Heckert, Heckart, Heckardt Genealogy

Surname analogs: Heckert, Heckart, Heckard, Heckardt, Heckhart, Heckhardt
Possible derivations but no verification used for analogs: Heck, Eckert

The first two Heckert lines coming to America. Need more information on others?
...Immigrated 1736...Franz 1702/Bavaria-1752/York.Co.PA, immigrated abt.1736, as 1st known Heckert/Heckardt in America. Franz was the son of Conrad 1680/Bavaria.
...Immigrated 1748...Michael 1703/Hessen-aft1760/Berks.Co.PA, immigrated 1748, 2nd Heckardt/Heckert family; of primary interest to iowaz.info pages as ggGrandmother was a Heckart. Michael1703's father is unknown of Hessen.
...Franz & Michael may be distant cousins, however Meiser1993, states no known evidence the Franz & Michael line are related or interacted.
...Information is needed on pre 1800 lines in Germany.

Descendent trees for Franz and Michael lines in more detail will be linked off the iowaz.index: Iowaz Index Page

The Franz Heckert line settled in what would become today the York area of York.Co.PA:
Descendants of Conrad Heckert
1 HECKERT, Conrad b: Abt. 1680 in Bamberg, Bavaria state, Germany d: Abt. Apr 1728 in Bambert, Bavaria state, Germany Note 1: Nov 2011 Heckert last reviewed: Barry Zbornik, Hannibal, MO iowaz@hotmail.com Note 3: Surname analogs: Herbach, Heckert, Hecart, Heckardt.
.. +YOB, Apolina Fran b: Abt. 1680 in Bavaria state, Germany d: 25 Apr 1728 in Bamberg, Bavaria state, Germany m: 1702 in Bramberg, Bavaria, Germany
2 HECKERT, Jacob Jakob John b: in Bamberg, Bavaria state, Germany d: in Worms.Rhineland.Germany? Note 8: Lived in Worms, Rhineland-Palatinate state, Germany.
2 HECKERT, Wenslaus b: in Bamberg, Bavaria state, Germany d: in Flonheim.Rhineland.Germany? Note 8: Lived in Flowheim, Rhineland-Palatinate state, Germany.
2 HECKERT, Francis Franz Frank b: 18 Apr 1702 in Bamberg, Bavaria state, Germany d: 23 Jan 1752 in York.Co.PA Note 5: 01 Sep 1736 First known Heckart immigrating Germany to America. Note 6: 01 Sep 1736 Arrived Philadelphia.PA on ship Harie; Franz Heckert, wf Margreth, ch. Johannes. Note 10: 1737 Settled in what would become York area of York.Co.PA (then part of Lancaster.Co.PA). Note 11: 1748 Michael Heckert1703 of Hessen.Ger immigrated & settled in Berks.Co.PA; 2nd Heckert to America. Note 12: Meiser1993; states no known evidence Franz & Michael Heckert are relatives. Note 13: Possible that Frantz1702 & Michael1703 may be distant cousins, bz/2010.
... +SEYMERING, Maria Margaretha Hilda b: Abt. 1708 in Wallerthum, Bavaria state, Germany d: in Lancaster or York.Co.PA m: 25 Apr 1728 in Bamberg area, Bavaria state, Germany
2 HECKERT, Need Other Children b: in Germany

