Jenter - Family History & Genealogy Message Board

Re: Jenter Family Surname

kjenter — 2007-08-04 14:03:30Z

Hi Diana,
I did not know what it meant. My uncle did tell me one time many years ago, he is deceased now, that Jenter was like the Jewish word Yentel, which means marriage maker. We are not Jewish though, protestant. Our earliest Jenter, Laux Jenter, was born Catholic in France, but embraced the Reformation Movement, was a Huguenot, escaped persecution by the Catholic's in France and escaped into Germany about 1600.

I do know too, that the word jenter, with a small j, means female or girl in Norwegian.

Thanks for writing!!!

Karen Jenter
Michigan

Re: Jenter Family Surname

dianazilm43 — 2007-08-04 13:25:27Z

I know this will not help you, but think it is very strange. My husband's ancestors, the Zilms, came from Germany/Poland to Australia in 1838.In 1978 we had a son. My husband told me that God had told him, some years ago, that he would have a son, and should call him Jenter, which we did. Someone once told us that the name meant "innocent and protected; peaceful warrior".
Strange, eh?
Diana Zilm

Re: Jenter Family Surname

kjenter — 2007-07-10 23:12:28Z

Hi Rudi,
My cousin Rudy Jenter lives in Switzerland. His father passed away a year or so ago, but it was because of him that I was able to fit Rudy's family into the tree. He and his lady friend drove to Wadensville, Switzerland and got the Jenter records from the civil hall. When he sent them to me I was able to connect them. Rudy did work for the World Bank of Switzerland, he was in the USA in New York for a while, but is now back in Switzerland. He and some friends started their own bank.

I have another cousin Lynn Jenter, married name Lynn George and her son Philip visit my mom and I here in Michigan in February. They live in England. Lynn and Rudy share the same great grandfather I think it is. From Wadensville, Switzerland, Lynn's grandfather went to England early 1900's.

Did your Anna Maria Jenter born in Heselwangen died on 11 Aug 1853??? If that is the one, I have her on my family tree, but I did not know who she had married. Your line goes back to Eberhard Jenter born Nov 1646, it looks like and he was the younger brother of Laux Richter Jenter born 1633, who I descend from. If I have your 4th g grandmother correct, then this is probably right. You did say Laux wife was Barbara, I think and all I knew was her by L'Inconnue, which I found out was French for unknown.

I think Laux Jenter was born about 1580, fled to Germany may 1600 or a few years before that, to escape persecution from the Catholic Church. He was probably a follower of Martin Luther and the Reformation movement. He settled in Heselwangen. My branch stayed there for several generations and then I think it was my 3rd g grandfather, he got into a shouting fight with the mayor of Heselwangen and the mayors wife chashed him out of town on the end of her broom. He ran next door to Zillhausen, Germany and married a local gal. My 2nd great grandfather Christian Jenter came to the USA and settled in Michigan in 1852. He had been married in Germany in Tubingen, but lost his wife. He married a gal from Germany in 1854 right after she came here. This area is heavily populated with German immigrants who fled Germany to escape the Prussian War in the 1850's. My dad is 100 % Germany background, so we are all related to one another in this area. They mainly came from the Wuerttemberg area, but I do have family also from Schale, Germany in the northern part.

There are German German cousins of mine who live still in Zillhausen, also in Helsenwangen and Balingen, also in Streichen, and a lot of little towns around Balingen. I think it was in 1978 or so that all the little town were incorporated into the larger town of Balingen, their address are all that, but the road signs there still tell you which village you are entering, really lovely area. ]

The area here in Michigan is much like that area in Germany, we are very rural, lots of farm land and rolling hills, small towns, we have no more than probably 2000 citizens here. Not so much farming anymore, the small farmer has been swept up by the large corporations. Being we are very near Detroit, the Motor Capital of the world, a lot of people around here find their employment in the auto industry.

My grandfather's older sister was Emilie Jenter and she was the family genealogist, she died in 1972 but she used to write to Jenter's in Germany, they were around Tubingen, and a lot of the small towns near Baloingen. Right after the second world war, she used to send care packages to some of the relatives. She passed her family research on to me, actually it came to me through her son. So I have been doing the Jenter's for about 20 years now.

I don't have anything posted on the internet, I may have a Jenter tree on ancestry.com, but it probably is several years old. I use Family Tree Maker, but I can make a GEDCOM file if you would like. It might be to big to send by internet, I think I tried it before and it was too big, but I can burn a disk and send to you by snail mail, it only takes about 6 days. I sent Rudi Jenter a disk last year. He doesn't have a lot fo time to do genealogy but he is very interested.

I have not gone to your site yet, but I will go as soon as I send this message.

Oh, I almost forgot, I was going to mention this in the last message, forgot to. I was corresponding several years ago with a lady from France, she was doing research for Yenter family here in the Chicao area, and the name was origigally Jenter. She has some of them coming from Herbsheim, France, which is the area which used to be Germany and is now back in French posession. I have all of the Jenter research in huge notebooks.

If you want to correwspond my regular email instead of this my email address is
jenterkar@aol.com
that way I can send you info on Rudy, his email and address. I forget right off hand where he lives, but I have it on the computer here.

take care,

Karen
My other

Re: Jenter Family Surname

rudihauser — 2007-07-10 20:18:42Z

Hi Karen,
My name is Rudi Hauser, I live in Zurich in Switzerland, but my ancestors are from today's area of the Zollernalbkreis in Germany. I publish my research on worldconnect, you may find our Laux Jenter with the following URL among my ancestors: http://worldconnect.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&...

