Hans Valentin Ranck der Alt (abt. 1641 - 1712)

Born about 1641 in County of the Palatine on the Rhine, Holy Roman Empire [uncertain]

Descendants

Died 27 Dec 1712 at about age 71 in Neckarau, Mannheim, Holy Roman Empire

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Caryl Ruckert [send private message], Germany Project WikiTree [send private message], and SJ Baty [send private message]

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Note: There are many controversies surrounding the history of Hans Valentine 'Veltin' Ranck, also known as the Huguenot Reverend Jean Ranc. Some online genealogies connect him to to the noble du Ranc family of Montpelier, France. These connections have been disproved; please see the relevent sections below. Additionally, the French name "Jean Ranc" and his supposed position as a Huguenot "Reverend," are based on uncorroborated family legend and have not been proved and no source documents or supporting evidence have been discovered to support these names and titles. What follows in the biography is what is known based on source documents and thorough research. The other family histories and legends are addressed below the biography in the "Research and controversy" section.

No changes should be made to this profile biography and data fields without first reading all of the research that is presented and linked in the profile biography and research, and no changes should be made that add any of the disproven or disputed items including the suname "du Ranc," the given name "Jean Ranck," the title "Reverend," that Hans was a "Huguenot," or that he was born in France. Research and documentation of discoveries found in the relevent ongoing research sections is welcomed.

Biography

Hans Ranck lived in the County Palatine of the Rhine.

This profile is part of the Ranck Name Study.

Based on his death record Hans Valentin was born about 1641 most likely in or around Mannheim in modern day Germany. He was likely married but the name of his wife is not known. The only child that he is known to have fathered was Johann Valentin Ranck, born about 1688, perhaps also in or around Mannheim. Hans Veltin died on 27 December 1712 in Neckarau, a suburb of Mannheim. He was the grandfather of six grandchildren, many great-grandchildren, and today we can count tens of thousands (likely hundreds of thousands) of his descendants.

Birth

The exact date and location of Hans Valentin's (Jean) birth is unknown. When he died in 1712 his death record stated that he had aged 71 years placing his approximate time of birth in 1641.^[1]

Marriage

No marriage record has ever been discovered to show the name of Hans Veltin's wife.

Children

Only one child is known to have been born to Hans Valentin:

i. Johann Valentin (Hans Veltin) Ranck the , b. abt. 1688, presumably in or around Mannheim, d. 10 May 1710 in Neckarau, a suburby of Mannheim, m. 11 Feb 1699, Anna Marguerithe Philippes in Neckarau, Johann and Anna had 6 children.

Death and burial

Hans Valentin Ranck (Jean Ranc) died 27 December 1712 In Neckarau, Germany.^[1]

Research and controversy

Huguenot Reverend Jean Ranc

RESEARCH ONGOING

Disambiguation

This profile was previously linked as son to parents seigneur Etienne du Ranc seigneur de Vibrac et de Saint Nazaire and Jeanne (Pelet) de Pelet de Combas. These links have been disproven. Please do not connect this profile to these parents - this widely circulated lineage has been disproven - see the note below and in the profile comments.

The son of Seigneur Ettienne du Ranc de Vibrac and his wife Jeanne (de Pelet) du Ranc was Jean Duranc de Vibrac sieur de Coussargues. Jean du Ranc de Vibrac was a nobleman born about one year apart from Hans Valentin Ranck (Jean Ranc). The two "Jeans" are often confused on the internet. Both men have been clearly identified as different. "Reverend Jean Ranc" has been proven to be Hans Valentin Ranck and Jean Duranc de Vibrac was the son of the Lord of Vibrac. Jean duRanc de Vibrac inherited his own lands and later held the title of Lord of Cossargues. Coussargues is northwest of Vibrac, the hereditary land of his father.^{[2] [3]}

Gustave Anjou Fraud

There is a known Gustave Anjou (known fraudster) genealogy that exists for Jean Ranc. We know, through source documents that Jean Ranc exists but the Anjou genealogy casts doubt on much of the early history of Jean, notably that he originates from France and that he was a Huguenot refugee.^[4]

Name

Hans Veltin has been recorded through history with many different names and spelling variations:

Documented given name:

Veltin (marriage of son Hans Veltin Ranck)^[5]

Valentin (death notice)^[6]

