Suedekum - Südekum
Suedekum: The german translation of "circumspicete", a word out of the old Latin language, spoken in the Roman Empire and in the Middle Ages in Europe. It means in German: "Sieh dich um", in English: "Look out for".
The name is first mentioned in a document in 1228 by Duke Barnim I. of Pommerania (in the northern of Germany, near the Baltic sea). Barnim gave land to a man as a reward for true service. He lead him on a hill, saying to him: "Look out for, that is Your land".
In the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648) the Suedekum family had to go with the Swedish troops north to the Harz mountains (Lower Saxony) where the most of them live today. Two of the Suedekums emigrated from Germany to America in the nineteenth century. I think Suedekum in Switzerland are unknown. (1)
(1) Karl Heiner Südekum, .
I've discovered three (3) Suedekum families in the Cape Girardeau/Iron County area: Friederick P. Suedekum, Andreas Suedekum, and a Heinrich Sidicum.
Stories tell that two Suedekum brothers came to America from the area around the Harz Mountains which is from where my own Andreas Suedekum came. Since Friederich and Andreas are born only months apart, they cannot be brothers which leaves Andreas and Heinrich Siedicum/Suedekum. Although I have found no connection between any of the three families, I believe they may still be related further back in Germany.
- Marcine Lohman, private research and family interviews.
