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14 September 1904.
Dear Mr Berg,
Referring to your request regarding your ancestor August Berg I instituted enquiries in Hamburg and received the enclosed communication from the director of the Archives there. It appears that Franz Christopher August Berg teacher of the English language is mentioned in the directories of the town Hamburg during 1790 till 1816. Therefore it seems probable that he removed from Hamburg immediately after the year 1816. It is further mentioned in "Johann Georg Meusele Celehrtem Deutschland Vol.1. published Lemgo 1796" that Franz Christopher August Berg, teacher of the English language in Hamburg removed to London for the purpose of entering the book trade. The person mentioned in Meusels book seems to be identical with the Berg mentioned in the directories of Hamburg. Berg was a writer and he is also mentioned in the "Lexicon der Hamurgischen Schriftsteller Vol.1.Hamburg 1851". It is further mentioned in "Rassmaan's Pantheon-pag 23 that Berg is sipposed to have been alive in London in the year 1823. Therefore it is not impossible that August Berg son and deceased at Brighton on the 24th of April 1864 is the son of the above mentioned Franz Christopher August Berg.
You will see by this, that I have not yet been able to ascertain anything about the tite of nobility. The books mentioned in the enclosed information can be easily found in the library of the British Museum and it might have a favourable result to look into these books. As soon as I have a little more leisure, I shall try myself to peruse these books here if they should be found in the Royal library of Berlin.
The director of the Hamburger Archives charged 16,50 Mark, which I have remitted to him.
Yours sincerely
F. LANDAN
F.R.B. subsequently located the original manuscript of F.C.A.Berg in the possession of that gentleman's great grand-daughter, Miss Augusta Ann Mills, and copied it on 21st November 1905 at Newcastle. It disclosed, inter alia, that Augustus Berg was born in London. R.F.B.
F.C.A.Berg was born in Friedrichstadt and was therefore a Dane, and presumably his Father and Grandfather were. He was naturalised on 20th June 1783 as a German. This followed his emigration to Hamburg after the death of his first wife - the English Miss Mary A'Bear - in England in 1873, but we are descended from that lady's son, Augustus, born and bred in England. The marriage referred to in the following letter was his seconf one, and as there was issue, it is probable that we have a number of very distant German connections.
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