This is a Y-DNA surname project to look for relatedness of different groups of folks named HALPERN and related families (Rubenstein, Guggenheim, Wertheim). My particular interest comes from having an ancestor, Nachum Eliyahu Halpern, who claimed descent from Jehiel Heilperin, a great talmudist from Minsk, Belarus. There are other HALPERN who descend from rabbinic families of the Russian Empire, as well as others who simply adopted the surname in the 19th century when it became necessary to chose a name. So I am looking to disect the different HALPERN groups to see which, if any, share a common ancestry. As of now (August of 2009), it looks as if my HALPERN family does NOT descend from the large HEILPERIN descended from Zebulun HEILPERIN, at least not via a direct male line. If I do descend from Rabbi Jehiel mentioned above, its likely also through a female line that later adopted the surname (or, alternatively, I either do not relate to Jehiel at all, OR Jehiel does not descend from this greater Heilperin family, as documented by Rabbi Meir Wunder.) However, we now have one match, and it is a significant one. One member who joined, not really knowing his ancestry before 1850, now clearly matches with a man with a written genealogy tracing back to Zebulon Eliezer without gaps. So, at least two Halperns now clearly are from the same family and Halplogroup (G2C, to be exact). Though it hasn't been totally proven yet, it would seem that the note rabbinic family was from Haplogroup G2C. ********* This project has as its goal the expanding the Autosomal DNA (atDNA) Family Segments, for each branch – and some sub-branches – of the greater Halpern family. These segments have been made through the use of the triangulation software utility on the web site, GedMatch.com. If you have an unsubstantiated oral tradition of Halpern descent, or if you see a large number of Halperns on your FamilyFinder match list, and you thus suspect that you may be a Halpern, this project is for you. All you need to do is join our project and then upload the RAW DATA and X FILES from your FamilyFinder Autosomal DNA test to the web site, GedMatch.com, and inform the project’s administrators that you have done so. If you have difficulty carrying out the task, just ask the project’s administrators for help. Once on GedMatch, this project’s administrators will try to triangulate “suspected Halperns” on Halpern atDNA Family Segments. If successful, such triangulations will be a very good indication to this project’s members, of belonging to the Halpern family. The main branches of the Halpern family are Halpern, Alperovich, Wertheim/er Rubenstein and Guggenheim. The Halpern branch breaks down into the Heilbronner, Heilbron, Heilborn, Heilprin, Halperin, Hellman/Hillman, etc. sub-branches. The Alperovich branch apparently is a sub-branch of the Zevulun Eliezer Heilprin branch. The Wertheim/er branch is one of two sub-branches of the family tree of R. Isaac of Worms; the second sub-branch of R. Isaac’s family tree is the Rubenstein/Rubinstein branch. And some descendants of R. Isaac bore the Heilprin/Halpern surname. The Guggenheim branch is connected by Y DNA to the R. Zevulun Eliezer Heilprin sub-branch; the Guggenheims never went by the Heilprin/Halpern surname. The main branches of the Halpern family currently appear to us to be related to each other in the following way: • It APPEARS that the south German Heilbronner branch broke off the main Halpern tree in the middle 1400's. (We don't know for sure that the Heilbronner branch is really a part of the Halpern family. We hope to order FamilyFinder DNA tests for a few members of this branch to see if they triangulate on Halpern Family Segments.) • It APPEARS that the –  Heilprin branch of David He-haver/Frankfurt ben Jacob/Eliakim ben (?) Meir Heilprin (born about 1450; seen in Schweinfurt in 1508)/Frankfurt-on-the Main, that probably morphed into the Heilbron family of Germany and Holland, PLUS  Elchanan/Prague Heilprin branch(this branch-hood is a hypothesis), that bloomed in Italy and Poland, PLUS  Eva bat Meir of the Heilbron family married to Israel Gemmerdingen (spelling?)