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My name is John Corn. I am supposed to be a descendant of John Peter CORN (1752-1843). But we are not sure and you may be able to help prove or disprove this theory. Let me explain.
A company called FamilyTreeDNA (among others) have developed scientific tests which can be used to identify common family geneological lines; more specifically these tests are used to identify whether any 2 people are from the same family line and, if so, approximately how long it has been (in generations) since these 2 people had a common ancestor. This is referred to as the MRCA - Most Recent Common Ancestor.
This particular test uses genetic markers which are found only in the male Y chromosome. For this reason, the tests are referred to as Y-DNA testing. It is only valid for males who are interested in testing their paternal family line. In more common terms, it is used to trace back thru the males who generally pass on the family name. In my case, any male who carries the surname CORN.
To help facilitate this process, FamilyTreeDNA has set up surname projects so that individuals can be tested and verified as being a descendant of a particular family line. One such project is the CORN surname project. But this is not limited to just CORN. It includes all families with variations of this surname such as CORNE, CORNES, CORNN, KORN, KORNE, CHORN, etc.
For a more detailed explanation of how and why DNA testing works, please follow the link below.
http://www.familytreedna.com/tutorial_A.html
The results of any person tested are TOTALLY private. Participation in the project is encouraged because sharing the results (no names attached) helps develop a more accurate picture of how the family lines have developed and split over generations. To help encourage people to participate, FamilyTreeDNA offers a discounted price for testing IF it is done thru the project. Then, if a match (or near match) occurs, the person being tested and the person who matches are each notified PRIVATELY that there is a match and would both parties be interested in corresponding.
There is another important piece to the testing; deciding which test to take. There are basically 4 levels of testing based on the number of genetic markers tested. These are:
12 Markers, 25 Markers, 37 Markers, 67 Markers
As you might expect, the more markers that are tested, the more accurate the results are in terms of narrowing down the Most Recent Common Ancestor. But, the more markers, the greater the cost. So how to decide?
The 12 marker test is the least expensive but it is also very basic and really does not provide any useful information in regards to specific family lines. Even if all 12 markers match, there is only a 95% probability that the Most Recent Common Ancestor was sometime in the last 29 generations. That's somewhere close to 700 years. Perhaps a little too far back to be of much use.
By the same token, the 67 marker test is probably a waste of money unless you already know that you match at the 37 marker level. The 67 marker test can then be used to further define the results if needed.
The 25 marker test (assuming all markers match) can provide a 95% probability of the MRCA existing in the last 13 generations. Much better than the 12 marker test but still in the range of 300+ years. For most of us in the United States, our ancestors were not even on this continent 300 years ago. So this is probably not as useful as we might want.
The 37 marker test can provide 95% probability as recently as 7 generations (less than 200 years). This is the test level that I believe makes the most sense for most people.
I have just recently sent in my test kit as have 3 other descendants of John Peter CORN. And the administrator of the CORN surname project is a descendant of John Peter's brother, George CORN (1750-1829). I would encourage any/all males who carry the name CORN, CORNE, CORNS, CORNN, KORN, KORNE, CHORN, etc to seriously consider getting tested at your earliest convenience. We only need one male from each family to participate so if cost is an issue, perhaps several family members can pool their resources so 1 person can be tested. I believe we are all related and the more of us who are tested, the easier it will be for all of us to identify our specific branch of this tree.
For more information and/or to sign up to participate in this project, please follow the link below.
http://www.familytreedna.com/surname_join.asp?code=A43686&special=true
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