Graphic by Emma K. Haworth

Background Contents:

1. Dear Cousins and Friends

2. WHY THE HAWORTH-HOWARTH Y-DNA PROJECT NEEDS YOU!

3. EARLY BACKGROUND OF THE HAWORTH/HOWARTH/HEYWORTH FAMILY

Dear Cousins and Friends in 2024, 

by Loran A. Haworth

Project Administrator

Feburary 9, 2024

I trust this message finds you in good health and high spirits as we embark on a new year, filled with hopes for positive changes in 2024. It is with great pleasure that I share an update on the Haworth-Howarth Family DNA Project, a journey that has evolved and thrived through the dedication of our founder and the collaborative efforts of our members. 

 **Background and Progress: **

In early 2018, our founder sought assistance in propelling the Haworth-Howarth Family DNA Project forward. Since then, a dynamic team of volunteer co-administrators, supported by our founder, has worked diligently to navigate the rapidly changing landscape of genetic genealogy. Today, our project boasts 126 members, with a focus on uncovering the yDNA associated with the Haworth surname and its variants. The landscape of genetic genealogy has transformed significantly since our project's inception in 2008. With advancements in science and technology, our project has been able to delve deeper into family lineages, particularly those stemming from Lancashire, Yorkshire, and the north of England. We have made strides in understanding various branches of the family, with members testing at different marker values, including the Big Y700, and exploring the latest SNP discoveries.

**Challenges and Opportunities: **

While we celebrate our progress, we acknowledge a significant challenge limited representation of genetic lines. Our results currently skew toward the descendants of a Quaker immigrant from Lancashire to North America. We actively seek testers from all presumed or proven Haworth-Howarth lines, especially those directly traced to Lancashire. New members from diverse backgrounds are crucial to enriching our project. 

**How You Can Contribute: ** 

This project thrives on active participation, and we invite each member to play a vital role in shaping our understanding of our shared heritage. Here are some suggestions: 

 1. **Explore FTDNA: ** Log in to your FTDNA account, visit the learning center, and familiarize yourself with the tools provided. 

 2. **Visit our Project Page: ** Navigate to the Haworth-Howarth project webpage through "myProjects" on your account homepage. Explore the information available and share your feedback. 

 3. **Ask Questions: ** Engage with the community by asking questions. Reach out to administrators, fellow members, and explore the project's FAQ section. 

 4. **Educate Yourself: ** Explore resources like DNAeXplained, the International Society of Genetic Genealogy, and GEDmatch for additional learning. 

 5. **Evaluate Your Testing: ** Reassess the value of your tests, considering potential upgrades that align with your research goals. 

 6. **Recruit New Testers: ** Actively recruit participants with a Haworth-Howarth connection, such as those from all proven Haworth, Howarth and Heyworth lines emphasizing the importance of both yDNA and autosomal testing. 

**Get Involved: ** Whether you are new to genetic genealogy or an experienced enthusiast, your involvement is crucial. If you find the information overwhelming or if you possess a deeper understanding, we welcome your questions and expertise. On behalf of the FTDNA Haworth-Howarth Family DNA Project, we extend our gratitude for your time, participation, and ongoing efforts. The journey to uncover our shared story continues, and together, we can make meaningful contributions to our understanding of the Haworth- Howarth family. 

 Warm regards,

 Your Haworth Howarth Family DNA Project Administrators 

WHY THE HAWORTH-HOWARTH Y-DNA PROJECT NEEDS YOU!

by Marilyn Winton Totten

co-Administrator of the Haworth-Howarth Family DNA Project

September 2020

It is evident that many of the testers who have joined this project, are descendants of George Haworth, who immigrated to Bucks Co., PA in 1699.   He had four sons – Stephanus, Absolom, James and John – and they have left numerous descendants.   George is proven the son of James Haworth (abt 1630-1678) and wife Isabel (maiden name unknown), of the Gambleside area of Rossendale in southeast Lancashire.   However, there are many other descendants of the many different branches of the Haworth and Howarth families of Lancashire and Yorkshire, and we welcome any and all to test and join this Project.  

