The BRIXEL family
The family name
BRIXEL is a special family name
The first person born with the family name BRIXEL has been identified.
The documentation of the development of following generations of Brixels has been completed, far into the 19th and 20th century. Not many families are able to do that.
Until the middle of the 19th century, Brixels lived in just a few Moravian villages. All relevant church documents have been preserved. They have been digitalised and made publicly available by governmental Czech archives.
The name BRIXEL is for the first time documented by Melchior (birth name Brüchsel) when he has the birth of his daughter Maria Magdalena entered in the church register of Esslingen in 1657, and then the birth of his son Johannes in 1659. From then on, Brixel remains the family name. All other theories about the origin of the surname BRIXEL are pure fiction.
Migration History
Migration is a recurring feature of the family history.
The path of all Brixels begins in the 17th century in Frauenfeld in the Swiss canton of Thurgau, south of Lake Constance. From there, at the end of the Thirty Years’ War, it leads to the imperial city of Esslingen.
Over the course of three generations, in the 18th century, the path continues via Freudenthal in northern Moravia and Schluckenau in northern Bohemia back to northern Moravia. Brixels are founding settlers of the parishes Harrachsdorf and Rosendorf near Römerstadt. For a few generations, all Brixels are born in Römerstadt and neighbouring communities. All are weavers.
Simultaneously with the beginning industrialisation after the introduction of the power loom in the early 19th century, later generations spread across northern Moravia, move to the heartland of Austria and to other countries.
There are currently around 350 bearers of the name living worldwide, mainly in three countries: Germany, Austria and Brazil. They all are related to the first male name bearer, most of them documented up to the current 13th generation.
The migration of the Brixels is typical for the history of Central Europe. It is not the history of rulers, but of people who move around, fleeing from war and economic distress, in search of security and better living conditions, and also looking for new challenges.
Family chronicles
The migration history of the Brixels is well researched. A comprehensive German-language book “Family chronicle BRIXEL. The first three centuries” is available from Books on Demand. Further details can be found in the members area, including the original documents of nearly all of the one thousand Brixels, who were born from 1657 until the end of the Habsburg Monarchy and the German Empire in 1918.
Individual life stories of exemplary ancestors are told in subchapters of the family chronicle, from the fourth to the eighth generation:
Albert (1765-1854), father of the author of the Gebirgschronik, Vincenz (1812-1884). The excerpts in the family chronicle start with an early meeting with the Count of Harrach, and describe his various house building projects in Römerstadt.
Hieronymus (1815-1888), one of the last home weavers. His simple, rural life is described, first in a neighbouring parish of Römerstadt, then in Mährisch Neustadt, during the first period of the industrial revolution.
Franz (1840-1903), the grandson of Albert (1765-1854), who published his father’s Gebirgschronik, and wrote many other own works about his fight against alcohol and in favour of a vegetarian diet. His difficult, combative life path is described.
Franz (1852-1914), pianist, conductor, music educator and music school director in Vienna. The chronicle shows his career path and the impact of his activities on the music culture in Vienna.
Hieronymus (1852-1932), son of Hieronymus (1815-1888), a member of the early generation of teachers. Included are his own, partly very personal memories.
Ludwig (1879-1938), grandson of Hieronymus (1815-1888), lawyer, and better known as supporter of the German minority in the newly established Czechoslovakia. His career path is explained within the context of national conflicts in the Hamburg empire and after its breakdown.
This website is made by members of the Brixel family. No commercial interests are pursued and no personal data are collected.
Administrator: Christof Brixel
Email: admin@brixels.eu
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