Notes from Janet and Robert Wolfe Genealogy Gateway, 2006/05/31
The Kunkel family, up to today, are still primarily concentrated in the area of
the Spessart Mountain range, a largely wooded area in the heart of Germany.
Existence of an early Glass house in the Spessart area was mentioned in a
document dated 22 August 1349. The area was under the jurisdiction of the
Archbishop of Mainz. The Union Letter (Bundesbrief) of 1537 lists two
KUNKEL's, namely Jurge (George) and Hentze Kunkel, and in a later revision
dated 24 February 1559, again two KUNKEL's - George and Friedrich Kunkel. It
is evident that there are links, as the Glass making was only carried down in
the same families. This earliest known generation has only one mentioning of
this earliest known family that was put together from the Parish register
records received from a researcher in Germany, and combined with the data on
the I.G.I. Index at the LDS Library in SLC, Utah, and the earliest records on
file at the LDS Library on this Germany family. Much research is still need
to fill out all the missing information, however I have been told that
Genealogy Records beyond this point is next to impossible to find, due to all
the Wars that took place in this country. The "Thirty Years War (1618-1648)
destroyed many Church records throughout Germany. So many records has been
destroyed, and to find a cemetery with head stones that can be read, after 500
years has gone by, The first two generations of this book, I have recorded
these Kunkel family members, because the records out of Germany said they were
family, and the records out of the LDS Library said they were family, and they
all lived and died in the same place, so I feel that these families should
also be listed in this book of KUNKEL records, along with their descendants
that are much better recorded with dates and locations. (JEK - 2000)
The KUNKEL surname means distaff. A staff on which fibers such as flax or wool
are wound before being spun into thread.
As you study the descendants of of these families, you will find that there
were many intermarriages, which were rather common. Men had limited ways to
meet eligible mates, and usually could not go farther than they could walk or
ride horseback to court. When there were family get-togethers they met women
who just happened to be related in one way or another.