• Vestner was first thought to come from a village called Beuren am Ried. it is situated between Singen and Konstanz in Baden Württemberg, Germany. There was also a known coat of arms showing the castle of Nüremberg. I found a small village near there in Rasch b. Altdorf where people told me there are so many Vestners in this area like sand corns on the beach. In Nüremberg itself there are a few streets that have this name, like Vestnerberg (Ölberg), Vestnerkirche (D-90403 Walburgiskapelle), Vestnertor (upper and lower gate), D-90403 Vestnertorbastei, D-90403 Vestnertorbrücke, D-90408 Vestnertorgraben, and a D-90403 Vestnertormauer and of course the Vestnerturm , called Sinnwell tower. In D-90513 Zirndorf beside Nuremberg you will find an other tower they call it the Old Veste of Zirndorf. It was famous during the 30 years war. There happened a very inportant battle between Wallenstein and Gustav Adolf, the King of sweden. And there is also a D-90513 Vestnerstrasse (Zirndorf) and a Vestnerforest (D-90768 Fürth Dambach). just beside But all of these findings have nothing to do with the castle of Nürnberg. It has nothing to do with a tower gard or so. But it could have been a guarantor that guarantees something. During my research i found out that in the Sounth Tirol (German spoken part of Italy), many Endings of surnames have the Endings of -TNER at its final. It is like by München, we say Münchener. So Vestenêr siems really to have been someone that has been a guarantor for something. Anyway I begann looking for this Surname in South-Tirol. I finally found it. The name is said to come from a farmstead belonging in 1295 to Vesto. and I began witch even more research. Some forms of (F)östner [Voestner], Vöst[Voest]/Vest or Vesten are still to find in Austria and South-Tirol. Therea are two farmsteads called Festner in Geiselsberg b.Olang and one in Gsies. But Also this vesto from Geiselberg came from somewhere. What I then found really faszinated me. VESTNER is a PLACE NAME. There is a small village in Kingdom of Bohemia. called 100302 Vesten, Vestem. Selimbar, 557263, jud. Sibiu (Hermannstadt). Romania. (45.72186.24.22888 (GPS Coordinates) (Literatur: Alexandru Bucur: Vestem, Antroponimie Si Zoonimie and the one from Carl Göllner, Die Siebenbürgische Militärgrenze, B.V. S. Brukenthal an Kaiserin Maria Theresia. 24. September 1768. Bericht über die missliche Lage der aus Vestem ausgesiedelten Bauern und über Massnahmen die er diesbezüglich angeordnet hat. He called all inhabitants of this village Vestem, VESTNER. I guess that all this families are oniginally from saxon. Of course i tried to find out more, but for exampel there was no hint in this book: Fritz Keintzel-Schön, Studia Transylvanica, Die Siebenbürgisch-Sächsischen Familiennamen. Years later I found out a fotografer called  J. Vestner in Campulung, Romania. He must be in Business between 1880-1898. He was located on Strada Mirscea Vodá, no 21 near the market (Info from Muntean M. Sorin). One of mi furter investigations will be to find out more about his family. This investigation could be very interesting. If i could find a way where he came from, my dream of knowing why we have a farmstead called Festnerhof in Geiselsberg in Olang in South Tirol and why we have so many Vestners in Beuren am Ried and why also in Rasch by Altdorf near Nuremberg. There must be a reason.

• My apologies to the Vestner and Festner family members with no sense of humor. Nothing to do with what you were expecting, but you gotta lighten up once in a while.

MY FAMILY TREE

I climbed my family tree and found it was not worth the climb, and so I scampered down, convinced it was a waste of time. Some branches of my tree are rotten to the core, and all the tree was full of sap, and hung with nuts galore! And, 'though I bragged about my kinfolk before I made the climb, the truth compels me now to tell of those not worth a dime. And I beg friends, who boast aloud of their ancestors great, "Go climb your family tree and learn of crooks who aren't so straight." I climbed my family tree and learned as I came sliding down, my tree is like a 'tater vine: The best is underground.
(Source unknown)