It is only by testing many Haworths/Howarths/Hayworths/Heyworths that we can put together a picture of the origins and dispersment of the earliest Haworths of Lancashire, Yorkshire and nearby counties.  It is also important to try and delineate the various branches in Rossendale and adjoining areas.   

The Y-DNA shows that the first ancestors of the Haworths etc.  (long before surnames developed) – came to the northeast shores of England from the Frisian coast of the Netherlands adjoining the base of the Danish peninsula.   This migration of Anglian tribes into “Angle-land” (England) began in the 6th century and probably continued into the 7th century.  Gradually they worked their way westward, into west Yorkshire and southeast Lancashire.    From there over many centuries, so many branches have spread out into the world.  

We need any variant of this surname to test with FTDNA, preferably the Y-111 or the Big Y-700, but even the Y-67 is useful……and of course then join this project.  Even if your surname is not Haworth or variant thereof, if you have Haworths in your family tree, then the Family Finder test can be useful.   We have on hand a DNA analysis specialist and a longtime Haworth genealogist both in the US and England, to assist all who are interested.

EARLY BACKGROUND OF THE HAWORTH/HOWARTH/HEYWORTH FAMILY

by Marilyn Winton Totten

co-Administrator of the Haworth-Howarth Family DNA Project

June 2020

There are quite old branches of the family scattered throughout Lancashire and Yorkshire, but the main concentration of these early families seems to be in southeast Lancashire.    Great Howorth (earlier spelled Haworth) in the township of Hundresfield, near Rochdale, Lancashire was called that as a result of one of the earliest Haworth families in written records.  Of course, the only people who appeared in most written records of the 12th to 14th centuries, were those of some standing with land granted to them.    

The earliest mention found so far is in A Calendar of Lancashire Assize Rolls, Part I:   “1245-1247, Geoffrey de Hawurth and others were suspected of larceny and absconded and hence outlawed” - !! Hauwerth was another early spelling.  In 1292 Robert de Haworth was Abbot of Stanlaw Abbey in the township of Whitworth, near Rochdale.   The Manor Court Rolls of Rochdale in 1335 list William, Henry, Robert , all “de Haworth”.   Finally, in 1443 the following are listed among the tenants and freeholders of Rossendale, in the Court Rolls of the Honor of Clitheroe:   James, Richard, Lawrence, and William Haworth.  

From this time forward, no doubt from the descents of younger sons, several Haworth branches developed in the Rossendale area and in Musbury, Blackburn, Burnley and Oswaldtwistle, all  in Blackburn Hundred.  The spellings are many and varied, and seem to carry no particular meaning as to whether spelled one way or another throughout the history of this family.    

Having traced the earliest mentions in written records, to go back through history, we know from yDNA analysis that the even earlier ancestors of the Haworths were in fact, part of the emigration of families from Friesland, who moved into the central eastern and northeastern coastal areas of England in the 5th and 6th centuries (after the Romans pulled out of Britain in the early 5th century).   The settlement of England by the Saxons, Jutes and Angles (mostly Frisian tribes) is a huge subject to cover, but in simple terms it is thought that the Angles filtered from the coastal areas mentioned, in a largely peaceful movement, into the interior areas and finally to the western counties, of present-day England.  It goes without saying, that along the way, they must have intermarried with the local British tribes who had been in England since the last Ice Age retreated. approximately 10,000 years ago.   

In Lancashire and West Yorkshire the tribe that held sway was the Brigantes.    From say, the year 600 A.D. to Domesday Book in 1080 after the Norman Invasion of 1066 – is 480 years.   From 600 to 1245, the earliest mention of a Haworth in written records, is 645 years.   That is a lot of generations of which we know nothing.

The origin of the “-worth” ending on place names, is definitely Angle and Saxon.  From Old English, it is an “enclosure” or an open fenced area.   The first element of Haworth is thought to be, also from Old English,  “haga” which also indicates an enclosure, perhaps bounded by a hedge, or a high place.