The Grantner / Grandtner Family Tree Online
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I have currently identified three distinct branches of the family tree in Slovakia, and I am also working on an Austrian branch. The Slovakia branches are: the Adelbertuys Grantner branch (Adelbertuys born about 1760), the Johan Grantner branch (Johan born about 1770), and the Michal Grandtner branch (Michal was born in 1764).
All three of the branches seem to have their Slovak roots in about the same region of Slovakia, near the city of Kremnica. The Johan Grantner branch and the Michal Grandtner branches are linked via a marriage in 1891 between Josephus Matthias Grandtner and Anna Paulina Grandtner.
One of the differentiating characteristics of the branches is religion. The Adelbertuys branch is Roman Catholic while the other two branches are Lutheran (aka, Evangelical or Augsburg Confession).
Because of the uniqueness of the surname (it seems more Germanic than Slovak), and the locale of the early ancestors, it is highly likely that the three branches are connected. However, I have not yet been able to prove it via a paper trail.
DNA Testing and the "Partiarch"
DNA testing for Richard Grantner (born 1945, member of the Adalbertuys Grantner branch, Person ID 275) and Leo Grandtner (born 2001, member of the Johan Grantner branch, person ID 2150) was done at Family Tree DNA (FTDNA). Comparison of Leo’s test with that of Richard’s indicates a match (at 111 markers) with a genetic distance of eight steps. Both Richard and Leo also had the Big Y test, which indicated a match. Hence, we know that Richard and Leo are related, but we do not know the Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA). For simplicity, I assumed that the MRCA is “Patriarch Grantner” born about 1740 (Person ID 3906). “Patriarch” is assumed to be the father of both Adalbertuys Grantner and Johan Grantner, as well as Michal Grantner. Obviously, the MRCA could be further back in time than that, but this assumption is sufficient to tie the branches together.
There are a large number of Grantners in Austria. Since the Grantner surname seems more Germanic than Slovakian, two possible theories are: 1) The Austrian Grantners predate the Slovakian Grantners. At some point in time an Austrian Grantner moved to modern-day Slovakia. 2) The Grantners originated in the Alsace region of France/Germany (as Tibor Grandtner believed) and they immigrated to both Slovakia and Austria. One problem with this second theory is that I cannot find ancestors in France.
It actually is both (or either). The two spellings appear to have been used interchangeably. Tibor Grandtner (b. 1915) was convinced in 1997 that Grandner, Grantner, and Grandtner were the same surname, just with slight spelling differences. Access to baptism records in Slovakia and Hungary has bolstered his assertion. The surname on the baptism records switched between Grantner and Grandtner, from child to child, in many families. For example, my great-grandparents, István Grantner (b. 1841) and Emma Lányi, had 10 children. The baptismal records for 6 of those children, including for my grandfather Bela/Albert, listed the surname as GRANDTNER. There is a similar mix of surname spelling in the Johan Grantner and Michal Grandtner branches. For example, Tibor's grear-great-grandparents are Michal Grandtner (b. 1764) and Katarina Schmidt. They had 9 children and the baptism records for all 9 list the surname as GRANTNER. Other spelling variations found in the Slovak and Hungarian baptism records are Grandter, Grandner and Granner. In some cases these variations may simply be transcription or recording errors, but others may be real changes in spelling.
How About PRANDTNER?
The surnames Prandtner and Prantner have caused some difficulty
in my research. The script P and the script G, as written by some in the 1700s
and 1800s, can look surprisingly similar. Sometimes it looks like Grandtner
(Grantner) and other times it definitely begins with P. There seems to be a
relatively heavy concentration of the Prandtner surname in the Bratislava region
(Sv. Martin; Nemecký) and in the Komárno region (Komárno).
If I see Prandtner in these places, I assume the surname is not
Grandtner. If it is in other places, like Kremnica, it is likely Grandtner,
or at least deserves a very close look. I may have made some errors of inclusion,
interpreting Prandtner incorrectly as Grandtner, so if it is on a critical
genealogical path, I suggest you look carefully at the referenced source.
On the other hand, it is possible that "Prandtner", like "Grandtner",
is just another form/spelling of "Grantner". It would be very interesting if a
male descendant of a Slovakian Prandtner would be willing to do DNA testing.
Is there a Coat of Arms in our history?
