Results
Eighteen months into the life of this project, we now have four members. Three of the members (all South African born) are clearly related through yDNA results, even if our last common ancestor was born 300 years ago. A fourth (European) member with a similar surname had quite different results.
Claas Jansz, our progenitor in South Africa, is thought to have been born in Rendsburg, Schleswig-Holstein, Germany. The Schleswig-Holstein area has been in dispute between Germany and Denmark for centuries. Between 1460 and 1867, Rendsburg was mostly under Danish control, and it was a garrison town. Another interesting historical/political fact has to do with Norway's status at this time. In 1380, Norway was absorbed into a union with Denmark that lasted more than 400 years. Denmark ceded Norway to Sweden in 1814. This history is important for the rest of this DNA story.
Claas Jansz was born about 1661, right in the middle of the 400-year period of Danish control over Rendsburg, Schleswig-Holstein and over Norway. If Claas was indeed from Rendsburg, it is conceivable (but not proven) that he (or his parents) could have moved there from another part of Denmark, including from Norway.
After receiving my own results from FTDNA, I joined other relevant projects. These projects are more research oriented than my own, and at least two of those projects classified my results as I1a-UN (type 1): "I1a-uN (ultra-Norse) reaches its peak density in Norway where it is the most numerous form of I1a seen ... I1a-uN is very close to totally absent south of the Baltic and North Seas."
We would like to find links with our European family members and achieve more clarity about the origins of Claas Jansz. Please join this project so we can all learn more.