Bals Family History

“Every man has two deaths, when he is buried in the ground and the last time someone says his name. In some ways men can be immortal.”


Welcome to my genealogical research website focused on the Baltz / Balz / Bals lineage
This site is and probably always will be a work in progress which I work on in my spare time. I started it in October 2025.


Purpose
The purpose of this site is to organize and understand my genealogical research, as well as collaborate with fellow researchers and/or distant relatives. The larger goal is to compile our collective knowledge and reassemble the overall story in order to preserve it for future generations.
Like many family historians, I started on the well-known sites like Ancestry, MyHeritage, FamilySearch, and Find a Grave. I was quickly at odds with multi-tiered paywalls for document access/storage capacity, strangers editing my tree with incorrect data, as well as the inability to curate the information as I desire.


Introduction
My name is Bryan Bales and I am a Great-Great-Grandson of Peter Ferdinand Heinrich Bals, who immigrated to Nebraska, USA from Schmerlecke, Germany in 1885.
I was born and raised in Des. Moines, Iowa and I currently reside in Weymouth, Massachusetts. My Father legally changed the surname from Bals to Bales in 1975.

My Paternal Lineage
Jürgen Baltz > Tonnies Baltz > Johannes Antonius Baltz > Franziscus Henricus Baltz > Johannes Henricus Baltz > Franziskus Josephus Balz > Theodor Balz > Peter Ferdinand Heinrich Balz/Bals > William Ferdinand Bals > Elmer “Bud” Fredrick Bals > Larry Bals/Bales > Bryan Bales


Collaboration
If you have family history information, I would absolutely welcome the knowledge. My only request is that you provide sources if able, so that it can be factually verified.
If you are looking for family history information, I might have it and if I do, I will share it.

Photos: Individuals and families, houses and farms, artifacts and possessions. Please include as much detail as possible [Full names of people, location names, artifact data and ownership, etc]
Documents: Ship passengers lists, emigration/immigration records, military records, marriage records, death records, etc. I’m especially interested in the initial emigration records of Ferdinand and Henry coming to America in the mid to late 1880s.
Information: Family stories and facts. When and how did farming come to an end in your family lineage/branch? Any details of family farming and how land was passed down or split up or lost.
Corrections: Surely I’ve made data entry mistakes [especially spelling errors], so if you catch one and want to help me get it fixed, no offense will be taken.

I’m currently 51 years old with no children, so I’m also looking for the younger generation historian to “take over the work” once I’m gone. This would include physical books/maps, digital files, and possibly transfer of this domain/website.


Contact
The site analytics are showing that people are visiting the site from Germany, France, UK, Netherlands, Canada, and the US. If you are part of the Baltz/Balz/Bals lineage, don’t be shy, stop in and say hi.
Even if you only know the names and dates of your immediate family, it would be extremely helpful and I could add them to my ever growing spreadsheet.

Fill out the contact form below and I’ll promptly get back to you via email.