Maybe ... but most likely not. Tibor Grandtner, who was a very good researcher, believed that Grandner, Grantner, and Grandtner were all the same surname and, as detailed above, there is some evidence in the baptism records to support that belief. Tibor located a coat of arms for GRANDNER. The question is: Can we claim that the "Grandner" coat of arms has any relationship to "Grantner"? Click here for a rendering of the GRANDNER Coat of Arms. By the way, not only are coats of arms very rare, they were typically awarded to individuals and were not necessarily passed to that individual's heirs, and certainly not to anyone else who just happened to have that surname. This link explains the truth behind coats of arms.
Or at least our DNA shows that we are related to the Bronze Age people whose 3000 year old skeletons were found in the Lichtenstein Cave near Dorste, Lower Saxony, Germany. Based on DNA testing done by my 2nd cousin Janos and by me (Richard Grantner), the male members of the Grantner Tree are known to be in the Y-DNA haplogroup I-L38. Click here for more on the Lichtenstein Cave find.
The Grantner/Grandtner Family Tree contains both linked
and unlinked persons.
The group of people who are linked to "Patriarch" Grantner comprise what I have [arbitrarily] called the "Main Family" branch.
An unlinked person, or a group of people who are linked together but not linked to the "Main Family" branch, are in a branch named after a person in that branch; typically the person who provided the initial information about the branch
or the oldest member of the branch.
The Basic Family Tree _ Web Cards
The Basic Grantner Family Tree, including the three linked branches under "Patriarch" Grantner and all unlinked branches, is a redacted version of the Detailed Family Tree. Limited information is included for this tree. Information, other than the name, is excluded for individuals born less than 100 years ago and not known to be deceased (That is, for individuals under 100 years old and assumed to be still living). The identification of individuals to be marked as "Private" is done automatically, based on birth and death dates. This basic family tree is accessible by anyone.
The data is presented as a set of Web Cards. It is searchable and includes the branches (and unlinked individuals).
New feature: Next to the name of an individual there is an icon to show the person's pedigree chart.
Click on the icon to show the person's ancestors. The chart will likely show only 5 generations, but clicking on another name in the chart will expand it further.
The Detailed version (see next paragraph) is not redacted.
Click
here to see the Web Cards for the Basic Tree.
Use the "Index" or "Surnames" to find an individual. Click on the name to go to that card.
Identified members of the Adalbertuys, Johan, or Michal branches or of one of the unlinked Branch, who have a password, have access to the Detailed Web Cards
The DETAILED Family Tree and Branches_ Web Cards (Password Required)
The Detailed version of the Family Tree, including the three linked branches under "Patriarch" Grantner and all unlinked persons, is available to verified descendants of
Adalbertuys, Johan, or Michal. These cards show all the information of the Basic Web Cards ... plus Notes (Research, Immigration, Stories, etc.) and Media items for all individuals. Likewise, access is provided to detailed versions of the Branches to verified members of that branch.
The information is presented as Web Cards and is searchable.
An individual User Name and Password is required for access to the Detailed Family Tree (or to a detailed branch).
Contact me at by email, or use the web-based email form, to obtain a User Name and Password. Evidence of your identity may be required. Members of an unlinked branch will be given access only to the branch for which they are a member.
Select the link to the tree or branch, to which have access, in the Drop Down
Menu below and click the Go Button. This
will take you to the gateway to the cards and tell you how to navigate the cards.
Note that, in all cases, a User Name and Password is required for actual entry to the cards.
The Family Tree and Branch Members in Context_ Descendant Charts (Password Required)
It is not possible to show a complete family tree, or even a large branch, in horizontal boxes that link all the individuals;
there are simply too many boxes going too many directions. A descendant chart or report is the next best thing,
but they are limited to direct descendants, and their spouses, of the source couple.
There are two options for the Main Family Branch (descendants of Adalbertuys, Johan, or Michal): a descendant chart and a descendant report.
The chart and the report are very similar. The chart is a little neater and prettier, but the report has the advantage of being searchable.
Each successive generation is indented for both options. Note that there are NEXT and PREVIOUS buttons at the bottom of each
page of the report to navigate through the report.
Select the link to the Descendant Chart, to which have access, in the Drop Down Menu
below and click the Go Button. This will take you to the gateway to the appropriate descendant chart. Note that, in all cases, a User Name and Password is required.
The Descendant Chart, will probably appear as a [long, narrow] picture. Just click on the chart to enlarge it.
