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James E Heg
Member of honor
USA
135 Posts |
 Posted - 03/12/2002 : 23:30:43
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Iwas recently contacted by someone whose Norwegian descendants were Hegg. My family has always been Heg, except when they emmigrated they dropped this farm name and came over as Even Hansen, Hans Evensen, etc. On arrival the Heg was immediately restored
The three letter spelling has always been a problem. Any time we announce ouselves as Heg, it invariably gets written down as Hegg or Hegge. I think the tree or bush from which it is derived is spelled Hegg in Norway today. Of course, with my G-Grandfather having gained a measure of fame in the Civil War, there has never been a thought of changing the spelling.
In looking through a precious book I have, Liers Historie, published in Drammen in 1953, there are many pages devoted to Hegg. The only reference in the book to Heg is on a page with a small map and a "Kart over eksersersplassen ved Hegg." (Børge Solem was kind enough to tranlate the Kart for me.) The little map shows "Heg Kroe" and "Mellum Heg" straddling "Konge Wegen" road. The Kart uses the word Heg (ie; --fra Heg Kroe til ---). No where else in the entire book does the name Heg appear.
I should add that in my 83 year stroll through life, I have never met a Heg who could not quickly trace his lineage back to Even Hansen from Lier.
I would welcome the thoughts on this matter from of some of you more experienced, Norwegian speaking geneology fans. Dat var denti'
Jim Heg
Erik Bye is a friend of mine.
Edited by - James E Heg on 03/12/2002 23:39:24 |
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Borge
Veteran Moderator
Norway
1297 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2002 : 00:21:43
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Jim, I looked it up in my old "Norsk-Engelsk" dictionary from 1927, and there I find "Heg" = "bird cherry", but in my new dictionary from 1993 I find it as "Hegg" = "bird cherry". Hegg seams to be a more modern form of the name than Heg.
Oluf Rygh: "Norwegian Farm Names" has this references:
v.5, p.314
50,3. Hegg. Udt. hægg. -- Hæg RB. 255. [Hæg (Ødegaard)
JN. 344. 418]. Er Trænavnet. Jfr. GN. 52,1.
Oluf Rygh says the meaning of the name origins, as you suggested, from the tree.
And I found another reference on the web to the tree "Hegg" written by a forest inspector of "Røros og Folldal kopperverker", lieutenant Nicolai Hersleb Ramm, in 1789:
"4. juli maalte vi Bredden af den jevne og frugtbare Bardo-jord, som befandtes at være af den aller største Værdie til Dyrkning. Hvor høyt dette sted ligger, maa det dog ufeilbart blive et Sted for temmelig Kornavl, da det ligger aabent for Middagssolen og er ved Fjelde aldeles dækket for nordlige Vinde. Her voxer en Mængde Græs og alle Markblomster som i landets sydlige Egne. For uden Birk og Fyrre, befandtes her Rogn, Hæg, Ribs og Older."
As you see, Hæg (Hegg) is written on the older form with one "g", and with "æ".
Børge Solem
Edited by - Borge on 04/12/2002 00:23:06 |
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thelebrity
Senior member
Norway
234 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2002 : 15:35:05
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This forest inspector must have been far away from his working place. Bardo-jord (today: Bardujord) is in Bardu kommune in Troms, which was inhabited by norwegians from Østerdalen/Gudbrandsdalen in 1789. But he surely would have found Hegg in the area. Anyone having served their military service in Bardufoss (which surprisingly enough is not in Bardu kommune, but in Målselv kommune) will know the place Heggelia very well.
Per Helge Seglsten |
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Heg and Hegg