The Michael Heckert line settled in what would become today the Wernersville area of Berks.Co.PA:
Descendants of Unknown Heckardt Heckert
1 HECKERT, Unknown Heckardt b: in Hessen state, Germany d: in Germany Note 1: Nov 2011 Heckert last reviewed: Barry Zbornik, Hannibal, MO iowaz@hotmail.com
.. +UNKNOWN b: in Germany d: in Germany
2 HECKERT, Johannes Michael Heckardt b: Abt. 1703 in Darmstadt, Hessen state, Germany d: Aft. 1760 in Lower.Heidleberg.Twp, Berks.Co.PA Burial: Assume unmarked in Hain's St.John's Cem at Wernersville, Berks.Co.PA, bz/2011. Note 4: Salt Lake Records; immigrated as Johannes Michael Heckardt; Kelley Boyd from ID, 9/2002. Note 7: 1736 Franz 1702/Bavaria (son of Conrad1680) 1st Heckert immigrant, settled in Lancaster/York.Co.PA. Note 8: 1748 Michael Heckert1703/Hessen.Ger (father?) immigrated & settled in Berks.Co.PA; 2nd Heckert to America. Note 9: Meiser1993; states no known evidence Franz & Michael Heckert are relatives. Note 12: Speculated Frantz1702 & Michael1703 may be cousins or brothers, bz/2010. Note 13: Meiser; states no known evidence Franz & Michael Heckert are relatives. Note 18: 1748 Left Wurttemberg, Germany for America with wf & 8ch. Note 19: 15 Sep 1748 Departed from Rotterdam for Philadelphia on ship "Two Brothers." Note 20: Abt. 1750 Michael1703 came to Berks.Co.PA, while Frantz1702 line was in Lancaster/York.Co.PA abt. 1736. Note 22: Aft. 1750 Lived in Wernerville area, Lower.Heidelberg.Twp, Berks.Co.PA Note 25: Meiser1993; all children may not be Catherine's. Note 26: Children's birth; possibly Baden.Germany.
... +HEBERER, Catherine Katherine b: Bet. 1701 - 1705 in Germany d: Bef. 03 Oct 1759 in Lower.Heidleberg.Twp, Berks.Co.PA Burial: Assume unmarked in Hain's St.John's Cem at Wernersville, Berks.Co.PA, bz/2011. m: Bef. 1723 in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany
2 HECKARDT, Nedd Other Children Heckert b: in Germany

Descendent trees for Franz and Michael lines in more detail will be linked off the iowaz.index: Iowaz Index Page

The meaning of Heckert:
...Heck or Hek in an English to German translation means a small tree, bush or brush.
...Hecker would be a person who clears away brush from land.
...Heckert is a person who had cleared away brush.

...Also the name surname could be utilized for a ‘flax dresser,’ a common trade in the 17-18th centuries when flax was used making linen cloth or blended with other fibers for clothing. The flax plant must be gathered, the stem stripped and softened often by allowing some level of ‘rotting’ in water, then beaten to release the fibers running through the stem. Flax dressing was a hard, smelly, dirty job. The fibers thus obtained were then processed into linen yarn/thread/cloth.

...The American Heckert families were German immigrants from the Rhineland Palatinate & Hessen border area of Germany. Most were farmers and woodsman, with building, carpenter, sawyer and milling trades. The Heckert’s were part of the German, Swiss and French peoples coming to America from about 1680 to the American Revolution in 1776, known as Pennsylvania Dutch because they emigrated through sea ports from Holland. Also the word Deutsch meaning German was misused and mispronounced as the word Dutch for the German’s in America.

German Migrations to America:
German Migrations from the Rhineland Palatinate Regions of Germany:
...The Rhineland Palatinate, is in the far western portion of Germany, consisting of varied landscapes of the Rhine and Moselle River flowages and valleys, historical towns and villages, castles, low and high mountains. This is the Rhineland wine region. The Hessen Region borders Rhineland to the east.
...The first German migration to America that is generally recognized was about 1680-1708, but left few records and then only for the ports of Boston and NY.
...The second German migration in 1708-1720, was the movement of many Germans from the German Rhineland Palatinate to England, but then the Queen sent many of these German migrants to New York state. The documentation for this group is fairly extensive. A large number of these Germans settled near present day Albany, NY, in the Schorharie Valley which was colonized by the British in the early 1700's however the majority of settlers would be German. Many of these families would in the next few decades migrate WxSW, by raft and dugout, down the Delaware and Susquehanna Rivers into Berks and Lancaster Co, Penn, in the SE quarter of PA. Here they would intermix with the German’s coming into Penn through the port of Philadelphia (75+/- miles to the east) during a third major migration.
...The third German migration from the Palatinate occurred about 1720-1730 to the Rev. War of 1776. The numbers increased greatly, coming primarily through the port of Philadelphia. It is in this third migration that the first known Heckardt's (Franz line) came into Pennsylvania.

