This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Classification: Query Message Board URL: http://boards.ancestry.com/mbexec/msg/rw/0VB.2ACI/7141.1 Message Board Post: I believe the the Crowell surname in Rowan County, NC descends from one Peter Grauel, likely Johan Peter Grauel, who came to Phil., Pa on Nov. 25, 1740 on board the ship the Loyal Judith from Rotterdam, the Netherlands. He was married to Catherine __ and had at least four children William, Simon, George, and Diedrict [this last name doesn't look spelled correctly, but I do not have notes before me] They were soon in a German community in Rowan Co, NC. Fairly complete records exist for most of the descendants of William, Simon, and George. The spelling shifted from Grauel, Kroul, Krowl, Crowel, to Crowell over a period of about 100 years. I descend from Peter Grauel thru. William Crowel, Samuel Crowel, Alma Anne Crowell m. J.B. Delk, Samuel Gill Delk, Joshua V. Delk, Allen Delk, to me James V. Delk. To a fairly reasonable level of confidence listings for the ancestors of Johan Peter Crowell exist on Rootsweb WorldConnect Project in part back to the 1500's in Hesse in central Germany. I think the town was Landsebold or something close to that.