Bartold/Bertold Towns in Europe

The Bartold Home Towns in Poland

I have found listings on the village of Bartołdy, which is considered to be the original home of the Bartold noble family in Poland. We know for certain that the town was owned by the Bartold nobles from 1420 until at least 1795, when it became part of Russia. Currently no Bartold’s live in the village, the last having moved to the city of Ciechanów about 50 years ago.

The following extract is from “Nazwy Miejcowe Polski -- Historia - Pochodzenie - Zmiany” (Names of Polish Places - History - Origins - Changes) pod redackcją Kazimierza Rymunta, Polska Akademia Nauk, Instytut Język Polskiego, Kraków 1996. This entry is on page 92 of volume one.

Bartołdy, wś, ciech., gm. Krasne, 7 km na płd. od Przasnysza: Bartholthowo (1446)1456 SHGMz(MK 3, 1v); Bartholthowo (1449)1456 SHGMz(MK 4, 98); Bartholthi 1464 SHGMz(Ep 5, 150v); Bartholdi 1476 SHGMz(Ep 13, 48v); Bartulty Macieiowe, Bartulty Wojciechowe (1577 Wojciechowięta) 1567 ŹDz XVI 331; Bartołty 1827 Tabella I 11; Bartołty 1839 MpKwat IV 2; Bartołdy 1880 SG I 112; Bartołdy, -tołd, bartołdowski 1971 SSNO I 101, w XV w. z suf. -owo, póżniej n. przeszła do kategorii nazw bezsufiksalnych w formie l. mnogiej. N. os. od niem. Barthold, Berthold Gott 109. W XVI w. powstały dwie części: B. Maciejowe i B. Wojciechowe, póżniej Wojciechowięta, od im. Maciej i Wojciech.

Here the abbreviations refer to a number other sources including:

SHGMz - Słownik historyczno-geograficzny województwa mazowieckiego w średniowieczu
ŹDz - Źrodła Dziejowe
Tabella - Tabella Miast 1827
MpKwat - Topograficzna Karta 1831
SG - Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego 1880-1902
SSNO - Słownik Staropolskich Nazw Osobowych 1965-87
Gott - M Gottshield - Deutsche Namenkunde - Unsere Familiennamen 1982
UN - Urzędowe Nazwy pow. ciechanowski 1971

Which tells us that the town was first mentioned in a series of historical books on the old Mazowian Province in the middle ages, with the earliest reference in 1446. Unfortunately the series has not yet been published (I asked). The authors were working from a draft of the manuscript.

Interestingly enough, it was always spelled with an "a", although there was an "h" in the name until 1577. We also see the old Polish Middle Ages spelling of the noble family's name: Bartult, which lasted until the early 1800's.

There are also the villages named Bartołty Małe and Bartołty Wielkie, but these are much farther north, in the previously Prussian region. Although apparently pre-dating Bartoldy (I need to enter the "Nazwy Miejcowe Polski" entry for them also. It shows that they were already around in 1356.

There are no references to a Bartold family originating from here. What seems likely is that the Bartold who founded Bartołdy originally came from Bartołty. Since it seems that it was founded about a hundred years earlier, establishing a German-Prussian origin for the name, but I have found no proof to support or discredit this idea yet.

The listings in “Słownik Geograficzny Królestwa Polskiego” Warszawa 1880-1895 are much shorter. These occur on page 112 of volume one. This set of volumes is one of the best sources for finding where a town was located in 19th century Poland. However, the above mentioned “Polish Place Names" is worth looking at, if you can find it.

Bartołdy, wś. pow. ciechanowski, gm. t. n., par. Zielona, na prawo od drogi bitej z Ciechanowa do Przasnysza, o 6 w. na połd.-zach od Przasnysza, ma 200 mk., drobni właściciele, wiatrak. Gmina B. należy do s. gm. okr. II w Opinog~rze, st. p. Przasnyszu, odległa od Ciechanowa wiorst 14. Szkółek w gminie 3, ludność 3648.

Bartółty małe, po niem. Klein Bartelsdorf, wś, pow. olsztyński.

Bartółty wielki, po niem. Gross-Bartelsdorf, wś kośc. katolicka, pow. olsztyński, dawniej była w posiadaniu familii Kromerów, pokrewnej z Kromerem bisk. warmińskim i dotąd żyją w B. Kromerowie. Do parafii B. należą wsie: B., Leszno, Marcinkowo, Kierzbuń, Południewo, Grabowo, Pirk.

Towns in America

OK... so there are no towns in America named Bartold anymore, but there were a couple of candidates.

Fort Bertold, North Dakota. The area around the Fort later became an indian reservation. I still don't know who it was originally named after.

Bartold, St. Louis County Missouri. The town no longer exists, having been absorbed into the city of St. Louis. But there is still a cemetery there named Bartold Grove, and a road named Bartold Boulevard. I have even found a reference to a Bartold Corporation there, but have not yet made contact with them.

Towns in Germany

Bertholdsdorf
Part of: Windsbach
GKZ    : 09 5 71 226
County :  | |  +---- Ansbach {AN}
RegBez :  | +------- Mittelfranken
Land   :  +--------- Bayern
ZIP    : 91575
Popul  : 286
Locat  : (Windsbach) 49d14m N 10d50m E
Bertoldsheim
Part of: Rennertshofen
GKZ    : 09 1 85 153
County :  | |  +---- Neuburg a d Donau {ND}
RegBez :  | +------- Oberbayern
Land   :  +--------- Bayern
ZIP    : 86643
Popul  : 572
Locat  : (Rennertshofen) 48d45m N 11d03m E
Bertoldshofen
Part of: Marktoberdorf
GKZ    : 09 7 77 151
County :  | |  +---- Ostallg"au (Marktoberdorf) {OAL}
RegBez :  | +------- Schwaben
Land   :  +--------- Bayern
ZIP    : 87616
Popul  : 613
Locat  : (Marktoberdorf) 47d47m N 10d37m E