Original Purpose

Introduction

In recent years a new tool has been developed which can be used for genealogical purposes. This tool is DNA testing. An online company called "FamilyTree DNA" encourages people to get involved. (FamilyTreeDNA.com) Testing in the Kauffman Surname Project was begun in 2003 and some results to date are summarized in an article by Ellen Coffman, "The Genetic Genealogy of Some Mennonite and Amish Kauffman-Coffman Families", Mennonite Family History, Vol. XXV, No 4, (October, 2006), p. 198 - 203. (Masthof Press)

Background:

Scenario 1 --- (MFH - Oct., 2006, page 198)

  • Ellen Coffman's research hit a brick wall at Samuel Coffman, born before 1793 and died in 1868 in Fayette County, Pennsylvania.
  • Court records were found from the late 1700s in Berks Co., PA documenting a paternity suit brought by a woman associated through oral family history with Samuel. This family history suggested that the woman was possibly Samuel's mother. The defendant in the paternity suit was a man named "Christian Kauffman".
  • In 2003 Ellen initiated a Kauffman/Coffman y-DNA Surname project, hoping that this new type of research might knock down the brick wall.
  • A request was made on the various Kauffman/Coffman lists asking for a descendant of "Christian Kauffman" from the late 1700s to come forward and be tested. This should find Samuel's father.

    • Goal: To find a "Christian Kauffman" that was father of Samuel Coffman.

    Scenario 2 ---

  • Don Kauffman's research led back to KF-Isaac Kauffman, married to Anna Streit, immigrants to Berks Co., PA in 1737
  • Ships lists show Isaac, with two sons Hans and Isaac. This supports KCL which gives christening dates for Hans and Isaac, sons of KF-Isaac.
  • A family list created by AAMG86 adds three more possible sons: Stephen, Christian, Jacob. But these last three sons are listed with a question mark and are so listed because of circumstantial evidence, ie. adjacent land records in Berks Co.
  • Don wanted to find the "additional evidence" which AAMG86 was looking for, in order to remove the doubt in the AAMG86 list for the KF-Isaac family. (If KCL and AAMG86, are correct there are no brick walls here, just question marks.) DNA testing seemed like it might remove these doubts.

    • Goal: To find "further evidence" that would remove the questions marks in the AAMG lists.

    Results of first two tests:

    Don responded positively to Ellen's request for a descendant of "Christian Kauffman" to be tested. Results were disappointing. The results came back indicating there was no genetic match between this "Christian Kauffman" and Samuel Coffman.

  • This "Christian K." was NOT Samuel's father.
  • Nothing was learned from these two tests that would remove the question marks from the AAMG86 list.

    • But, the project was launched. (MFH - Oct., 2006, page 198, 2nd column), and two clusters were identified: KFM and KF-KFA

    Table 1

     Comparison of KFM (Ellen's husband-descendant of Samuel) and KF-KFA (Don-descendant of KF-Isaac-Christian)

         37-marker profiles: (dark green indicates mis-match)
     
    KFM
    		  13 23  14 11  11 14 12 12 12 14 13 30 17 9 9 11 11 24 15 19 28 15 15 17 17 11 11 19 23 16 15 18 19 35 37 11 12
     
    KF-KFA
    		  13 24 15 11 11 13 12 12 12 14 13 30 17 9 10 11 11 25 14 19 29 15 15 17 17 11 11 19 23 15 15 17 16 37 41 13 12
     
    Match 9/12 --- 18/25 --- 24/37 (genetic distance = 13) --- this amount of mis-match means these two samples do NOT share a common ancestor. In the FTDNA tutorial, "Genetic distance - Beyond 6 - Not relatd --- 30/37 You are not related and the odds greatly favor that you have not shared a common male ancestor with this person within thousands of years. You are probably even in different Haplogroups on the Phylogenetic tree of Homo Sapiens."
     

    It is likely that neither Ellen nor Don understood the magnitude of the problem, ie. the search for the correct "Christian Kauffman".

    See Chart 4a for other possible "Christian Kauffman" subjects to meet Ellen's criteria.