This surname study is attempting to determine the genetic links, if any, between the Strunk, Strunck, and Strunks families of Western Europe and the rest of the world. 

A Strunk surname Y Chromosome DNA study is being organized by Steven C. Perkins, SCPerkins@gmail.com, a descendant of Daniel Strunk of Wilkes/Ashe Co., NC and Whitley Co., KY.

The Y chromosome is passed relatively unchanged from father to son and only appears in males. This makes it suited for study in surname projects. If you are a male surnamed Strunk, or the wife or sister of such a person, and you would be interested in participating or sponsoring someone in the study, please contact me at the address above or visit the Join link.

The study is motivated by interest in providing evidence to support or disprove various Strunk family relationships between Daniel Strunk and the Strunck, Strunk, and Stronk, immigrants to New York and Pennsylvannia in the mid 1700s. Those immigrants were:

• Weymer Strunk, 1764.
• Johan Gerlach Strunk, 1764 of Nister, Parish of Altstadt, Sayn-Hachenburg.
• Johan Wilhelm Strunck, 1764, of same.
• Johann Engel Strunck, 1753, of Nenckhausen, Parish of Kirburg, Sayn-Hachenburg.
• Johann Henrich Strunck, 1753, of same.
• Weymar Strunck, 1744.
• Johan Peter Strunk, 1743.

A first goal would be to determine the DNA signature of the documented descendants of Daniel Strunk. After that we need to determine the DNA signature of the descendants of the Strunk immigrants. Then we can compare the signatures to determine any relationships.

If participants from the various Strunk families in Europe can be found, an additional goal would be to determine the paternal lines of Daniel Strunk and the Strunk immigrants.

In order to make progress, we need more volunteers from the lines of the other Strunk immigrants to take the test.

This is an exciting project which can answer several vexing questions. I urge anyone interested in the study to visit the Strunk Y DNA Study and send a request to join.

Why use DNA testing?

If you are stuck at a brick wall with your research, DNA testing may match you to another family you can share research with to find your common ancestor. Finding your genetic match will help you to focus your research on families you have a connection to, instead of researching all the families with the same name in the same area. This should save you money on research materials.

Reasons not to use DNA testing:

If it would bother you to find out that you are not a genetic match to your family, don't do DNA testing. It is also recommended that you do not test several members of the same immediate family if finding out they do not match would cause you problems.

Who should test?

You should test your oldest living direct line ancestor in either your paternal (Y DNA) or maternal (mtDNA) lines or all line, male and female using the Family Finder test.

What tests should be used?

If you imagine you are at the top of a pyramid, then your paternal line is the right side of the triangle, and your maternal line is the left side. All your other ancestral lines are between those and can be found by testing direct line descendants of your ancestors or using the Family Finder test.

Y DNA
The Y DNA test is for finding your paternal line ancestry. Only males can be tested since only males have a Y chromosome.

mtDNA
The mtDNA test is for finding your maternal line ancestry. Both males and females can be tested since you get your mtDNA from your mother. Only females pass their mtDNA on to their children.

Autosomal DNA
FTDNA now offers the Family Finder test, which tests your 22 chromosomes and the X chromosome. At this time it is best used to confirm your recent genealogy within 5 generations. The X chromosome is not yet used in ancestry reports. No medical information is revealed by this test due to the way it has been designed.

There are other tests, the CODIS test used by the police, and paternity tests, but these are not yet appropriate for genealogy. The latter can help with siblingship or paternity questions.