Someone got in touch asking what I knew about the Heckroth family
as they thought they were related (it's odd the things I get asked).
I was already in touch with Hein's grandson, Christian Routh and he
passed the request on to his brother Jodi who gives some details of the
Heckroth family tree.
Dear Mr. Rohde,
Steve Crook, a friend of my brother in spain, Christian Routh,
has passed on a letter enquiring over the family name HECKROTH, I am the
elder (52) of two brothers decending from Nandi Routh, nee Heckroth, born in
Giessen. Germany in 1926. Our German Grandparents are Hein and Ada Heckroth.
Hein Heckroth was born the son of a schoolteacher in Giessen in 1901, he had
two brothers with descendents and a sister without any. Their father worked as a
odd-jobber mainly as a shepherd in the country between Marburg and Giessen,
he, so I was told as a child came from a long line of shepherds. The name
Heckroth means quite simply Red-Hedge, the name Heckenrohde, means
Hedgecutter. it was normal practise in bygone times to adress someone by their
profession using their Christian name as a prefix, i.e: I would be called
Jodi Cameraman instead of Jodi Routh.
During the fight for power against the British Government
from various parties in America, many of which today would be classed as
terrorists, the British were able to secure the help of, amongst others, the
Prince of Hesse, he sold soldiers by the boatload, offering payment and the
chance of allotting land should they win, Several thousand men were shipped
out of Karlshaven in northern Hesse, downriver reaching Hamburg and Bremen
for the journey over to America. between 1700 and 1760 most of the young men
of the area around what is now northern Hesse emigrated as mercenries to
fight for the British, due to many difficulties in the pronounciation of
names, a vast number assumed the name of their background and upbringing.
Rhode is a town in itself here but there are many
placenames ending in Rhode as it is part of the local dialect of northern
Hesse. Heckroth is a name that many a farmworker would assume for
themselves, as in Heckenrohde, Heckmann, oder Oberroden: a village north of
Frankfurt.
I hope this is of help with understanding of the origin
of your name, I myself have a family tree dating back to 1066
when our family changed it's name from De Surdeval (Flagbearer of William
the Conqueror.) There are traces from where Richerd de Surdeval came from in
Reims - France, but as the name says when translated we were From the Valley,
and thats enough for me.
Regards Jodi Routh
