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Coontz, Philip (b. 1762
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The History of Barbour County, West Virginia, From its Earliest
Exploration and Settlement to the Present Time
by Hu Maxwell
The Acme Publishing Company, Morgantown, W.Va., 1899

Pages 366-367 

Philip Coontz, a German, born in New Jersey, 1762, for awhile a
citzen of Pennsylvania, was an early settler where Huffman
postoffice now stands. He was a large man, high tempered, but was a
good citizen. His hunting shirt reached his heels, and he was a
veritable Nimrod. After leaving Pennsylvania he lived awhile with a
sister near Hagerstown, Maryland; then located at Cumberland, and
finally took up his abode in Cheat Valley, where the magnificent
hunting charmed him. While there his first wife died. He then pushed
into Barbour and took up his abode near Huffman. In that vicinity
lived John Barnhouse, whose daughter Barbara became the second wife
of Mr. Coontz. They were married in 1795, by Robert Maxwell, a
Justice of the Peace on Leading Creek. On the marriage license the
name is spelled "Kunce." The date of his coming to Barbour is in
doubt. It is related that he was following a wounded wolf when news
reached him of the murder of Adam Stalnaker, who was killed near
Beverly in the summer of 1782 by Timothy Dorman and his band of
Indians. This would place him among the earliest settlers of
Barbour. While living at Huffman several of his children were born
(he had seventeen). He was a mill-builder, and wherever he went he
could be tracked by his mills. He had a mill and a distillery near
Huffman and his place was famous among travelers. He built his
second mill at the mouth of Hunter's Fork. This mill was burned by a
forest fire. He built his next at the mouth of Mud Gut, and here he
erected a three-story house and spent the remainder of his days,
dying in 1856, aged 94 years. The ruins of his house and mill are
still seen. He could remember the Revolution, and his brother
volunteered for service. His sister died in 1852, aged 104 years.

The descendants of Philip Coontz are scattered far and wide.
Thirteen of his children grew up to be men and women. One of his
daughters married and went to Texas; another daughter and a son,
Lawrence, went west and were never heard of. Henry and Philip went
to Ohio (Marietta) in 1841. John was the oldest son, and was born in
1800, settled on Sugar Creek and raised nine children, all of whom
remained in Barbour County. John Coontz was noted for the fine
horses which he kept. Adam settled at Little Laurel, on the Valley
River. Frederick was a great hunter and a noted traveler. He claimed
that he built the first cabin on the site of Chicago. He lived
awhile with the Indians, and finally returned to his old home and
died on Sugar Creek, leaving a snug fortune to his five children. He
died at the age of 84 years. During the Civil War members of the
family fought in both armies.

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