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This work would not have been possible had it not been for the efforts of some of the geneological researchers before me including:
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The name WOLTZ dates back to 1250 A.D. and is of Swiss origin. The name has been variously presented by historians. In the beginning they were known as Waltzer -- a name applied to a small community of farmers who sought refuge during the Gothic Dominion in secluded mountains of the Alpine Range, near the Rhine Glacier. Three Swiss Historians refer to these people as Walzer, Wilsor, and Voltzer. Other Historians have concluded that they were Eustacian of Gallic Celts who took refuge in the mountains after being overpowered by the Gauls and the Romans. Today the name WOLTZ is spelled Waltz, Voltz, or Woltz -- that last being the one generally accepted by the descendants of Dr. Peter and Major John George Adams Woltz's families.
Frederick Rhinehart WOLTZ immigrated to America in 1731, and according to Rupp's Thirty Thousand Immigrants - (Vol 17, 2nd Ser. Penn Arc.) he was the first man by that name to come to America. His coming was because of his violent opposition to the constant increasing encroachment on the civil and religious rights of his people. On his arrival in New York City, he was involuntarily apprenticed for eighteen months to pay for his passage across the Atlantic. Subsequently he then settled in Pennsylvania where no doubt the topography of the country had a great deal of influence, since it was similar to that of the homeland. There too, he could have political freedom and the priviledge of worshipping God according to the dictates of his own conscience. However, we soon find him among the settlers of northern Maryland where he settled and died in 1782.
The name WALTZ also has some roots in Southern Germany. According to extensive research done by Floyd Randall WALTZ, Jr., his lineage stems from Johann Georg WALTZ. Johann Georg Waltz, anglicized to John George Waltz, was apparently called by his middle name. His wife, his in-laws, and many of his friends were Dunkards or Dunkers. This was a protestant religious sect of Germany that was opposed to military service and the taking of oaths. Holding these religious tenents during the period of the Napoleonic conquest and/or subjugation of the south German States and of Austria undoubtedly caused him and his friends in Mohringen some serious problems. Two of his friends, John and Gottlieb Heim, were imprisoned in 1803 for their opposition to conscription. George Waltz' nonconforming attitude towards the prevailing requirements by those in authority regarding military service and oaths was a major factor in his decision, and that of his friends, to emigrate to the United States. So in 1804 and at the age of 28, George Waltz with his family, his in-laws, and a number of friends with their families, emigrated as a group from Germany to the United States, and also decided to settle in Pennsylvania. This lineage can be traced back to Hans Peter WALTZ who was born sometime in the mid-1600's.
Information about the WOLTZ Family Reunion to be held July 6-13, 2003
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