Fetzer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Fetzer family

The surname Fetzer was first found in Yorkshire where one of the first records of the name was found at Middleham. "About the year 1190, a splendid castle was built here by Robert Fitz-Ranulph, in which, according to Stowe, Falconbridge, a partisan of Henry VI., was beheaded in 1471; though Speed says he was executed at Southampton. " 1

Randulf (died 1129), also named Le Meschin, Earl of Chester was the son and heir of Randulf, called 'de Brichessart' (from Briquessart, his family seat), hereditary vicomte of the Bessin in Normandy. However, his position and name was historically in dispute. "According to Dugdale, he came over with the Conqueror, and received the city of Carlisle, of which he became earl. Freeman asserted that he became earl of Cumberland; but, as Mr. Eyton rightly points out, Randulf was never 'earl,' but merely 'lord' of the district." 2

His son, Randulf, called De Gernons, Earl of Chester (d. 1153) succeeded his lands shortly before 1130. The Pipe Rolls of 1130 list he was indebted to the crown for large sums, including £1,000. which his father had died owing for the fief of his kinsman the Earl of Chester. 2

Richard FitzRalph, "in Latin Ricardus films Radulphi, often referred to simply as 'Armachanus' or 'Ardmachanus' (d. 1360), was Archbishop of Armagh and born probably in the last years of the thirteenth century at Dundalk in the county of Louth. " 2

Early History of the Fetzer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Fetzer research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1200, 1523, 1558, 1566, 1590, 1605, 1632, 1635, 1650, 1681, 1683, 1684, 1691, 1698, 1703, 1711, 1727, 1729, 1741, 1742 and 1749 are included under the topic Early Fetzer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fetzer Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Fetzer are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Fetzer include FitzRandolph, FitzRandolf, FetzRandolff, FitzRandulf, Randolph, FitzRaulf and many more.

Early Notables of the Fetzer family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Edward Randolph (died 1566), English soldier, probably a brother of Thomas Randolph (1523-1590), born at Badlesmere in Kent. "He made himself sufficiently prominent in Edward VI's time to find it necessary to flee to Paris on the accession of Mary. But, like other rebels, he soon tired of exile, and his known value as a soldier rendered the negotiations for his pardon easy." 2Thomas Randolph (1523-1590) was an English ambassador, son of Avery Randolph of Badlesmere, Kent. In 1558, Randolph was acting as an agent of the English government in Germany.Thomas Randolph (1605-1635)...
Another 186 words (13 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Fetzer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fetzer Ranking

In the United States, the name Fetzer is the 11,557^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Fetzer family to Ireland

Some of the Fetzer family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 62 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Fetzer migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Fetzer, or a variant listed above:

Fetzer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Peter Fetzer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 4
Johan Adam Fetzer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1750 4
Matthaus Fetzer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1751 4
Andreas Fetzer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 4
Joh Adam Fetzer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Fetzer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Ludwig Fetzer, who arrived in Brazil in 1857 4
Jakob Fetzer, who arrived in Brazil in 1861 4
Michael Fetzer, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1873 4
John G Fetzer, who landed in Arkansas in 1887 4
Johann Fetzer, who arrived in Kentucky in 1888 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Fetzer (post 1700) +

Tom Fetzer, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from North Carolina 4th District, 1988; Mayor of Raleigh, North Carolina, 1993-99 5
John S. Fetzer, American Democratic Party politician, National Democratic Candidate for Ohio State House of Representatives from Cuyahoga County, 1897 5
George William Fetzer Jr., American politician, Member of Georgia State Senate 1st District, 1933-35 5
Frank Lockhart Fetzer (1886-1955), American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Colorado, 1940, 1948 5
Herman Fetzer (1899-1935), American novelist, poet, and columnist for The Cleveland Press
Emil B. Fetzer (1916-2009), American head architect The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (1965 to 1986)
Robert Allison "Bob" Fetzer (1887-1968), American football coach, track and field coach, and college athletics administrator
William "Bill" McKinnon Fetzer (1884-1959), American football, basketball, and baseball coach
James Henry Fetzer (b. 1940), American philosopher, professor emeritus
John Earl Fetzer (1901-1991), American radio and television executive, best known as the owner of the Detroit Tigers (1961 to the early 1980s)
... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html