Parish Records

Pardom/Brecht Family

St Botolph, Bishopsgate

Mary Pardom born 13.3.1796 bp 5.10.1783
(Parents Godfrey & Susannah Pardom)
(a Mary Pardom married Henry Bateman 19.12.1802 at St Mary's, Whitechapel)

St Mary’s, Whitechapel

Susannah Pardom bp 18.3.1787
(Parents Godfrey & Susannah Pardom, Alie St – See Note below)

John Christopher Brecht
Married 25.5.1795
Susannah Pardom, Widow

St Nicholas Cole Abbey, City of London (a Wren church)

Maria Brecht bp 3.4.1796
(Parents John Christopher & Susannah Brecht)

Hannah & Harriet Brecht (spelt Brhgt)
presumably twin sisters to Maria
born 25.11.1797 bp 17.12.1797
(parents Christopher & Susanna Brhgt)

Note

Alie Street (from a set of fiche from the Anglo-German FHS)

"The church of St George, Little Alie Street, Goodman's Fields, in East London was built in 1762 and opened in 1763 to serve the increasing German Lutheran population of East London. The sugar industry was mainly based in East London and was largely owned by Germans. Most of the workers came from North Germany and were Lutherans.The church's foundation was largely due to the efforts of a local sugar refiner called Mr Beckmann, whose sugar baker' workers formed much of the original congregation... "

Commentary

I have spent quite a long time trying to find a link between John Christopher Brecht and our own Brecht Family.

Jurgen Christoph Brecht

The sugar refiners/bakers database includes a Jurgen Christolph Brecht who claimed to have had a sugar-refining business in London.

I contacted a correspondent in Germany who was the source of the entry for Jurgen in the database.

He told me that Jurgen may possibly have been a sugar refiner between 1784-1822 and that Jurgen was buried in Germany on 1 April 1822 (age 70 and 18 days).

The registration of his death included a note that he had been a sugar refiner in London.

Heinrich Fridrich Ludwig Brecht

Also in the information from Germany was the christening of a Heinrich Fridrich Ludwig Brecht on 7 July 1784; Jurgen Christoph Brecht was the uncle and godfather of Heinrich and it was noted that Jurgen was said to have been in London when the christening took place.

It is possible that Heinrich Fridrich Ludwig Brecht was one and the same as my ancestor Heinrich (Henry) Frederick Ludewig Brecht born 1783/4.

Extraordinary development June 2018

Baptisms in the name of Brhgt

While I was online, I looked again at the baptism of Maria Brecht, daughter of John Christopher & Susannah Brecht, in 1796.
I turned on a page (electronically) and found an extraordinary entry:

St Nicholas, Cole Abbey, City of London

Hannah & Harriet Brecht (transcribed as Brhgt)
presumably twin sisters to Maria
born 25.11.1797 bp 17.12.1797
(parents Christopher & Susanna Brhgt)

Despite the new revelations I have yet to find out what happened to John Christopher Brecht (and Susannah and children) after the baptisms!

Conclusions

We have a possible chronology:

John Christopher Brecht & Susannah Pardom

1. Mary Pardom (bp 5.10.1783) and Susannah Pardom (bp 18.3.1787) - parents Godfrey & Susannah Pardom
2. A Jurgen Christoph Brecht (possibly a sugar-refiner in London) was the Uncle and Godfather of Heinrich Fridrich Ludwig Brecht bp 7.7.1784 in Germany
3. John Christopher Brecht married Susannah Pardom, Widow 25.5.1795
4. Daughter Maria bp 3.4.1796
5. Daughters Hannah & Harriet Brecht (spelt Brhgt)
presumably twin sisters to Maria
born 25.11.1797 bp 17.12.1797
6. Susannah's children appear to be
Mary Pardom bp 5.10.1783
Susannah Pardom bp 18.3.1787
Maria Brecht bp 3.4.1796
Hannah & Harriet Brecht (spelt Brhgt) bp 17.12.1797

Other than the possible marriages for Mary Pardom in 1802 and Susanna Pardom in 1806, no further records have been found. Did the family move from London to Germany?

I did not find a direct link between John Christopher Brecht and either Jurgen Christoph Brecht or Heinrich (Henry) Frederick Ludewig Brecht but it is extremely coincidental.

New Information

Pardom is a rare name in London.

I have found 3 new entries:

St John the Evangelist, Smith Square

Godfried Pardom (suggesting that he is German)
married 26.12.1777
Susannah Phillips

St Matthews, Bethnal Green

Jane Pardom
married 5.8.1800
William Goodrich

St Leonards, Shoreditch

Elizabeth Pardom
married 11.8.1806
Jacob Bartram

If these are Susannah's children, the list of her children would be:

Pardom

Mary Pardom bp 5.10.1783, married 1802
Susannah Pardom bp 18.3.1787, married 1806
Jane Pardom married 1800
Elizabeth Pardom married 1806

Brecht

Maria Brecht bp 3.4.1796
Hannah & Harriet Brecht (transcribed as Brhgt) bp 17.12.1797

As things stand, we don't know if any of these people are related to "our" Brechts but it does seem likely.

Colin Bower
26 October 2022