The Gersteins, descendents of several illustrious Rabbinical lines, are noted in pages 146-172 of Neil Rosenstein’s genealogical classic The Unbroken Chain. The family and its surname appeared in Antopol, currently near the southwestern corner of Belarus, in the early part of the 19th century. We do not know where the earliest known Gersteins, the brothers Akiva and Mordechai, were born and whether the Gersteins from other areas are related to them. We also do not know to which other families the Antopol Gersteins are related from before the Jewish adoption of surnames in the Russian empire.

To resolve these questions, we need male Gersteins from everywhere to contribute a cheek swab as a DNA sample.