Bower & Collier Family Tree
Research by CM Bower
Brecht One-Name Study
Search for Heinrich Brecht & John Christopher Brecht
My cousin has continued in his quest to find out:
1. the parents of the following 2 men, who may be related and
2. where they were born
Heinrich (k/a Henry) Frederick Ludewig Brecht (our direct line)
who married Mary Somes in 1808 at St Mary’s Church, Islington
John Christopher Brecht
who married a widow Susannah Pardom in 1795 at St Mary’s Church, Whitechapel - see Note 1 below
He identified some interesting court cases at the Old Bailey - see Note 2 below.
Key information obtained to date
To date we had obtained 5 pieces of key information about Heinrich/Henry Brecht & his family:
(i) Heinrich/Henry Brecht was a colour maker at Fashion Street in Spitalfields in 1812 – circa 1830
(ii) Henry Brecht, widower married Harriet Piper in 1837 at St George in the East
(iii) Henry Brecht died at Bonner Street, Bethnal Green in 1838 (age 56) giving his date of birth as 1783/4
(for some reason his estate was administered in the name of Frederick Ludewig Brecht)
(iv) Later in 1838 Harriet Brecht, Widow married Henry Colvin at St George in the East
(v) In 1841 Henry & Harriet Colvin were living at Bonner Street
New additional information
My cousin has obtained some new information which may prove to be an interesting development:
Possible ancestors in Denmark per IGI
Andreas Brecht married Magdalena Dorothes Nurdal on 10.12.1704 in Copenhagen*
Christian Fridrich Brecht bp 25.5.1705 in Copenhagen (father Andreas Brecht)*
Johann Christopher Brecht bp 24.1.1708 in Copenhagen (father Andreas Brecht)*
* at Hof-Og Slotskirten
Conclusions
We have a possible chronology of:
1. Johann Christopher Brecht bp 1708 Denmark
2. Heinrich Brecht born 1783/4
3. John Christopher Brecht marrying in London in 1795
4. Heinrich Brecht marrying in London in 1808
5. Heinrich/Henry Brecht colour maker in Spitalfields in 1812 – circa 1830
8. Henry Brecht re-marrying in London in 1837
6. Henry Brecht died in London in 1838.
7. Administration of estate in name of Frederick Ludewig Brecht in 1838 (error?)
Family legend has it that the family emigrated to London from Europe (Germany or Belgium/Holland). As names are often handed down through the family now we wonder if John Christopher Brecht’s roots are in Denmark after all!
Note 1
I have identified a possible link to Susannah Pardom's first husband:
Potential Baptism at St Mary's Whitechapel
Bp March 1787 Susannah Pardom
(Parents Godfrey & Susannah Pardom)
Note 2
In his search for Heinrich Brecht, my cousin traced 2 interesting court cases at the Old Bailey:
Court Case 1.2.1836: Alleged theft of a watch by Rowland Hall
One of the witnesses was Henry Lie Brecht, a shopman of Messrs Attenboroughs, pawnbrokers of Shoreditch
This is a curious entry as we had no previous record of a Henry Lie Brecht; more likely the surname was Le Brecht.
Court Case 27.11.1848: Alleged theft of looking glass and frame by James King and John Jones
Henry Colvin and Harriet (formerly Brecht) Colvin kept the Brass-founders’ Arms in Whitechapel from which the glass disappeared.
Harriet (born Piper) gave evidence as did her "son" Henry Brecht and "daughter" Eleanor Brecht.
This is interesting that Henry & Eleanor are referred to as Harriet's son and daughter, as Harriet Piper did not marry Henry & Eleanor’s father Henry Brecht until 1837. We have never traced the death of Mary Somes but I have found that Heinrich Brecht was a witness at Elizabeth Soames' marriage at St Mary's Islington in 1809:
It is still not clear for which if any of the children Harriet is the mother.
Henry the son bp 1833 died in 1855 age 22 and Eleanor born 1830/1 later married.
By 1851 Henry Colvin (Victualler) and Harriet Colvin were living at 10/11 Mint St, Southwark.
Colin Bower
31 May 2010
