The Bower & Collier Family History
Research by Colin Bower
Brecht One-Name Study
Our German Roots
Introduction
Family myth had it that Heinrich/Henry Brecht came to London from Belgium but it appears that it was Germany.
First Brechts in London
The first Brechts in London that I identified were:
1. John Christopher Brecht per Parish Records
John Christopher Brecht married Susannah Pardom (a Widow) at St Mary's Church, Whitechapel on 25 May 1795.
Their daughter Maria was christened at St Nicholas Cole Abbey (a Wren church) in the City of London on 3.4.1796.
2. Jurgen Christoph Brecht per Sugar Bakers Database (www.mawer,clara.net) and German Church Records
Jurgen Christoph Brecht was a sugar refiner in London at some point between 1784-1822. He married Susanna Philps.
3. Maria Brecht per German Church Records
Maria Brecht was bp c 1800 in Westminster, London (parents Christoph Brecht and Susannah Philps).
Maria married in Germany in 1820.
4. Heinrich Fridrich Ludwig Brecht/Henry Frederick Ludewig Brecht per Parish Records
Heinrich/Henry Brecht, the nephew of Jurgen Brecht (2. above) married Mary Somes at St Mary's. Islington on 14.7.1808.
Number 4. above was one of the first pieces of information I obtained for any of the families.
One of my cousins found 1. above.
A solicitor in Germany provided me with 2.& 3. when I followed up the entry in the Sugar Bakers database.
German Family Tree
The solicitor also provided the following German Family Tree:
Generation 8
Jurgen Friedrich Brecht 1715 - 1778
married
Anna Maria Juliane
Generation 7
Johann Friedrich Brecht 1742 - 1800
married
Maria Catharina Shocke 1750 - ?
Generation 6
Heinrich Friedrich Ludwig Brecht 1784 - 1838
Notes
1. Johann Friedrich Brecht had a brother Jurgen Christoph Brecht (the sugar refiner).
2. Heinrich had a brother Ernst Friedrich Brecht
Additions to the German Family Tree
Since then another of my cousins discovered that Edgar Culp had also researched the Brechts (amongst others) and published the results in Family Tree Legends (My Heritage). From this we were able to add more ancestors:
Generation 11
Andeas Brecht 1597 - ?
Generation 10
Hans Brecht
Generation 9
Hans Jurgen Brecht 1653 - 1725
married
Ilse Maria (geb Jahns) 1676 - 1725
It is quite extraordinary to think back to my mother (Doris Ivy Brecht) and her sister my Aunt Ellen (Ellen Gertrude E. Brecht) telling me about their 2 brothers that I never met. Then setting off on this trail, which brought me into contact with cousins that I had never hear of (some Brecht, some Brett) leading back to Andeas Brecht in Germany in 1597.
Colin Bower
19 May 2015
