THE SWARTZ FAMILY

Click any of the names above and you will be taken to a story about them.

I know very little of my Swartz ancestors, but I am beginning to put together some pieces. My great grandfather, Anton, came to the United States from Germany in 1870 according to the 1900 Census.

His last name was not Swartz when he came here. Go to Anton's information for information as to what his name might have been and how he came to change it. The change appears to have occurred in Cerro Gordo County in Iowa. I have found some interesting census information for Cerro Gordo County. The Swartz name can be found in the 1860 and 1870 censuses. Those persons are shown as having been born in New York. Thus, it does appear likely that it is from one those earlier Cerro Gordo residents from New York that my great grandfather took his name.

An important missing link to learning more about Anton and his family is the census of 1890. Unfortunately, only fragments of the 1890 census survive due to a fire in the basement of the Commerce Department. The fire occurred long before copying technology was available and, therefore, there was only one copy of the records. Most of my research so far has been restricted to what I can get online for free, although I do have some information from library sources and will be getting more.