The Barnekow's
Karen's mom's family (Janet Barnekow)

If you didn't know, Barnekow is Wendish. The Wends are a Slavic people who never had their own country. They were amongst the last people to convert to Christianity and the first to convert to Lutheranism. Wends live kinda between Germany and Poland in Pomerania (which includes Mecklenburg and the town of Barnekow).

The name Barnekow comes from the Wendish BARNE (for Ram) and German Kopf ( for head) shortened to KOW, though some might use GO. If you look on the map, Barnekow, Germany is a stone's throw from Denmark, Sweden, and Norway where you can find other Barnekows.

If you notice, the crests have several Ram's heads (BARNEKOW) the Knight's heads represent Barnekows who fought in the crusades. the star of David meant some of them actually made in to Jeruselem.


There is a Barnekow web site in Swedish. The young man who runs it (Carl-Henrik) has exchanged e-mail and says he knows who Christopher Barnekow is when given our ancestral fragment, but his English might be bad. Christopher got the family crest from one of his older web sites which has since disapeared.

Thanks to Christopher Ross Barnekow in Missouri for the pics and the research... more at his web site at Barnekow Family


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