Frederick Hartwell Koon was born August 3 in either 1821 or 1829. The date on his tombstone states that he was born in 1821. He stated on his application for a Confederate Soldier’s Pension that he was born in 1829. He was born in Newberry County, South Carolina, the son of Eve Margaret Feagle and Martin Koon.
Family tradition has it that Frederick Hartwell Koon married Sarah Knight, born 1819 in South Carolina. They probably married about 1844 in South Carolina as their first child was born about 1845. The children of Sarah and Frederick Hartwell Koon, all born in South Carolina, were as follows:
John Kasley Koon was born about 1845 and died October 16, 1884 in Columbia County. He married Sarah E. Burns in ColumbiaCounty on July 4, 1866. He was also a soldier in the Civil War. He enlisted on March 8, 1862 in Company B, Fifth Florida Regiment under Capt. Garrett Vinzant. He was buried in the cemetery of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church, Columbia County, Florida.
J. Wynn Koon was born about 1847.
I. S. Koon was born about 1848 and was deceased by 1860.
Sarah Ann Koon was born about 1850.
Elizabeth “Fannie” Koon was born about 1852.
Caroline E. Koon was born about 1854 and died May 5, 1924. She married Edward Presley Hawkins, September 5, 1876 in Columbia County, Florida. They were buried in the Fort White Cemetery.
Luther R. Koon was born February 18, 1856 and died March 14, 1914. He married Molly J. Smith, January 18, 1877 in Columbia County, Florida.
Victoria L. Koon was born May 8, 1869 and died in 1936. She married Martin P. Moyer, December 27, 1881 in Columbia County, Florida. They were buried in the Fort White Cemetery.
Laura E. Koon was born about 1860. She married John Thomas, November 24, 1880.
The Frederick Hartwell Koon family moved to Columbia County, Florida, sometime after the 1860 census South Carolina and August 9, 1863, when Hartwell Coon enlisted in the Confederate Army in Lake City, FL. He enlisted and was transferred to Company H, 9th Florida Infantry Regiment, Finnegan’s Brigade, October 1, 1863. He participated in the Battle of Olustee and was slightly wounded in the battle; however, he was still able to perform his soldier duties in other battles. On September 23, 1864, he was admitted to Howard’s Grove Hospital in Richmond, Virginia, and received a furlough to Lake City on September 30, 1864. He surrendered at Appomattox, Virginia, on April 9, 1865 and slowly made his way home with other soldiers from his regiment. On July 22, 1909, he applied for and received a Soldier’s Pension for his Confederate service.
After the war, F. H. Koon became a farmer and lived in the Tustenuggee community, where he was enumerated with his family in the 1870 census. Although a farmer by occupation, his driving passion was his church. He was a charter member of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Columbia County, and he helped build three successive churches of that congregation.
His beloved wife, Sarah Knight Koon, preceded him in death in 1876. Frederick Hartwell Koon died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. M. T. Moyer, in Fort White on November 9, 1909, and was laid to rest next to his wife in the little cemetery of the Bethlehem Lutheran Church. An article published in the Lutheran Church Visitor, November 18, 1909, showed that he was highly regarded by the citizens of Columbia County: “Simplicity and sincerity were his marked characteristics. Piety and peace were his possessions. Good will and good cheer pervaded the atmosphere in which he moved. His spirit was always sweet and saintly. His words and his works, his moral and material support, made him a model church member.” Such was the legacy of Frederick Hartwell Koon.
Descendants include (but are not limited to) the following: Cecil Koon, Gerald Koon, Norma Koon Edwards, Buddy Durden, Hunter Koon, Kirk Koon, Jack Koon, Frances Koon, Gwen Barber, Bascom R. Akins, Heather Crosier, Danny Crosier, Avery Crosier, Lanny Crosier, Larry Stewart, Ariane Miles, Priscilla Miles, Kurtis D. Kohn, Robert L. Kohn, Shirley Dampier, Charlotte Witt, Beth Crews, Marilyn Rossborough, Cliff Jones, Levi Cable, Autumn Cable, Cherie Cable, Barbara Williams, Tiffany Williams, James L. Kohn, Cebran B. Kohn, Jr., Joyce L. Kohn, Orrin G. Kohn, Jr., Alton L. Kohn, Jayden L. Kohn, Darryl R. Kohn, Craig Kohn, and Harry C. Kohn.