Doyle, thank you for your imput. I wonder if any person in our group has ever attempted to check old guild lists, etc.? As for me, I would not have a clue how I could pursue this matter. When we were visiting Belgium a few years ago one had to be impressed with the importance of guilds over the years. Your explanation made sense to me. During the meantime I am going to assume the Kegels, Cagles, etc., were initially concerned with wood and offsprings, thereof. Thank you. Mary Ann Brown maryann@wxs.com ----Original Message----- From: Doyle W. Chambers <dwchambers@mindspring.com> To: CAGLE-L@rootsweb.com <CAGLE-L@rootsweb.com> Date: Friday, February 19, 1999 11:35 AM Subject: Kegel name and possible origins. >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 > > >==== CAGLE Mailing List ==== > >Ground Work One Of My Favorites >http://members.aol.com/ssmadonna/index.htm >