The Weisel Surname DNA Project The purpose of the Weisel y-DNA Surname study established December 21, 2014 is to identify possible relationships between different Weisel family lines worldwide.
Genealogical records trace ancestry back only to the late 1500's and 1600's. As the surname Weisel would have been adopted by families in the centuries 1200-1400, it will be necessary to undertake a DNA Y-chromosome study to determine how many Weisel lines of descent are genetically related.
The Weisel Surname study will include surnames that have evolved into variant spellings in North and South America, Australia and Europe such as Weissel, Wysel, Wisel, Whisel, Weisell, Wisely and Wiseley. For known Weisel groups, where relationship and ancestry is known, a minimum of 2 to 3 individuals will be necessary to establish a definitive marker for the surname subgroup.
By the 1600-1800s there were 3 main population groups of Weisel documented. One group was concentrated in the Wetterau region of Hessen and is a place name. A second group was located in Bavaria. A third family emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1732 from Schleithal, Bas-Rhin, Alsace, France. Schleithal being located on the border with Germany and nearby to the Rhine River.
| Link | Source |
|---|---|
| An Introduction to Genetic Genealogy | FamilySearch @ www.familysearch.org |
| Beginners Guide to Genetic Genealogy | International Society of Genetic Genealogy |
| Genetic Genealogy | International Society of Genetic Genealogy |
| Genetic Genealogy | Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
| Understanding DNA | FamilyTreeDNA @ www.familytreedna.com |
The Weisel DNA study will use Y-Chromosome DNA, which is usually passed from father to son unchanged. However, every so often there is a mutation in one of the alleles, or segments. Therefore, taking the average rate of mutation as the standard, an estimate can be made of how far back two individuals are related with a common ancestor. This estimate of Most Recent Common Ancestor (MRCA) is the heart of a DNA study.
The Y-DNA haplogroup tells one's ancient origin, from a few thousand to 50,000 years ago.
The test provides a genetic fingerprint consisting of 37, 67 or 111 STR markers or the Big Y-700, the most comprehensive Y-DNA test which uses both STRs and SNPs for matching. The results will be compared with other participants in the study or the Y-DNA chromosome database at familytreedna.com. If two people have a match, that means they have a common male ancestor somewhere up the line. The test won't tell specifically who that ancestor was, but it can narrow down a time frame of when the most recent common ancestor lived.
Because only males carry a Y-chromosome, participants must be males with the Weisel surname, a Weisel surname variation, or a direct male bloodline. But that doesn't eliminate females, or males with another surname, from becoming involved. You can ask any male relative (father, brother, uncle, distant cousin) with the Weisel surname or variation to represent your family line, as long you both descend from a a common ancestor.
The Weisel FamilyTreeDna Surname Group project results as of January 2024:
George Michael Weisel, having four sons, has left many descendants today in the US. For branches believed to be descendants of George Michael Weisel but can't be included in the family tree for lack of written records, it will be necessary for a male descendant to take a Y-DNA test to determine if there is a match to the confirmed results. Surnames in this category are Wisel, Wysel, Wiysel.
The ultimate success of the study will depend on the number of individuals who participate and on the documentation about each line giving names, dates and locations of birth, death, marriage, etc.
The testing laboratory, familytreedna.com, currently charges $99 - $119 for the 37-marker test.
For the Weisel surname project to function properly, you should arrange your test through the "Weisel" Group Project at familytreedna.com.
Since 12/4/2020