Undocumented given name:

Hans (Veltin's son and grandson were Hans Veltin and Johan Valentine)*

Jean (the name Jean was adopted more than 200 years after Veltin's death)

*Hans Veltin Senior's son Hans Veltin and grandson Johan Valentine are assumed to have been named after him. Based on this assumption, Veltin would have also been Hans Veltin. Prior to the 1699 Neckarau records, the only documented given names are Veltin and Valentin. In his death notice, Veltin's name is noted "der Alt," meaning "the older" which would tranlsate into "Senior" to differentiate him from his son "Junier" or "Der Jüngere." That the two were differentiated as Junior and Senior suggests that they had the same first and middle names. For the sake of recognition, this profile will carry the given name Hans Valentin. Note: Johan is a diminutive form of Hans, a boy would be called Johan and Hans when a man.

Earliest records

The first primary record for this Ranck family that has been found is a 1699 entry in the Neckarau church’s marriage register for Philip's mother and father.

1699: On 17 Febr., HANS VELTIN RANCK, son of VELTIN RANCK, here, was married to MARGRETH, daughter of the late HEINRICH PHILIPES, former citizen of Mannheim.^[5]

Recent WikiTree based research has revealed an earlier document for this family: in the summer of 2019 a birth record^[7] has been identified for Veltin's daughter in law Anna Marguerithe (Philippes) Ranck, the wife of his son Johann Valentin Ranck. She was born on 19 October 1670 in Mannheim not far from Neckarau (note: Neckarau is a suburb of Mannheim). Anna Marguerithe's parents were Heinrich Philippes and Margaurite (Wienkraws) Philippes, both from Mannheim. The Philippes and Weinkraws family appear to be closely related to the Ranck families and different members of these families seem to have intermarried with the Rancks.

Huguenot or Not?

In John P. Ranck's "Ranck Family Research Summary", he presents what is known and not known about the Ranck family's Huguenot origins. Anyone who is interested in the research of John P. Ranck can read his family research summary at his website. In part it reads:

A Huguenot or Moravian Connection?

I have been working with Art Lawton, Moravian historian currently completing his PhD in American Folk History at Indiana University, to try to sort out the fact and fiction in our family's connection with the Moravians, a protestant sect that, in France, could have been classified as "Huguenot."^[8]

The existence of other Rancks in the area at the same time clearly suggests that our Pennsylvania family is/was/could have been part of a larger German family of Rancks -- rather than Huguenot refugees from Paris as related in the family legends for which I have (thus far) been unable to find any hard evidence.^[9]

Disproved noble origins

An incorrect connection between Jean Ranc and noble parents Etienne Duranc de Vibrac and Jeanne de Pelet de Combas has circulated widely on the internet. Most of the ancestry websites carry this myth and it has been accepted as fact for several years. However, records do exist that show that Jean Ranc is a different person than Jean Duranc de Vibrac sieur de Coussargues.

The Ranc-Duranc myth was propagated widely after J. Allan Ranck's "The Rank of the Rancks" was published in 1978. This book suggested that a connection existed between the Ranc and Duranc families. J. Allan Ranck suggested a connection but offered no evidence or sources to back such a claim.^[10]

John P. Ranck's "What do we really know about the origins or our Ranck family," goes even farther calling into question the origin of Hans Valentin Ranck (Jean Ranc). John Ranck points out that it is only through family legend that we attribute a French nativity to Jean and explains that the official record of the Ranc/Ranck family began in Germany. Further, he points out that a Ranc family tree was created by a known fraudster and today we don't know how much of the family tradition was passed down within the Ranck family and how much was inserted as a result of the bogus ancestry research.^[11]

There is a record that a Jean Du Ranc at Aubenas who converted to Protestantism and baptized his 3 sons at the Reformed Church at Aubenas.^[12] This Jean however, was born in the 16th century. It is possible that, because he shared the name with the Jean of this profile that some connection was assumed. While there is no evidence connecting these Du Ranc members to Jean Ranc, further study on this topic is warranted.

