The Schantz Family in North America is large and widespread; alternative spellings of the last name includes variations such as Tschantz, Shantz, Shonts, and Schanz. The family descended from Jacob Schanz (June 12, 1710-February 5, 1781) who emigrated to the United States of America in 1737 and settled in Pennsylvania. In 1810 Jacob’s son Christian Shantz (1769-1857) came to Waterloo County and settled at Freeport on the Grand River.
Christian’s son Benjamin Shantz (1811-1868) was an early Waterloo County inhabitant and one of the founders of Port Elgin, Ontario where he settled in 1854 and established a grist and flour mill. Benjamin married Lydia Kolb (1814-1862) on April 10, 1842 and together they had ten children; Josiah K. Schantz (1834-1913), Catharine Schantz (May 17, 1836-February 28, 1917), Hannah Schantz (April 1, 1838-August 20, 1841), Christian Schantz (January 20, 1840-?), Tobias Schantz (1842-1925), Abraham K. Schantz (September 20, 1844-?), Benjamin K. Schantz (December 5, 1846), Menno K. Schantz (January 31, 1849-July 6, 1888), Lydia K. Schantz (August 17, 1851-July 16, 1900), Sarah K. Schantz (April 1, 1854-April 10, 1878), and Enoch K. Schantz (October 7, 1856-May 25, 1888).
When Lydia died in 1862, Benjamin remarried his housekeeper, Margaret Swinton. Benjamin and Margaret left Port Elgin, Ontario and settled in Dallas County, Missouri. Correspondence in the collection between Benjamin and his son Tobias recount Benjamin’s settler experiences in Dallas County, Missouri.
The Schantz Russell Family Papers centre around Tobias Schantz, his wife Mary Schantz and their descendants, drawing together primary sources relating to several early white settler families of Waterloo County, primarily the Schantz, Moyer/Meyer and Bowman families, and material relating to descendants of the Moyer settlers of Lincoln County, Ontario.
Published
Eleven letters received by Etta Lydia Mary White (nee Schantz).
Date and Place from: [18--?] s.l. To Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary, 1866-1900 From Raymond, Annie Bell.
Date and Place from: October 15, 1874 La Salle, Ill. To Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary, 1866-1900 From Moyer, Jesse Gross, 1850-1933 Notes: Wedding announcement of Jesse Moyer and Anne E. Tomlins.
Date and Place from: August 31, 1884 Cedar Falls, Iowa To Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary, 1866-1900 From Schantz, Orpheus Moyer, 1864-1951.
Date and Place from: March 22, 1887 Cedar Falls, Iowa To Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary, 1866-1900 From Schantz, Orpheus Moyer, 1864-1951.
Date and Place from: May 17, 1892 Chicago, Ill. To Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary, 1866-1900 From Schantz, Austin Tobias, 1871-1959.
Date and Place from: June 16, 1894 Greenville, NJ To Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary, 1866-1900 From Norton, Harriet N., Mrs. Attachments: Envelope, no stamp Notes: Wedding announcement of Flora Millicent Bartlett and Mr. Robert Bliss Moyer.
Date and Place from: May 31, 1896 Aikenside To Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary, 1866-1900 From Schantz, Arthur Benjamin, 1876-1958.
Date and Place from: July 19, 1897 Chicago, Ill. To Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary, 1866-1900 From Stocker, Alfred Attachments: Envelope included, stamp removed Notes: Written on Chicago, Burlington & Quincy Railroad Company letterhead.
Date and Place from: August, 29, 1897 Wilmette, Ill. To Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary, 1866-1900 From Moyer, M. Emma Attachments: Envelope, stamp removed.
Date and Place from: August 30, 1897 Ashtabula, Ohio To Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary, 1866-1900 From Moyer, Theo. P. Attachments: Envelope, stamp removed.
Date and Place from: October 11, [18--] Aikenside To Schantz, Etta Lydia Mary, 1866-1900 From Schantz, Arthur Benjamin, 1876-1958.
Donated by Dorothy Russell and Harold Russell in 1995.
Revised by NM in February 2019.