Hi all, at Earl's prompting I want to share my thoughts on the Kegel name meaning. Most of your comments on this have been correct. As I am probably much older than most on the list, my memories go back further. As a young man in Dekalb Co, Al, my paternal Kuykendall relatives, also from the Rhine regions, always refered to ninepins, or bowling, as kegelling. They called a ninepin a kegel, and bowling as " knocking down some kegel's" Any wooden pin or cone shaped object was a "kegel". A wood worker, or wagon or barrel maker was a kegelmeister, or Kegle maker. This was many years prior to my learning that my maternal lines were Cagles. Looking further into this I find, in my college German dictionaries, the following definitions. Result of search for "Kegel": (with) bag and baggage -- (mit) Kind und Kegel bag and baggage -- Kind und Kegel cones -- Kegel ninepins -- Kegel pin -- der Kegel skittle -- Kegel taper -- Kegel tenpin -- Kegel tenpin s. Amerikanisches Englisch 1. Kegel m; 2. Plural Singular konstruiert Amerikanisches Englisch Bowling n ************************************************* Now, how this would apply to Leonhart Kegel, I don't know. It could be it simply was an anglicized way of refering to him as a woodworker, barrel maker, or wagon maker, all of which his family apparently did over the years. It appears not to be a place name, but rather an occupational surname. Many such surnames orginated that way. Many surnames came from the occupational guilds a person belonged to such as Waggoner, Goldsmith, Fisher, etc. Hope this helps someone. Best wishes to all and happy hunting, Doyle http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Valley/7886 Family site http://www.my-ged.com/sterkkn Gendex site