DFA Most Wanted is a weekly spotlight on one specific Dillman family group with no representation yet in the Dillman DNA Project — who they were, what’s still unknown, and what a single Y-DNA test could resolve. Know this family, or think you might be connected? Read on.

Family Group 28: Bernhard Diehlmann of Klingenmünster, Germany

Franz Diehlmann arrived in New Orleans in March 1858 and soon settled his family in Hancock County, Mississippi. His arrival is covered in more detail in The Ships That Brought Them, in the section on New Orleans and the Southern Gateway. He died of yellow fever in 1870, before that year’s census could record him. Most of the family stayed in Mississippi, but his son Frank Jr. returned to New Orleans and became a baker there. Generations later, the Mississippi branch of the family produced two brothers who became crew members on cargo ships for the United Fruit Company.

What’s Unresolved

The family’s specific town of origin is documented — Klingenmünster, in the Rhineland-Pfalz — but no DNA testing has ever confirmed a genetic connection between this line and the DFA’s other Rhineland-Pfalz families, several of which are already represented in the DNA project.

What a Test Could Answer

A Y-DNA test from a descendant of Franz Diehlmann — through either the Mississippi or New Orleans branches — could confirm whether this family connects to other tested Rhineland-Pfalz lines already in the database, or stands as its own distinct branch.

Are You Connected?

If you’re a male-line descendant of Franz Diehlmann of Klingenmünster, whether through the Mississippi or New Orleans branch of the family, the DFA would like to hear from you. Contact the DNA project administrator at dnaprojectadmin@dillmanfamilyassociation.org to get connected and learn about testing.

This spotlight is drawn from the Dillman Family Association’s Family Group Sheet Database and written with the assistance of Claude, an AI assistant developed by Anthropic.