Heckbert in der Schweiz

[melwilcla]

Hello,

I am looking for guidance in finding information on my fourth great grandfather, Edward Heckbert, who was born in the Parish of Constance, Switzerland in 1783.
I am hoping to find his birthplace and any other information related to him or his family in that area (baptisms, birth records, marriages, deaths, etc)....anything.
Edward was recruited into the 30th Regiment of Foote of the British Army by Capt Sandor in Bremen Germany in 1806.
At that time, he listed his age as 23, his occupation as student, and his place of birth as Parish of Constance, Switzerland.
On all subsequent records in the military, his surname is consistently spelled “Heckbert”, so we believe that is his correct surname.
We know that he married in Halifax NS Canada in 1816, and deserted the army in 1819.
We are also seeking information on Rosina Rebecca Heckbert, who is also possibly from the same area in Switzerland, as she married a Sgt Dominique Mussatte who was a Sergeant in the same regiment as Edward (30th Regt of Foote).
We would greatly appreciate any information that could be provided to assist us in determining where in Switzerland that Edward came from, and any information on his family.
Thank you so much!

Sincerely,

Melanie (Heckbert) McCombs
NB Canada

[Wolf]

Hello Melanie,

welcome to the forum! Let me start with a technical comment: never quote mail addresses in the postings - this only invites spam. I have therefore removed the address in your posting. Should a direct communication be required (which should be an exception), this is possible via PN (personal note).

Heckbert is not listed in the Register of Swiss Surnames, nor can I find a similar spelling.

What I find confusing is "Parish of Constance, Switzerland": until 1806 Konstanz belonged to Vorderösterreich (Habsburg), from 1806 to Großherzogtum Baden (Germany). Konstanz had several parishes, and I would be rather surprised to learn that one of them belonged to Switzerland. Furthermore Konstanz was catholic, whilst Thurgau (ruled by Zürich) was reformed.

Most likely explanations: either "Switzerland" is not correct, or parish and diocese were mixed up. The diocese Konstanz did include large areas in Switzerland (see map) - but this would mean we don't really know where to start - with a name not showing up in the Register of Surnames.

[melwilcla]

Thank your for your quick reply. The source of information specifying Edward's place of birth was "Parish of Constance (Konstanz), Switzerland" came from the Description Book of Foreign Recruits at the PRO in London, and this information was relayed to us via researchers there. I understand this is a rather broad search based on the little we have to go on. As it was a British recruiting officer that initially recorded the information, perhaps this was a matter of the language barrier, and by Parish, Edward meant Diocese. Edward married the daughter of a Hessian soldier in Halifax NS Canada, and we were always of the understanding that the Heckbert name was of German descent, until we learned of his birthplace indicated in the Foreign Recruit Book. Out of the twenty men that he was enlisted with, he was the only one who was indicated as being from Switzerland. Does the fact that he was a student provide any clues whatsoever? Thank you so much for your time.
Melanie

[Wolf]

Did a few more checks: Heckbert is not in the Swiss telephone directory.

For Germany GeoGen offers a surname distribution, based on telephone directories: no Heckbert either - but Hackbart is suggested as alternative ... 117 mentions, mostly Northern and Eastern Germany.

Checking the Swiss directory for this alternative, there are 9 mentions Hackbarth, an originally German family, gaining citizenship of Unterengstringen ZH in 1915 - to late to be of interest for you.

But that's it - I have no ideas how to continue

[melwilcla]

Thank you for that information. Would you mind looking at the attached record? It is the only record we have which indicates Edward's birthplace. The name Constance is written under the heading "Parish of", but perhaps all the listings under that category may actually be cities? If so, could they be referring to the city of Konstanz? The second page seems to clearly indicate "Switzerland" as the country of birth. Would appreciate your comments.

[Wolf]

The mentions under "parish" definitely are in several cases cities, not parishes - like Amsterdam, Berlin, Köln - all with more than a single parish.

"Your" entry reads "Constants, Switzerland" - a somewhat unusual spelling for Konstanz (Constance) - but one gets the most amusing spelling differences in foreign countries, so this doesn't bother me at all.

But ... Konstanz is not in Switzerland - on the other hand I cannot think of a Swiss place with a similar name.

Is the "Switzerland" not correct? I know that after World War I many German immigrants claimed to be Swiss, rather than German. Would the situation during/after the Napoleonic wars be similar? I don't know - but then there are quite a few "Germans" on this list, and it would be different if someone just claimed the be Swiss with his new neighbours - as opposed to enroling for the army, where (I would guess) some sort of legitimitation would be required.

So ... still a mystery to me

[melwilcla]

Thank you for you comments. I hope I am not taking too much of your time. Perhaps it is a case of our Edward being asked where he was born, and replying "Constance", and the person recording the information, being from Britain, made the assumption that it was in Switzerland. I am confused about Constance...was it always in Germany? There is a Diocese of Constance in Switzerland, but a city of Konstanz in Germany..is that correct? Some relatives who knew the old folks (Edward's grandchildren) say they came from Germany. This enlistment record is the only record that indicates otherwise, but is all we have to go on with respect to information on Edward's birth. We were also trying to figure out why a 23 year old student would join the army, but then read that there was much political turmoil and war in northern Switzerland just prior to 1806. I'm not sure if the term "student" in those days meant attending university, or perhaps could also mean he was an apprentice of some sort.

[Peter.D]

In fact, it was even more complicated: when Eduard Heckbert was born in 1783, Konstanz was part of Austria, belonging to Vorderösterreich. It came to Baden in 1806, the same year Herbert enlisted in the English army.
Have you already checked the birth records of the catholic parish of Konstanz? In any case, I suggest you contact the Archives of the city of Konstanz.

Peter

[melwilcla]

Thank you so much for the direction. I appreciate your time, Wolf and Peter, and I value your input. I will contact the Archives at Konstanz for further information. If I can be of any assistance in the future with regards to lookups in my area, please feel free to contact me.

[melwilcla]

Hi..I have found a listing for a financial company called Heckbert 21 and also Heckbert 22, which are based in Budapest HU, but have an office in St Gallen at 22 Vadianstrasse, and one in Zurich on Bellerivestrasse. Do you know if this is still in existence, as it may be evidence of the Heckbert name in Switzerland?

Thank you!

Melanie

[Wolf]

Hi..I have found a listing for a financial company called Heckbert 21 and also Heckbert 22, which are based in Budapest HU, but have an office in St Gallen at 22 Vadianstrasse, ...

As mentioned before: no Heckbert (neither person nor company) in the Swiss phone directory. Vadianstrasse 22 is an office building - could be a "letter box company" there - no indication for people named Heckbert in Switzerland today.