Abraham Geiger I (3/4/1689/90-5/7/1766), the first known Geiger to come to the colony of South Carolina arrived in 1737 from Berneck, Switzerland with his brother (former Cantonal Gov. Hans Jacob Gyger and Hans Jacob's son Herman Gyger.) They came aboard the British vessel, Prince of Wales. Abraham arrived with his wife, Catherina Schellig(1/29/1686/87), three sons and a daughter, and he received a land grant of 300 acres dated 1742. They spoke a Swiss dialect of German called Switzerdeutsche. It has been said that the British scribes had difficulty with the hard guttural sounds, and anglicized the name as Giger, Gieger and Geiger, and two instances of Kegar have been found. All went to the Orangeburg area of SC, and changed the spelling of their name to Geiger. Several years later, Abraham's son, Han Ulrich Geiger, now grown and married, moved his family to Effingham County, Georgia. (Ebenezer area).
One of Abraham Geiger I's sons, Hans Ulric Geiger (born in Berneck, Switzerland), made application for a Georgia land grant in 1766. The grant was issued June 2, 1767 for 300+ acres, south side of the Great Ogeechee River beginning at the Flat Ford.
Hans Ulric Geiger's (5/14/1729-6/12/1777) wife was named Appolonia (born about 1749). They were the parents of, at least, seven children.
Ulric's son, Abraham Geiger II, was born 6/11/1761 in Effingham County, Georgia. He married Mercy Martin, and they produced about sixteen children. In Georgia D.A.R. records are deeds made by Abraham II and son, David, in Chatham and Bryan Counties before 1850. Abraham is shown in Book X, No. 410, Rev. Claims in SC, as having received pay for supplies for militia use, 1782; also Book X, No. 1512, a claim issued 3/3/1787 for cattle. He received 100 acres as a land grant on 3/8/1790. In 1809 he received 500 acres; 1814 - 400 acres; and 1815 200 more acres. This was enough for a plantation. Some of this information can be found in the book Annals of Georgia. Abraham II was found in Bryan County, Georgia in the 1820 census.
Abraham Geiger II's son, David
(3/15/1795-5/5/1870) was born in Bryan County, GA. He first
married Lucinda "Lucy" Bennett (5/8/1794-2/8/1832). In
1834 he married Martha Slater (7/31/1815-12/15/1884).
David and Lucy Bennett Geiger's children were:
- Cornelius (10/17/1815-8/20/1863)
- Ephraim (3/15/1818-9/10/1833)
- Abraham Elias (5/5/1820)
- Aaron Martin (9/5/1822-6/21/1881)
- Cynthia Ann (5/14/1825)
- Joshua David (11/25/1826-4/13/1863)
- Simeon Samuel (6/22/1828-4/28/1843)
- Lavinia (3/5/1830-2/11/1910)
- Mary E. (1/31/1832)
All were born in Bryan County, Georgia.
David and Martha Slater Geiger's children were:
- John Harmon (2/22/1835-6/11/1865)
- Winfield Wickliff (10/28/1837-5/12/1902)
- Sarah Frances (5/5/1840-4/27/1890)
- James Henry (3/31/1842-9/19/1863)
- Harriet Elizabeth (1/14/1844-3/27/1925)
- David Leaston Geiger (6/14/1846-4/10/1890)
David obtained at least three land grants in Bryan County, Georgia. The first was in 1835 - 240 acres; the second was in 1836 - 54 acres; and the third in 1847 - 350 acres. Lucy Bennett's father also gave David 400 acres.
David was a local preacher and member of the Christian Church. In later years he became a member in the Missionary Baptist Church, and most of his children became Baptist. David lived all his life below Pembroke in the Little Creek Section of Bryan County. He died in Pembroke, Georgia leaving a large part of his estate to his wife, Martha; the remainder was to be sold and divided equally among his surviving children.
David, served on the May Term of Court on the Petit Jury. (This information is from Bryan County, Georgia Superior Court minutes 1810-1828).
Winfield Wickliff Geiger (10/28/1837-5/12/1902) was the son of David Geiger (3/15/1795-5/5/1870) and Martha Slater (7/31/1815-12/15/1884) of Bryan County, Georgia. David, and probably Martha, is buried on what may have been David's land on Otter Hole Road outside of Pembroke, Georgia.
