Christiana Grundler immigrated to America as a young girl with her mother, father and 4 older sisters. During the passage her mother died and was buried at sea. After arriving in America, Christiana's father placed her with "adoptive" parents Friedrich and Catharina Wittmann, who needed the help of another child, and who raised her in Frederick MD, although she did maintain relationships with her father and sisters. Her relationship with her adoptive parents seems to have remained close. Christiana, as the name is spelled in her Will, married twice; first in 1771 to husband Johann Hummel, a farmer, mill owner, and land investor. She gave birth to Catharine Barbara, who died in early childhood, and to the four Hummel children named below before Johann Hummel died at age 38 in 1781
After struggling with Hummel's estate, in 1782 she married Hessian soldier Johann Philip Fiege, later known as Philip Feaga, who had been captured while fighting for Britain at Yorktown, imprisoned in Frederick MD, and welcomed by the German community there when he decided to stay in America. Mr. Fiege had experience with mills in Germany and made a successful business from the mill on Johann Hummel's property which lasted for generations. In this marriage, Christiana had four children, Christianna Feaga Scholl, Susan Catharine Feaga Holtz, Johann Frederick Feaga and George Feaga.
According to her great great grandson's family history, Christiana enjoyed good health and spoke English with a German accent although she lived to be over 101 years of age, outliving all but four of her nine children and remaining financially independent throughout her 22 years as a widow. She was a devout member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and a financial supporter of the church.
The family names are variously spelled as Christina for Christianna; John for Johann or Johannes, Feaga for Fiege, Witman, Widman, Wittman and Whitman for Wittmann; Catharina or Catherine for Catharine and Grindl or Grindler for Grundler.
After struggling with Hummel's estate, in 1782 she married Hessian soldier Johann Philip Fiege, later known as Philip Feaga, who had been captured while fighting for Britain at Yorktown, imprisoned in Frederick MD, and welcomed by the German community there when he decided to stay in America. Mr. Fiege had experience with mills in Germany and made a successful business from the mill on Johann Hummel's property which lasted for generations. In this marriage, Christiana had four children, Christianna Feaga Scholl, Susan Catharine Feaga Holtz, Johann Frederick Feaga and George Feaga.
According to her great great grandson's family history, Christiana enjoyed good health and spoke English with a German accent although she lived to be over 101 years of age, outliving all but four of her nine children and remaining financially independent throughout her 22 years as a widow. She was a devout member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and a financial supporter of the church.
The family names are variously spelled as Christina for Christianna; John for Johann or Johannes, Feaga for Fiege, Witman, Widman, Wittman and Whitman for Wittmann; Catharina or Catherine for Catharine and Grindl or Grindler for Grundler.
Christiana Grundler immigrated to America as a young girl with her mother, father and 4 older sisters. During the passage her mother died and was buried at sea. After arriving in America, Christiana's father placed her with "adoptive" parents Friedrich and Catharina Wittmann, who needed the help of another child, and who raised her in Frederick MD, although she did maintain relationships with her father and sisters. Her relationship with her adoptive parents seems to have remained close. Christiana, as the name is spelled in her Will, married twice; first in 1771 to husband Johann Hummel, a farmer, mill owner, and land investor. She gave birth to Catharine Barbara, who died in early childhood, and to the four Hummel children named below before Johann Hummel died at age 38 in 1781
After struggling with Hummel's estate, in 1782 she married Hessian soldier Johann Philip Fiege, later known as Philip Feaga, who had been captured while fighting for Britain at Yorktown, imprisoned in Frederick MD, and welcomed by the German community there when he decided to stay in America. Mr. Fiege had experience with mills in Germany and made a successful business from the mill on Johann Hummel's property which lasted for generations. In this marriage, Christiana had four children, Christianna Feaga Scholl, Susan Catharine Feaga Holtz, Johann Frederick Feaga and George Feaga.
According to her great great grandson's family history, Christiana enjoyed good health and spoke English with a German accent although she lived to be over 101 years of age, outliving all but four of her nine children and remaining financially independent throughout her 22 years as a widow. She was a devout member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and a financial supporter of the church.
The family names are variously spelled as Christina for Christianna; John for Johann or Johannes, Feaga for Fiege, Witman, Widman, Wittman and Whitman for Wittmann; Catharina or Catherine for Catharine and Grindl or Grindler for Grundler.
After struggling with Hummel's estate, in 1782 she married Hessian soldier Johann Philip Fiege, later known as Philip Feaga, who had been captured while fighting for Britain at Yorktown, imprisoned in Frederick MD, and welcomed by the German community there when he decided to stay in America. Mr. Fiege had experience with mills in Germany and made a successful business from the mill on Johann Hummel's property which lasted for generations. In this marriage, Christiana had four children, Christianna Feaga Scholl, Susan Catharine Feaga Holtz, Johann Frederick Feaga and George Feaga.
According to her great great grandson's family history, Christiana enjoyed good health and spoke English with a German accent although she lived to be over 101 years of age, outliving all but four of her nine children and remaining financially independent throughout her 22 years as a widow. She was a devout member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church and a financial supporter of the church.
The family names are variously spelled as Christina for Christianna; John for Johann or Johannes, Feaga for Fiege, Witman, Widman, Wittman and Whitman for Wittmann; Catharina or Catherine for Catharine and Grindl or Grindler for Grundler.
