This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Surnames: Zorfas Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.northam.usa.states.illinois.counties.knox/2030.4.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: Hi Judy - I am not 100% sure where Knox County, all I know is that it is in Illinois. My Grandfather was Nathan Zorfas from Belarus, Russia. He came here with at least 3 other brothers, but he was very young. The story goes that my great grandfather (who no one knows the name of) got remarried and settled in the Chicago area. Quite some time ago, I got inspired and decided to search for my roots and found an Abraham Zorfas in Knox County, so I went to the Knox County website and posted my message. I have met only a few other Zorfas' in my life, and we all seem to be able to go back to the same level as my grandfather - getting past this is more difficult. The funny thing is that every Zorfas I have ever met says the same thing - we are all intrigued by our last name because it is so unique. I have seen it spelled with 2 s's, but rarely is it the way we spell it. My grandfather and his brothers all settled in Brooklyn, NY. My Grandfather, who was one of the youngest of that generation, was born in 1900. When I was doing my "research", I did notice a Frank Zorfas who naturalized in Boston in 1911. It was fascinating to me, because it was the first time I saw a Zorfas that didn't seem related to me (at least on the level of my Grandfather), based on the stories that "our Zorfas'" were only in Brooklyn and Chicago. But, the more I look into this, the more I learn. If you could shed more light on this, I'd love to hear it. Thanks so much for responding. Lauren Zorfas P.S. Zorfas is my maiden name which I never changed when I got married, so I'm a "real" Zorfas.