DNA Testing & Results
LLFA members have participated in y-DNA testing through FamilyDNA.com as part of the Palatine Project. This test is used to identify and prove male-to-male-to-male descendancy. Some of the first results have confirmed that members descended from Johann Niclaus Laux are part of the I1 Haplogroup and, further, are part of the M253 mutation group.
All haplogroups originate from an original male, designated as “Adam,” who originated in the Great Rift Valley of Africa about 60,000 years ago. Our M253 branch, according to some prominent theories, came through the Middle East and then, 15,000 to 20,000 years ago settled in the area of northern Spain and southern France. From there, migrations continued into northernEurope and England, with some significant connections with the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings.
According to the FamilyDNA website, the I1 subclade of Haplogroup I is estimated to be 15,000 to 20,000 years old and confirmed by the single nucleotide polymorphism, SNP, known as M253. According to the Genographic Project, the founder of the I1 branch lived on the Iberian Peninsula during the Last Glacial Maximum or LGM. 15,000 years is a long time ago though and the descendants of that first I1 have spread across Europe. Their children have formed subpopulations each having its own distinct history. While many I1 members trace their ancestry to Scandinavia, others find their roots in the British Isles, Germany, and beyond.
Further DNA testing of LLFA members descended from Johann Henrich Laux, whom it was assumed was a near relative of Johann Niclaus, has shown surprisingly that this was not the case! Several of those tested have been classified in the haplogroup R1b1b2, which is significantly different than the I1 haplogroup of the other LLFA members who have matched so far.
All haplogroups originate from an original male, designated as “Adam,” who originated in the Great Rift Valley of Africa about 60,000 years ago. Our M253 branch, according to some prominent theories, came through the Middle East and then, 15,000 to 20,000 years ago settled in the area of northern Spain and southern France. From there, migrations continued into northernEurope and England, with some significant connections with the Anglo-Saxons and Vikings.
According to the FamilyDNA website, the I1 subclade of Haplogroup I is estimated to be 15,000 to 20,000 years old and confirmed by the single nucleotide polymorphism, SNP, known as M253. According to the Genographic Project, the founder of the I1 branch lived on the Iberian Peninsula during the Last Glacial Maximum or LGM. 15,000 years is a long time ago though and the descendants of that first I1 have spread across Europe. Their children have formed subpopulations each having its own distinct history. While many I1 members trace their ancestry to Scandinavia, others find their roots in the British Isles, Germany, and beyond.
Further DNA testing of LLFA members descended from Johann Henrich Laux, whom it was assumed was a near relative of Johann Niclaus, has shown surprisingly that this was not the case! Several of those tested have been classified in the haplogroup R1b1b2, which is significantly different than the I1 haplogroup of the other LLFA members who have matched so far.