Human gender is genetically determined by a pair of chromosomes that are, by convention, designated XX (for females) and XY (for males).  Only males have the Y-chromosome, and because the male Y-chromosome is handed down intact from father to son through the generations (except for infrequent mutations), just as surnames are handed down from father to son, Y-DNA testing can identify common ancestors on the direct male line.  Y-DNA testing is an extremely powerful tool for supporting pedigrees and for breaking past brick walls where paper genealogy has failed to go.

If you are researching surname CORBIN or any of its variations, please consider having a male family member submit a sample to the project.  This invitation extends to the numerous African-American CORBIN families whose patrilineal ancestor was either genetically a European CORBIN or who was surnamed CORBIN by reason of having adopted the surname of their owner — and if you don't know which is the case, then a DNA test is one way to find out.

Family Tree DNA FAQs
Answers to an exhaustive list of questions relating to DNA testing.

Haplogroup R1b is by far the most common haplogroup in western Europe, so it is not surprising that it dominates the project.  Haplogroup I is the second most common (with I1 more common than I2), E is third, and G and T are rare.  I recommend that those who are R1b and have not yet been deep SNP tested (i.e., those of you who are R1b-M269) please do so, to determine your subclade in this huge group.

Results, so far, show that surname CORBIN has at least twelve independent origins, plus an assortment of NPEs and adoptions in both directions.
 

Haplogroup E-M78 — Barbados We have two matching individuals from the Barbados (West Indies).  One is a descendant of Luke CORBIN (c1720s- ), the other is a descendant of Matthew CORBIN (c1772- ).  They have no matches with any other CORBINs yet tested, though they do match "Group 18" of the HARRIS project, suggesting one or the other of the families may have an NPE in their lineage.

Haplogroup G-Z27567 — New England: Muddy River We have five members matching at high levels, supporting their descent from a near common ancestor.  Two are descendants of Clement CORBIN of Brookline, MA, then Woodstock, CT, one is a descendant of Philip CORBIN of Danbury, CT, and the other two are descendants of Jabez CORBIN of Pawling, NY.  It is likely that Philip and Jabez are descendants of Clement, but the paper connections have yet to be made.  Haplogroup G is rare (only about 2.5% of tested Europeans).  The descendant of Philip has been deep SNP tested with the result that he is G-L140. Harvey LAWSON was an early compiler of the genealogy of these CORBINs, and he entitled his 1905 book on them, The Descendants of Clement Corbin of Muddy River, so I hereby dub them the "Muddy River" CORBINs. On the disproven side, Elmer Ellsworth CORBIN, a descendant of Clement CORBIN, was believed to be the father of a child born to his unwed first cousin, Rebecca STEPHENS, but DNA test results show her son must have been the child of a STEPHENS relative.  As this individual is not surnamed CORBIN, this situation is considered a mistake in paper genealogy, not a CORBIN NPE, so he has left the CORBIN project and moved to the STEPHENS project.

Haplogroup I1-L22 (deduced) — SC: Orangeburg/Lexington These individuals are descendants of Peter CORBIN of Orangeburg Dist. [now Lexington Co.], SC.  Based on their haplotypes, they are the Norse cluster of I1, which is most common in Sweden and Finland and is the second most common variety in Norway and Denmark.  Their haplotype is unique at 25 or more markers. If SNP tested, we would expect them to be positive for L22.

Haplogroup I1-A16956 — VA: Northern Neck These matching test results support the alleged paper connections consolidating the CORBINs of the Northern Neck of Virginia (the most northern of the three Virginia peninsulas jutting into Chesapeake Bay).  It appears they are all the descendants of John CORBIN, of Richmond Co., VA.

Haplogroup I2-PF6950 — WOODRING-CORBIN NPE This individual descends from John A. CORBIN, son of an unwed Amanda CORBIN, one of the Pickens Co., SC, CORBINs.  Not surprisingly, he is not a Y-DNA match with Amanda's CORBIN family, nor is he genetically related to any CORBIN family so far tested.  He is, however, a strong match with a WOODRING family, and we find Amanda listed next to one of these WOODRINGs in the census around the time John was born.  There is, as yet, no WOODRING surname project at FTDNA that our CORBINs can join, so I've invited these WOODRINGs to join the CORBIN project, and several have accepted.

