Introduction

My mother was Doris Ivy Brecht and we have been researching the Brecht Family Tree for many years. As shown in the following notes, and the attached Indication of Population Distribution:

Indication of Population Distibution

Brecht is a comparatively rare name in Britain. Nearly all people named Brecht in England are descended from George Frederick Brecht. Little new has been learnt about his father Heinrich / Henry Brecht and from where he originated.

Main sources of information

Early Records

Pallot Index
Marriage of Heinrich Brecht and Mary Soames/Somes at St Mary's, Islington in 1808 (Information checked at London Metropolitan Archives)

IGI
9 entries including:Christening of Heinrich and Mary Brecht's daughter Maria Catran Brecht at Christ Church, Spitalfields in 1812 and her burial in 1814.

Trade Directories
Henry Brecht, Colour Manufacturer (Pigot's 1824, Spitalfields and Kelly's 1836, Bethnal Green)

London Metropolitan Archives
Burial of daughter Charlotte Brecht at Christ Church, Spitalfields in 1819
Marriage of Henry Frederick Ludewig Brecht, widower and Harriet Piper at St George in the East in 1837

Photograph of the magnificent church, St George in the East, which I took in the 1980s

Burial of Henry Brecht at Christ Church, Spitalfields in 1838
Grant of administration of the assets of Frederick Ludewig Brecht to Harriet Brecht in 1838

Civil Registration of Births, Marriages and Deaths

From 1837 (when registration began) to 1999 there have been:

• 142 Births
• 107 Marriages
• 52 Deaths
  

A list of these entries is attached:

List of Brecht Births, Marriages and Deaths

A number of certificates have been obtained including:

• Harriet Brecht Widow's marriage to Henry Colvin in 1838
• Arthur Brecht's marriage to Ellen Saunders (my grandparents) in 1899
• Walter Frederick Brecht's marriage to Ruth Saunders in 1901

A list of certificates held is attached:

List of Certificates Held

Censuses

• 1841 & 1851 - Henry and Harriet (Brecht) Colvin's family
• 1861, 1871 - George and Mary Ann Brecht's family
• 1881 - 13 entries
• 1891 - George and Mary Ann Brecht's family
• 1901 - 29 entries

Correspondence with cousins

Invaluable information (including photos) has been obtained from two descendants of Walter Frederick Brecht and one descendant of his brother Albert Brecht. At that time, none of these descendants/cousins knew of each other's existence or my mother's.

Summary of Findings

• The earliest finding is the marriage of Heinrich Brecht in 1808. He had 8 daughters! I have proved that he is the colour manufacturer Henry Brecht in 1824 and the widower, who married Harriet Piper in 1837, and died in 1838.
• Perhaps the hardest task will be tracing Heinrich Brecht's emigration to England presumably from Germany.
• The foundation of the Family Tree in England was the marriage of George Frederick Brecht and Mary Ann Walland and their 9 sons!
• Two brothers (Arthur and Walter Frederick Brecht) married two sisters (Ellen and Ruth Saunders)
• The family owned various businesses in London and regretfully there were family squabbles and splits over them.
• The Family Tree has been brought to life by photos and beliefs/myths handed down to descendants.

Beliefs / Myths

Origination

It was thought that the family name was Von Brecht and the family emigrated to England from Belgium where there is a village named Brecht.

The House in Richmond

• My grandmother Ellen Elizabeth Curran Saunders was promised a house if she changed her name to Ellen Elizabeth Craeh Curran Saunders.
• The house did not materialise.

Naval Interests/Connections

• The family was said to have naval interests and links to an Admiral Iceton.
• It is true that Ellen and Ruth Saunders' father and grandfather were seamen
• George Frederick Brecht's daughter married John Iceton (father and son were seamen) in 1884
• Some descendants were given the middle name Iceton.

Three of the cousins had heard of these beliefs/myths and more!

Name Variants

To avoid anti-German sentiments in the build up to World War I, some members of the Brecht family adopted the name Brett though some used the name Brecht for legal purposes.

In U.S.A. there is a Name variant BRIGHT and there is an active message board for the Brecht and Bright names.

Roots of the Brechts and Brights in the USA

Pastor Ernst Brecht

One interesting and enjoyable diversion was the discovery of a marriage between Ernst Wilhelm Brecht and Charlotte Gruner (address given as Buckingham Palace) in London in 1850.

Ernst Brecht became the first Pastor at the Ango-German Church in Hull and later the Pastor in Engelbostel near his home town of Hannover.

Charlotte Gruner from Coburg became one of the governesses to Queen Victoria's children.

The Royal Archives at Windsor sent letters on my behalf to descendants in Germany and USA, and there was a fascinating exchange of information.

Details of the Pastor's Family Tree is attached:

Pastor Ernst Brecht's Family Tree- with ancestors and descendants in Germany and USA.

Progress Made in 2004

We continued to make good progress in 2004 and some of the main gains are summarised in the attached Progress Report:

Progress Report for 2004

Progress Made in 2005

There were some exciting developments and these are listed in the attached summary:

Progress Report 2005

Progress Made in 2006

Progress Report 2006

Things we wish we knew

There are still areas of research to develop and mysteries to solve, which are summarised in the attachment:

Things we wish we knew

Colin Bower
28 February 2007

Links to:
Brecht One Name Study - Index:

Brecht Index