ROMAN TRACKINGS OF BEAR = URSUS

My previous post refers. When reading the history of De Beers in Google Search (cf. De Beer, Dawid W. 2000), we may link it with the familiy name Ursanius, Latin for Bear/Beer when the name of a certain theologian, Zacharias Ursinus is quoted in 1534-1583. He was co-responsible for the formulation of the "Heidelbergse Kategismes" which is still used in all the Reformed Afrikaans Churches in South Africa. It is the quote under Ursinus that interests me. Dawid De Beer also links the Latin form of the name to Beer on p. 10 of his book " Die De Beer Familie. Drie Eeue in Suid Afrika. (2000). My youngest brother Floris Petrus de Beer, also uses ursus@absamail.co.za as his e-mail address. Sometime ago I watched a BBC television programme in Birmingham, England (circa 1995) on a Sunday afternoon showing the beautiful statue that a certain Roman elitist build for his little daughter who died at a very young age. I vaguely remember that the name Julius Beer (could be Ursanius) was mentioned in the programme. Unfortunately my friend Johan Fourie, who is a teacher in Latin, could not get any trace of such a Roman noble man under that name. However, the reference to Ursus for Bear or Beer sounds a bell. I am not a genaelogist, but an ordinary layman when it comes to the research of familiy origin, traditions, crests and diaspora. Subsequently the rest of this blog is patchwork based on a lot of thumb sucking and gueswork.

According to possibillities my family line hop skip and jumped into history as follows: Karel Johannes De Beer, Bloemfontein, South Africa>Karel Johannes De Beer, Petrusburg, South Africa>Barent Petrus De Beer, Fauresmith, South Africa>??De Beer, Graaf Reinette, South Africa>?? De Beer, Prince Albert, South Africa>Zacharias De Beer, Stellenbosch/Cape /Utrecht, Holland> ??>Beer/Bern, Switzerland>?? De Beer, Waase, Sweden>??Beer/Ursus, England>??Ursanius>Rome.

It is history that the Romans ruled the Mediteranian region for a thousand years during the so called PAX ROMANA from where they conquered the rest of the adjacent ancient world of that time. In Birmingham, England, are still traces of the VIA ROMANA. Roads were build in "straight sort of high ways" through the conquered territories. With a little immagination, for a period of a thousand years, Roman soldiers, officers, administrators and other government officials, had to settle in what we know today is England, Germany, Holland and as far as Switzerland and France. Borders were irrellevant because the whole territory was part of the Roman Empire. The names of all the Roman Ursanius militia or government officials will most obviously pop up along the history of civilization, language, culture, architecture and traditions. Such as the origin of the family crest depicting a bear in the design through the ages. (Cf De Beer family crest on previous blogs or archive.) The Roman traditions made a permanent impact up to our date and age. such as art, philosophy, religion (the trial and crucifiction of Jesus Christ), Roman Dutch Law, administration, language in law, medcine, botany, astronomy and building practices.

According to history, Rome was established about 753 BC. Rome eventually fell 476 years after Christ. Democracy started in Athens, Greece, and the Romans used the same principles to rule their citizens. After civil disputes between the aristocarcy and the poorer citizens, a sort of a human charter was drafted to rule the rest of Italy. More civil unrest, the assasination of Julius Ceaser and the eventual appointment of Octavianus in August 27 BC led to the mighty Roman Empire. This was the beginning of the Pax Romana, longest time of world peace on earth according to historians. During this period the Romans spread their influence sphere to London, Paris, Lyon, Milan, Keulen, Bonn, Vienna, Barcelona and Lisbon. They appointed local citizens in government positions while the natural inhabitants of those regions joined the Roman army.

Vice versa Roman culture was integrated with English, German and French speaking cultures. In the case of Germanic tribal expansion into Switzerland, some of the Roman influences went along. (Cf. http://harpy.uccs.edu/roman/html/augustinus.html )In this respect the bear familiy insignia could be interpreted either as Beer according to Anglo Saxon English, or Bern in German and eventually De Beer in Dutch.

Back in Rome, government corruption, the outburst of Volcano Vesuvius which destroyed Pompeji and continuous civil wars all over the whole region contibuted to the final fall of Rome in 476 after Christ. However, the Ursaniuses/Bern's/Beer's/de Beer's were permanently distributed in all the afore said regions of.

The big question for me however remains: "Where does the German inscriptions derived from on my great great grandfathers' tombstone near Petrusburg in the Free State, South Africa ? " (Cf. the original photographs of the De Beer graveyard in a previous blog under: Archives.) Genealogists also differ about the origin of the De Beer family whether they are from Waase in Sweden or Utrecht in Holland or England where the family name Beer is also prominent in telephone directories. My intention is to visit Utrecht in Holland and do some genealogic research on possible family roots. When I visited Sweden, I visited the Vaasa Museum, in Stockholm. I came under the impression of the huge influence of the Dutch ship building industry since the very beginning in that trade. Dutch names for a ship's mast or mas and many other nomenclature of the trade can be referred back to Dutch tradesmen who assited to build ships all over the world. Subsequently the influence of Dutch in the shipping industry could even be traced in the Russian language. It is thus quite possible that my great great ancestors were carpenters who helped to build ships in Sweden from where they could have moved along with the diaspora of the trade. Eventually as part of maintanance staff on ships that traveled all the known sea routes of their time. Much speculation is still going on among the De Beer family researchers whether Zacharias De Beer, the forefather of the De Beer family in South Africa, came directly from Utrecht in Holland or Germany... Fact remains, the De Beer history stimulates those who are still interested to know more about their where abouts.

I close this blog with a kind request to Bern or Beer or De Beer or Ursanius descendants to play along in completing this wonderfull jigsaw puzzle.