About us
Started in August 2004, the Project now has 41 testing members. To submit a request to join this project, click on the "Request to Join This Group" link on the left of this page. For more information, please email Dan or Bruce: Dan Steeley, Bruce Stahly.
Please note that this project uses DNA from the y-chromosome, which only males have, and which every male gets from his biological father. Testees for this project, therefore, must be male.
Teilnehmer aus deutschsprachigen Ländern dürfen auf Deutsch zu Bruce Stahly schreiben.
As of January 2010, test results of the 41 members at the Y-DNA12 panel revealed 23 unique haplotype strings. These haplotypes sort into 6 halpogroups (genetic population groups). Additionally, genetic distances separate the project members into 15 different (unrelated) clans with various versions of the surname. These clans are: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Clan #1:Stähli from Aeschlen/Sigriswil, Canton Bern, Switzerland. Earliest Documented Ancestor: Caspar Stähli (1685-1732), born in Switzerland, died in the Palatinate, Germany. Emigrated to Palatinate ~1713. Descendant Heinrich emigrated to Ohio/Indiana in 1835, and another descendant Peter emigrated to Illinois in 1852. Others remained in Germany, where their descendants live today with Staehly surname. "Stahly" in the USA, "Staehly" in Germany.
Clan #2a:Stähli from Oberhofen am Thunersee, parish of Hilterfingen, Canton Bern, Switzerland. Earliest Documented Ancestor: Caspar Stähli (1624-1679). His probable great grandfather Jakob Stähli was Ammann (magistrate) in Oberhofen in 1549. Caspar's descendant Jakob Stähli (1738-bef.1805) went to Canton Neuchâtel in Switzerland, and later descendants went from Switzerland to Illinois and Nebraska in 1864, 1868 and 1885. "Stahly" in the USA; "Stähli" in Switzerland. Another descendant, Jacob Stähli, born in Oberhofen am Thunersee in 1817, emigrated to Adams County, Indiana.
Clan #2b:Stähli from Oberhofen am Thunersee, parish of Hilterfingen, Canton Bern, Switzerland. Earliest Documented Ancestor: Caspar Stähli (1624-1679). His probable great grandfather Jakob Stähli was Ammann (magistrate) in Oberhofen in 1549. According to conventional genealogical documentation, this participant shares common ancestry with those from Clan 2a, above. However, the DNA results indicate that this is not likely. "Stähli" in Switzerland.
Clan #3:Stehle from Isingen Germany Earliest Documented Ancestor: Balthasar (1720-1797) born Erzingen, Stadt Balingen, BL, Germany. Went to Pennsylvania, 4-26-1749. One son Balthasar Stehle Jr. and one daughter Christina, family settled and remained in Northampton County PA. Two participants with the "Staley" surname trace their ancestry to Jacob Stahley (1757 ? - 1824), who lived in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. "Stahley", "Stehly" and "Staley" in the USA.
Clan #4:Steeley/Steely from Nockamixon Tsp., Bucks County, Pennsylvania Earliest Documented Ancestor: Jacob Steely (abt.1757 –1810). Remained in Bucks County. First record, 1779 for eldest son Joseph's birth. Wife, Anna Maria Drach. Other sons Frederick, Peter, Christian and Jacob. Sons Joseph and Frederick both signed their surname as "Stählie" in 1811. Another participant from this clan traces his ancestry back to Loy Stähli from Unterlunnern, Canton Zürich, in the middle of the 1500s. One of his descendants emigrated to Canton Bern, and another to North America. A participant from Washington State, whose earliest documented male ancestor is Lewis Staley (1826-1891) also matched other participants in this clan, indicating a common ancestor. "Stähli" in Switzerland, "Steeley", "Stahley" and "Staley" in the USA. Another participant with the "Steeley" surname, with origins in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, also matched all other participants in this clan. In April 2009, a participant from Maryland with the surname "Staley" matched other participants in this clan.
