Familien Bevensee und Herzwig/Hertzlieb
The earliest known member of this Bevensee family was a Müller in the Duchy of Holstein, whose name is not currently known. His son, Johann Matthias Bevensee, established himself as a Müller and Zimmermann in the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin and later in the Duchy of Schleswig. In 1729 he married with Charlotte Amalie Hertzlieb.
Her father was the Müller and Zimmermeister Caspar Hertzlieb of Oberhof in Klütz parish, Mecklenburg-Schwerin. Her mother was Maria Magdalena, born 1678 at Fürstentum Ratzeburg.
Together, Matthias and Amalie Bevensee had ten children. Eight sons became Müllers and Zimmermann throughout the Duchies of Schleswig and Holstein.
After migrating to Norway, circa 1848, the surname changed from Bevensee to Bevensen. Further descendants changed the name to Bevan (pronounced BEE-van) after migrating to the United States, circa 1903.
The surname Bevensee:
Families often chose surnames based on the geographical features found in the area where they lived. Bevensee reflects the proximity in which the family lived to a body of water. It may have been a sea, a lake, or a marshland. Bevensee is Germanic in origin, and Germanic languages make no firm distinction between a sea, a lake or a marsh - neither in size, nor by the classification of whether it was a body of saltwater or freshwater.
One family of Bevensee's lived in Segeberg county, Holstein near the lake known as Neversdorfer See and their surname was derived from living in close proximity to this body of water. The town of Bebensee sits on the northern shore of Neversdorfer See.
Given the extent of the many Bevensee families throughout a wide geographical region, it is not plausible that they all were once from the same family, or that their surname originated from the same geographic location.
In church entries and historical documents the name was spelled in a variety of ways: Bebense, Bebensee, Beebensee, Befensee, Beevensee, Beuensehe, Bevense, Bevensee, Bevenseehs, Bevensees, Bevensehe, Bevensen, Bewensees, Bovensee, Bäffense, Bäffenseh, Bävensee and Bævensen. There were no standardized spellings of surnames before the 19th century and church officials often wrote names, and places, based on how they sounded to them. Most often the officials were not from the area where the served, nor were they necessarily literate. In 1767 a member of this family signed his name as Beevensee.
The surname Hertzlieb:
The surname Herzlieb/Hertzlieb was a variant of the surnames Herzwig, Hertzwig, Herzig, Hertzig, Herzweg, Hertzweg, Herzwieg, Hertzwieg et cetera. At Klütz parish, Mecklenburg-Schwerin the earliest use of Hertzlieb is found from 1724, while the use of Herzwig continued until at least 1731.
Names of individuals:
Children in Schleswig, Holstein, Denmark and Norway were given two names (sometimes as many as four) at their baptisms in addition to a last name. The first name was a spiritual, or saints, name. This name would have only been used in church activities. The second name was the call name, which is the name the person was known by, both within the family and to the rest of the world. Hence, Cay Lorenz Bevensee would have been known commonly as Lorenz Bevensee. Jochim Diedrich Bevensee would have been commonly known as Diedrich Bevensee.
Links to information:
Generation 1/2:
1 A. Müller Bevensee of Holstein 1 B. Müller and Zimmermann Caspar Herzwig/Herzlieb/Hertzlieb and Maria Magdalena Generation 2/3:
2 A. + 2 B. Müller Johann Matthias Bevensee and Charlotte Amalie Hertzlieb 2 C. Schmid Jochim Diedrich Kath and Ida Render Generation 3/4:
3 A. + 3 C. Müller and Zimmermann Cay Lorenz Bevensee and Elisabeth Friederica Kath 3 D. Holländer Gustav Adolph Janssen and Maria Elisabeth Stuhr Generation 4/5:
4 A. + 4 D. Møller Jochim Diedrich Bevensee and Friederica Dorothea Janssen 4 E. Farmer Ånen Ånensen Viste and Berta Serina Jonsdatter Viste 4 F. Skulemeister Ingvor Karlsen Nedre Kvinlog and Torborg Atlaksdatter Lindeland 4 G. Mons Monsen Åse and Guri Borildsdatter Vestre Stangaland Generation 5/6:
5 A. + 5 E. Møller and Møllesnikkar Johan Nikolai Bevensee (Bevensen) and Berta Serine Ånensdatter Viste 5 F. + 5 G. Skippar Bernt Tobias Ingvaldsen and Grethe Jorine Monsdatter Generation 6/7:
6 A + 6 F Gruvearbeider Johan Fritz Johansen Bevensen and Kristopha Marie Ingvaldsen (ca. 1895-1901 known as John and Mary Johnson ~ ca. 1901-1903 as Fred and Mary Bevan) Generation 7:
7 A. Gruvearbeider and Farmer Magnus Bevan and Hazel Swett
Articles:
Other Bevensee families of Holstein, Schleswig, Hansestadt Lübeck and Denmark
Etymology of Bevensee, Bebensee, etc.
Ahnentafel (Family tree)
The Miller, Mill language, Millwright and a brief history of Milling in Schleswig-Holstein
Windmills and Watermills - their operation and design
Brief Histories of Schleswig, Holstein, Mecklenburg, Herzogtum Lauenburg, Fürstentum Ratzeburg and Hansestadt Lübeck
Recent additions to this database
Variations of spriritual and call names
Census from Schleswig, Holstein, Dänmark and Norge for identified members of this Bevensee family
Census from Schleswig, Holstein and Dänmark for un-attached/un-related Bevensee individuals
Abbreviations used: * = born/geboren/fødd oo = married/verheirated/gift med ~ = baptism/getauft/dåp Ioo = first marriage/1e verheiratet + = death/gestorben/død IIoo = second marriage/2e verheiratet [ ] = burial/begraben/begravelse All dates are formatted as: DD/MM/YYYY K. = Kirchspiel/parish
Photographs at this site bear the name of their owner. Please contact me to receive them without this notation.
Please consider the ethical and moral implications of using this data to perform proxy baptisms
Compiled by Ivan Nichols Additions, corrections or comments are welcome and can be sent to: ioannesONE@ frontiernet.net [replace ONE with the numeral 1]
"It is vital in all cultural life to maintain a link between the present and the past. If there is anything that history makes clear it is this, that when a people becomes interested in its past life, seeks to acquire knowledge in order better to understand itself, it always experiences an awakening of new life."
Ole Edvart Rølvåg