Objective:

Background Information:

Paul A. Hinze was born in Germany on May 13, 1885.  On June 23, 1881, at the age of 16, Paul immigrated to the United States through the Port of Baltimore.  The manifest identifies his occupation as a shoemaker.  He is next accounted in the 1885 Minnesota State Census, placing him in Brownsdale, Mower County, Minnesota.  While living in Brownsdale he married Elizabeth Weghorn on December 14, 1885 and on September 23, 1886 his first son William C. was born.  In 1887 he moved to Zumbrota, Goodhue County, Minnesota where his second son George A. was born on May 12, 1887.  Paul made his initial application for citizenship while living in Zumbrota.  Around 1890 he moved to St. Paul, Ramsey County, Minnesota.  His daughter Pearl A. was born on December 9, 1890 and his third son Walter F. was born on October 7, 1895.  He became a U.S. citizen on December 30, 1897.  About 1908 he abandoned his family and moved out west.  The 1920 Federal Census identifies him in Berkeley, Alameda Township, Oakland County, California.  The Census data indicates that he had moved to California around 1916 and in 1915 had a daughter from a second marriage.  Paul Died on April 13, 1920 and is buried in Sunset View Cemetery, Alameda County, California.  Nothing is known about his second wife and their daughter.

Hyphtheisis:

 (A).  At the age of 16 Paul came to America by assistance of a support group of either friends or relatives.  Other Hinze families were established in small German communities in Wisconsin and Minnesota prior to Paul’s arrival.  These families may have been part of his support structure.  DNA testing will prove or disprove this theory.

(B).  Paul’s origins will be discovered by identifying other Hinze family members both in the United States and Germany who share the same Y-line DNA markers as the Paul Hinze Clan and have an established pedigree back to specific German towns.

Strategy:

As no record of Paul’s hometown in Germany can be found it is hoped that other Hinze families can be found with established pedigrees back to Germany and who match the same Y-line markers as the Paul A. Hinze Clan.  Then a most recent common ancestor (MRCA) can be identified.  Once a MRCA is identified in a specific town or region of Germany, then additional effort and resources can be applies to discover Paul’s origins.  Further, to discover if any link exists between the Paul A. Hinze Clan and other Hinze households in Minnesota and Wisconsin by identifying other Hinze families who lived in the same counties at the same time as Paul.  If Paul had a family support group in Minnesota or Wisconsin, family members who assisted him when he first came to America would be identified.

How you can participate:

To begin with, you need to be a male (since women don't have a Y-Chromosome) with the Hinze surname.  If you are a female, please encourage your male cousins, uncles, fathers, brothers, etc. to participate.

It would be very helpful if you have traced your family line back a number of generations.  If you can trace them back to Germany, so much the better!  If you live in Germany that is even better.  If, however, you know nothing about your ancestors, this study can help you concentrate your future research on the right line.

If you are interested in participating, go directly to the Family Tree DNA web site and order a test kit.  The current price for the 25 Marker DNA test is $169/person for our study group (this is a savings of $60).  When you order tell them that you are with the Hinze Y-Line Study to get this discount price.

When your test kit comes, simply follow the instruction.  Taking the DNA sample is as simple as brushing your teeth, only you brush the inside of your cheek instead. There is about a 5-week turn-around time once you send off your sample.

There are several other labs that do Y-chromosome testing, but for the results to be comparable with one another, we all need to use Family Tree DNA .  The reason for this is that each lab uses different loci to test. We all need to have the test done on the same loci for this project to work and the participants to be comparable.