The Heydecker Family Record goes back to 763 A.D.
The Schloss Von Heidegg
Schloss is the German word for castle or stronghold. Heideck, Heydeck, or Heidegg, as it is sometimes styled, is a lordly keep, proudly situated within one of the free bailiwicks of Switzerland. From this very stronghold, the family that bears its name did flourish and spread forth in ages long past.
Indeed, many a year ago, branches of this noble line did settle in the Canton of Zurich, where they raised a castle hold near the Monastery of Embrach, bestowing upon it the very name of their ancestral seat.
Official von Heydeck/ Heidecker/ Heidegger/ von Heidegg/ Heydecker Records Since 763
Whilst a direct line of descent across all bearing these names cannot be definitively traced, these names, dates, locations, etc., concerning the Heidecker family, their genesis and subsequent expansion, have been faithfully recorded from unimpeachable sources within the Vienna Bible itself.
It is therein chronicled that the family of Heidecker traces its origins to the Netherlands, where the very first mention of this name is found within the annals of Adam of Bremen. This progenitor was known as Ettel or Zttel, and he dwelt in the forest of Ardennes, around the year of our Lord 763, within the fortress of Heideck, where he took Elsbeth Gobbelsehroy as his bride. Upon a craggy cliff, he raised a formidable fortress to shield himself from the incursions of the heathen Frisians, naming it Heideck, meaning Heathencliff. In his conflicts with these Frisians, he captured their Duke, Withorn, meaning White Horn. As a reward for this valorous deed, the Franconian King Charlemagne bestowed upon him the feudal ownership of the castle and the estate of Ohtenhid, upon the Frisian border.
It is for this very reason that his helmet was adorned with a white buffalo horn, the Withorn, and his shield bore a willow tree, alongside the ancient emblem of his house, a buffalo head. These symbols were adopted by his descendants as their coat of arms and were secured to them by a heraldic patent granted by the German King, Conrad the Third.
Notable von Heydeck/ Heidecker/ Heidegger/ von Heidegg/ Heydeckers
Friedrich von Heydeck
Hark, and listen well to the tale of Friedrich von Heydeck (whose name appears in the records from 1367, and who departed this life in 1423). This Friedrich received special family privileges from King Wenzel in the year 1387, and further honors from the German King Ruprecht in 1402. Yet, even with these distinctions, he wrestled with the persistent financial burdens that had long weighed upon his house. The ravages of invading hordes, the sorrow of plagues, and the violence of the times also cast a shadow upon his possessions, threatening their security.
In a pious act, Friedrich bestowed his generosity upon the women’s chapel in Heideck, which now serves as his final resting place. Therein, his tombstone depicts him in full armor, rendered near life-size and remarkably preserved. I myself visited this sacred place and captured various images within the chapel, including a likeness of Friedrich’s statue, of which I present the head here for your contemplation.
Within this very same chapel also lies the tomb of his daughter-in-law, a noblewoman by the name of Sibylle von Ortenburg, who passed away in the year 1475. Furthermore, a fresco was uncovered within these walls in 1960, having been concealed beneath layers of plaster. It is believed, with good reason, that this artwork portrays Heideck Castle itself and bears the inscription of the year fourteen hundred and fourteen.
Verified Direct Line Ancestors
This confirmed lineage has been documented by a number of Keepers, from the original Kempten family who conducted and preserved their family research. Most notably:
- Marcus Heydecker, 1697-1777, a papermaker in Kempten, Germany.
- Alfred Heydecker, 1858-1927, chief customs officer in Augsburg, Germany.
- Edward Le Moyne Heydecker, 1863-1914, attorney in Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A.
- Christian Townsend Heydecker, 1846-1926, attorney in Waukegan, Illinois, U.S.A.
- Julius Heydecker, 1916-1997, journalist and writer in Nuremberg, Germany.
- Margaret Heydecker Foreman, 1919 – 1998, humanitarian and traveler in Pelham Manor, NY, U.S.A.
- Patricia Ann (nee Glynn) Heydecker, 1939 – 2016, architectural designer in Foxborough, MA, U.S.A.
- Jeanne-Elise Marie Heydecker, born in 1960, strategic business consultant in Chicago, IL, U.S.A., India, Myanmar, and Singapore
Bernhard Heydecker
Now we turn our gaze to Bernhard Heydecker, who passed away in the year 1632, in Willstatt, within the lands of Baden. The sole record of birth pertaining to this line is that of Joachim Heydecker, of whom we shall speak next.
Joachim Heydecker
Concerning Joachim Heydecker, we find within Edward Le Moyne Heydecker’s “Record of the Heydecker Family” the following account:
“The birthplace of Joachim Heydecker is Willstatten, near Strasburg, a place situated roughly midway between Switzerland and the Netherlands. It is evident, however, that Marcus Heydecker considered himself akin to the Swiss lineage. Joachim Heydecker was a younger son, who departed his home in pursuit of fortune and made his way to Kempten. There, he entered the service of a rope-maker by the name of Renner. It appears that Renner later passed away, leaving a widow, Katharina. Joachim then took Katharina as his wife on the 20th of February, 1643, and succeeded to the rope-making business. Sadly, Katharina’s days were soon ended. This Katharina Platzerin was the daughter of Mattas Platzers, a German schoolmaster. In the oldest proclamation book of the St. Mang Church, it is written that Joachim Haidecker wed Ursula Kiselin on the 31st of August, 1646, a mere three and a half years after his first marriage.”
Furthermore, a certificate issued by the church confirms:
“Joachim Heydecker and Ursula Kiesel were joined in matrimony on the 31st of August, 1646, within the local St. Mang church, according to the rites of the Evangelical Lutheran faith.”
The precise date of Joachim’s passing remains uncertain, as the burial records up to and including the year 1685 are lost to us. The last mention of Joachim is as a godfather on the 13th of December, 1676; after this, his name no longer appears. Therefore, we may surmise that he died sometime between 1676 and 1686. Ursula is last noted as a godmother in March of 1666, and her name, too, vanishes from the records thereafter. Thus, she must have passed away between that date and the resumption of the burial records in 1686.
Joachim had two children with Katharina:
- Christophe Heydecker, born in 1643
- Maria Heydecker, born in 1646
He had four more children with Ursula:
- Hans Bernhard Heydecker, born in 1647. A rope-maker and keeper of the “Golden Lion” saloon.
- Veronica Heydecker, born in 1649
- Ursula Heydecker, born in 1651
Joachim Heydecker, born on the 12th of August, 1657; died on the 2nd of January, 1722.