Interested in the "Ikelaar" myth you heard. My father (Stuart Ikeler) told us the same thing, and that we were Dutch, not German--apparently a story started by Ikelers in the 20th century to protect the family from anti-German sentiment during the world wars. I just recently discovered the truth that our ancestors were German, probably from the north, and probably poultry farmers ("Eggler" means one who deals in eggs).