The Johan Grandtner and Michal Grandtner Branches (Linked into the Main Tree via DNA Analysis)
These basic trees were provided, about 1997, by Tibor Grandtner of the Netherlands (born 1915 in Zvolen, Slovakia).
The Grandtner branch has two distinct sub-branches: 1) The descendants
of Michal (Mich) Grandtner (b about 1764) and Katrina Schmidt form what Tibor
called the "Kremnica" branch; 2) The descendants of Johan Grantner
(b about 1770) and Catherina form what Tibor called the "Banska Bystrica"
branch. Tibor is in the "Kremnica" (Michal Grandtner) branch. Though I have significantly
enlarged the two Tibor Grandtner branches, I have not yet been able to identify
the common ancestor for the two branches.
The two branches are linked by a marriage on 7 July 1891 when Jozef Grandtner (b about 1872), a descendant
of the Johan Grantner, married Anna Paulina Grandtner (b 1872), a descendant
of Michal Grandtner. The children of Jozef and Anna Paulina are flagged as members of both the Johan Grandtner
and the Michal Grandtner branches. I have not been able to identify any grandchildren of Jozef and Anna Paulina,
so the dual branch membership ends with the children.
Tibor believed that the Grantners and the Grandtners have common ancestors.
This is undoubtedly true since members of the Adalbertuys, Johan, and Michal
branches use both the "Grantner" and "Grandtner" surnames and the families
lived near each other in Slovakia. However, the specific paper links between the branches has not yet been found.
It seems impossible to determine the parents of Michal Grantner and progress
further back in time with the "Kremnica" branch because:
1) None of the three marriage records for Michal reference his parents.
2) Though Tibor stated that Michal's birth date was 15 October 1764, I cannot
verify that and I do not know why Tibor thought that was the date. It would
seem that the only record that would be that specific would be a baptism record.
However, if Tibor thought that he had the correct baptism record, why didn't
he note the parents of Michal (which certainly would be on the baptism record)?
One interesting thing that I noted during my research is
that the Adalbertuys, Johan, and Michal branches seem to be differentiated
by religion. Virtually all the members of the Adalbertuys branch are Roman Catholic
while virtually all the members of the Johan and Michal branches are Lutheran
(Evangelical Church of the Augsburg Confession). There were certainly a lot
of mixed religion marriages and I suspect that the actual MRCA of the branches will be a couple with a common religion but with
one of the sons switching religion in a mixed marriage.
These two sub-branches are included in the main tree with the assumption that Adalbertuys, Johan, and Michal
are all sons of the fictitious "Patriarch" Grantner.
The Grantner/Grüntner Branch (Not related to other Grantner Trees or Branches)
This branch is a bit complicated because of a surname
change. The family members within this branch assumed the surname "Grantner"
in place of "Grüntner" in the 1980s and 1990s. The branch originated
in Rochester, Minnesota and seems to be rather small. I record the branch as
best as I can both as a service to that family and to avoid unnecessary research
(trying to link the branch to other Grantner branches).
Most of my research regarding this branch is contained in the Notes within the record
for John H. (Schwersinske) (Gruntner) Grantner (born 4 April 1922).
The Anita Grantner Branch (Not linked to the Main Tree)
DNA testing of a member of this branch has shown that a male individual in this branch
is not related by blood to the main tree (descendants
of Stephanus Grantner). The Y-DNA haplogroup of the person tested is R1b1b2
whereas the Y-DNA haplogroup of the main tree is I2b2-14. However, there could
have been an adoption or some other reason for this. If a paper trail is found,
that will override any DNA evidence.
I will continue to research and record information about
this branch. This branch is located in Germany. It would be very interesting
to get Y-DNA test results from other German Grantner families.
The Astrid Grantner Branch (Not linked to the Main Tree)
Astrid provided this information to me some years ago (the 1990's) from Austria. The tree is intriguing but is basically a single line from Astrid back to her 5G Grandfather (b 1759). I have since learned is that the information was likely from an “Ahnenpass”. This is a document showing one's ancestry and was required in the Nazi period in Europe to prove that there were no Jews in one's ancestry. I am cureently doing both papoer and DNA research in Austria.
The Janet Fitzgerald Branch (Not linked to the Main Tree)
This tree is another example where I managed to lose contact with the original provider of the data. Janet provided information to me regarding the ancestry of her husband. The interesting part here is that the senior members of the branch immigrated from Germany. Here again a DNA test would be most helpful and could be compared to that from the Anita Grantner branch. I would like to get back in contact with Janet or another member of that branch.
