It is really a thrill to discover a message board and to be able to communicate with other Heckels! Heckels are few and far between and I've always felt kind of isolated. There must be a common ancestor way back. I thought most came from Munich, Germany, but I noticed other German cities mentioned in some of the posts.
My brother, Phil, knows more about geneology than I do. Our father, George Philip Heckel, was born in 1909 in Buffalo, Ny and his father, Henry (Harry) Heckel was, I think, from Buffalo - and they moved to Rochester, NY in 1918. Does anyone have a Buffalo connection? Or perhaps they came from the midwest? This is fascinating. I live in Naples, FL. If any Heckels live down here, please let me know. Thanks. (maggsIC@aol.com)