Winfield Wickliff grew up in Bryan County and lived there all of his life. He served in the Confederate Army (Anderson's Brigade, Kelly's Division, Wheeler's CAS Corp, Army of Tennessee, Fifth Cavalry of GA) as a quartermaster. The unit saw action in the Coastal Campaign in GA and SC. They also served near Riceboro, GA where they fought a number of skirmishes with federal raiding parties. They fought in several minor battles around Charleston, SC. As Sherman's army approached Atlanta in June of 1864, the unit saw action at Noon Day Church. Throughout the summer all units of the 5th Cavalry engaged in fierce battles in the Atlanta Campaign including Kennesaw Mountain, Big Shanty, Peachtree Creek and Decatur. When Sherman attacked Macon on July 30 1864, he ran directly into the 5th Georgia Cavalry.
Nancy Geiger Ford has copies of several letters he wrote to his wife, Sarah Ann Edwards Geiger, while he was serving. Later he served as Ordinary for Bryan County (similar to a probate judge). He also served in the Georgia legislature (House of Representatives 1868-69-70 and the GA Senate, First District, 1896-97).
Winfield first married Sarah Ann Edwards (12/22/1841-5/27/1872) on 5/2/1857, daughter of Daniel Huger Edwards and Elizabeth Jane Archer Edward's. Their children were:
- James Winfield ( 2/23/1858-1/4/1913)
- Millard Homer (10/2/1859-3/29/1910)
- Alexander Horton (3/9/1861-4/3/1931)
- George Barclay (6/14/1862-12/12/1941)
- Ella Edwards (11/3/1864-4/20/1933)
- Howell Milton (4/11/1866-8/22/1918)
- Sarah Melissa (9/9/1868-7/23/1943)
- Jane Archer (7/29/1870-8/31/1943)
- Charles Spurgeon (4/20/1872-1/6/1957).
Sarah Ann died on 5/27/1872, not even a month after Charles Spurgeon was born. On 7/3/1872, Winfield married Sarah Ann's sister Dorcas Elvina Edwards(3/23/1840-9/10/1879). Winfield and Dorcas had three children:
- Lillian Edith (9/14/1874-5/10/1931)
- Elena Gordon (8/26/1877-11/24/1953)
- Dorcas Louisa (8/6/1879-7/23/1957).
About one month after Dorcas Louisa's birth, Dorcas
died. Her death and also Sarah Ann's must have been, in
some way, related to childbirth. On 9/20/1879, Winfield
Wickliff married Ann Jane Underwood Smith, who is
believed to be a first cousin of the Edward's wives. She
was the widow of Alexander A. Smith, and she had four
Smith children when she married Winfield Wickliff.
The Smith children were:
- Loren B.
- Evans Bevell
- Leila Eugenia
- Alexander Button Smith.
Ann Jane and Winfield Wickliff had six children:
- Minnie Lee (12/17/1880-3/1955)
- Rufus Ralph (2/14/1883-6/4/1945)
- Daisy Bell (3/2/1885)
- Annie Gertrude (1/7/1888)
- Elliotte Holmes (2/4/1890-12/13/1960)
- Ruby Carlisle Geiger (7/10/1893-8/4/1919).
Annie Gertrude married James Bell Smith, and legend says that they moved to Hollywood, CA where he became a film maker.
One of the stories told about Winfield Wickliff is that his daughter Sarah Melissa Geiger, who married William H. Baggs, would drive a wagon loaded with all of her children to Winfield Wickliff's home in Bryan County from Ludowici, Georgia, which was a day's journey, to stay a month at her father's home during the summer. She said that there were many pretty girls and nice looking boys there, and they lived in a large two story house at Groveland, Georgia. A crying baby was taken outside, and maybe even down to the barn, to prevent Winfield Wickliff from being forced to listen to the crying. The girls dressed and fixed their hair before preparing a huge breakfast for the family. One day one of the girls left her belt upstairs and was promptly sent back for it by her father.
If a young man came to call on one of the Geiger girls, their father met him at the gate. If he was well groomed and his horse and buggy looked well cared for, he was invited in; otherwise, he was sent down the road. My father remembered his Grandfather Winfield Wickliff coming to visit my father's home before my father was five years old. He remembered that W.W. was well dressed and drove a well maintained horse and buggy.
Winfield Wickliff raised hogs, cows, horses, chickens and grew all of their vegetables.
He is buried in South Salem Cemetery near Groveland, Georgia in Bryan County on Fort Stewart property. Sarah Ann Edwards Geiger is buried on his right, and Ann Jane Underwood Smith Geiger is on his left. Dorcas is on the other side of Sarah Ann. The Edwards' girls' mother, Elizabeth Jane Archer Edwards is also buried there, and an unmarked grave is probably her husband, Daniel Huger Edwards.
Nancy Geiger Ford
My line of descent:
Abraham Geiger I
Hans Ulric Geiger
Abraham Geiger II
David Geiger
Winfield Wickliff Geiger
Millard Homer Geiger
Winfield Homer Geiger (my father)
Nancy Geiger Ford.