Distant Origins of the Jurgens Family

The Jurgens family can be traced back to Johann Jurgens who was born in the town of Tetenbuell, Nordfriesland, which is now part of western Schleswig-Holstein in the northernmost part of Germany. 

History of Nordfriesland

In medieval times, Nordfriesland was a dangerous place to live. High tides from storms washed away many ancient villages and islands, which now lie at the bottom of the sea. Eventually, dikes were built beginning in 1000 to protect the area. 

The Vikings established trading centers along the coast of Nordfriesland, and the area played an important role in the transfer of goods between the North Sea and Baltic Sea. In 737, the major trading center was known as Danevirke, which indicates its early connection to  Denmark.

Later, Nordfriesland was part of the Duchy of Schleswig, a fiefdom of the Danish crown, from around 1200 until the mid-1800’s when it became part of Prussia and then later part of Germany. The early inhabitants of this coastal area of western Schleswig spoke Frisian and/or Danish, though the official language of Schleswig is now German. The Frisian-speaking people descended from the Norsemen of Scandinavia (Denmark, Sweden, Norway) during the Iron Age (1200 BC to 600 BC). The Frisian language is also found in Friesland, which is part of northern Netherlands. The Frisians are known to be tall, big-boned, and light-haired.

Nordfriesland region (red area) of Schleswig-Holstein (dark gray area).

Denmark is to the north (light gray area) and greater Germany is south (white area).

Jurgens family roots are in southwestern Eiderstedt Peninsula of Nordfriesland. 

Map of the Eiderstedt Peninsula in southwestern Nordfriesland, Germany. 

Tetenbuell is in the middle of the peninsula. Vollerwiek is south central. 

Meanings of Names

The last name of Jurgens comes from the Scandinavian name Jorgen that means a farmer. It is derived from the Greek name Georgios and can be traced back to the Middle Ages when it became popular as a first name because Saint George was the patron saint of farmers. Jurgen is a Scandinavian variant of the name Jorgen. Jorgen was a common name in Denmark and Norway. Jurgen was common in Germany and the Netherlands.

The first names of the wife, children and grandchildren of Cornils Jurgens were of either Scandinavian, German, or Dutch origin. Cornils is a Dutch variation of Cornelius. It derives from the Latin word "cornu" translated as horn with the meaning of strength, power and leadership. Marten (boy's name) and Martje or Martjen (girls' names) are of German origin, named after Mars, the god of war, meaning a warrior with the qualities of strength and bravery. Matthus is of German origin and means gift of God. Female names were Frauke, which is of German origin meaning happy little lady, and Gretje and Gretjen, which are of Dutch origin and short for Margaret or Margaretha, meaning pearl. The Jurgens name originally had an umlaut (two dots) above the u letter, which was dropped after the family’s emigration to the U.S. In Scandinavia, the name was spelled Jorgen with two dots above the o letter.

Early Occupations

Early occupations of Nordfriesland were related to the sea and shipping or farming. The alluvial soil in the area benefitted farmers. Cornils Jurgens (b. abt 1777) was a cooper or barrel maker. In the 1835 census, his son Cornils (b. abt 1811) was a servant at the age of 24. 

References

Ancestry.com was a source of the origins and meanings of names.

Google Maps was the source for the Eiderstedt Peninsula map.

Wikipedia.org was the source of much of the history of Nordfriesland and for the map of Nordfriesland.