The Ancestors practiced primogeniture, which meant the oldest living son inherited all or a majority of the parent’s estate. This system was historically used in many agricultural and aristocratic societies to prevent land from being divided into smaller, less viable parcels and to maintain family wealth and status, though it has since been largely abandoned in favor of modern inheritance laws or other systems. Younger sons often had to pursue other careers, such as the military, clergy, or law, while daughters typically received a dowry or smaller cash inheritance.

The testaments of Johannes Henricus Balz, Theodore Balz, and Franz Ferdinand Joseph Bals give us great insight into how assets were allocated.

The spelling of the hereditary name has varied over the past centuries and this demonstrably applies to the name Bals, which was often spelled with a tz, z, or even an s. It was Josef Bals [1885 to 1930] who first introduced the "S" at the birth of his first child from his second marriage. Thus, today the name is spelled with either an "S" or a "Z" in the village, although both have the same origin.