Bracklo Family Website
Notable Members of the Bracklo Family
Over the course of its recorded history which begins in 1277, there is a clear pattern of occupational traditions. First the Bracklos were soldiers: knights in Westfalia and later officers in the Prussian army. The Brandenburg Bracklows established a tradition of serving as forest rangers, which lasted for more than 10 generations. Some members of the Bracklow family became farmers of estates in Brandenburg and Ostfriesland. In Ostfriesland the Bracklos established a tradition of serving as lutheran pastors which continues to this day. Most recently the Bracklos have served as diplomats representing Germany in China and South America.
Theodor Bracklo (1310 - 1370) one of the earliest documented members of the family was a Westfalian knight and a vassal of Dietrich von Volmerstein who in turn was a vassal of the Archbishop of Cologne. The family name was adopted from the town of Bracklo which is located near the city of Dortmund and later changed its name to Brackel. The family crest is also believed to originate in this time. In return for the grants of land in and near the town of Bracklo, Theodore Bracklo was under an obligation to provide military service in the frequent battles in this period between the Archbishop of Cologne and the Duke von Mark. The Bracklo family sold their lands in Westfalia around 1375 and migrated to Brandenburg.
Bernhard Bracklow (1547 - 1607) was appointed Heydereither (forest ranger) in Liebenwalde by the elector of Brandenburg Johann Georg in 1577. He was the first in a long line of forest rangers from the Bracklow family appointed to oversee the royal domains around Berlin. Peter Bracklow (1534 - 1594) was appointed to Schmöckwitzwerder, part of the royal domain of Köpenick. Joachim Bracklow (1612 -1672) was appointed to the Teltower Heide (known today as the city forest Grunewald). In total the line of forest rangers from the Bracklow family spanned more than 10 generations.
Carl Friedrich Bracklow (1730 - 1805) was appointed Oberjäger (forest ranger) in Falkenhagen near Spandau and then to the royal hunting domain of Groß Schönebeck in the Schofheide after serving as an officer of the Jägercorps, a prussian military unit comprised mainly of forest rangers. He acquired the Finkenkrug an estate near Spandau and established an inn which later became a popular week end destination for Berliners. His father Ernst Friedrich Bracklow (Reckenzin), his uncle Johann Bogislaw Bracklow (Behnsdorf) and his nephew Carl Friedrich Gottlieb Bracklow (Johannisburg) were all forestry officials
Wilhelm Eberhard Bracklo (1783 - 1859) studied theology in Halle and served as pastor in Neuburg, Ostfriesland from 1808 to 1826 and in Breinermoor, Ostfriesland from 1826 to 1859. He was the first of a long line of lutheran pastors. His son Ernst Julius became pastor in Ardorf and his nephew Oltman Wilken became pastor in Werdum. His great nephew Johann Gerhard became pastor on the island of Baltrum and his great nephew Johann Heinrich became pastor in Wynberg South Africa.
Oltman Wilken Bracklo (1864 - 1911) studied theology in Göttingen, Berlin and Halle and served as pastor on the island of Juist , in Fulkum, Pewsum and in Werdum. He published a work on the history of Ostfriesland "Zusammenstellung einiger Notizen betreffend die Warfen und ihre alten heidnischen Besit
zer". Two of his sons also became Pastors: Johann Gerhard became pastor on the island of Baltrum and Johann Heinrich became pastor in Wynberg South Africa.
Theodor Bracklow (1815 - 1862) was a soldier, writer and political activist. With his brother he founded the Bracklow Corps which fought for the independence of Schleswig Holstein from Danish Rule. He founded a political party and represented Schleswig Holstein at the Berlin Congress of Democrats. He was repeatedly arrested and his writings were banned. In 1852 he emigrated to the USA where he worked as a journalist and an organiser of the Republican Party. He recruited a company of sharpshooters for the Union Army in the American Civil War and died in December 1862 at Fredericksburg.
Robert Bracklow (1849 - 1920) was a photographer and cofounder of the New York Photographic Society, whose annual prize he won in 1893. More than 160 of his prints have survived and are part of a permanent collection in the New York Historical Society. He is today recognised as one of the most important photographers of turn of the century New York City.
Dr. Enno Bracklo (1886 - 1963) was born in Soest, Westfalia and joined the German Diplomatic Service in 1909 after studying law and Chinese at the universities of Berlin, Münster and Tübingen. He served as Consul of the German Empire in China for almost 40 years. His career included postings to the Consulates of Beijing, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai and Qingdao.
Dr. Eike Edzard Bracklo was born in Qingdao, China in 1934. He studied law at Munich and Paris University and joined the German diplomatic service in 1962. His first postings were to Beirut, Lima and Bonn. In 1971 he was posted to the German Mission to the United Nations in New York. In 1982 he was appointed Minister Counsellor at the German Embassy in London. He was honored as a Commander of the Victorian Order in 1986. In 1987 he was appointed Consul General in Hong Kong and in 1992 as the first German Ambassador to Kazakhstan and Kirghistan. His last posting was as Ambassador to Venezuela from 1995 to 1999.