The Hain/Hains surname migration from NY to Pennsylvania, typical of other German families:
...Many of the men in the second German emigration were promised land by the English shipping companies, but forced to repay passage by making pitch upon arrival in New York state, to repair ships.
...Some families in the German colony at New York rebelled and relocated in the Schoharie Valley near what would become Albany, N.Y.
...Upon the invitation of Sir William Keith, Gov. of the Pennsylvania colony, the German's began migrating to eastern and southeastern Pennsylvania. They walked the Indian trials to the headwaters of the Susquehanna River near what would be Binghampton, NY, where they constructed rafts and dug outs, to float the Susquehanna River 200 miles southwestward to the mouth of Swatara Creek, just south of Harrisburg. Part of the group took their stock overland to PA.
...The German colony worked their way up the Swatara and reached the Tulpehocken region of Berks Co. It was here that (John) George Hain settled, prospered and gained considerable wealth for the times. In 1735, George Hain (Hains) dedicated part of this land for the construction of a church which later would be called the Hain's St. John's Lutheran Church. George died in 1746, and his wife Veronica in 1756, both being buried in the Hain's Church graveyard. Heckart collateral families are buried at Hain's Church. http://berks.pa-roots.com/cemetery/StJohns-HainsChurchCemetery.html
...Only two Heckart/Heckert’s who were noted in Strassburger & Hinke’s list of early Penn German Pioneers of the 1731-1754 time frame. However the list contains references to Echartt, Echert, Eckard, Eckart, Ecker, Eckert, Eckahrd, Eckhardt, Eckkart, Eker. By 1755 both Eckert and Heckert analog spellings were attending Hain's St. John’s Church, Wernerville (abt 70mi NW of port Philadelphia), Heidelberg Twp., Berks Co, PA.
...English port and ship scribers made many errors in recording/spelling German as well as other surname, thus it would naturally seem many of the families with a similar sounding/resembling names were related in some fashion.
...A Google search will turn up substantial information and maps to study regarding the German migration to American ports and movement thereafter, to include PA history/counties/cemeteries.

German given name prefixes:
...Given names of German males are generally prefixed with John, Johannes, Johann, etc.
...Therefore where found within my descendent tree files, any derivation of John may be removed or placed after a more recognized given name when reworking the information, i.e. Johannes Michael Heckart, may be shown Michael Heckart or Michael John Heckart or Michael Johannes Heckart. Variations of John may be retrained for various individuals within my files for my own separation within families or when the person actually was known to be called by a John variation.
...Given names of German females are often prefixed with Elizabeth and Catherine variations, which will be handled in a similar fashion for convenience in my FTM.

The Franz1702 line was from Bamberg.Bavaria; the Michael1703 line from Darmstadt.Hessen.

Pennsylvania is pioneer Heckert county.
The Franz Heckert line settled abt. 1737, in Lancaster.Co.PA, in what would become the York area of York.Co.PA.
The Michael Heckert line settled abt. 1750, in Lancaster.Co.PA, in what would become the Wernerville area of Berks.Co.PA.
Meiser1993, states there is no indication the two lines are direct relatives or interacted (in the first couple of generations).
The general geographic area of PA is more important than county names in the early decades of Heckert history.

...To understand the locations of Heckert families the general geographic area of PA is more important than county names in the early decades as county formation and division was often until 1878.
...To gain a visual insight into the time-line of county formation the first hundred years of the Heckert families in PA this interactive map site for PA county formation by years is worth several run-throughs: http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~george/countyformations/pennsylvaniaformationmaps.html

The Franz Heckert line settled abt. 1737, in Lancaster.Co.PA, what would become the York area of York.Co.PA.
The Michael Heckert line settled abt. 1750, in Lancaster.Co.PA, what would become the Wernerville area of Berks.Co.PA.
Meiser1993, states there is no indication the two lines are direct relatives or interacted (in the first couple of generations).
General geographic area of PA is more important than county names in the early decades of Heckert history.

Link to an interactive map site for PA county formation: http://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~george/countyformations/pennsylvaniaformationmaps.html
The maps allow one to visualize the county name development of Heckert families settling in PA.
County names used in early genealogy data depend on years so other descriptors as village or church names are often more important.

Do not trust as totally valid any tree/report data. Often World Connect or Ancestry trees/data were utilized as a foundation upon which to add material gleamed from obits, articles, histories, biographies, stories, burials, censuses and other data collected. My primary interest is generally the pioneer history and includes linking village and neighborhood surnames together for several of the early generations. Family connections, locations and other data may have to be speculated in order to continue a complex series of inter-related projects. My web pages are primarily personal study projects for note keeping, but can also jump start others. I have a huge number of projects started and rarely return to edit/update material unless interest is rekindled. Any web pages online are usually linked off the 'Index Page.' Numerous projects are not put on web pages but are in draft form or in the form of photo albums on the 'Photo Hosting Site.' I may have material for research use in storage, plus will/can upload other people's material if appropriate.