The only Hedwig my American ears have ever heard of was Harry Potter’s owl. I thought the owl was a male. Imagine my surprise when I discovered my 4th great grandmother’s name was Hedwig!
Snowy Owl photo by Michael Gäbler, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=22773653
I did research the name online and discovered it is a feminine name. And, Harry Potter’s owl was a female, though she was played by a male in the show. Evidently, snowy owl males are smaller and whiter and they decided they liked the look better.
My American ears have trouble with Hedwig’s surname, too: Borgward. And, when I put her name together—Hedwig Borgward—it has to be the most unusual name on my tree. Although, again, I’m sure it is because my American upbringing!
On November 14th, 1814 in Behren u Lübchin, Mecklenburg in present day Germany, Hedwig Borgward, who was 29 years old, married Jacob Eckhard Peters, who was 28. They had at least three children including Joachim Carl Otto Peters, my 3rd great grandfather, who was born on June 27th, 1815.
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