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Are Lukens in America related to any of the Luyken families in Germany? (DNA may help answer that question.)
Jan Lucken was with the original 13 families who came from the region around Krefeld, Germany to found Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1683. We know the names of three of his paternal ancestors in Germany. These are Wilhelm Lucken, known to be in Rheindahlen in 1597; Johann Lucken, born ca 1595; and Wilhelm Lucken (1620-1695) in Rheindahlen, Rheydt, Krefeld, and Wickrath. They were Mennonites. Jan Lucken may have about a million descendants in the United States. In the United States, the name has become Lukens.
At the same time, there was another Luyken family nearby, also Mennonites. Although they spelled their name slightly differently, the pronunciation of the name was the same. These were Henrich Luyken, died in 1607 in Holten; Hermann Luyken (1589-1630) in Holten; Johannes Luyken (1624-1691) in Wesel; and Daniel I. Luyken (1665-1724) in Wesel.
Because of the proximity (less than 100 km apart), essentially the same name, and that both families were Mennonites, there is good reason to believe that the two families are related. A descendant of the family in Holten and Wesel, another Henrich Luyken, wrote about this in 1964. Altogether, there are at least six Lucken/Luyken families, which may be related. (see the reference below.) However, although it seems likely that the various Lucken/Luyken families are related, no common ancestor has been found in checking records back to about 1500.
Now, because of DNA testing, we have the possibility of finding out if these Lucken/Luyken families are truly related. Because the y-chromosome is passed from father to son unchanged (except for occasional mutations) a male descendant of Jan Lucken (if he has the Lucken, Luken, or Lukens name) should have nearly the same y-Chromosome as Jan Lucken and also of Jan's great grandfather Wilhelm Lucken. Similarly for descendants of any of the Luyken families in Germany. Therefore, to find out if any of these Lucken/Luyken families are related, we need only compare the y-chromosomes of male descendants of any of the Luyken families in Germany (who still have the Luyken name) with American males with the Lukens name (nearly all of whom are descended from Jan Lucken).
Reference:
Luyken, Henrich (in Gummersbach, Germany), "Andere Luyken's" [other Luykens], Chronikblaetter fuer die Familie Luyken/Leuken und ihre Anverwandten, pp. 61-68, 1964. Reprint in possession of Michael Jones. Scanned copies (in German) available from Michael Jones (Michael.Jones@Colorado.edu).
Jan Lucken was with the original 13 families who came from the region around Krefeld, Germany to found Germantown, Pennsylvania in 1683. We know the names of three of his paternal ancestors in Germany. These are Wilhelm Lucken, known to be in Rheindahlen in 1597; Johann Lucken, born ca 1595; and Wilhelm Lucken (1620-1695) in Rheindahlen, Rheydt, Krefeld, and Wickrath. They were Mennonites. Jan Lucken may have about a million descendants in the United States. In the United States, the name has become Lukens.
At the same time, there was another Luyken family nearby, also Mennonites. Although they spelled their name slightly differently, the pronunciation of the name was the same. These were Henrich Luyken, died in 1607 in Holten; Hermann Luyken (1589-1630) in Holten; Johannes Luyken (1624-1691) in Wesel; and Daniel I. Luyken (1665-1724) in Wesel.
Because of the proximity (less than 100 km apart), essentially the same name, and that both families were Mennonites, there is good reason to believe that the two families are related. A descendant of the family in Holten and Wesel, another Henrich Luyken, wrote about this in 1964. Altogether, there are at least six Lucken/Luyken families, which may be related. (see the reference below.) However, although it seems likely that the various Lucken/Luyken families are related, no common ancestor has been found in checking records back to about 1500.
Now, because of DNA testing, we have the possibility of finding out if these Lucken/Luyken families are truly related. Because the y-chromosome is passed from father to son unchanged (except for occasional mutations) a male descendant of Jan Lucken (if he has the Lucken, Luken, or Lukens name) should have nearly the same y-Chromosome as Jan Lucken and also of Jan's great grandfather Wilhelm Lucken. Similarly for descendants of any of the Luyken families in Germany. Therefore, to find out if any of these Lucken/Luyken families are related, we need only compare the y-chromosomes of male descendants of any of the Luyken families in Germany (who still have the Luyken name) with American males with the Lukens name (nearly all of whom are descended from Jan Lucken).
Reference:
Luyken, Henrich (in Gummersbach, Germany), "Andere Luyken's" [other Luykens], Chronikblaetter fuer die Familie Luyken/Leuken und ihre Anverwandten, pp. 61-68, 1964. Reprint in possession of Michael Jones. Scanned copies (in German) available from Michael Jones (Michael.Jones@Colorado.edu).