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Anabaptist FF

  • 644 members

About us

 

Execution of Mennonites  This engraving depicts the execution of David van der Leyen and Levina Ghyselins, described variously as Dutch Anabaptists or Mennonites, by Catholic authorities in Ghent in 1554. Strangled and burned, van der Leyen was finally dispatched with an iron fork. Bracht's Martyr's Mirror is considered by modern Mennonites as second only in importance to the Bible in perpetuating their faith.


Welcome to the Anabaptist Family Finder Project

The Anabaptist Family Finder Project allows genealogists to utilize autosomal DNA results from Family Finder to investigate ancestors who were members of Anabaptist groups such as the Amish, Mennonite, River Brethren, and Hutterites. Participants from specific other groups and reference groups such as Swiss and Volga Germans will also be present.

This project is separate from the existing Mennonite and Swiss Anabaptist projects, which concentrate on group-specific surnames/lineages.

The Anabaptist_FF project is open to anyone who knows or suspects that they have Anabaptist ancestors.

 

Overall, the data from Anabaptist participants represents a higher level of inbreeding than is present in the broader population. Multiple occurrences of the same ancestor or family line within an individual's family tree makes it significantly harder to assign inherited segments to specific ancestors. However, inherited homozygous segments can provide hints regarding which geographic set of communities one's ancestors were associated with, and an estimate of when an ancestor left an inclusive (Amish) community. Due to the inbreeding, genealogically relevant inherited segments may have originated as far back as 9 to 12 generations ago. 

Project administrators will not be maintaining pedigrees of project participants, as there is an increasing number of different lineages represented in the project. To research genealogically relevant DNA segments, project participants should consider utilizing one of several on-line genealogical systems. Some systems specific to the Mennonite lineages include GRANDMA and SAGA. Administrators are available to provide testing guidance based upon your matches and your research goals.

 

Support Research

If you have not done so, join the project if you have an existing 23andMe or Ancestry.com autosomal test result. You can also join the project by ordering the Family Finder test.   

Encourage other individuals with Anabaptists in their family tree to test here at FTDNA as part of the project. Information from cousins can be used to help clarify where some of the inherited DNA may originate from.

Autosomal DNA testing will provide genealogical, historical, and ancestral information relevant to your family tree. This includes matches to other Family Finder testers and an estimate of your ancestral ethnic composition.

Administrators

Genographic Project

Transfer your Genographic Project results to FTDNA and join for free! From Geno 2.0: Enter paternal story and send raw data. Your Genographic results can be linked to an existing result or you can order a new test and participate in the project.