Posted by transfer on Wednesday, December 14, 2005 - 12:48 PM

If you just stumbled on this site and wonder, whether you are part of the family or not, it would be wise to first read this article. It outlines where the name comes from and what spelling variations exist nowadays. It also lists names which look or sound similar, but are not related to the Iseli family.

This site is dedicated to the Swiss Family from the Canton of Bern with the original spelling of Iseli. It appears that all the Iseli surnames worldwide are of Swiss origins, and the Iseli of Bern are the most common. There is also a Basel variant, Iselin. There are also two other (non-related?) Iseli familes in Switzerland outside of Canton Bern (Thurgau and Glarus). The Glarus family seems to come from the canton Schwyz and is now spelled either Iseli or Iselin. We don't have any information on the Thurgau family yet. In French speaking Switzerland, there is a family, originating from M?hleberg (Bern) which is now spelled Isely.

The variation in the spelling of the Iseli Family name in America all seem to be a product of the immigration practices during the late 19th Century. Officials at the time were notorious for arbitrarily changing family names of immigrants. We have information showing many different independent immigrations to America by the Iseli's, the earliest is in 1833 and the last reported in 1995. Immigrants after 1890 seem to have retained their original spelling.

By far, the most common American variations of Iseli are Isely and Isaly. The Family database also shows a continuing line of the Esely starting in the 1870's. A New York Esley branch starting about 1850. The Islie and Eseli variations seem to have ended in this century because of the lack of male heirs carrying on the surname.

An early American genealogist has indicated that Isley is also a variation on the Iseli name. However, we do not know of any Family branch currently using this spelling. But considering the abuse the Family name has suffered in America, we can assume that at least some Iseli's also use this spelling. After all, Tim Isely's name has been misspelled Isley so many times that he has considered changing it!

We have just been informed of another American spelling, which is Easley and Easly. This branch starts with Jacob Iseli, the founding father of that branch who settled in Ohio by the mid 19th century. In the birth records in the Easley Family Bible, the first seven of his children, born from 1872 to 1886, were given the surname of EASLY. Marriage records in this same bible show that the eldest born used the name EASLY but that the remaining children used the name EASLEY. Also the name EASLY is embossed in gold on the front of the Bible.

There is an English Family whose uses the spelling Isley. We have also received an account of an American Isley family descended from two German brothers dating from the 1790 South Carolina census. Iseleyis another German name centered in and around Alamance County, North Carolina. Other than the similarity in spelling, there appears to be no links between these Families.

Eisely and Eisley are other American names which may be from the Iseli Family, but we have no information at this time. Islay is not a family name, but rather an island in Scotland noted for their outstanding whiskey!

In South Africa, the influence of Boer culture produced the variations of Isel, Izel, Yeseli, Yselle and Yssel because of the similarity with the river Ijssel in the Netherlands.