barns are still there to this day although it has been allowed by subsequent owners to go into decline. The land is no longer commercially farmed. Pictures of Stephen/Sabina and Floyd/Mabel are on my home page.

          Among Kunsman’s of note in the history of Northampton County are Philip who served in the Revolution and Peter who served in the Civil War. Their brief stories are told in the Military section. Henry William Kunsman (b.1831) was the proprietor of the Kunsman Dry Goods store in downtown Easton. All indications are that Henry William was a very wealthy man. Besides owning the store he had many boarders in the 1880 census, among them two lawyers. The following text was taken from “The History of Northampton County Illustrated 1877” by Peter Fritts. It describes the scene when Easton’s sons, members of the 153 rd Pennsylvania Regiment, returned from battle in the Civil War:

The residences and stores along Northampton Street were beautifully decorated with festoons of evergreen and mottoes

of Welcome Home Heroes of Chancellorsville and Gettysburg, 'Gallant 153rd,' Welcome Home, &c. On the top of the hill,

Northampton street, large flags and banners entwined with evergreens stretched from the opposite house-tops to the

large pole, made an imposing display, it’s also at the store of Mr. Wm. KUNSMAN and others. As the time of the arrival of

the train approached, everybody made for South Third Street, and by the time the cars came in sight, the street presented

a perfect jam of humanity. The Provost Guard and the Soldiers under command of Captain TITUS, endeavored to keep the

streets clear, but it was an impossibility. Many of the country people, in their anxiety to see their friends, also crowded

across the bridge, from the Depot to the Square, at least five thousand persons had assembled. At 10 o'clock the cannon

on Mt. Jefferson announced their arrival, and then the scene became indescribable. Such a rush and such a scramble for

the depot, we never beheld.

How I wish I could have witnessed this day for myself. What a spectacle is described in what quite possibly may have been collectively one of the most emotionally charged days in the history of the city of Easton. I spent allot of time in this city during the late sixties and early seventies. Three days a week all summer long, every summer from the time I was about 8 to about 16 years old. This was a time of steep decline for the city though you could still muster some sense of its greatness. I would again spend time there in the early eighties while working for the short lived Chocolate Cornucopia, manufacturer of candy molds. Chocolate Cornucopia opened up in the former Ralph’s Furniture building on the riverfront in about 1984. The politicians touted this company as a part of Easton’s come back. Indeed while working there I witnessed rebuilding and renovation going on almost everywhere in the city. While the city today continues to try to re-develop it still faces staggering competition from its nemesis, the suburbs. The answer for cities like Easton, in my opinion, is to set themselves apart from their suburban competition. They should differentiate themselves by celebrating and capitalizing on their uniqueness.

Many of the Kunsman’s were farmers or otherwise involved in farming such as drover or dealer. A good number were carpenters in Hellertown and Lower Saucon. We also find the occupations of House Painter, Weaver, Cabinet Maker, School Teacher, Carriage Painter, Cigar Maker, Shoe Maker, and Laborer at a Stone Quarry. I came upon this terrific photo of Calvin Kunsman (1886-1949), a Cattle Dealer in Hellertown. Calvin was my great uncle. One other interesting occupation that I should not ignore was that of Master Potter, John Kunsman. John was the master potter for the Fulper Pottery Company in Flemington, New Jersey in about 1900. In 1904 some of Kunsman’s pottery was displayed at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition and won honorable mention for design. His productions when found today are significantly valued. Vases on e-bay have gone for several hundred dollars. I have not been able to tie this John Kunsman (1864-1946) to the Northampton County families but I suspect he is related. It would not be the first family I’ve researched with ties between Northampton County, Pennsylvania and Hunterdon County, New Jersey.

I wish I had more stories to tell about this early Pennsylvania pioneer family and my mother’s namesake. Sometimes a researcher gets lucky and comes across a diary or journal and then has much to describe. Unfortunately I have found no such writing. The Kunsman binder that Kyle Miller has possession of may hold some stories. Hopefully someday I can get a look at it. In the interim the most I can do is put a few facts together to create a circumstantial case for how these families may have lived. If you would like to get a true sense of how life was for our eighteenth century farming ancestors in America, I can think of no better place than Quiet Valley Living Historical Farm near Stroudsburg, PA. This is a great place to experience first hand the difficulties and the ingenuity these farmers employed to overcome some of their hardships.

Sources for this article:
http://www.searchforancestors.com/passengerlists/hope1734.html - List of passengers on board the “Hope” 23-SEP-1734
http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec?htx=message&r=rw&p=surnames.kunsman&m=38.43 - Kyle’s description of the Kunsman binder
Pennsylvania German Church Records II, 1729-1870 – from my personal collection and widely available in both book and CD-ROM formats. Great source for early Williams Township and Saucon Township church records.
Some of the First Settlers of “The Forks of the Delaware” and Their Descendants – Author Henry Martyn Kieffer – from my personal collection and available through reprint by Higginson Book Co., Salem, MA.
http://www.rootsweb.com/~usgenweb/pa/northampton/davistoc.htm - online version of the book “History of Northampton County Illustrated 1877
http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?db=kylem86 - Extensive database including the Kunstman name
http://www.familysearch.org/ - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
http://home.ptd.net/~nikki/1btnncrev.htm - Lists of Revolutionary War units
1877 property map of Williams Township – click this link to view part of the map
http://stanglpottery.org/welcomefulper.htm -The story of the Fulper Pottery Company

[Home] [Family Histories Home]