Boettcher Y-DNA Research Project - Background & Initial Results - Part I

Y-DNA (or Paternal Line) research is probably the most commonly used method for genetic genealogy. This method helps in proving relationships between males with the same paternal line (usually linked by same surname). This research is best used in combination with genealogical records where possible, but may also help prove or disprove relationships in the absence of records.

Our own paternal line, the Michael Böttcher family (of Paris, Bessarabia) dead ends with the founding of Paris in 1816 and the church books that only reach back to 1819. All we know of his origin is that he was born in Poland in 1794. Over years of research, we found a number of other Boettcher familes in adjacent villages in Bessarabia (Kulm, Leipzig, Tarutino, Arzis) and also in the Beresan colonies (Worms, Waterloo).  Even though Boettcher is a somewhat common occupational name (meaning cooper, barrel maker) we hypothesized that some of these families may be related. In the absence of church books or other source documents, we had no way of proving or disproving our theory -- until Y-DNA research that is…

While our project is still in its infancy, we are beginning to show that several of these families are not related.
We began by getting samples from our proven family (my father and his 2nd cousin, myself, my son). Indeed, the Y-DNA for these matched perfectly. This allowed us to determine with certainty the Y-DNA code for their most recent common ancestor, my great-great grandfather (Samuel Boettcher). See Chart 1.



CHART 1.



continued in Part II