Gelzer Family, SC
The surname of Gelzer is first recorded in SC in 1757 when the will of one Daniel Gelzer is probated.This family was initially located in Saint Pauls Parish, Colleton County.This parish was a sparsely populated farming community, and in the 1790 census 90% of the parish population was slaves.It is interesting to note that that between 1750 and 1850 this was the only Gelzer family recorded in the USA.By the early 1800's, this family had spread into the Saint George Parish, Dorchester and Saint James Parish, Goose Creek areas. In the 1850 census George W. and Martha Gelzer, both born in SC, were recorded as living in Jefferson County, Florida along with 5 children born in Florida.By 1860 Thomas L. Gelzer, MD had moved from Summerville, SC to Camden County, Georgia.These two families are the progenitors of the Georgia and Florida Gelzer families.