Bethge History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The ancient German region of the Rhineland was the original home of the ancestors of the Bethge surname. Bethge was a local name, a type of hereditary surname that identified people by the places where they lived. Landowners were the first to use local names, and they often attached the prefix "von", meaning "of" or "from," to the surname. Often, the use of "von" was a mark of aristocratic birth. Local names are by far the most common style of German hereditary surname. Bethge was a name for someone who lived in the Rhineland. The Bethge family emerged during the feudal era, when the Rhineland was controlled by feudal lords and princes.

Early Origins of the Bethge family

The surname Bethge was first found in the county of Nassau, where the name could be considered to make a great early contribution to the feudal society which became the backbone of early development in Europe. The earliest known instance of the name dates back to 1430, when Jurgen Bethke is recorded in the "Urkundenbuch der Stadt Oldenburg," the Oldenburg registry. The name became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the savage tribal and national conflicts, each group seeking power and status in an ever changing territorial profile. Chronicles suggest that the most ancient branch of the family can be traced to the Netherlands, which they left during the religious strife of the Thirty Year's War for the region of Nassau. The founding father of the prominent Nassau branch is taken to be Simon Moritz Bethmann (d.1725,) who was an administrator in the government of the Prince of Nessau-Weilburg. It was his son, Johann Philipp Bethmann (1715-1793) who founded the renowned bank of Frankfurt, the Bethmann Brothers.

Early History of the Bethge family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bethge research. Another 225 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1652, 1701, 1715, 1721, 1782, 1793, 1823, 1827, 1829, 1842, 1849 and 1858 are included under the topic Early Bethge History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bethge Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Bethge include Bethman, Bethemann, Betheman, Bettheman, Betthemann, Bethmman, Bethke, Berthe, Bethe, Bethge and many more.

Early Notables of the Bethge family

Another 47 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Bethge Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bethge migration to the United States +

Hundreds of thousands of Europeans, including many Rhinelanders, made the voyage to North America between the 17th and 20th centuries. It was an escape from religious persecution and poverty and also an opportunity for people to start over and own their own land. Most landed at Ellis Island, off New York before moving on to the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, and California. Some also landed in Canada and settled in Ontario, while others headed west to the prairie provinces. A study of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of people bearing the name of Bethge, or one of its variants, reaching North America shores very early:

Bethge Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Heinr Bethge, who arrived in America in 1780 1
Johann Bethge, who landed in America in 1783 1
Mr Bethge, who arrived in America in 1783 1
Heinrich Bethge, who settled in America after fighting in the Revolutionary War
Andreas Bethge, who landed in America in 1783 1

Bethge Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

G Ad Bethge, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 1
G Adolph Bethge, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 1
G. Adolph Bethge, who sailed from Hamburg to New York in 1850
Pauline Bethge, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 1
Clara Bethge, who arrived in Texas in 1860
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)