The Sluder surname in America appears to be the Anglicized spelling of the German surname Schlüchter or Schlüter with variations that may include Schlueter, Schleuter, Schluter,Schluechter, Schleuchter and Schluchter. The earliest Schlüchter in the public record is Johann Heinrich Schlüchter, who came to colonial Virginia in 1717 as part of a group of colonists known as the Germanna settlement,established by Virginia Lieutenant Governor Alexander Spotswood. The story of these German immigrants and their experiences at Germanna is a fascinating story of survival and adaptation, but the purpose of this project is to use YDNA testing to tie all males bearing the Sluder surname back to just one man, Johann Heinrich Schluchter. Johann Heinrich Schlüchter was born May 7, 1697 in Bodelshausen, Tubingen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. His father, Johann Jacob Schlüchter died when Johann Heinrich was just a year old. His mother, Anna Barbara was remarried to Cyriacus Fleischmann. Johann Heinrich was 20 years old and part of the extended Fleischmann family when he came to Virginia in 1717. Many members of the 1717 Germanna group left Virginia in the mid 1700’s and migrated south into present day North Carolina, settling along the Yadkin River valley near present day Salisbury, NC. Early land records confirm the name Henry Sluder is one of those settlers. Unfortunately, the identities and number of children born to Johann Heinrich is lost to history. Other than the early land records, the earliest Sluder to be found in the census records appears to be Henry Sluder of Rowan County, NC in 1790. This Henry Sluder is most likely a son or grandson of Johann Heinrich Schlüchter. There are many present day Sluder’s who have taken autosomal tests and have discovered distant DNA matches to Anna Barbara Fleischmann, Johann Heinrich’s mother. The percentage of DNA is small, but support the theory that Anna Barbara is their 5^th to 8^th great-grandmother. Any male bearing the surname Sluder is invited to test and to join this project.