The 1850 census for Elkhart County, Indiana has families of two SHREINER brothers, John and George. These Shreiners can be traced back to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

I am a descendant of a John Shreiner who shows up in Cass County, MI records after 1850 (just across the Indiana state line). I've had a Y chromosome test done on one of my male Schreiner cousins, and I'd like to compare results with a known descendant of a Lancaster County SHREINER who can trace his origins to Hans Adam SHREINER. The line of descent must be male to male all the way, since that's the way the Y chromosome travels. Markers on the Y chromosome can remain constant for many generations.

I am willing to pay for the test, which involves rubbing a swab inside your cheek and mailing the sample to the lab (Family Tree DNA http://www.ftdna.com). The test reveals nothing about any traits or medical conditions -- just whether or not the two men have a common ancestor.

If you are acquainted with any Shreiners, please pass along this message. I'd be glad to supply more details if anyone's interested. I also run a mailing list for people interested in applying DNA testing to genealogy:

http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/other/Miscellaneous/GENEALOG...

Ann Turner (AKA DNACousins@aol.com)