The photo on the right shows the road leading into the present day village of Hellbusch (referred to as "light shrubs"). The trees are mature and the area is very lush with vegetation.

The original Simmerman farm referred to in the explanation is slightly behind us and slightly higher elevation as we approach the present day village.

The photo was taken where the "red dot" is on the map below.

Quote by Dierke Feye: "Between the old Simmerman farm place in Grossenkneten and the new Hellbusch farm place in Hellbusch we find the more than 1200-year-old arable higher situated "Eschland". Behind this "Esch" we find a slope to lower situated wildness and shrub forest. The shrub forest was there where today is the locality of Hellbusch."

The national paper explanation of Ernst Runge from the year 1966, becomes the regional explanation of Dierk Feye for the name "Hellbusch"

In Northern Germany we find many family names according to area names (Bakenhus, Hellbusch, Krumland, Ruedebusch, Wuebbenhorst etc.). The question is which is older, the area name or the family name? Did the family name develop from an old place or an area name? The family and farm name Hellbusch comes up for the first time after the 30-year war around 1650 as Hellenbusch in the archives in the Church of Grossenkneten. This farm itself is the oldest to be counted in the village of Grossenkneten.

Therefore, the farm was registered before 1650. Between the years 1534 and1630, it was known as Simerman but that changed after 1650. What had occurred? The Simerman farm was situated in the midst of the village where today's sports field is located. The house may have been destroyed by fire in the 30-year war, 1618-1648. After the war, the church of Grossenkneten built the new farmhouse outside the village in the so-called area of Hellbusch, where the church land was situated. The Simerman farm was the first farm outside of the village of Grossenkneten. The farm name changed from Simerman to Hellbusch. Over 100 years later, the Hellbusch family had old garden land in use on the old home place of the vanished Simerman farm in the village. This old garden in the village had better ground and was protected from strolling cattle and wild animals.

The first part "Hell" of the "Hell"busch name is surely to be a medium High-German word for "bright". It would stand for or meant to be as a wilderness in a lower part of the country. "Helle" is also the Low German (Plattdeutsch) and High German (hochdeutsch) word for "bright".

The second part of the Hell"busch" name means "shrubs". Likewise, a new designation could be seen for the area. The designation end on the syllable "shrubs" developed from the view of the village inhabitants. Seen from the village at a distance, was the land to the little "light shrubs". The farmers probably cleared the forest of standing timber. They used the remaining shrubs and clay to fill the frames of their framework houses. The shrub forest was there where is today the locality of Hellbusch.

The first Hellbusch was Hermann Hellbusch. He had three daughters. The basic farm heiress married Harm Stigge. At that time, the farm family name had priority. As owner of the land, the name Hellbusch took precedent over Harm Stigge, thus spreading of the name Hellbusch.

As a matter of fact, without this regulation, all of today's names of Hellbusch would have to carry the name Stigge. Since the designation Hellbusch occurs only in Grossenkneten, one can assume that all names had its beginning from this land. The spreading of the names can be found in the surname index.

(An overlook of the spreading of the names is in the appendix of the book "Grossenkneten" written by Dierk Feye. If anyone has a copy of this book, please email Elaine.)