In the spirit of full disclosure, a thorough answer would require a presentation which meets the Genealogy Proof Standard. Since it was not until May of this year that I found Jacob’s original baptismal record, while I was busy preparing for an upcoming trip to Europe, I am not prepared to present a fully developed case to support my conclusions. But, I am happy to share my current research and thoughts on the matter.
Y-DNA
The six Wannamaker lines represented in the graphic above have been researched extensively. Having these well-documented family histories has been significant, serving as a crucial backdrop to the Y-DNA results. With confidence in the research, we could ‘line up’ the direct male Wannamaker lines and get an idea of where the lines could intersect, the point at which they would share their most recent common ancestor (MRCA).
For the more closely related SC and NY lines, Family Tree DNA predicts, with a 98.82% chance, that the MRCA between these Y-DNA testers lived 8 generations ago. This is only a guideline, but you can see that Johann Conrad (1658) falls into place with this prediction. Taking into account all of the close male relatives of Johann Conrad (1658), this Jacob seems to be the best possible candidate for “our” Jacob.
In the field of Genetic Genealogy, though, DNA test results are considered a tool for genealogical purposes. DNA results alone, i.e., Y-DNA results, cannot determine the MRCA. It is essential to use various types of genealogical records to substantiate all theories such as this one.
Genealogy
In brief, most SC Wannamaker descendants are familiar with the fact that our immigrant ancestor, Jacob Wannamaker, married Anna Catherine Schuler. She was the daughter of Johann Jacob Schuler (b. 1693 Ferenbalm, Canton, Bern, Switzerland – d. 1738, Orangeburg, SC), and Anna Margaretha Lauer. Together, they had 10 children who were born in Lambsborn, Germany. Johann Jacob Schuler had a brother, Hans Joerg Schuler, whose children were born in Waldmohr. You can read about the Schuler family on one of Joop Giesendanner’s websites. I like the fact that he included images of relevant records. Other information about the Schuler family is readily available on the Orangeburg Swiss German Genealogy site. This page also includes a list of references for further reading.
Most of us are familiar with the fact that many German families travelled together when they emigrated to America, so it would stand to reason why we wondered if the Wannamaker and Schuler families knew each other before they arrived in South Carolina. I believe this to be the case. So much so that I contacted the professional genealogist in Germany, again, in 2004. This time, I asked him to “trace the footsteps” of the Schuler family, starting in Germany first and working backward to Switzerland, if need be.
I provided him the paper trail to begin searching for Wannamakers who might be “our” Jacob. He looked through many sources and several church books, covering Krahenburg, Lambsborn, Waldmohr, and other places he thought to be relevant on this quest. In the reports I received from him, he states that “Only in Waldmohr the name Wanne(n)macher appears…there lived Weingart Wanne(n)macher, brickmaker, who has several children born in early 18th century, but among them there is no Jacob.” I couldn’t believe it. It just made so much sense to Craig and me, especially Craig since he had been researching the family group of his ancestor, Johann Conrad (1658) for quite some time. We both thought this Jacob was most likely to be “my” Jacob. But, considering the complex political geography of the region, about which I had no real understanding at the time, perhaps I should have widened the search parameters. In any case, it was time for a break.
I reached out to Craig, again, a couple of years ago to tell him what I still didn’t know. He told me about his continued research on the Wannemacher family and that he had even travelled to the Zweibrucken area to learn more. Meanwhile, I had become the “crazy DNA lady,” asking everyone to test. I told Craig about the Y-DNA project, and he was eager to participate. I’m certainly glad we reconnected because a great deal had changed in recent years, regarding DNA testing and the availability of genealogical records.
Once there were other Y-DNA test results and well-documented paper trails, one night Craig and I took a comprehensive look at everything, old and new. He shared information he had learned about Johann Conrad and his descendants, and we revisited “the case for Jacob.” On August 10, 2017, Craig sent me the “summary details” (Ancestry) of a baptismal record which clearly indicates that Johann Weingart did, indeed, have a child named Jacob. He was baptized on August 18, 1715…..in Waldmohr! I was speechless. And, it was touching that minutes later my father had reached out to me to say that his own father “would have been 108 years old today.” The timing could not have been more perfect. What a gift! It finally felt like I had a gift to honor both my father and grandfather and all the Wannamaker men who had lived before them. It really seemed like we had found the path homeward.
But, as we all know, errors do occur in genealogical records. So, I set out to find the original baptismal record to be sure that this Jacob did exist. It was back to the microfilms, but this time, I searched from the comfort of my home, using a site called Archion.de. I highly recommend it, and I’m grateful to James Beidler for the information. On November 24, 2017, I found the original baptismal record for George Jacob (1743) which provides more evidence for that Y-DNA line. On May 10, 2018, the long-awaited moment had come, and I found Jacob’s (1715) original baptismal record. Two days later, it was the same for Johann Jacob (1731) of the Erzhausen line.
Now, I had more confidence in knowing where to continue my research.
Julia Wannamaker
juliawannamaker@gmail.com
Project Administrator
Family Tree DNA (FTDNA)
Wannamaker DNA Surname Project
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Wannamaker Genealogy 