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I haven’t found much about the Beyl surname online yet. I am still in the early stages of my research on this line. Quick searches on the history of the name Beyl are yielding very few results, if any. This makes it challenging to determine the origin of the name.

I’ve only found one website that provides any description for the name, but it isn’t a reliable site for genealogical purposes. It is more of a touristy site that encourages you to purchase memorabilia featuring what they claim is your coat of arms. Anyway, it stated that Beyl is a Danish name derived from the word “bayer.” Bayer means one who came from Bavaria.

However, I found that Ancestry.com lists the meaning of the Beyl name as a variant of German Beil.

So, naturally, I queried the site for the meaning of the Beil surname:

In the limited research I’ve done on this line so far, I’ve found that the Beyls immigrated to the United States from France. So the question is, can I trace them from France to Germany? Only time will tell at this point.

Ancestry also provides a helpful page with basic statistics for the Beyl line in the United States.  According to the United States Federal Census, most Beyl families resided in the northeastern region.

The New York Passengers List indicates that most immigrants came from Germany, with some also arriving from the Netherlands, Prussia, and Italy.  So far, I’ve only traced my line back to France.  According to Ancestry.com, the Beyl Family Origin comprises four families from Germany, three from the Netherlands, two from Prussia, and one from Italy.

They also show that there are three Civil War Service Records for the Beyl surname, all of which are on the Union side.

Interestingly, I found that one person in my line, Jacob Beyl, who was listed as an Unassigned Indiana Volunteer for the Union side, appears to have been injured in the war.  I haven’t found much on that, but I will be doing further research to see if I can identify what happened.

Ancestry reports that most of the Beyl ancestors were farmers. A good portion were laborers. I have found both in my line. There were also some Saloon Keepers as well as horse car drivers.

I did find a site that listed a couple of Beyl settlers in the United States during the 18th Century. One was Johan Peter Beyl, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1747. Another was Johannes Beyl, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754.

I do not yet know if either of these is related to my line, but I will attempt to confirm or deny this during my research.

Beyl Members I’ve Researched So Far

Finally, it appears that the Beyl family’s life expectancy has been relatively close to that of the general public.  Some died young, around 50 years old, while others lived to be around 90 years old.  But the majority seem to pass away around 70 years old.

I know this is very little information to provide so far.  However, as I mentioned earlier, I have only recently begun researching this line and hope to add a great deal more information shortly.

It would be nice to know more about these ancestors.  Where did they originate before arriving in France?  Why did they immigrate to the United States?

I hope to find a wealth of information on this line, as it holds particular significance for me.  Have you found Beyl in your family tree yet?  If so, I’d love to hear from you!

Even if you haven’t, have you found reliable places to research the history of your family name?  I’d love to know where to find accurate information about surnames and their history.  Do share and let us know how you do it.

That’s all for now, I’ll check back regularly and update this page as I find additional information.

I’ll leave you with a common Genealogy phrase:

This packrat has learned that the next generation will value most is not what we owned, but the evidence of who we were and the tales of how we loved.  In the end, it’s the family stories that are worth the storage.  – Ellen Goodman, The Boston Globe

Happy searching!

~Kris