Background
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Welcome All Schliessers & Others with Connections to this Name!
According to the book German-American Names by George F. Jones, the Schliesser surname means 'keeper of the keys.'
Using results of Y-DNA testing, the Schliesser Surname Project is devoted to studying the origins of those who share this distinctive and uncommon surname. Anyone, worldwide, with this name (or similar spelling) is encouraged to have Y-DNA testing of himself or a male relative in the direct Schliesser line and join this project. (A woman may join on behalf of a male relative with the surname if she is managing his account.) Consideration for membership will also be given to individuals with a different surname if their Y-markers are a very close match to those of a Schliesser project member. I encourage all Schliessers to include their lines in this project, starting with at least a 12-marker test, which will reveal the main haplogroup.
Currently, we know of at least two genetically distinct groups of Schliessers: One group (earliest known origin of Austria) belongs to Haplogroup J. Another group (earliest known origin of Hungary) belongs to Haplogroup R. Below is a summary of what we know at this time about the origin of each group:
Schliessers who belong to Haplogroup J (Subclade J2a3 - aka "J2a4," prior label):
According to research by the late Rev. Emil Schliesser (Lutheran minister in Germany who had access to early church records), the earliest known ancestor of this group is Jakob Schlietzer, Sr. (c. 1625-1667) from Arriach, Kärnten (Carinthia), Austria. In the year 1650, Jakob Schlietzer (Schliesser) emigrated from Austria to Württemberg (Germany) where many of his descendants remain. Several hundred of his descendants are now in the United States, descended from three Schliesser brothers who immigrated from Württemberg (Germany), and settled in the state of Ohio in the mid-1800s. These brother were: (1) Johann Georg Schliesser (1803-1871) who immigrated with his wife (Barbara Stetter) and children in 1851; (2) David Schliesser (1820-1882) who came with his wife (Catharina Kopenhöfer) in 1848; and (3) the youngest brother, Jakob Schliesser (1825-1882), who came in 1848. More than half of the Schliessers in the United States are descendants of these three brothers. While many remained in Ohio, others are found in various states, including Texas, California, Missouri, and Colorado.
Schliessers who belong to Haplogroup R (Subclade R1b1a2):
This group of Schliessers is represented by John Michael Schliesser (1874-1952) who was born in Hungary and immigrated to the United States in the early 1900s. He resided in New York and California. Two of his sons immigrated to Italy in the 1920s. Descendants of this line of Schliessers are known to live in Italy and the United States.
Schliessers whose ancestors were early settlers on East Coast, U.S.A. - Haplogroup Unknown:
A group (or groups) of Schliessers immigrated much earlier to the United States than either of the previously mentioned groups. They settled primarily on the East Coast (especially Pennsylvania and New York) with a subgroup in Nebraska. It is unknown at this time whether these Schliessers are all related to each other or whether they are related to the known Schliessers from Wain, Germany or to those from the Hungarian line. Y-DNA testing can answer these questions.
Additional Schliessers - world-wide - Haplogroups Unknown:
Worldwide, there are additional Schliessers. Through Y-DNA testing, we can find out if they are genetically separate groups or share a common ancestor in the same line as other Schliessers.
If you are a Schliesser, please consider having your branch represented in this project.
--- Martha J. (Schliesser) Hicks
* For some speculative history of the surname's origins, see the project's "News" page (lower half of that page).
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