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George Utz (migrated from Germanna to what is now Madison County, Va in 1724) was known as Woode, Woods, Woots, Outs, Ouds, Hans Georg Utz, Johann Georg Utz, and Hans Zeuche. The original German surname was Utsche. George Hans Utz was a native of Brachbach County adjoining Nassau-Siegen. He was a skilled ironworker who immigrated to the Palantinate and was a manager of iron mines there. The Palantinate lies between Alsace and Nassau-Siegen in southwest Germany, west of Bavaria, with which it united in 1777. Many of the Germans who came to America in the 16th century were from this area and were referred to as the “Palantines”
The many variations to George Hans Utz’s name were probably due to the non-German speaking people who did not understand him. This 1717 German colonist was born in Germany in 1695 and died in Culpeper County (now Madison County) in 1766. He took a very active part in the Hebron Lutheran Church where he was warden from 1733 to 1740.
The first settlers of Madison County, VA from Germany included the following surnames: AYLOR, BLANKENBAKER, CARPENTER, CLORE, CRIGLER, CRISLER, FINKS, HOFFMAN, SOUTHEN, UTZ, WAYLAND, WEAVER, AND YAGER.