Clan #5:Adam Jacob Staley born 1740 in ?? Germany; died 1812 Yadkin River, Wilkes, NC. A participant from Georgia with the surname "Stailey" has an exact 12/12 match, suggesting a common male ancestor. "Staley" and "Stailey" in the USA.
Clan #6:Stähli from Brienz, Canton Bern, Switzerland. Earliest Documented Ancestor: Heinrich Stähli from Brienz (abt.1663–1746). Peter Wälti, a Swiss genealogist, has documented this family. There are numerous descendants in Switzerland today, especially in Canton Bern. "Stähli" in Switzerland.
Clan #7:Ulrich Stähli was born about 1700 in Wahlern, Canton Bern, Switzerland. He left Switzerland in 1720 when he went to the Salm district in Alsace, and then emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1732. "Stailey" in the USA.
Clan #8:Enoch Johnson Stailey was born in 1809 in Wilkes County, North Carolina, and died in 1883 in Clinton County, Kentucky.
Clan #9:Stähli from Hilterfingen, Canton Bern, Switzerland. Earliest Documented Ancestor: Alexander Stähli (1547-?). His father Michael Stähli married Anna Grossmann in 1538. "Stähli" in Switzerland.
Clan #10:Stähli from Oberschwanden, near Brienz, Canton Bern, Switzerland. Earliest Documented Ancestor: Melcher Stähli (bef. 1649 - aft. 1708). This participant's Heimat (place of origin) is Brienz. However, his results do not match the other participant (Clan 6) whose Heimat is also Brienz. "Stähli" in Switzerland. A Stähli participant from Meiringen, in the far eastern part of Canton Bern, has a very close match at the 37 marker level with a participant from Oberschwanden, providing credibility for the theory that an earlier Brienzer Stähli had moved to nearby Meiringen. This Meiringen participant's earliest documented ancestor was Kashttp://www.familytreedna.com/public/staleypar Stähli (1829-1913), from Schattenhalb, near Meiringen, Canton Bern. Participants from Washington State and Florida with the surname "Staley" are also part of this clan. Their earliest known ancestor was Peter Stahli (or Stähli, or Staley) (1766-1844) from York County, Pennsylvania, but whose roots (probably) also go back to Brienz on the Brienzersee.
Clan #11:Steele from Washington State, U.S. Earliest Documented Ancestor: Francis Steheli (abt.1699-1762), with origins possibly in Germany and Switzerland. A participant from Pennsylvania has a 11/12 match with another participant from this clan, indicating a probable common ancestor. A participant from California with the surname Steele also has a close match with other participants in this clan.
Clan #12:Stäheli from Amriswil, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland. Earliest documented ancestor is Albert Stäheli, 1875, of Frauenfeld. The Swiss participant from this clan has no matches with anyone else in the project.
Clan #13:A participant from Louisiana in the USA, with the surname Staley, has a 11/12 match with the Hilterfingen participant (Clan 9), indicating the probability of a shared common ancestry between the two participants. However, further testing indicates that this is a "false positive," as a genetic distance of 21 at the 37 marker level means that there is no common male ancestor for these two participants. The situation is especially likely to happen in the R1b1 haplogroup.
Clan #14:
Clan #15:Stehle of Upper Neckar Region, Germany. Ancestor Wendelin Stehle, bapt. 23 Oct 1717 in Heiligenzimmern, Principality of Hohenzollern, Germany. His father, Johann Martin Stehle, was born circa 1678 around Empfingen in the Principality of Hohenzollern. Wendelin Stehle raised a family in the village of Bittelbronn, near Haigerloch, where he is one of the patriarchs of what is thought to be three distinct old Stehle families of the area that established themselves in Bittelbronn in the late 1600s to the early 1700s. YDNA testing of the other suspected individual branches should tell if they have any close genetic patrilineal relationship. The name Stehle is common in the Upper Neckar Region of Germany with many in Trillfingen, Binsdorf, and the parishes surrounding these two centers for the name. The Clan 3 Stehle of Isingen, above, are in the environs of the Binsdorf cluster.
