The Michael Family Kfeirian Home Page
The Michael Family Kfeirian Home PageUpdated September 5, 2000 | |
Diann Dee Michael 6930 SW 15th Street Plantation,Florida 33317 (954) 583-0566 Fax: (954) 583-3583 | The Michaels (Mickel, Mickael, Miguel),Radwans, and Cantees of North and South America, Europe and the Middle East Descendants of the Kfeir, Lebanon, and Our Common Ancestor, Serkes The Kfeir, Lebanon, is a tiny village nestled in the hills north of Mount Hermon, close to the Litani River in southern Lebanon. The approximate current population is around 1200, as it has been since my father's time (circa 1900), but the proportion of Christian to Druze has changed since the early 1900's with a large diaspora of the Christian population, which was primarily Eastern Orthodox. We have established a Kfeirian Reunion Foundation which has met annually for 65 years (this will be the 66th, Labor Day, 1998, in Columbus, Ohio). The Kfeirian Reunion Scholarship Fund has given scholarships to our youth for over 30 years and has recently been established as an Endowment Fund. The history of this tiny village is obscure, but its descendants are numerous and well-travelled. In the United States alone we have a mailing list of 1200 households which, averaging 3.5 per household, would indicate over 4,000 descendants in the United States. We welcome any information regarding the history of the Kfeir or the region and any of the families that resided in the area. Many of these descendants are related. The story goes that the Michaels (often spelled Mickel, and sometimes Mickael or Mickail) the Cantees, and the Radwan families all descended from a common ancestor, Serkes (or Sarkous) who emigrated from Greece, probably one of the Greek Islands, around 250 years ago. We have definitely accounted for over 900 descendants that can be identified and corroborated and are on the current tree associated with this page. Other family names that are associated are: Abou-rezk (Abourezk, Aborizk, Abourisk), Hajj (El-Hage, Hage), Thabet (Thabit), Deeb, Kawaja, Debakey, Corey (Courey, Khourie, Khourey),and probably others I have yet to identify. The Michaels (Mickels) and Radwans are one family, but the ones descended from a male named Radwan sometimes use Radwan as a last name, and sometimes Michael (Mickel). many people are working on the family tree of the Kfeirian Community in North America, Kevin Donley has posted a Kfeirian Genealogy page which will be linked to this page. Lila Mickel Fischer has researched relatives from North and South America and Lebanon to update the current tree and she and I are working together to get the most accurate information possible. This current research enlarges upon that of my father, Esber John Michael, and my late cousin, Yvonne Radwan Kawaja, who had both worked on the tree in the 1970's. All of my work is dedicated to their memory and that of our other admirable and beloved ancestors. May they be honored and remembered through our lives, love, and work. My email and street address are listed and I welcome any communication that can enlarge upon the current Michael Family Tree. This page is under construction and will be updated periodically. Diann Dee Michael |
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