What nationality is the last name Fantz?

Answer 1

Genealogical Research on the Ancestors of Francis Fantz


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August 25, 2006

May 22, 2006 I authorized genealogical research by:

Ted Gostin
P. O. Box 56321
Sherman Oaks, CA 91413-1321
818-501-5852
[e-mail]

Outline of research results:

Found nothing that conclusively relates to the Francis Fantz family
Could not locate a baptismal record for Francis Fantz about 1819
Found a Fanz family in Baden-Baden. This family seems to disappear about 1832 so there may be a connection. Some additional research could be done.
Searched local histories of Somerset County, PA—found nothing
Searched ship records for port of Baltimore—records are incomplete because original lists prior to 1833 were destroyed.
Checked sources that index emigrants leaving Baden—did not find anything.
Searched all of the immigration collection on Ancestry.com—did not find anything.
Found that the LDS Family History Library (FHL) Catholic records also include Protestants and Jews prior to 1832—searched them from 1819 forward—found nothing. (The records don’t even indicate religion. Elizabeth Fantz Henry said that Francis Fantz was baptized by a Catholic priest.)
In marriage records, found the Jan 8, 1827 marriage of Ludwig Fanz and Maria Schmidt. Ludwig at age 30 and was a widower. He could have had a son by his first marriage in 1819. It is possible that this birth could have been in another city as there does not seem to be a record in Baden-Baden. It is possible that Ludwig moved to Baden-Baden with his young son, remarried, and left the country in 1832. This is unproven theory. It may be worthwhile to check Catholic records from the nearby towns of Buhl and Eisental for the baptism of Frances Fantz. It might take many hours to review the records if they are not indexed. (Other records are indexed so these may be, too.)
Searched the Mormon IGI (International Genealogical Index)—the majority of events were for the Fanz and Fantz families in Gemmingen but some were in a few other Baden towns including Buhl, Eisental, Heinsheim, Wieblingen, and Leimen. Several events were for Protestants, confirming the possibility that the Francis Fantz family could have come from some other town in Baden.
Searched the baptismal records of the Evangelical church in Gemmingen around 1819 but found nothing for Francis Fantz.


Comments by Ted Gostin:

The research might be described as a “needle in a haystack” rather than as a “brick wall.”
Information about where Frances Fantz was born was very imprecise therefore we may be searching in the wrong place.
We have absolutely no evidence that the Frances Fantz family is related to the Theobald d’Fanz line. (They did come to the same part of America even to Warren County Iowa but this may well be just a coincidence.)
It would take an enormous amount of time and money to fully research and document all Fantz vital records in Gemmingen itself let alone all the other town records. Thus the “needle in a haystack” situation.
Just because a connection between the two families has not been found does not mean that there is not one.
I relate the reliability of your information as very low. It should be no surprise if the evidence does not match expectations. The most healthy approach is to lower your expectations. This is really the only way to proceed. If the research does not uncover the evidence that you want to find, then it is still useful research. It has shown that the available records do not support your family’s oral history. While that may not be what you want to hear, it is useful to know.
Conclusions:

After reviewing the research results and the comments, I decided to discontinue the search for the ancestors of Frances Fantz. I think the work of Ted Gostin has allowed me to accept the fact that we may never know the facts in this matter. I terminated the arrangement with Ted Gostin leaving the door open if others wish to contact him for additional research.

I have felt that Frances may have been a middle name and the first name may have been Johann as many other people were named but that did not seem to bear out in the research by Ted Gostin.

Harvey W. Henry
this was all i could find of that family name

Answer 2

Hey Camille,

The family search site has 149 Fantz entries. Those not from the USA are in several European countries. Denmark, Switzerland, and Germany. German is predominant, but the oldest entry on a cursory glance is:
57. Catharina - International Genealogical Index / CE
Gender: Female Christening: 01 SEP 1558 Basel, Basel, Switzerland

Answer 3

The response above does give a lot of leads... however, it bears repeating- names don't have nationalities.
Especially in the area of Germany and early Europe, countries FREQUENTLY changed boundaries. Thus..if your family ancestor lived in what was once Austria.. it might be part of Germany later, Poland, or.... within a few years.
This is common in early research!