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The von Hirsch family is a former junker family with it's roots from Germany. The history of the family is documented for nearly 600 years. The von Hirsch family were among the earliest to settle in the East Prussia, in what today is the Russian enclave Kaliningrad Oblast.

The origin of the family
The family evolves historically in about 1500 as a rather small and modest rural nobility family in East Prussia and takes the name von Hirsch. The first generations of the family was however partly named “Schwabe” instead of “Hirsch" . East Prussia was from about 1250 to about 1500 colonized from west when the “Der Deutsche Ritterorden” created the warrant country of Prussia. This led to a high immigration of Germans mainly from the southern part of Germany.

Several German noble dictionaries indicates that the origin of the family was in Schwaben The first known name of the family, “Nickel Schwaben” (Nicholaus von Schwabe) was given the property of Fuchsberg by a debt in 1491 by “Der Deutsche Ritterorden”.

Early years in East Prussia
The family grows both in size as well as in economical wealth in East Prussia the following 200 – 300 years. The family gradually develops in becoming one of the times most spread property owner families. In the years between about 1500 up until 1800 a considerable amount of large and small manors was in the family estate for a shorter or longer time. German noble dictionaries describes that several properties was within the estate of the von Hirsch family in East Prussia. The two main properties were the Fuchsberg manor in parish of Wargen and Wiekau manor in parish of Laptau. Both these properties were located in the county of Samland.



The family in East Prussia splits in the 3rd generation in to a main branch at Fuchsberg & Wiekau and a side branch, branch Waplitz that from about 1500 to about 1600 lived in the county of Osterode. This part of the family had the goods Waplitz as the main property. It was located about 13 km east of Tannenberg and about 17 km north Neidenburg in the county of Silesia. Besides the property Waplitz this part of the family did also possess the properties Albrechtau, Ganghorn, Ossedau and Wischwill in the county of Osterode. The Branch Waplitz probably extinct in about 1600.

A new side branch is divided from branch Waplitz in the 7th generation, Branch Pareyken. The main properties of this branch was the goods Pareyken in the county of Labiau and the goods Christophlaken, Perpolken and Tacktau in the county of Labiau as well as the goods Garbeninken (?) in the county of Friedland. The Branch Pareyken extinct in about 1788. The family remained in East Prussia during 12 generations from about 1460 to about 1800.

The family spreads
Germany

The family in Germany origins from two branches that divides from the family during the 10th and 11th generation in East Prussia, the Branch Preussen and Branch Schlesien. The Branch Preussen origins from royal Prussian Rittmeiser Otto Friedrich Abraham von Hirsch (1753-1798). The branch in Schlesien origins from the royal Prussian major and owner of property Ober-Kunzendorf in the county of Münsterberg in Schlesien Karl Ludwig Theodor von Hirsch (1712-1769).

After hand the younger German part of the family lost it’s characteristics as a typical Junker family. The Prussian branch had the following properties; Prautlack in Kreis Rastenburg and Kaymar in Kreis Labiau in East Prussia. The branch in Schlesien branch kept these characteristics longest. The family had the following estates Ober-Kunzendorf in Kreis Münsterberg, Polen-Neudorf in Landkreis Breslau and Sadenwitz in Kreis Strehlen. Up until the 14th generation (about year 1860) the family kept it’s characteristics of a typical officer’s family.

Norway

In 1681 officer Gerhard Christoph von Hirsch (about 1651-1721) came to Norway. He is the ancestor of the now existing family in Norway. In the 2nd generation the family splits into a southern part in Oslo and in a northern part in Trondheim. The Oslo branch descends from lieutenant colonel Siegried Christoph von Hirsch (about 1681-1743). The branch in Trondheim descends from lieutenant colonel Adolph Friedrich von Hirsch (about 1684-1762).

During the first four or five generations the Norwegian part of the family kept the characteristics of a typical officer’s family. Several of these officers were as their ancestors linked to the land were they lived in that they were landowners. The family gradually transcends in to a common enbädds (?) family.

USA

During the 19th century there was a relatively large emigration of the family members to USA. Family members emigrated both from Germany as well as from Norway. Settlements included the state of Wisconsin, Minnesota and New Jersey.

The family today
Today the family exist on three continents including Europe, North and South America. In Europe the family is still mainly in Germny and Norway. Some branches exist in Denmark and Sweden. In USA the family is spread all over the continent including the state of California, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Virginia and New Jersey. In South America there is a small part of the family in Brazil and Chile.

Family Tree
The now living generations of the family in Germany origins from two branches that divides from the family during the 10th and 11th generation in East Prussia, the Branch Preussen and Branch Schlesien. The Norwegian part of the family divides from the family in East Prussia during the 9th generation.

The Norwegian part of the family consisted in 1944 of a total of 262 persons and 82 women that were married in to the family. A total of 344 persons carried the family name in 1944.There are also branches of the Norwegian family in Sweden and in Brazil. The two Norwegian branches hade in 1944 a total of 141 persons that were born into the family or married into the family. The present German branches of the family had in 1944 39 persons that were either born into the family or were married in to the family. Most of these persons are living in Germany.