/Grunhut branch, that lived in WORMS, PLUS  R. Isaac (born ~ 1600) of Worms branch, that morphed later into the Rubenstein and Wertheim/er and Heilprin branches, broke apart from each other in the 1500’s – early 1600’s. • It APPEARS that the Zevulun Eliezer Heilprin Poland branch, and what may be its "brother" branch headed by Levi Eleazar/Eliezer Wetzlar of the Heilbronn family/Frankfurt, broke apart from each other and from the above branches, in the mid to late 1400's. The Rubensteins and the Wertheim/ers are known to descend from R. Isaac of Worms above. The Rubensteins lived in Poland and Ukraine, while the Wertheim/ers mostly lived in Germany, while one Wertheimer branch moved to Poland and Ukraine, reverted to the Heilprin surname, and founded the Berezhany Chasidim in Ukraine. People are interested in Halpern descent because the Halperns are known to descend from Rashi, and from additional very famous rabbis of the Middle Ages. In summary, if you have some reason to think that you may be a Halpern, you’d like to know if you are or are not, join our project. There is a good chance, though not certainty, that via triangulation of your raw FamilyFinder autosomal DNA on Halpern Family atDNA Segments, we will be able to provide you an answer. Background page: If you have an unsubstantiated oral tradition of Halpern descent, or if you see a large number of Halperns on your FamilyFinder match list, and you thus suspect that you may be a Halpern, this project is for you. All you need to do is join our project and then upload the RAW DATA and X FILES from your FamilyFinder Autosomal DNA test to the web site, GedMatch.com, and inform the project’s administrators that you have done so. If you have difficulty carrying out the task, just ask the project’s administrators for help. Once on GedMatch, this project’s administrators will try to triangulate “suspected Halperns” on Halpern atDNA Family Segments. If successful, such triangulations will be a very good indication to this project’s members, of belonging to the Halpern family. The main branches of the Halpern family are Halpern, Alperovich, Wertheim/er Rubenstein and Guggenheim. The Halpern branch breaks down into the Heilbronner, Heilbron, Heilborn, Heilprin, Halperin, Hellman/Hillman, etc. sub-branches. The Alperovich branch apparently is a sub-branch of the Zevulun Eliezer Heilprin branch. The Wertheim/er branch is one of two sub-branches of the family tree of R. Isaac of Worms; the second sub-branch of R. Isaac’s family tree is the Rubenstein/Rubinstein branch. And some descendants of R. Isaac bore the Heilprin/Halpern surname. The Guggenheim branch is connected by Y DNA to the R. Zevulun Eliezer Heilprin sub-branch; the Guggenheims never went by the Heilprin/Halpern surname. The main branches of the Halpern family currently appear to us to be related to each other in the following way: • It APPEARS that the south German Heilbronner branch broke off the main Halpern tree in the middle 1400's. (We don't know for sure that the Heilbronner branch is really a part of the Halpern family. We hope to order FamilyFinder DNA tests for a few members of this branch to see if they triangulate on Halpern Family Segments.) • It APPEARS that the –  Heilprin branch of ben Jacob/Eliakim ben (?) Meir Heilprin (born about 1450; seen in Schweinfurt in 1508)/Frankfurt-on-the Main, that probably morphed into the Heilbron family of Germany and Holland, PLUS  Heilprin branch (this branch-hood is a hypothesis), that bloomed in Italy and Poland, PLUS  married to Israel Gemmerdingen (spelling?)/Grunhut branch, that lived in WORMS , PLUS  R. Isaac (born ~ 1600) of Worms branch, that morphed later into the Rubenstein and Wertheim/er and Heilprin branches, broke apart from each other in the 1500’s – early 1600’s. • It APPEARS that the Zevulun Eliezer Heilprin Poland branch, and what may be its "brother" branch headed by Levi Eleazar/Eliezer Wetzlar of the Heilbronn family/Frankfurt, broke apart from each other and from the above branches, in the mid to late 1400's. The Rubensteins and the Wertheim/ers are known to descend from R. Isaac of Worms above. The Rubensteins lived in Poland and the Ukraine, while the Wertheim/ers mostly lived in Germany, while one Wertheimer branch moved to Poland and Ukraine, reverted to the Heilprin surname, and founded the Berezhany Chasidim in Ukraine. People are interested in Halpern descent because the Halperns are known to descend from Rashi, and from additional very famous rabbis of the Middle Ages. In summary, if you have some reason to think that you may be a Halpern, you’d like to know if you are or are not, join our project. There is a good chance, though not certainty, that via triangulation of your raw FamilyFinder autosomal DNA on Halpern Family atDNA Segments, we will be able to provide you an answer.