Please note that this project uses DNA from the y-chromosome, which only males have, and which every male gets from his biological father. Testees for this project, therefore, must be male.
Teilnehmer aus deutschsprachigen Ländern dürfen auf Deutsch zu Bruce Stahly schreiben.
As of January 2010, test results of the 41 members at the Y-DNA12 panel revealed 23 unique haplotype strings. These haplotypes sort into 6 halpogroups (genetic population groups). Additionally, genetic distances separate the project members into 15 different (unrelated) clans with various versions of the surname. These clans are: __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Clan #1:Stähli from Aeschlen/Sigriswil, Canton Bern, Switzerland. Earliest Documented Ancestor: Caspar Stähli (1685-1732), born in Switzerland, died in the Palatinate, Germany. Emigrated to Palatinate ~1713. Descendant Heinrich emigrated to Ohio/Indiana in 1835, and another descendant Peter emigrated to Illinois in 1852. Others remained in Germany, where their descendants live today with Staehly surname. "Stahly" in the USA, "Staehly" in Germany.
Clan #2a:Stähli from Oberhofen am Thunersee, parish of Hilterfingen, Canton Bern, Switzerland. Earliest Documented Ancestor: Caspar Stähli (1624-1679). His probable great grandfather Jakob Stähli was Ammann (magistrate) in Oberhofen in 1549. Caspar's descendant Jakob Stähli (1738-bef.1805) went to Canton Neuchâtel in Switzerland, and later descendants went from Switzerland to Illinois and Nebraska in 1864, 1868 and 1885. "Stahly" in the USA; "Stähli" in Switzerland. Another descendant, Jacob Stähli, born in Oberhofen am Thunersee in 1817, emigrated to Adams County, Indiana.
Clan #2b:Stähli from Oberhofen am Thunersee, parish of Hilterfingen, Canton Bern, Switzerland. Earliest Documented Ancestor: Caspar Stähli (1624-1679). His probable great grandfather Jakob Stähli was Ammann (magistrate) in Oberhofen in 1549. According to conventional genealogical documentation, this participant shares common ancestry with those from Clan 2a, above. However, the DNA results indicate that this is not likely. "Stähli" in Switzerland.
Clan #3:Stehle from Isingen Germany Earliest Documented Ancestor: Balthasar (1720-1797) born Erzingen, Stadt Balingen, BL, Germany. Went to Pennsylvania, 4-26-1749. One son Balthasar Stehle Jr. and one daughter Christina, family settled and remained in Northampton County PA. Two participants with the "Staley" surname trace their ancestry to Jacob Stahley (1757 ? - 1824), who lived in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. "Stahley", "Stehly" and "Staley" in the USA.
Clan #4:Steeley/Steely from Nockamixon Tsp., Bucks County, Pennsylvania Earliest Documented Ancestor: Jacob Steely (abt.1757 –1810). Remained in Bucks County. First record, 1779 for eldest son Joseph's birth. Wife, Anna Maria Drach. Other sons Frederick, Peter, Christian and Jacob. Sons Joseph and Frederick both signed their surname as "Stählie" in 1811. Another participant from this clan traces his ancestry back to Loy Stähli from Unterlunnern, Canton Zürich, in the middle of the 1500s. One of his descendants emigrated to Canton Bern, and another to North America. A participant from Washington State, whose earliest documented male ancestor is Lewis Staley (1826-1891) also matched other participants in this clan, indicating a common ancestor. "Stähli" in Switzerland, "Steeley", "Stahley" and "Staley" in the USA. Another participant with the "Steeley" surname, with origins in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, also matched all other participants in this clan. In April 2009, a participant from Maryland with the surname "Staley" matched other participants in this clan.
Clan #5:Adam Jacob Staley born 1740 in ?? Germany; died 1812 Yadkin River, Wilkes, NC. A participant from Georgia with the surname "Stailey" has an exact 12/12 match, suggesting a common male ancestor. "Staley" and "Stailey" in the USA.