Haplogroup R1b-M269 — CORBAN of Halifax, NC

Haplogroup R1b-M269 — MD/VA: Delmarva Peninsula These two individuals descend from George CORBIN of Northampton Co., VA, many of whose descendants lived in adjacent Accomack Co., VA, Somerset Co., MD, and Worcester Co., MD — on the southern Delmarva Peninsula.  They have no matches in or out of the project, except with each other.

Haplogroup R1b-M269 — Guernsey/Balto CORBIN NPE Descendant of unknown father and Elizabeth CORBIN, one of the Baltimore Co., MD, CORBINs.

Haplogroup R1b-M269 — Northern Neck NPE On paper, this individual is one of the Northern Neck CORBINs, however, he is not a genetic match with them.  In fact, he has no match with anyone at any level.  He apparently has an NPE in his patrilineal line, but so far, we have no clue as to his true surname.

Haplogroup R1b-M269 — VA > WV This member does not match anyone else in the project.  He has just begun working on his paper genealogy, so we may not have a lineage for him for awhile.  His paternal grandfather was Robert Franklin CORBIN, of VA, whose children moved to WV.  If you have knowledge of this line, please contact the project admin.

Haplogroup R1b-U106 — SC: Hampton > FL These three individuals have their earliest known ancestor born in SC, but a paper connection is only known between two of them.  One is either the son or nephew of Moses CORBIN, who was born in SC and is, by far, the earliest CORBIN to settle in Florida.  The other two descend from Edward CORBIN, son of Mrs. Penelope CORBIN of Hampton Co., SC, whose husband has yet to be identified.  Deep SNP testing shows one of them is R1b-U106+.  Their haplotype is rare, and they have no significant matches, except with each other.

Haplogroup R1b-L48 — the Hall End CORBINs of Warwickshire and VA The one individual tested is a descendant of Henry CORBIN (1629-1675) of Hall End, Warwickshire, England, and Lancaster [now Middlesex] Co., VA.  These may have been the most anticipated results in the entire project for the reason that Henry has extraordinarily illustrious ancestry (as does his wife, Alice ELTONHEAD), and many American CORBINs have hoped to connect with him.  Alas, he has no match with anyone!  There remains the possibility that this single individual has an NPE in his patrilineal line, so we seek additional descendants of Henry for testing — the project will pay for this testing.

Haplogroup R1b-BY3333 — the Guernsey-Baltimore CORBINs This tightly matching group includes a descendant of Henry CORBIN (1861-1934), emigrant from the Isle of Guernsey to New York City in 1884, and the numerous descendants of Nicholas3 CORBIN (c1700- ) of Baltimore Co., MD.  There's little reason to doubt that this Nicholas3 descended from Nicholas1 CORBIN (c1640s-1696), the 1671 immigrant to Maryland, although the paper connection has yet to be proven.  With this match (in June 2014), the Baltimore CORBINs have finally "crossed the pond"!  Included with them is a descendant of James M. CORBIN of MD, then MS, then St. Landry Parish, LA, a presumed descendant of Nicholas.  One of them has been deep SNP tested with the result that his most downstream positive SNP is BY3333, in the P312 branch of R1b.

Haplogroup R1b-L21 — MA > SC: Newberry | SHERMAN-CORBIN NPE This individual is a descendant of Ira CORBIN of MA and Newberry Co., SC.  Because of his origin in Massachusetts, it was anticipated that he would be one of the Muddy River CORBINs (see Haplogroup G, above).  He turns out, however, to be a high level match with a well-known SHERMAN family, all descendants of Henry SHERMAN (c1517-1590) of Dedham, Essex, England, several of whose descendants were early immigrants to New England.  There is at least one known marriage between one of these SHERMANs and one of the Muddy River CORBINs, so the families were in contact.  It appears this Ira CORBIN has an NPE in his patrilineal line and that he's really a SHERMAN.  Deep SNP testing at FTDNA shows him to be L21+.

Haplogroup R1b-M222 — FONES-CORBIN Adoption These two matching individuals descend from James FONES, a.k.a., James Fones CORBIN, adopted son of Rawley CORBIN II of the Northern Neck CORBINs of Virginia.  It is no surprise that they are not a genetic match with the Northern Neck CORBINs, and so far, they have no matches with anyone else, except each other.

