Moriz Berger (b. September 27, 1798, d. November 15, 1855)
Moriz Berger43 was born September 27, 1798 in Wagshurst, Baden, Germany44, and died November 15, 1855 in Baltimore, Maryland45. He married (1) Johanna Fritsch on February 23, 1823 in Wagshurst, Baden, Achern, Germany, daughter of Mathias Fritsch and Helena Hurst. He married (2) Anastasia Vetter on February 21, 1827 in Wagshurst, Baden, Achern, Germany.
Notes for Moriz Berger: Cousin Sarah Morrison found the following obituary on Moriz/Maurice Berger from the Baltimore Sun.
In the Baltimore Sun, Nov 13, 1855:
"After a brief illness, which he bore with Christian fortitude, MAURICE BERGER, in the 57th year of his age. Requiescat in pace.
The friends and acquaintance are requested to attend his funeral, on tomorrow ( Wednesday ) morning, at eight o'clock, from his late residence, Pierce street, between Fremont and Poppleton."
We now have genealogical information on the Bergers/Vetters in Baden back to the late 1600's. There is a massive amount of data and we are presently checking the original sources, Kirchbuchens, to back up the data. These books are on microfilm through the LDS and the films can be ordered through any Family History Center to view. They are very difficult to read and translate as they are in old German Script and Latin, sometimes mixed. However, all the information was abstracted and submitted to the LDS by a wonderful distant relative, Kerry Benz, so the information is there. We want to have copies of the original documents/pages for our own records. I have purchased the LDS discs containing this information and the gedcoms and we printed out at least 120 pages of relatives with the film numbers. I will be adding some of this information gradually over the next year to this gen report. As always this information is preliminary and subject to change as new information is obtained.
In an article from a Baltimore Newspaper in 1915 regarding the death of Andrew J. Berger, it stated the following regarding Maurice/Moriz Berger:
"His father, Maurice Berger, was a native of Alsace. When Napoleon returned from Elba Berger and a brother, being opponents of the Napoleonic regime, emigrated to America. The brothers parted in New York, Maurice coming to Baltimore, where for many years he was a contractor."
There may have been some confusion among the children as to where exactly their father and mother were from. Wagshurst and Gamshurst, Baden, their place of origin is in the Rhine Valley near the border with Lorraine of Alsace Lorraine, France and the Black Forest to the east in what is now Germany. Many of the residents were very involved in French politics and actually fought for French armies throughout history. We have no information on a brother.
Some information on the surname Berger from an unknown source obtained over the internet (April 1, 2001) on the Berger forum on Ancestry.com.
"Berger is polygenetic, in that it comes from more than one origin. As a variation of the German surname Berg it describes the man who lived on or by a hill or mountain. Bergman is another variation. Berger is also derived as a French cognate form of the English surname Barker, when it is used in the sense of the shepherd and derived from Anglo Norman French bercher. During the Middle Ages, -er was pronounced as -ar and bercher became barker - it was sometime later that educators began reteaching the proper pronunciation of common words. Barker is also the occupational name of the tanner of leather, derived from Middle English barken = to tan, stemming from the use of tree bark in the tanning process. Berger, Bergey, Berget are French cognates of the shepherd version, while Berguier, Bergier have their origins in Provencal. Bergeret, Bergerot, Bergeron, Bergeroneau, Bergenioux are the dimunitive forms."
More About Moriz Berger: Burial: 1855, Baltimore, Maryland.
More About Moriz Berger and Johanna Fritsch: Marriage: February 23, 1823, Wagshurst, Baden, Achern, Germany.
More About Moriz Berger and Anastasia Vetter: Marriage: February 21, 1827, Wagshurst, Baden, Achern, Germany.
Children of Moriz Berger and Johanna Fritsch are:
Wendelin Berger, b. October 04, 1823, Wagshurst, Baden, Germany, d. October 18, 1823, Wagshurst, Baden, Germany.
+Andrew Jackson Berger, b. November 12, 1832, unknown (Baltimore, Maryland or Paris, France or Wagshurst, Baden, Germany), d. April 07, 1915, Baltimore, Maryland.
Moriz Berger (b. September 27, 1798, d. November 15, 1855)
Notes for Moriz Berger: