There are many spellings of the name. The main groups are from NC, GA, PA, TN and IN. Based on DNA the IN group may be distantly related to those in PA that descend from John Michener (1680'5 to PA). On Y-37 results there is a genetic distance of 4. The IN group descends from a John Mitchener (1774-1825). He moved from NC to TN and then to IN. The GA group descends from a William Best Mitchiner, stepson of a John Mitchiner from NC. The TN group descends for William Bryan Mitchener, a brother of John Mitchiner. The NC group descends from Samuel Mitchner. There is a DNA match for William Bryan Mitchener and the descendants of Samuel Mitchner. Their common ancestor seems to be a John Michener first found in Middlesex Co., VA with his wife, Mary. Four DNA results are from descendants of William Best Mitchiner (1792-1865) who lived in Screven Co., GA before moving to Randolph Co., GA. His step father was John Mitchiner from NC that married Luvicy ______. She already had a son named William Harden Best. In 1822 William H. Best had his name legally changed to William Best Mitchiner. It is presumed that John Mitchiner and William Bryan Mitchener are brothers based on NC census and legal records. One of the four results from descendants of William Best Mitchiner is from a descendant of Thomas William Mitchiner (1828-1909), son of William Best Mitchiner by his first marriage to Charlotte Oliver. The other three results are from descendants of William Best Mitchiner by his second marriage to Sarah Coram. One result is from a descentant of his son, Robert Hayes Mitchiner (1850-1935). The other two are from descendants of his son, David Rumph Mitchiner (1852-1929). They represent lines of descent for two of the sons of David, Dessie Radford Mitchiner (1877-1948) and Robert Clinton Mitchiner (1886-1941). Based on DNA results there is no biological connection between William Bryan Mitchiner and any descendant of William Best Mitchiner. Perhaps more DNA results and other records will emerge to establish why the DNA for a descendant of Thomas William Mitchiner does not match the DNA for the one descendant of his half brother, Robert Hayes Mitchiner and the two descendants of his half brother, David Rumph Mitchiner. If Thomas and his wife raised a grandson as their son, then there is still a biological Mitchiner connection running from Thomas to his eldest daughter and through that daughter to a grandson. Y-DNA results for the African-American descendants of slaves from both NC and GA that share variants of spellings for the Mitchiner surname could help establish if some share more than just the spelling of a surname.