The Howland DNA Project is an international genetic genealogy project studying the origins, relationships, and genetic diversity of Howland families and historically related surname forms, including Howlen, Howlyn, Howlin, and Howling. The project welcomes: - Males who descend through an unbroken paternal line from a Howland or potentially related surname family - Males or females who descend through an unbroken maternal line from Elizabeth Tilley, wife of Mayflower passenger John Howland Participants are encouraged to provide a documented paternal or maternal pedigree so that DNA results can be interpreted together with parish registers, probate records, land records, vital records, and other historical sources. The project has established the Y-DNA signature of Henry Howland of Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire, father of Arthur Howland, Mayflower passenger John Howland, and Henry Howland, Jr. Their paternal family belongs to haplogroup R-A9708. The project has also identified a related East Kent Howlen and Howland paternal family belonging to R-FTE45147. The Fenstanton and East Kent branches descend from the older shared haplogroup R-A9703. This genetic relationship establishes shared paternal ancestry, but it does not yet identify the common ancestor, determine where he lived, or prove the direction of migration. Other tested Howland families belong to different haplogroups. The project therefore does not assume that all people using the Howland surname or its historical variants descend from one paternal ancestor. A result that does not match the Fenstanton family is still valuable because it may identify a separate surname origin and prevent unrelated families from being combined. The project seeks additional Y-DNA testers from documented English, American, and international paternal families. English testers are especially needed from Kent, Huntingdonshire, Cambridgeshire, Monks Horton, Essex, London, Ely, and other areas where Howland and related surname forms are historically documented. Autosomal DNA can support genealogical research, but it generally cannot by itself prove a specific line of descent extending to the early seventeenth century. Individuals whose Mayflower lines have been verified by the General Society of Mayflower Descendants should also consider joining the official Mayflower DNA Project at FamilyTreeDNA. Questions concerning eligibility, testing, project results, or possible financial assistance should be sent to the project administrators or co-administrator through FamilyTreeDNA.