Kulikowski/Sablack Branch (Linked to the Main Tree)
This branch should be of particular interest to members of the Jacobson, Sablack and Smith branches. Lavenia Krattcer (born 1920), the wife of Lewis Jacobson (born 22 June 1916), supplied most of the information. She also wrote an interesting narrative about the family. See the Notes attached to her family web card in the Main Grantner Family Tree (Password required).
Czechia Branch (Linked to the Main Tree)
This branch is not of interest to general members of the Grantner/Grandtner family. It is the maternal side of the site author's (Richard G. Grantner) ancestry. Most of the information was taken from other family trees at MyHeritage.com and FamlySearch.com. I validated some of the sources, along the direct ancestry path, with the original Czechia data, but the Czech script (especially before about 1850) is very hard to decipher. (Password required).
Compiling a comprehensive family tree is a formidable task and, since births and marriages (and deaths and divorces)
continue occurring, it is a never-ending task. I can use lots of help.
My specific needs are:
• Notification of any errors in the family genealogical data (including
spelling/typographic errors)
• Notification of any errors in this web site (including
spelling or typographic errors and broken links)
• Help in linking branches to the tree
• New Information and Updates (including adding younger members of the
family) (Click
here to see the type of information that is useful)
• DNA testing through the
Grantner Family Project at Family Tree DNA
• Help with some of the "mysteries" listed below.
What's in a Name? It's Only a Name!
My last name is "Grantner"
and that was the last name of my paternal grandfather. My paternal grandmother’s
last name was "Blaha". I am just as much a “Blaha” as
I am a “Grantner.” My maternal grandmother’s name was "Garaja."
I’m as much a “Garaja” as I am a “Grantner” or
a “Blaha.”
Elementary biology tells us we inherit one-half of our genes from each of our
father and mother. U.S. convention encourages us to take the name of our father,
unless we are a married female. The fact is, we are the sum of all our ancestors.
So…why is this the “GRANTNER” family website. Well, I had
to start (and limit) somewhere. In some ways, the Grantner surname is easy.
It is relatively uncommon and two immigrants to the U.S. had large families.
Going backward in time, and trying to track all surnames, can be very tedious.
But going forward in time (down the tree, through the descendants of "Patriarch" Grantner),
is a bit easier.
If you have just a little Grantner “blood” in your veins, or if
you were adopted by or married into a "Grantner-connected" family,
no matter what your current last name, I encourage you to take part in this
tree. It connects you to a larger family. If you want to include more detail
on your particular family name (surname), I will be happy to oblige. But, at
least, include your immediate family and descendants in this tree.
All of our ancestors are interesting to us, but here are some that I think will be interesting to many members of the family. I define "Interesting People" as: 1) Those that have interesting accomplishments; 2) Those that have provided interesting information (stories); and 3) Those that are a mystery in terms of genealogical research. I would like to add to this list, so please contact me if you can help (by providing information).
Interesting Accomplishments (do you know of others?):
• Fr. George Benedict Zabelka (linked) - Fr. George Zabelka (born 1915) was a Catholic Chaplain, in 1945, on Tinian Island, the home of the 509th Composite Group, the Atomic Bomb Unit. This is the unit of the crews of Enola Gay and Bock's Car, that dropped the Atomic Bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was an enthusiastic soldier and was comfortable with his role for many years. 30 years after the end od World War II, after an internal religious struggle, he did what he called “an about face” (using a military term that means to turn completely around), realized that this was not the way of Christ and dedicated the rest of his life to Peace. He went on a Bethlehem Peace Pilgrimage in 1983, at the age of 67. This was a walk for peace of about 7500 miles (4000 miles in the U.S., 3500 miles in Europe) from the nuclear submarine base at Bangor, Washington to Bethlehem, Israel. In England, a television documentary was made of his life, The Reluctant Prophet, which has been shown throughout the world except in the United States. In Australia, a popular song about his courage and honesty, My Name is George Zabelka, played on secular and religious radio stations. See the Notes and Multimedia items attached to his record.
•Jeno Grantner (linked) - Jeno Grantner (born 1907) was a Hungarian citizen and sculptor. He created one of the 14 bronze statues of the Millennium Monument in Heroes' Square in Budapest, Hungary. This is a national monument of Hungary, and Jeno's accomplishment is similar to creating the sculpture for one of the major Washington, D.C. monuments. See the Multimedia attachments to his record.
