Our German surname (Keefer/Kiefer/Kieffer) comes from the blend of a couple words for 'Pine Tree' and came to be an occupational name for the overseer of the wine cellar (from the Latin, 'Cupa') and thus the English equivalent (Cooper) and the French equivalent (Tonnelier). Therefore, when families took their surnames from their profession (e.g. Smith, Carpenter and Baker) it was many of our forefathers who served as wine stewards and barrel makers who chose the names that our families bear today. Many of our ancestors were geographically located around the Black Forest and took their surname from the 'Kiefers' (pine trees) that surrounded their home. Because of this we all represent a variety of ancient haplogroups, branches and subclaves. The Keefer Family Project welcomes all who are interested in working together to find their common heritage through sharing of information and DNA testing. All spelling variations are welcome. If your Surname is missing and should be included, we'll be glad to add it. Note that the following only represent Y-DNA descendants and does not include known autosomal matches: Presently, our project is represented by 5 Haplogroups (E, G, I, J, R), the last of which is further divided into two branches (M269 & M420). M269 has been further divided into it's two major subclades (P312 & U106). * R-M420 (R1a) is a Central Asian branch of Haplogroup R that long ago pushed into Russia and Eastern Europe. All 5 of our members from R1a descend from the more recent R-M198 (R1a1a) subclade. * R-M269 (R1b) is a Central Asian branch that long ago pushed into Europe. Our 39 members from Haplogroup R1b descend from this ancient lineage. R-P312 is a more recent western European branch. R-U106 is a more recent Germanic branch. * G-M201 is a Middle Eastern branch. All 13 members from Haplogroup G descend from this ancient lineage. 4 members from 3 lines come from distant lineages that were probably related 600-1500 years ago. 8 members, however, are all related and share a common ancestor that was probably Valentin Kueffer (b.1691). Valentin's descendants changed their surname after they immigrated and today bear the names Keefer, Cooper, Keiffer, and Kiefer and also include the Harger line. This grouping is situated on the G-P15 branch and are probably all located on the G-M3302 subclade. One Big-Y 700 kit representing this clan tested precisely for the G-FTA76587 haplogroup. 1 other member is related to this group, but probably shares a common ancestor with Valentin's family from the 1500s. * Haplogroup I is likely the oldest European Y-DNA clade. I-M253 (I1) is a major branch and 9 of 10 members descend from this ancient lineage. The 2 members confirmed further downstream are from two different branches: Z59 (I1a2a) and Z63 (I1a3). I-P215 (I2) is a major branch that 1 member descends from and is from the M223 branch. * E-M35 is a North African branch. All 3 members from Haplogroup E descend from this ancient lineage, although they come from three different lines and are not recently related. * J-M172 (J2) is an ancient Middle Eastern branch of Haplogroup J. Both members descend from this ancient lineage.