Genealogy Chat

Can anyone help me to trace the German name of Bever? Apparently the family came over from Germany and changed their name from Bever circa 1836. All I know is they had a daughter Jane - but whether she was born over here or in Germany I do not know. Is there anyone who can tell me how I find out, please?
abs

Is this the same family as in your Harwood/Jones thread?

Maybe if you add the two halves together you get a whole ...

http://www.genesreunited.co.uk/boards.page/board/tips_board/thread/1251874

Just for anybody else like me looking for the connection.

Can't figure out what the point of either one is, myself. Not enough info in either one for anyone to do anything, and both are just going to result in prying the same information out.

Kay, why start a new thead when you haven't bothered to read/respond to replies in the first one?

Unfortunately, this board doesn't have the instructions posted on the board or displayed when starting a new thread that the TTF board has.

Kay: click on "My thread particpation" on the left, click on your thread, read replies, answer them by using the "Add your reply" box at the bottom.

Give *all the information* you have, and don't start multiple threads.

Hi all
Sorry for not picking up replies which you so kindly posted, but I had no idea I could pick them up from the thread participation.
Many thanks.
Kay

I don't really have much more info other than Jane Bever born circa 1834, who first married a guy called Evans, then married my gggrandfather John Harwood born circa1836 in Gloster, Bristol. I would love to know a bit more about the name of Bever and how/where they would have registered the name.
Many thanks for your replies/help.
Kay

Have you found Jane Bever's marriages at FreeBMD -- and ordered the marriage certificates?

She should have given her father's name on them, and that is what you need for any further tracing.

http://freebmd.rootsweb.com/cgi/search.pl

I don't see a marriage to Evans. Do you know that name only from her second marriage, where she gave it as her previous surname?

Maybe if you give us her children's names, we'll be able to find her on a census and trace her back. Looking for a Jane Evans, we don't know where, with an unknown husband ... not something I'm about to start!


Okay ... 1881

Name: Jane Harwood
Age: 45
Estimated birth year: abt 1836
Relation: Wife
Spouse's name: John Harwood
Gender: Female
Where born: Mangotsfield, Gloucestershire,

Civil Parish: Mangotsfield
County/Island: Gloucestershire

John Harwood 45
Jane Harwood 45
Elizabeth Harwood 20
Mary A. Harwood 18
Kate Harwood 13
John Harwood 11
George Harwood 9
William Harwood 6
Alfred J. Harwood

There are a very few Bever-s in Gloucestershire in 1841 and 1851, but no Jane.

But aha. 1841:

Name: Jane Beaver ?
Age: 1 6 MO
Estimated birth year: abt 1839
Gender: Female
Where born: Gloucestershire, England

Civil Parish: Mangotsfield
Hundred: Barton Regis
County/Island: Gloucestershire

Thos Beaver 40
Ann Beaver 30
Mary Beaver 7
Hen Beaver 6
James Beaver 4
Jane Beaver 1 6 MO


There are only two John Harwood marriage in Gloucestershire, only one possibly to a Jane, and that was Jane Tuckwell.

No marriage anywhere ever of a John Harwood to a Jane Evans.

So maybe if you tell us where your information is coming from ...

1851 for that 1841 family:


Name: Janes Baber
[Jane Beaver] "see 1841 census"
[Jane] "married John Power and lived in Dugong NSW"
(corrected by Ancestry users)
Age: 12
Estimated birth year: abt 1839
Relation: Daughter
Father's name: Thomas Baber
Mother's name: Ann Baber
Where born: Mangotsfield, Gloucestershire, England


So that is not your Jane, it seems.

So I'll stop guessing and wait for info.

But guessing is such fun ...


1851?

Name: Jane Beaver
Age: 11
Estimated birth year: abt 1840
Relation: Servant
Where born: Manglesfield, Gloucestershire, England

Civil Parish: Paddington

Richard Brand 43 - butcher
Mary A Brand 23
Richard J Brand 3
Thomas Brand 7 MO
William Eaton 25
George Heyler 19
Martha House 22
Jane Beaver 11 - house servant
Ellenor Thomas 20
Georgina Thomas 18

Kay,
If you Google something like: bever surname germany you get links that indicate that the German name would probably have been Biber (which means Beaver) and that English officials would probably have heard it as Bever/Beaver and written it thus.

Last name: Bever
This interesting surname with variant spellings Beaver, Beever, Beevor, Bevar, Bever, Bevir, Biever, etc., is a Norman locational name from any of the several places in France called Beauvoir, for example Beauvoir, for example in Manche, Somme, and Seine-Maritime, or from Belvoir in Leicestershire. All of these get their names from the Old French "beu, bel" meaning "fair, lovely" plus "veir, voir" meaning "to see", hence "a place with a fine view". It may also be a nickname referring to a hard worker, or for someone with a fancied resemblance to the animal, deriving from the Middle English "bevere" Old English pre 7th Century "beofor" meaning "beaver". The surname dates back to the late 11th Century, (see below). Further recordings include one Ralph de Belueeir (1170) "The Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire", and John de Baauveir (1204) "The Assize Court Rolls of Yorkshire". Church recordings include Ann Beevor who was christened on January 22nd 1562 at St. Dunstan in the East, London, John Beaver was christened on April 2nd 1620 at St. Dunstan's, Stepney, and Elizabeth Beaver was christened on May 28th 1637 at St. Giles, Cripplegate, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Godwyn Beure, which was dated 1084, in the Early London Personal Names, during the reign of King William 1, known as "The Conqueror", 1066 - 1087. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

Read more: http://www.surnamedb.com/Surname/Bever#ixzz18sQEBRGl

so not German at all then!!!!

It sure would be nice, though, if Kay would just give us some actual information.

Since there appear to be Beaver-s in Gloucestershire, we just don'tknow where the idea has come from that Jane was from a German family. Certainly Beaver is an English surname as well?

I just hate wild goose chases, and unconfirmed reports are certainly a good starting place for them.