Bechly Explained

Bechly is a surname.

The Bechly surname has its roots in Uckermark District, Brandenburg, Germany. The oldest known individual with the surname was Heinrich Bechly, born August 19, 1640.[1]

Prior to this the family name was Bechli, and they lived in Uresbach, Switzerland, near the French border. The oldest known individual from this line was Uli Bechli, born January 4, 1613.

The family resettled in the Uckermark as a response to the Edict of Potsdam issued by Frederick William, Elector of Brandenburg. Frederick William allowed the Huguenots to escape religious persecution that resulted from the Edict of Fontainebleau issued by King Louis XIV of France in October 1685.[2] Upon arrival in the Uckermark, the family name was revised from Bechli to Bechly. The National Huguenot Society has listed Michael Bechly / Bechli (1672–1743) as a Qualified Huguenot Ancestor.[3]

A branch of the Bechly family emigrated to the United States in 1852 on the Hamburg barque Elise.[4] Two different branches of the Bechly family emigrated to Queensland, Australia. The first in 1871 on the ship Lammershagen, and the second in 1879 on the ship Fritz Reuter.[5]

Historical records of the Bechly family in Germany are maintained at the French Church of Friedrichstadt in Berlin, Germany.[6] These records helped to establish the historical lineage and interconnection of the different branches of the family.

Notable people with the surname Bechly include:

In popular culture

Julius Bechly, from the fictional drama series Sisters (Australian TV series), is a Nobel Prize laureate and reproductive scientist who creates a complicated situation for his daughter Julia Bechly.

Notes and References

  1. http://wiki-commons.genealogy.net/images/9/99/Stoye_Band_44.pdf Das Uckermarkische Archiv von Hans Wendt, 2007, p.80
  2. Bechly, P.L. (2018), The Bechly Family in North America, Azeas Consulting.
  3. http://www.huguenot.netnation.com/ancestor/AncestorLookup.php?name_string=Bechly&find_string=++Search++ National Huguenot Society listing for Michael Bechly / Bechli
  4. Walter Kresse, ed., Seeschiffs-Verzeichnis der Hamburger Reedereien, 1824-1888, Mitteilungen aus dem Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte, N. F., Bd. 5. (Hamburg: Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte, 1969), vol. 1, p. 157.Voyages:
  5. Bechly, P.L. (2020), The Bechly Family in Australia, Azeas Consulting.
  6. Bechly family archive, Consistorium der Franzosischen Kirche, Berlin, Germany