About us
New Project Administrator
David Farnham is the new administrator for the Farnham project. Many thanks go to Alan Heath for
getting the project started and underway.
Recent Developments
Y-DNA Results Confirm Traditional Genealogical Record for Descendants of Ralph-Alice
Test results from three direct lineal descendants of Ralph Farnum showed close matches:
James11 Otis Farnum (Everett10 ... John2, Ralph1) [Y-67]
George10 Whitfield Farnham (Tracy9 ... Henry4, Ralph3, Ralph2, Ralph1) [Y-25]
David12 Bruce Farnham (David11 ... Ralph4, Ralph3, Ralph2, Ralph1) [Y-111]
The three results had close genetic distances and were widely separated on the Farnham/Farnum
family tree--the most recent common ancestor between James and the other two was Ralph, the
original immigrant.
As more Farnhams/Farnums test, we should be able to predict the actual branch on the tree.
Y-DNA Results Confirm Uncommon Subclade for Descendants of Ralph-Alice
The majority of descendants of English immigrants belong to Haplogroup R1b. The predicted
subclade for descendants of Ralph-Alice is G-M201. This falls under haplogroup G2a which
is relatively uncommon in northwestern Europe. Additional testing of one descendant
revealed a confirmed subclade of G-L166/FGC5672. This is the same as Otzi the "Iceman"
whose copper-age body was found in an Alpine glacier. Subsequent testing narrowed the field
to G-Z6495.
Additional testing by YSeq refined the subclade to G-Z6211 (G2a2a1a2a1a1a on the ISOGG
2017 Y-DNA tree for haplogroup G). Based on two samples (one from Germany, the other from
Sardinia), the Yfull Ytree estimates that this subclade was formed 5,000 years ago with the
time to the most recent common ancestor (TMRCA) as 3,100 years ago.
Additional testing by FTDNA has refined the subclade to G-FGC5697 (G2a2a1a2a1a1a1) on the
ISOGG 2019-20 Y-DNA tree
First Match for G-M201 Haplogroup in England
We have the first match between descendants of Ralph Farnum (who emigrated from England
to Massachusetts in 1635) and a person whose roots are in Norfolk (just 50 miles from
Cambridgeshire)
For more about these developments, look under About This Group/Results.
Sharing pedigree information will help us all to sort out the various Farnham lines. Please post your Farnham surname-line pedigree on this website. Email your pedigree to the project's administrator. Please use abbreviations, omit months and dates, use only one line per generation, and follow the model below as closely as possible. You may choose not to include your email address.
******************************************
PEDIGREES:
Kit #38832, Contact: Alan Heath (alancheath AT hotmail.com)
10. Ralph Farnum; b: Rochester, Kent County, England?; d: Ipswich, MA?; sp: Alice
9. Ralph Farnum; bp: 1633 Rochester, Kent County, England; d: 1692 Andover, MA; sp: Elizabeth Holt
8. Ralph Farnum; b: 1662 Andover, MA; d: c1737 Rumsford, MA; sp: Sarah Sterling
7. Henry Farnum; b: 1687 Andover, MA; d: 1732 Windham Co., CT; sp: Phoebe Russell
6. Capt. Eliab Farnham; b: 1731 Windham Co., CT; d: 1806 Orange Co., NY; sp: Abigail Mary Killum
5. George W. Farnham; b: 1772 New London, CT; sp: Miss Allen?
4. George W. Farnham; b: 1815 Cayuga Co., NY; d: 1852, Tompkins Co., NY; sp: Anna Eliza Wager
3. George Whitfield Farnham; b: 1849, Tompkins Co., NY; d: 1895, Napa Co., CA; sp: Minerva C. Wilkin
2. Tracy Whitfield Farnham; b: 1884, Chemung Co., NY; d: 1962, Washington Co., MO; sp: Israella Scott
1. Private