Clan #6:Stähli from Brienz, Canton Bern, Switzerland. Earliest Documented Ancestor: Heinrich Stähli from Brienz (abt.1663–1746). Peter Wälti, a Swiss genealogist, has documented this family. There are numerous descendants in Switzerland today, especially in Canton Bern. "Stähli" in Switzerland.
Clan #7:Ulrich Stähli was born about 1700 in Wahlern, Canton Bern, Switzerland. He left Switzerland in 1720 when he went to the Salm district in Alsace, and then emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1732. "Stailey" in the USA.
Clan #8:Enoch Johnson Stailey was born in 1809 in Wilkes County, North Carolina, and died in 1883 in Clinton County, Kentucky.
Clan #9:Stähli from Hilterfingen, Canton Bern, Switzerland. Earliest Documented Ancestor: Alexander Stähli (1547-?). His father Michael Stähli married Anna Grossmann in 1538. "Stähli" in Switzerland.
Clan #10:Stähli from Oberschwanden, near Brienz, Canton Bern, Switzerland. Earliest Documented Ancestor: Melcher Stähli (bef. 1649 - aft. 1708). This participant's Heimat (place of origin) is Brienz. However, his results do not match the other participant (Clan 6) whose Heimat is also Brienz. "Stähli" in Switzerland. A Stähli participant from Meiringen, in the far eastern part of Canton Bern, has a very close match at the 37 marker level with a participant from Oberschwanden, providing credibility for the theory that an earlier Brienzer Stähli had moved to nearby Meiringen. This Meiringen participant's earliest documented ancestor was Kashttp://www.familytreedna.com/public/staleypar Stähli (1829-1913), from Schattenhalb, near Meiringen, Canton Bern. Participants from Washington State and Florida with the surname "Staley" are also part of this clan. Their earliest known ancestor was Peter Stahli (or Stähli, or Staley) (1766-1844) from York County, Pennsylvania, but whose roots (probably) also go back to Brienz on the Brienzersee.
Participants or others who are descended from a Staley clan in North Carolina may wish to visit the web site of this project: .
Clan #11:Steele from Washington State, U.S. Earliest Documented Ancestor: Francis Steheli (abt.1699-1762), with origins possibly in Germany and Switzerland. A participant from Pennsylvania has a 11/12 match with another participant from this clan, indicating a probable common ancestor. A participant from California with the surname Steele also has a close match with other participants in this clan.
Clan #12:Stäheli from Amriswil, Canton Thurgau, Switzerland. Earliest documented ancestor is Albert Stäheli, 1875, of Frauenfeld. The Swiss participant from this clan has no matches with anyone else in the project.
Clan #13:A participant from Louisiana in the USA, with the surname Staley, has a 11/12 match with the Hilterfingen participant (Clan 9), indicating the probability of a shared common ancestry between the two participants. However, further testing indicates that this is a "false positive," as a genetic distance of 21 at the 37 marker level means that there is no common male ancestor for these two participants. The situation is especially likely to happen in the R1b1 haplogroup.
The participant from Louisiana traces his ancestry back to Kentucky in the 19th century.
Clan #14:
Clan #15:Stehle of Upper Neckar Region, Germany. Ancestor Wendelin Stehle, bapt. 23 Oct 1717 in Heiligenzimmern, Principality of Hohenzollern, Germany. His father, Johann Martin Stehle, was born circa 1678 around Empfingen in the Principality of Hohenzollern. Wendelin Stehle raised a family in the village of Bittelbronn, near Haigerloch, where he is one of the patriarchs of what is thought to be three distinct old Stehle families of the area that established themselves in Bittelbronn in the late 1600s to the early 1700s. YDNA testing of the other suspected individual branches should tell if they have any close genetic patrilineal relationship. The name Stehle is common in the Upper Neckar Region of Germany with many in Trillfingen, Binsdorf, and the parishes surrounding these two centers for the name. The Clan 3 Stehle of Isingen, above, are in the environs of the Binsdorf cluster.