About us
Family historians have generally concluded there were one or two primary groupings of Burriers or Borgers on arrival in America in the 1700s who initially settled in Berks County, Pennsylvania and Fredericks, Maryland. Research of the earlier history of our families by traditional methods only take us so far due to the lack of records and still leaves us debating questions such as what European country ro countries our ancestors came from.
We now have several lines which are distinct in some respects, yet currently co-mingled due to westward migration in America.
One line is identified as founded by Johan Nickolas BORGER and his wife Ottilla. It was geographically centered north-northeast of Allentown,PA. A descendant located north of Scranton, PA recently connected with another apparent descendant in Utah with a totally diffent surname due to a recognized non-paternal event of a few generations past. A third potential cousin from Ohio has his DNA analysis in process.
A second line, presumed to be unrelated to the first, is identified as headed by Samuel and Philip Burrier/Borger and located in Longswamp Township,Berks County,just west of Allentown,PA.
A third line, which may or may not be related to the second line, has been essentially identified as based on Leonard and Barbara Burrier of Frederick County, in northern Maryland. This line appears to have contributed greatly to the current "Burrier" populations of Maryland, Ohio, and Texas with co-mingling by other Burrier & Borger lines as generations scattered westward across the country. .
A fourth line was anticipated to be in agreement with the third described above as a branch of the John Leonard line located in Texas. It did not turn out as expected. Even at the minimal test level of 12 markers, it was apparent that there were too many differences from the other John Leonard Burrier analyses. However, the analysis did match with several other surnames at the 12 marker level at least one of which used a surname with which the family had had some contact. That raises the possibility of an informal or unrecorded adoption of a male child into a Burrier family.
A fifth line which came out of Northampton County, and may have been derived from the Longswamp line, has been identified as the Wyoming Valley Burriers. The lead family of this branch would have been Jacob Borger and his wife, Maria Nagle. DNA test of one member of this branch indicates a probable non-paternal event resulting in a COURTRIGHT, Cornelius J. Burrier, being adopted into the Burrier clan. Only further DNA tests by additional DNA Donors can define for certain if and when this might have occurred.
A sixth family line is associated with a Peter BURKET or BURGER who was thought to have been born between 1784 and 1801 in Virginia or Pennsylvania and migrated westward to Somerset in Pulaski County, Kentucky. While it did not match any DNA contributors in our project group, FTDNA did provide a match of 24 out of 25 measurements with a BURKETT, a very strong probability that the two testees share a common ancestor in the recent past. It also matched exactly 12 out of 12 with this BURKETT and two other BURKETTs.
We now have several lines which are distinct in some respects, yet currently co-mingled due to westward migration in America.
One line is identified as founded by Johan Nickolas BORGER and his wife Ottilla. It was geographically centered north-northeast of Allentown,PA. A descendant located north of Scranton, PA recently connected with another apparent descendant in Utah with a totally diffent surname due to a recognized non-paternal event of a few generations past. A third potential cousin from Ohio has his DNA analysis in process.
A second line, presumed to be unrelated to the first, is identified as headed by Samuel and Philip Burrier/Borger and located in Longswamp Township,Berks County,just west of Allentown,PA.
A third line, which may or may not be related to the second line, has been essentially identified as based on Leonard and Barbara Burrier of Frederick County, in northern Maryland. This line appears to have contributed greatly to the current "Burrier" populations of Maryland, Ohio, and Texas with co-mingling by other Burrier & Borger lines as generations scattered westward across the country. .
A fourth line was anticipated to be in agreement with the third described above as a branch of the John Leonard line located in Texas. It did not turn out as expected. Even at the minimal test level of 12 markers, it was apparent that there were too many differences from the other John Leonard Burrier analyses. However, the analysis did match with several other surnames at the 12 marker level at least one of which used a surname with which the family had had some contact. That raises the possibility of an informal or unrecorded adoption of a male child into a Burrier family.
A fifth line which came out of Northampton County, and may have been derived from the Longswamp line, has been identified as the Wyoming Valley Burriers. The lead family of this branch would have been Jacob Borger and his wife, Maria Nagle. DNA test of one member of this branch indicates a probable non-paternal event resulting in a COURTRIGHT, Cornelius J. Burrier, being adopted into the Burrier clan. Only further DNA tests by additional DNA Donors can define for certain if and when this might have occurred.
A sixth family line is associated with a Peter BURKET or BURGER who was thought to have been born between 1784 and 1801 in Virginia or Pennsylvania and migrated westward to Somerset in Pulaski County, Kentucky. While it did not match any DNA contributors in our project group, FTDNA did provide a match of 24 out of 25 measurements with a BURKETT, a very strong probability that the two testees share a common ancestor in the recent past. It also matched exactly 12 out of 12 with this BURKETT and two other BURKETTs.