Research Notes

NOTE: There is a G2G discussion topic open for this profile: https://www.wikitree.com/g2g/782888/jean-veltin-ranck-separating-the-myths-from-the-documents

N.B. There has been recent discussion as to whether Hans Valentin Ranck (Jean Ranc) was really a Huguenot. However he is listed in The National Huguenot Society, “Ranc, Jean,” List of Qualified Huguenot Ancestors. Information Updated January 10, 2019. URL: http://www.huguenot.netnation.com/ancestor/AncestorLookup.php Accessed 14 Mar 2019. (Patricia Prickett Hickin, 14 March 2019)

Hans Valentin Ranck (Jean Ranc) is listed as an ancestor of :"The National Huguenot Society." The National Society appears to be an organization of recent creation. It seems that their genealogies are member submitted and the sources & validity of these genealogies cannot be verified at this time; I contacted them almost 4 months ago and they have not replied to my inquiries regarding their entry for Jean Ranc. Alternatively, "The Huguenot Society of America was organized in 1883 and incorporated in 1885 in New York. They appear to be a traditional and established genealogical society. They do not recognize Jean Ranc as a Huguenot ancestor. The Wikipedia page for the organization can be found here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Huguenot_Society_of_America Baty-260 11:38, 27 July 2019 (UTC)

For an excellent discussion of Hans Valentin Ranck's (Jean Ranc) origins, click here. (Patricia Prickett Hickin, 7 April 2019.)

Sources

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1} Neckarau Church records. Accessed [[Baty-260|SJ Baty 8 June 2018 at Ranck.org.
2. ↑ Francis de STORDEUR. "https://gw.geneanet.org/fdst?lang=fr&iz=65764&p=jean&n=du+ranc+de+vibrac&oc=1." Geneanet. Accessed 17 March 2018.
3. ↑ Judgement of nobility (reading of the will of Bernadin du Ranc de Vibrac), signed 5 Dec 1668 in Montpellier, France. Accessed on 17 March 2018 at: http://jac.deschard.pagesperso-orange.fr/Page%20C.htm
4. ↑ Ranck, John P., p. 6, 7.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Ranck, John P., p. 17.
6. ↑ Ranck, John P., p. 19.
7. ↑ 1670 birth of Anna Marguerithe: Baden, Germany, Lutheran Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1502-1985 [database on-line]. Original data: Mikrofilm Sammlung. Originale: Lutherische Kirchenbücher, 1502-1985. Accessed 9 October 2019 by SJ Baty at Ancestry. Ancestry shared record. Note: this record is indexed to Mannheim and also indexed to Drakenburg u Magdeburg, Hannover, Saxony. The index is identical in both records except for the location of the parish. Mannheim is the correct location; the image can only be found at the Magdeburg URL. Ancestry shared record with available image (Magdeburg URL). The index records:

   Name: Marguerite Philippes

   Gender: weiblich (Female)

   Event Type: Taufe (Baptism)

   Birth Date: 19 Okt 1670 (19 Oct 1670)

   Baptism Date: 23 Okt 1670 (23 Oct 1670)

   Baptism Place: Mannheim, Baden (Baden-Württemberg), Preußen (Germany)

   Father: Henri Phillipes

   Mother: Marguerite Phillipes [image actually records Magurithe Weinkraus]

   Parish as it Appears: Manheim

   Page Number: 207;208

8. ↑ Ranck, John P., p. 10.
9. ↑ Ranck, John P., p. 23.
10. ↑ Ranck, J. Allen. The Rank of Rancks. Lebanon, PA: Sowers Printing Co., 1978. .pdf version at Ranck.org.
11. ↑ Ranck, John P., pp. 1, 4-7, 10-12, 17-21, 23-24.
12. ↑ Dictionary of old or notable French families at the end of the 19th century. Paris, France: Charles & Paul Herrisey., 1917. p. 173. Accessed 23 March 2018 at https://archive.org/stream/dictionnairedesf15chai/dictionnairedesf15chai_djvu.txt

• Ranck, John P. "What do we really know about …The Origins of our Ranck family?" Privately published and available online in .pdf format, 5 March, 2013. J. P. Ranck Genealogy. Accessed 17 Mar 2018 by SJ Baty.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nine_Years%27_War

Acknowledgements

• SJ Baty created Hans Valentin Ranck der Alt (abt.1641-1712) on 26 Sept 2019.
• Special thanks to Caryl (Short) Ruckert who allowed the blatant plagiarism of the profile of John Philip Ranck to make part of Hans Valentin Ranck's (Jean Ranc) bio.