The Kelz Family in Ontario,Canada.

JOHN (Johann) MICHAEL KELZ

Thought to be the only child of KASPAR KELZ and FRANZISKA WEBER, John Michael was born in 1832, at Zwerchstrasse, Bavaria.

Kaspar died within several years of John's birth. Some time later Franziska married Georg Fetsch who, in 1844, brought his new family to Canada West where they established a permanent home in the locale known today as Toronto, Ontario.

An experienced tailor, Georg very quickly set up shop on King Street. A descendant of many generations of professional tailors and millers, it was not too long before the young John Michael joined his step-father in the business, eventually setting out on his own.

John Michael Kelz married ALOYSIA BANDEL at Canada West in January of 1860. She was born at Unterschneidheim, Weurttemberg in 1834.

Among their nine surviving children was our Grand-father:

GEORGE KELZ who married
Isabella (ISOBEL) O'BRIEN, of Kingston, Ontario. Her parents were Thomas O'Brien and Sarah CAMMOCK.

Isobel's siblings, also born in Kingston, Ontario, were: James Patrick, Elizabeth (aka "Lizzie"), Mary, and ANNIE who married John D.JONES. Annie and John settled in Toronto, with their four children: Lloyd; Frank; Powell, and Mary.

BANDEL: The Other Side of the Tree:

JOSEPH ANTHONY BANDEL, Aloysia's brother,
emigrated to Upper Canada about four years prior to the arrival of his sisters and one brother. Joseph and his wife, Maria Stelzle, owned and operated the Bandel House, later known as the Whitby Hotel, in Whitby, Ontario. Joseph and Maria resided in Whitby until the time of their deaths. The Hotel remained under family ownership for several generations.

The saying that the apples never fall very far from the tree has certainly proven to be so over and over again as we continued our research. Over the past 4 years, we have been blessed in locating family members from almost every branch of our Tree.

We pray these blessings will increase and the Tree will flourish.

Known family locations were Bavaria and Weurttemberg, with a possibility that earlier ancestors were Czech.

Town names known to be associated with Kelz and Bandel are :
Germany: Aschaffenberg; Augsburg, Gundelsheim, Munich; Rothenberg; Brenneisenmuhle and Zwerchstrasse (both now part of Wolferstadt); and Unterbuch(Hochfield).

Weurttemberg: OberSchneidheim, UnterSchneidheim.

Canada: Central and Southern Ontario; Montreal,Quebec;

USA: California; Florida; Kentucky; Maryland; New York;
Ohio; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; West Virginia, Wisconsin.

We look forward to hearing from anyone having a connection to these families.

Contributions to this site by any and all Family members will be most welcome. My address is below.

Aileen