Matt Lanter
Birth Name: Matthew Mackendree Lanter
Place of Birth: Massillon, Ohio, U.S.
Date of Birth: April 1, 1983
Ethnicity: Polish, English, Austrian, Scottish, German, with distant Irish and Ashkenazi Jewish-Sephardi Jewish
Matt Lanter is an American model and actor. His projects include the shows 90210 and Timeless, the films Sorority Row and The Roommate, and numerous voice over roles.
He was raised in Atlanta, Georgia. He is married to Angela Stacy, with whom he has a daughter.
Matt’s paternal grandfather was Kenley Mackendree Lanter (the son of Robert Hayes Lanter and Elizabeth/Eliza Sheftall MacKendree). Matt’s grandfather Kenley was born in Georgia, and was one of 317 crewmen to survive the sinking of the USS Indianapolis, on July 30, 1945. A picture of Matt’s grandfather can be seen here. Matt’s great-grandfather Robert was the son of Austin Andrew Lanter and Phyllis Perry. Elizabeth was the daughter of Seaborn Marshall MacKendree and Daisy Mary Jane Sheftall.
Matt’s paternal grandmother is Jessie Mae Fudge (the daughter of Joseph Franklin Fudge and Mattie Mae Everret). Jessie was born in Georgia. Joseph was the son of George Thomas “Tom” Fudge and Laura Frances Willams. Mattie was the daughter of Henry S. Everett and Hattie Mae Shirah.
Matt’s maternal grandfather is Richard Norbert Wincek (the son of John Wincek and Frances/Francis Ann Sentz). Richard was born in Ohio. John was born in Ohio, to George Wincek and Annie Kurteka, who were Polish immigrants, as were all of John’s grandparents (Paul Wincek, Rosa Kaklewiez, Jacob Kurteka, and Mary Brodi). Frances was born in Michigan, the daughter of Stephen/Steve Sentz/Sencz and Katie Rebinski/Ribaynski/Ribaljinski, who were emigrants from Austria. Stephen may have been German. Katie likely had Polish ancestry.
Matt’s maternal grandmother is Marilyn June Ware (the daughter of John Ellis Ware and Ruth Irene Mobley). Marilyn was born in Ohio. John was the son of Wilbur William F. Ware and Mary May Ellis. Ruth was the daughter of John M. Mobley and Anna Pauline Matasky. Anna’s parents, Ignatz/Ignace Mataski and Florentia Hudinski, were Polish.
Matt’s five times paternal great-grandfather, Emanuel Sheftall, was Jewish. Emanuel’s parents, Levi Sheftall (born Savannah, Chatham County, Georgia, 1739) and Sarah De La Motta (born St Croix, Virgin Islands, 1754), were both Jewish. Emanuel’s paternal grandfather, Benjamin Sheftal/Sheftall, was a Prussian Jew, while Emanuel’s paternal grandmother, Hannah Solomons, was a Dutch Jew. Emanuel was of both Ashkenazi Jewish and Sephardi Jewish descent, and had Danish Jewish ancestors on his mother’s side. Levi’s brother, Mordecai Sheftall, was a Colonel in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. Mordecai was the highest ranking Jewish officer of the Colonial forces. Mordecai is thus Matt’s great-great-great-great-great-great-great-uncle. A picture and biography of Mordecai can be found here.
Sources: Genealogy of Matt Lanter – http://familypedia.wikia.com
Genealogy of Matt Lanter (focusing on his father’s side) – https://www.geni.com
Information about Matt’s paternal grandfather, Kenley Mackendree Lanter, and his war service – http://people.com
http://uproxx.com
Genealogy of Matt’s paternal great-great-grandmother, Daisy Mary Jane Sheftall (focusing on her father’s side) – https://www.geni.com
Matt’s paternal grandmother, Jessie Mae Fudge, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Marriage record of Matt’s maternal great-great-grandparents, George Wincek and Annie Kurteka – https://familysearch.org
Matt’s maternal great-grandmother, Frances/Francis Ann Sentz, on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Marriage records of Matt’s maternal great-great-grandparents, Stephen/Steve Sentz/Sencz and Katie Rebinski/Ribaynski/Ribaljinski – https://familysearch.org
https://familysearch.org
Obituary of Matt’s maternal great-great-grandfather, Stephen/Steve Sentz/Sencz – http://www.newspapers.com
Matt’s maternal great-grandparents, John Ellis Ware and Ruth Irene Mobley, on the 1930 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Matt’s maternal great-grandmother, Ruth Irene Mobley, on the 1910 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
Ruth Irene Mobley on the 1920 U.S. Census – https://familysearch.org
>Joseph was the son of George Thomas “Tom” Fudge and Laura Frances Willams. Mattie was the daughter of Henry S. Everett and Hattie Mae Shirah.
Ribanski appears as a Croatian last name in Sotin, which is a village close to Tovarnik.
his paternal grandfather deserves a mention:
https://www.instagram.com/p/oeKZ7-RlSW/
http://people.com/movies/uss-indianapolis-men-of-courage-the-inside-story-of-the-brave-veterans/
http://uproxx.com/hitfix/uss-indianapolis-actor-matt-lanter-has-a-goosebumps-raising-connection-to-the-real-historical-event/
His Sentz line is a bit confusing since depending on the census they’re either from Austria, Germany or Yugoslavia (language is German on all of them). Steven’s WW draft records state Austro-Hungary and Hungary, and since that overlaps with Yugoslavia, I think that’s the correct one. But if that’s the case I’m not so sure about him being Austrian, since it’s more likely he’s German.
Anyways here’s their marriage record:
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:VNLD-VXZ
https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FCGW-C18
Maybe they were ethnically Polish? Was Katie ethnically Polish? What is Lanter’s percentage of Polish ancestry, anyway? I would like to add that number if at all possible.
I don’t know about Katie, but last name Rebinski gives me results in Lobau, Gdansk and Stargard, so some Polish ancestry is possible.
Sentz gives me all kinds of results, but it’s undoubtedly a German last name.
Are you sure there could be no Polish Sentzes?
There may be some here.
https://familysearch.org/search/record/results?count=20&query=%2Bsurname%3ASentz~%20%2Bbirth_place%3Apoland~
If Katie was Polish, it is likely that her husband Stephen was, too.
I haven’t found any proof that Katie was full Polish, her last name is the only clue, but since the only census I could find has her as a German, I can’t say anything.
Polish people can sometimes have German last names, but there are more clues pointing to Stephen being German, than anything other.
Okay so I found a Georg Sentz going to his son Stefan Sentz in Dayton, Ohio in 1910.
He’s 46 y.o. (so born in 1964), his wife is Anna, and he’s German from Tovarnik, Hungary (Croatia today).
You think this could be his father?
*1864
just to correct myself
Probably. Well, I updated it already.
Looking again at that obituary of Stephen Sentz and these:
https://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/show-manifest-big-image/czoxNzoidDcxNS0xOTQxMDA5OS5qcGciOw==/1
https://www.libertyellisfoundation.org/show-manifest-big-image/czoxNzoidDcxNS0xNTQ4MDIxNi5qcGciOw==/1
I’m pretty certain that Stephen’s parents were Georg/George Sentz and Anna/Helen Stoltz.
George was probably incorrectly listed as brother on this census:
https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MZ3C-PSP