This is a Message Board Post that is gatewayed to this mailing list. Author: aaronschnell Surnames: Classification: queries Message Board URL: http://boards.rootsweb.com/surnames.schnell/195.6.2.2.1.1/mb.ashx Message Board Post: It's not personally familiar to me, but when I checked the map it was only about 25 miles north of Giesel. I can send you the old map that shows the borders of Alt-Isenberg before the Napoleanic era or try to post it here this evening after I get home from work. My knowledge of German geography is very limited. My ancestors probably didn't know they were going to become "german" until well after they left. They were platt-deutsche speaking people who probably considered themselves "deutsche". My father speaks plattdeutsche as his mother tongue though he was born in the USA. My ability to search in german records has been severely constrained by not knowing the town of origin, though I do have some idea of where they departed from en masse to travel with others who took advantage of the land offered in russia. This was about 11 generations ago. Around this time there was a mass exodus from central europe following several ruinous wars that devastated the region and as a result our Schnell ancestors scattered in all directions. I have LOTS of Conrads in my line. There were only a few popular male names in the family tree and they recycled them over and over. Johannes and Heinrich were common also. More soon, Aaron Important Note: The author of this message may not be subscribed to this list. If you would like to reply to them, please click on the Message Board URL link above and respond on the board.