I am mainly working with the films of the original churchbooks.
The closest Jenter to me is Anna Maria Jenter *Dec 19, 1774 in Heselwangen, she is a 4xgreat-grandmother to me and married Johann Wilhelm Hauser of Frommern.
If it is true that the Jenter family name comes from France, the immigration must have been much earlier than 1600. I know at least in two different villages around Balingen (Frommern and Ostdorf) people with Jenter family name living there or having children before 1600. You may find some of them in my database, when you use the Index.
I do not have contact to any other Jenters; even in Germany they seem to be concentrated today mainly to the Zollernalbkreis; I made a profile on that name.
best regards, Rudi

Re: Jenter Family Surname

kjenter — 2007-07-09 00:09:30Z

Hi Rudi,
We must be cousins then. I have a distant cousin, Robert Jenter who lives in New Rochelle, New York. His grandfather was born in Germany, he was Mrtin Jenter. He came to the USA, I don't know exactly when that was, but before the Second World War, Martin had a family tree commissioned. Robert sent me a copy of it. It was done in water colors, is quite large, Robert send me a black and white copy. It showed that Laux was a Hugonotten and it listed his family and extended all the way to the United States and Robert's family, I was able to plug my family and my German Jenter cousins into the chart. The chart is probably the size of 4 sheets of 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper taped together. Robert also sent me a corner which showed the colors of the original. I think he has the original chart in his possession, it has been several years sice we corresponded, I moved on to researching my mom's side. Have done dad's Germany side for almost 20 year snow. Robert is into genealogy, but still works full time, so has not a lot of time to do any research. Martin is gone now. Robert is same age as I, he was born in 1948 in Aug and I was born in 1948 in Sep. I retired 5 years ago from the Federal Government, Robert also work for Federal government, but I think still working. We also have another cousin, also a Federal employee, younger by a few years, also still working full time, but he is the one who told me we descended from Huguenots, he told me this before I got a copy of Robert's chart. I believe Laux had 2 families. I descend from his son Laux Richter Jenter born 1633, not sure where, France or Germany. He also had Andreas, I have not year or date of birth, Hannsz born 1628 and Eberhard born 1636. His wife was L'Inconnue. I thought that was her name, until I visited Jenter family in Germany in 1999, and they told me it means unknown in French. I have church records for Laux family register page showing the 4 boys all the way though to myslef in the USA here to Michigan. I also have the individual baptismal records. I do not know where in France Laux was born. We are pretty sure all of the world's Jenter's are related, at least 99% sure. I have cousins in several areas in the USA and Canada, there are maybe less than 250 of us with the Jenter name in the USA. I have a cousin Jenter maiden name in England, she visited here with her son in Feb of this year. I also have cousins who I visited in Germany in 1999 at Zillhausen, when my ancestor fled from Heselwangen. I have several more cousins in Germany, most of the Jenter's live in Germany. I also have family Jenter;s in Switzerland and also a cousin grandmother maiden name Jenter who lives in Australia. I corresponded with a gal in Illinois who has Jenter and Yenter family from Herbsheim, France, in the Alscae area. The border changed hands many times from France to Germany and back to France. So Far I can't trace Laux Jenter to where he came from in France, I believe no records exist any longer. This is one of my brick walls. I would love to join the Huguenot Society but can't find the French connection. You must be from the second wife of Laux. I have him with 4 daughers, Catharine, born 15 Jun 1656, Eve/Eva 21 Feb 1656/57, Agnes 02 Jan 1661/62 and Ursula 20 Mar 1663/64,
I am sort of at a brick wall here with getting into France.
I have all of the gamily group sheets for Jenter from Heselwangen and Zillhausen, Germany. I have visited both of the churches there.

I am SO GLAD you contacted me, where are you??? I live in Michigan.

Re: Jenter Family Surname

rudihauser — 2007-07-08 21:04:01Z

Karen
I have Laux Jenter, born Oct 17. 1654 in Heselwangen in my family tree as well. His parents are Laux Jenter and Barbara (family name unknown), married about 1641. Do you have information further back on this latter Laux Jenter or his ancestors? What is your source on the Huguenot origin? Have you been able to trace this back?
kind regards
Rudi

Jenter Family Surname

kjenter — 2004-02-07 18:19:04Z

I would to hear from anyone worldwide who has the Jenter surname in their family tree. I have traced the Jenter name from the USA, back to Germany. Jenter is a rare and unusal surname. We believe that all of the world's Jenter's descend from one Laux (Lang) Jenter born circa 1580 in France. He was Huguenot who escaped France in the early 1600's and setteled in Heselwangen, Germany. Heselwangen is about 1 hour south of Stuttgart in Baden-Wuerttemberg.

I have not been able to trace the Laux back to France at this time.

I have copies of German Heselwangen Evangelisch birth records from my branch of the Jenter family from Laux (Lang) Jenter born October 17, 1654 in Heselwangen, onward to myself. I also have German Heselwangen Evangelisch Family Register records from Laux (Lang) born circa 1580 in France, onward. These records do not show where this Laux, nor his son Laux Richter Jenter was born.

I am presently correspond with other Jenter family from Sydney, Australia, England, Germany and Switzerland and the USA.

I would love to hear from anyone who has the Jenter surname in their family tree.

Karen Lois Jenter
Michigan