Dear Connie,
If you go to http://gedbas.genealogy.net and type Klinker in "Nachname" and
hit "Suche" (Search), it throws up scores of Klinkers in Germany from 1600
onwards.
I too am searching for Klinker ancestors, but mine were from (Hoya) Hannover,
whereas yours are from Schwabstedt which is in Schleswig-Holstein near the
border with Denmark. During my own research I have discovered two main clusters
of Klinkers, one in Schleswig-Holstein and another around Sevelten, which
is in Lower Saxony, south west of Bremen.
I recently stumbled on two German websites whilst googling (but I didn't
make a note of the website address). One was a site showing the modern day
distribution throughout Germany of various surnames. One of these was Klinker.
The greatest current concentration of Klinkers - in terms of percentage of
local population - is in Schleswig-Holstein. The next is in the area around
Sevelten, south west of Bremen. Once you go further south or east from Lower
Saxony the name becomes much less common. About 88 per cent of all Klinkers
in modern-day Germany (apparently only about 1,100 of them) are in the north
east of the country.
The other website gave definitions of German surnames. It seems a Klinker
was someone who lived near a turnpike or barrier by the border. From the
above, my guess is that the Klinkers originated around Flensburg, the main
town on the German/Danish border and elements of the family gradually migrated
southwards. There is also a sprinkling of Klinkers in Denmark. (The weakness
in this is that Schleswig-Holstein has changed hands between Germany and
Denmark throughout history, so there might not always have been a border
there). The earliest Klinker I have come across was in Flensburg in 1600.
The earliest Klinker I have come across in Sevelten was in 1645.
My great-great grandfather was Diedrich (or Dietrich) Klinker, who came to
England in the 1850s. He was born in Hoya, (about halfway between the cities
of Hannover and Bremen) in 1834. I know from church records in England that
his father was also called Diedrich (Dietrich) and was born Hannover area
around 1800. Although I've found information on scores of Klinkers, I can
find nothing on my own ancestors in Germany. I believe that the churchbooks
Amt Martfeld from 1852 show a Dietrich Heinrich Klincker with a small farm
in Hustedt (very close to Hoya) and a Dietrich H. Klincker as a tenant in
Kleinenborstel, (also close to Hoya). I do not know what information is given
about them, though, and expect I may have to go to Hannover to find out.
I trust the above is of interest.
Regards,
Keith Sturges
Colchester, England