Haplogroup R1b-L159 (deduced) — FIELDS-CORBIN NPE This individual has a paper descent from Peter CORBIN of Pickens Co., SC (see below), but his test results do not match them, indicating he has an NPE in his patrilineal line.  He does have a close match with a FIELDS family.

Haplogroup R1b-SRY2627 — SC: Pickens | DAMERON Adoption | MERCER NPE We have results returned for six paper descendants of Peter CORBIN of Pendleton [now Pickens] Co., SC.  Five are matching at a level of 65/67 or better so are clearly related; the sixth has turned out to have an NPE in his patrilineal line (see the FIELDS NPE above).  One of the five has been deep SNP tested, with the result that he is SRY2627+.  There is an additional member of this group who is an adopted DAMERON.  His origin is not known beyond his father, James CORBIN (b. ca. 1920) of Detroit, MI, but he is a 66/67 match with the modal haplotype for this family, so he is clearly closely related to them.  Also closely related to this family are descendants of Council Bryant MESSER (MERCER), of SC, TN, and Tippah Co., MS.  These individuals do not match the MESSER/MERCER group they should match, so they do appear to be the ones with the NPE.

Haplogroup T-M70 —

It was a welcome development to have the Barbados CORBINs, the New England CORBINs, the CORBINs of Baltimore Co., MD, the descendants of Peter CORBIN of Lexington Co., SC, and the descendants of George CORBIN of Northampton Co., VA, match each other at such high levels because this matching adds strong support for the accuracy of their paper pedigrees.  And, of course, the big news for the Baltimore CORBINs is that they are a match with a CORBIN who immigrated to the U.S. from the Isle of Guernsey — they have crossed the pond!

The matching of the CORBINs of the Northern Neck of Virginia is a welcome consolidation of Virginia CORBIN lines, and it seems probable that John CORBIN of Richmond County is the ancestor of all of them. 

The non-match of the Hall End CORBINs to any other tested CORBIN family was a disappointing surprise, especially to the Northern Neck CORBINs, but it is a decided relief to finally put an end to the tortured genealogies trying to connect to them.

The CORBIN whose kin lived in VA and WV is working to bridge the gap to the 1940 census, so we can take his ancestry further back.  Because recent records are sealed and take time to acquire, progress is slow.

The connection between the descendants of Edward CORBIN of SC and Moses CORBIN of SC and FL was suspected, but the actual match is welcome proof of a relationship between these elusive CORBIN families. 

The appearance of an NPE in the lineage of the descendant of Ira CORBIN was an unpleasant surprise, but NPEs are happening in about 10% of the men tested for my projects.  At least he has a solid match with a genealogically well known (and illustrious) SHERMAN family. 

While most of the paper descendants of Peter CORBIN of Pickins Co., SC, surnamed CORBIN are matching at a high level, we have one with an NPE in his patrilineal line.  After a long wait for a match, we find he has one with a FIELDS family.  There was a surprise NPE in the other direction, with a pair of MESSER/MERCER individuals being a close match to these CORBINs.  Lastly, an adopted DAMERON, who was told his biological father was a CORBIN, has had that belief confirmed by matching these CORBINs. 

It was not expected that John A. CORBIN, son of an unmarried Amanda CORBIN, would match Amanda's CORBIN family, and he doesn't.  He does have a strong match with a WOODRING family whose progenitor is a VAUTRIN from Alsace.

While it may have been a disappointment to the descendants of Rebecca STEPHENS that her son is a STEPHENS, not a CORBIN, having now genetically identified their STEPHENS family is a major advance in the genealogy of their STEPHENS ancestry.  This result is the first case I have encounted where Y-DNA testing a son has actually revealed something about the ancestry of the mother! 

If you want to increase the probability of making a match and speed up the progress of this project, offer to fully or partially subsidize a test.  Donations can easily be made through the project's General Fund, and I recommend that avenue rather than exchanging funds personally.

The following subsidies are currently being offered, and please note that the intention of these offers is to allow someone who cannot otherwise afford to be tested to do so.  If you can afford to pay for your own testing, please don't ask for a subsidized test.

1.  Your project admin is willing to bear the full cost of a 67-marker test for a male CORBIN who is a patrilineal descendant of Elijah Kelley "Eli" CORBIN (1814-1894) of Huntingdon Co., PA, Knox Co., OH, then Marion Co., OH. 

