Y-DNA

February 9, 2025 

I recently took the Y-DNA test from Family Tree DNA. If you didn’t know, Y-DNA is passed down on the paternal side. From father to son only and is not passed down to daughters.

The thing that amazed me was that out of the matches that I have seen so far, there were no Ackerman’s. No matter how you spell it. Now mind you there weren’t a lot of matches to begin with. Probably because I took the least expensive test. The surname that most of the matches had was Dillman.

Dillman (10)
Blumentritt (1)
Hill (1)
Young (1)

I did a search on Ancestry for Dillman DNA matches and found two matches. One with a private tree and the other with very little information dating back to 1760 and possibly 1740ish.

This could mean that someone may have taken their mother’s name or changed their name at some point or was adopted.

Paul 1771 to 1789

In my research I have discovered that there were missing records in the PA Luthern and Reformed Church community. The records weren’t actually mssing but saved and sent to Germany (Prussia) by a Luthern minister to keep them safe. Figuring that during the Revolution the records could have been destroyed. The records have been returned but it may take a trip to PA to see them.

This is probably the reason we don’t have some records. Like Paul’s first marriage to Anna Maria.

We know Paul arrived in 1771 and was living in Manor Township, Lancaster Co. His first child Catheine was born in 1782.

Paul was an indentured servent for 3 years and we think 6 months from 1771 to 1774/5. Since his first child was born in 1782 we can assume that he was married to Anna Maria prior to 1782. We can probablly assume that Paul and Anna Maria got married in 1780 or 1781.

Also I am revising Paul’s estimated birth to around 1750 which would mean he was a teenager upon his arrival. I have yet to find a record showing his birth date.

According to “Being the story of Archibald Ohlwein Immigrant to Pennsylvania and his Olewine Descendants.” Paul ACKERMAN was one who played a very large role in the lives of the OLFWINEs.

The Ackerman-Olewine Connection

May 4, 2026 

Here I’ll talk about insights from the research from Phyllis Olewine including stories passed down via the Olewine ancestors.

Plyllis Olewine did her research prior to 1980. It included information from Donald Olewine college term paper which she termed Donald’s History and from Governor Warren Moltz which she referred to as Moltz Journal.

Other sourcces were; census records, deeds, church end cemetery records, county histories, newspaper notices, and family traditions make up the
bulk of the other sources used. Some information was gathered from a family Bible.

A lot of the information in this document is in reference to the Olewine family. I will pull out the parts that refrence our Ackerman family.

First mention of Paul Ackerman

By February 12, 1796, the first OLEWINEs had arrived on
the scene but for a long time no one could tell thet they had,
for their name never showed up in any records. But we do know
that on that date Deniel and Ann Eve COLLINS sold some land to
a Paul ACKERMAN from Manor Township in Lancester County. Ann
Eve, wife of Daniel COLLINS was the daughter of Daniel WOMMELSDORFF, who had recently died, end she wes the administrator of his estate and was disposing of her father’s lend.

The land owned by the lete Deniel WOMMELSDORFF bordered
the land belonging to George MANN, the river Susquehenna, lands
of John WEISER, and the north side of the Conodoguinet Creek
and contained 122 acres. Paul ACKERMAN bought only 22 acres
of this land however, and paid £ 154, land which wes next to
George MANN’s property end the river Susquehannae. This larger
tract of land had been part of the land owned earlier by John
HARRIS. Paul ACKERMAN was one who played a very large role in
the lives of the OLFWINES.

Here is information about Archibald, Margaret and children. This confirms the information I have about Archibald and Margaretha and children. I have 1789 as a death date for Archibald but no source. 

In this document she states that Archibald and Margaretha seemed to have left no trace. Then we have the following. 

We have since learned that Luthern and Reformed Church records from the mid 1700's were taken to Germany for safe storage in advance of the American Revolution. Hopefully we can obtain some of those records. 

The important thing in the above is that Margaretha's second husband (Paul) showed up with four children. Those children would be; Catherine, John, Paul Jr. and Margret. 

Now according to Phyllis via Moltz Journal it is stated that Paul was a widower suggesting that Anna Maria and child died at child birth. 

According to sources, we have clues that this is possibly fact. However we do not have records as such. We only know the last child of Paul and Anna Maria had no name and no mother listed, which could indicate that both died at child birth. 

The above is incorrect. Paul and Margaretha married in 1800. Possibly due to not have a minister to perform the ritual. Maybe they had an informal wedding prior to having children. I talk about this later. A second thought is that they married in the First Reformed chuch as Paul was First Reformed. Since Anna Margaretha was Lutheran, they then married in 1800 as Lutheran.

As stated in a previous post they were more concerned with pronounciation than spelling of the name. I find it interesting that they prefered it pronounced Auk vs Ack. I don't know how many pronounce our name as Aukerman? Thinking maybe they gave in to Ack including later the family using a long A and Akerman

We do know Paul arrived in 1771 on the Brigantine Recovery. We know that he was indentured for three years and six months. It is unknown if his indenture was extended or reduced so we assume he was indentured for the stated time.

In documents from Manor Twp, Paul was a inmate for owner John Stayman. In this case inmate is used to indicate that Paul was working for John Stayman and would share in the farm profits. Similar to a Sharecropper.

Doing some math, Paul arrived in October 1771. Indentured for three years and six months would mean his indenture ended April of 1775. In 1779 he is listed in Manor Township, Lancaster Count tax lists. With his first child being born in 1782, we can surmise that he and Anna Maria married in 1780 or 1781.

Timeline

• Oct 1771 - Paul Arrived

• Oct 1771 - Apr 1775 Indentured serving his indenture in Manor Twp. 3 years, 6 months

• 1777 - Working as an inmate for owner John Stayman (similar to a sharecropper) sharing in the profits

• 1779 - He is taxed on his property

• 1780 / 1781 - Estimated to meet and possibly maried Anna Maria

• 27 Feb 1782 - Catherine was born

• 07 Jul 1784 - John was born

• 18 Oct 1785 - Paul Jr was born

• 1786 - Margret was born

• 1789 - Archibald Olewine Passes

• 8 Dec 1789 - Barbara was born Anna Margaretha listed as Ackerman

• 23 Jun 1791 - Son Christened no name

•  19 Jul 1794 - George was born

• 1796 - Purchased 22 acres in Manor Twp.

• 10 Aug 1797 - Henry was born

• 18 Mar 1800 - Paul and Margaretha marriage

• 23 Jun 1801 - Abraham was born

Surname Spelling

May 15, 2026 

Back in the 1700s and 1800s they were not concerned as to how to spell surnames. Especially with German immigrants.

When Paul arrived in 1771 his name was Acramon. Then it was Ackerman, and sometimes Aukerman. I have also seen Ackermann and Akerman. Then in a document from Manor Township it was spelled Aherman. I believe it to be a transcribe error mistaking the k for a h. I don’t have the actual document to see how it was spelled.

According to Phyllis Olewine, she listed probably 50 different spellings of Olewine.

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