Interesting Narratives or Attachments (enjoy, and provide some of your own):
•Martha Henrietta Less (linked) - Martha Less (born 1917) was the daughter of Anna Catherine Blaha (born 1878). Anna Blaha was the sister of Emma Blaha (born 1883), who married Albert (Bela) Grantner (born 1890), one of the early Grantner immigrants to the United States. Martha related some interesting stories about those early [to the U.S.] Grantners. See the Notes attached to her record.
•Lavenia A. Krattcer (linked) - Lavenia Krattcer (born 1920) was the wife of Lewis Jacobson (born 1916) provided most of the information for the Kulikowski/Sablack Branch. Besides the genealogical information, she also gave us a great narrative. See the Notes attached to her record for that narrative.
•Joseph John Grantner (linked) - Joseph Grantner (born 1909) was the oldest son of Albert (Bela) Grantner (born 1890). See the Multimedia item Map-ManistiqueNeighborhood for a map of the Grantner/Sablack/Less neighborhood in Manistique, Michigan in the early 1900s attached to the record of Joseph..
Mysteries (feel free to jump in and solve):
•The 3 Sablacks - This "mystery" arose when attempting to find the immigration records of Georgio Sablack (born 1886) and Frank Sablack (born 1893). One of the outcomes was the discovery of another Franjo (Frank?) Sablack, from the same Hungarian town of Modrus, born about 1872, who was in Manistique, Michigan in 1904. See the Immigration Notes for Paulo Sablack (born about 1881) for an explanation of the mystery.
•Emma Sablack - This is actually part of The 3 Sablacks mystery and concerns Emma Sablack (born 1909), the daughter of Paulo Sablack (born about 1881) who was born in Manistique, went back to Europe with her father and siblings between 1910 and 1920, and then returned to the U.S. in 1927. See the same Immigration Notes for Paulo Sablack for an explanation of the mystery.
•Albert Less and his brother(?) - In the 1910, 1920 and 1930 Census records for the Albert Less family, Albert/Adelbert (b. 1869) consistently states that he immigrated in 1903, but I cannot find any ship manifest listing him. However, I found a record for Bogumil Les who was born about 1882 (13 years yonger than Albert) who sailed from Bremen, Germany on the S.S. Koln on December 13, 1906 and arrived at Baltimore on January 2, 1907. He was joining his brother, Albert Les, in Manistique, MI. I could find no other reference for Bogumil. There is one more part of this mystery. It is my understantanding that Albert Less (and Anna Catherine Blaha) had 12 children, the youngest of which was Anna (born in 1920). However, the 1930 Census lists yet another daughter, Celenentea, born in 1921. Who is this? (Martha Less has stated that she did not have a 13th sibling; so this must be a typographic error in the census or ?) See the record for Albert Less for more detail.
•Whatever happened to Bert Grantner (aka Bartolomej / Bertalan)? - He immigrated at the age of 26 in 1907, coming through Ellis Island on 18 July. He accompanied his sister-in law Anna Iszkirka-Grantner (the wife of his older brother Gustav/Albert who was then in Michigan), his young nieces Mariska and Anna, and his young nephew Bela. On the ship's manifest, Bert stated that he was joining his uncle at 2050 21st Street in Cleveland, OH. I cannot read the name of his uncle with certainty, but it is something like Cricrau Kundrat. I could find no verification of this in the 1910 Federal Census. I found a Social Security claim (application?) for Bert dated 14 Apr 1976 (when he was 94 years old). In the claim, Bertalan's name is given as Bartolomej Grandtner. The date in 1976 MAY be his date of death. I also located his baptism record. His name in this record is given as Bertalan Grandtner. The story from Slovakia is that he married here in the States and had four sons.
•Whatever happened to Katalin Iszkerka? - She immigrated in 1907 and joined her husband in Manistique, Michigan. However, there is no record of her in the 1910 Census. Is this "Anna", the wife of Gustáv Iszkirka? See the record for Anna (b. 1877), the wife of Gustáv Iszkirka.
Transferring Family Tree Information to Other Sites
Permission is NOT given to transfer the Grantner / Grandtner Family Tree or Branches, or information
obtained from the Tree or Branches, to any public site.
Please keep personal information for the Grantner/Grandtner Family on the Grantner / Grandtner Family
web site. Besides, the family tree on this website contains much more information (and attachments) than can be included on any "public" website.