2.  Your project admin and another donor are willing to share the full cost of a 67-marker test for a male CORBIN who is a patrilineal descendant of Nicholas CORBIN, 1671 immigrant to Maryland, one who is not descended from William CORBIN; his brother, Benjamin CORBIN; or James M. CORBIN; each of whom has already had at least one patrilineal descendant tested.

3.  Daphne GAWNE has offered to subsidize the full cost of a 67-marker test for a male CORBIN who is a patrilineal descendant of Daniel CORBIN (1766-1850) of CT, then Orange Co., VT, then Windsor Co., VT. 

4.  Douglas M. CORBIN has offered to subsidize the full cost of a 67-marker test for a male CORBIN who is a patrilineal descendant of Mathuel CORBIN (c1720s- ) of Brunswick Co., VA, and Halifax Co., NC; or either of his presumed sons, William CORBIN (1750/1826), or Charnel CORBIN (>1758-1823), both of whom ended up in Montgomery Co., TN. 

5.  Douglas M. CORBIN has offered to subsidize the full cost of a 67-marker test for a male CORBIN who is a patrilineal descendant of [William] Arthur CORBIN (c1755- ) of Charleston [now Colleton] Co., SC (in 1790), Beaufort Co., SC (in 1800), and Georgetown Co., SC (in 1810). 

For all subsidies, acceptance of the subject is at the discretion of the donor (i.e., upon the researcher's satisfaction that there is a valid paper connection between the test subject and the relevant ancestor) and the test subject must agree to sign the Release to allow sharing of his test results — which all test subjects are required to do, anyway, as a condition of membership in the project.  Please note that sharing of results does not necessarily mean sharing of identity.  Only the project administrator and the donor necessarily need know the identity of the test subject.  For a further discussion of privacy, please see this FAQ.

In recognition of the fact that some individuals may find the cost of DNA testing prohibitive and that these individuals may be the only representatives of key lines in our genealogical research, Family Tree DNA has instituted "General Funds" to allow researchers to subsidize the testing of these key individuals.  The fund can also be used as a simple way to give someone a gift of DNA testing.  Please see this link at Family Tree DNA for more details.  And please consider a donation to the project as a way of bringing more lines into the project, especially to help some of our elder kin be tested who may not otherwise be able to afford it.  There is also a field on the donation form allowing you to make a donation in honor of a specific person.  The funds will be entirely collected and held by Family Tree DNA, but their dispursement is implemented by your project administrator.  You can inform your project adminstrator whose test you want subsidized with your donation or, if you wish, you can leave it up to the project administrator to decide where the funds can best be applied.  Please note that anonymous donations are not just anonymous to the public; they are also anonymous to the project admin.  If you want the admin to know you made the donation and/or have a special request for how it is to be spent, please notify the admin by email at the time you make the donation.

There has been an instance in one of my projects where a donor sent a prospective member a check, then the person never followed through by joining the project.  This situation can be avoided if the researcher has, instead, donated the money to the project's General Fund, because the money simply won't be spent if the person fails to join and return their sample. There has also been an instance in one of my projects where a donor agreed to fund a test based on the promise of a secure line to their progenitor, only for me to discover there was an adoption in the line.  In this case, the researcher had donated their money to the General Fund, and I caught the NPE in time to deny the subsidy to the test subject.  This situation is also a reminder to examine someone's line, yourself, before agreeing to subsidize their test — not that there was any intentional deception here, just flawed paper genealogy.

Bottom line:  before sending a check or money order to a stranger, do consider making a donation to the project's General Fund, instead.  And, please, in no case send money to me; I do not want the responsibility of handling it.

CORBIN-DNA Mailing List at RootsWeb
Anyone is welcome to subscribe to the list, whether a member of the DNA project, or not.

Note that the above is a different list from the
CORBIN Surname Mailing List at RootsWeb
which you are also welcome to subscribe to, of course.

CORBEN One-Name Study at the Guild of One-Name Studies in London, England
(includes CORBIN and CORBYN)

If you seek general information about genetic genealogy, I recommend subscribing to
RootsWeb's DNA-NEWBIE and/or ISOGG's DNA-NEWBIE

And for the gateway to genealogy web links, specifically DNA links, see Cyndi's List - DNA.