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5 August 1904.
In reply to your esteemed letter of the 4th inst. I have the honour to inform you that neither in the State Archives nor in the Registries of the different churches can be found any entry of the Baptism of Augustus Berg, born at Hamburg, 16 October 1778. Search has been made not only in the District of the old city (in the parishes of St Peter, St Nicholas, St Michael and St James), but also in the suburbs, that is at St George's, St Paul's, Eppendorff and at Manns.
Nor have we suceeded in discovering any evidence of the residence in Hamburg of an astronomer and writer, by name, Franz, Christoph, Berg deceased in 1798. At the period we can only trace two persons of such name: Franz Christoph August Berg, a button-maker; and Franz Christoph August Berg, a teacher of English.
The former was born about 1749 at Friedrichstadt in Holstein. His parents were Franz Berg and Isabella Anna, (born Hasfeldt). He was naturalised 20 June 1783 and he was married in July of the same year in St Catherine's Church to Suzanna Henner (a native of Hamburg) daughter of Henry Henner and Mary (born Lodt, widow of Gottfried Martin Jsche. We have failed to trace the date of his death; but he was buried 24 June 1817.
The name of the teacher of English is found in the Directories from 1790 to the year 1816 inclusively. The Directories of the years preceding 1790 cannot be regarded as complete. But the fact that the name Franz Christoph August Berg is wanting in those years subsequent to 1816 can only be because either he had died or had gone to reside elsewhere. There is no record of his death having occurred between 1816 and 1840. The second hpothesis is the more probable; as a teacher of English, F.C.A.Berg, by name, about whom there is an article in Meursel's "Gelehrte Deutschland" (Lemgo 1796), is stated Vol.1, p.234, to have gone to London to enter the booktrade. It scarcely admits of doubt that the Berg spoken of by Meursel is the same as the F.C.A.Berg of the Directories. By consequence, the statement that he went to London in July 179.. must bee a mistake. This Berg was an author. Meursel enumerates his writings. His name with a list of his works is to be found in the Hamburg Lexicon of authors. (Hamburg 1851) Vol1.1. p.222. In the Lexicon his name is printed Frederic Christian Berg. We add that Rossman's Parthenon (p.23) gives Berg as still living in London in 1823.
As according to your statement the son August Berg seems to have lived in England, it may fairly be conjectured that the father was the identical Teacher of English, Franz Christoph August Berg, who in 1815, left Hamburg for London.
The inclusive charge for the research is M.16.50; and, as desired, we forward to you the results.
(Signed) The Archivist Dr. Hermann Joachim.
Dr. Felix Landau, Jutizrat.Last updated .
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