FamilyTreeDNA Project for surname RUNNER-LAUFFER-RENNER

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Group Administrator: Jeffrey Runner jrunner1@rochester.rr.com

Background

Project Surnames:

Laufer	Lauffer	Renner	Runner

Project Background:

Each RUNNER family lineage tells its own unique and interesting story. For example, one branch includes a German family named LAUFFER (or Laufer) settling in Maryland in the 1700s, eventually changing their name to Runner, and moving in the early 1800s to what would become West Virginia. For others, this may include ancestors that at one time spelled their name RENNER, as there seem to be many Runner/Renner connections. And there are certainly many similar Runner stories. There have been Runner families in the US since the first census was taken in 1790. At that time there were ten Runner families (heads of household named Runner) in four different counties (Frederick, MD, Lancaster and Philadelphia, PA, and Bertie, NC). By 1850, the first year that the US census named all family members, there were 249 Runners, now spread out to 40 counties in nine states (four counties in Indiana, four in Kentucky, one in Louisiana, two in Missouri, four in New York, nine in Ohio, eight in Pennsylvania, two in Tennessee, seven in Virginia). By 1880 there were 493 Runners in 21 of the then 46 states and territories and by 1930 there were 986 Runners in 38 of the then 57 states and territories. Now, 75 years later, it is likely there are Runners in every state in the US. Outside of the US, there were only six Runners in the 1881 British census; and the International Genealogical Index lists just a handful of Runners in Germany, France, Switzerland and Sweden. Thus, it does seem that most Runners are in the US.

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Project Goals:

RUNNER-LAUFFER-RENNER: Though some of the current Runners are probably descended from that German Lauffer family, given that there were already Runners (as well as Renners) in the 1790 census in places like North Carolina, there are certain to be branches of Runners unrelated to Lauffer-Runners. Thus, one goal of this project is to use DNA evidence to clarify the number and connectedness of the various branches of Runners currently living in the US and abroad. A second goal is to use DNA evidence to examine the Lauffer surname both in the US and in Germany to further clarify the ancestral lineage of the current Runners descended from Lauffers. A third goal is to investigate the relationship between the Renner surname and the Runner surname by using DNA to clarify connections between the two surnames. Fourth, DNA evidence can be used to knock down “brick walls” in genealogical research on the various branches of the Runner family where paper evidence is scarce. This may be true for Runners and Renners that were in the US before the 1790 census, for Runners that have come to the US since then, as well as for Runners descended from the German Lauffers.

RENNER-RUNNER: It has been estimated that as many as seven different 'tribes' of Renners existed in Europe during the Middle Ages and an important question would be to determine to what extent these Renners descend from a common source. There are Renners that have come from Pennsylvania and Renners that have come from Maryland--including several known early immigrants from whom many current Renners descend--so one goal of this project is to determine if these two branches are from the same European branches, or if they descend from different branches, coming from Europe separately and at different times. Of particular interest is the Renner families from Frederick County, MD and the extent to which they may be related to each other, to the PA Renners or others.

Project News:

We have had several Runner/Renner members test their mitochondrial DNA. This test follows the maternal line (mother's mother's mother's mother, etc.). Those results are also posted below.

Project Results:

Basic Results (see chart for details): We have had seven members have their YDNA tested: one Lauffer, two Renners, and four Runners. The results suggest that we have four different families: Runner, Lauffer, Renner and Runner/Renner.

RUNNER: Three Runner participants match on all 12 markers; this suggests a 95% chance of a shared ancestor in the past 29 generations. They match the other participants on only 3-5 markers, meaning that it's unlikely they share a common ancestor with the other participants.

LAUFFER: The Lauffer participant matches the other participants on between 3 and 6 markers, also suggesting that it is unlikely that he and the other members share a common ancestor.

RENNER: One Renner participant matches the other participants on only 1-5 markers and therefore is unlikely to share a common ancestor with any of them.

RUNNER/RENNER: One Runner and one Renner participant match each other on 24 out of 25 markers, making it a 95% chance that they have a shared ancestor in the past 20 generations.

Haplogroup: FamilyTreeDNA estimates the haplogroup of members based on their markers. Those are listed in red in the results. Several of our members also had their haplogroup determined by doing the SNP test; those results are listed in green (they are more precise which is why subtypes are determined). The Lauffer and the Runner/Renner members are in Haplogroup R1B1. The Renner participant is in G. And the Runner participants are in I1. More info on haplogroups and what they mean is available on the FamilyTreeDNA site.

DNA Test Results (mtDNA) for Project Members