Re: Erhard Gagel/Gegle in Louisville
-
In reply to:
Re: Erhard Gagel/Gegle in Louisville
10/29/00
The only protestant church I visited was in Michelau. The old records remain in the individual protestant churches, whereas the catholics have centralized the records. There is a fair amount of sensitivity about geneology in Germany because of the WW II experience. I met an old priest during a visit to my grandfather's village just south of Heidelberg. He told me that during the Nazi period several prominent Nazi leaders, who were building their family trees, discovered Jewish ancestors. Shortly thereafter the parish houses containing these records burned. Thereafter, the records were moved to safe places to protect them. This old priest informed me that anyone seeking detailed geneology records has, until recently with the influx of Americans looking for their ancestors, been viewed suspiciously.
I am descendant from Michael Gagel in Maria Stein, Ohio. He moved to this country from a small village south of Heidelberg (Nussloch) in the late 19th century. His greatgrandfather moved from Staffelstein to Nussloch in the late 18th century. Have tracked the family records back to approximately 1650-1660.
Most Germans left for the USA for the usual reasons - better jobs, lack of opportunity at home, or avoidance of the draft (I believe the reason my grandfather joined his uncle in the USA at age 18).
There is another Gagel family in Dayton. Different origins, protestant, and no records regarding their ancestors. There are only a few members left in the Dayton area. I suspect the Louiville Gagels or the Maria Stein Gagels represent the largest families in the USA. There are others on the east and west coast, but there appear to be no large families. But......