About us
July 2026 Research Update
The Howland DNA Project continues to refine the paternal relationships among English, American, and international Howland families.
Current Paternal Haplotree
The Fenstanton and East Kent paternal families share the older haplogroup R-A9703 but belong to separate downstream branches:
R-A9703
- R-A9708 — Fenstanton Howland paternal line
- R-FTE45147 — East Kent Howlen and Howland paternal line
R-A9703 is presently defined by 11 equivalent SNP mutations shared by the Fenstanton and East Kent paternal families.
The term equivalent means that current testing has not yet identified intermediate paternal branches that would place the mutations in an earlier or later order. The 11 mutations may have accumulated across an unknown number of paternal generations.
Fenstanton Howland Family
Documented direct paternal descendants of Arthur Howland, Mayflower passenger John Howland, and Henry Howland, Jr., belong to R-A9708. Their results establish that their father, Henry Howland of Fenstanton, carried R-A9708.
Current downstream branches include:
- R-FT62874 in tested descendants of Arthur Howland
- R-FTA35340 in a tested line descending from Mayflower passenger John Howland through his son Jabez
- R-FGC58211 in tested descendants of Henry Howland, Jr., through his sons Samuel and Zoeth
Additional Big Y-700 testing is needed from independent branches of all three families. Testing descendants of different sons and grandsons may identify additional lineage-specific SNP mutations.
East Kent Howlen and Howland Family
Two Big Y-700 testers from separate paternal branches of the East Kent family belong to R-FTE45147.
One tested line descends through George Howland, born in 1819 at Norton, Kent.
The other tested line descends through James William Howland, born in 1828 at Teynham, Kent.
George and James William were sons of Thomas Howland, who lived from 1787 to 1871. Because both tested descendant lines carry R-FTE45147, Thomas and both of his sons carried this haplogroup.
R-FTE45147 is presently defined by five equivalent SNP mutations:
- FTE45147
- FTE43612
- FTE43613
- FTE43614
- FTE43615
The five mutations may have arisen in one man or accumulated across several paternal generations.
A reconstructed paternal line connects Thomas Howland with John Howlen of Brabourne through five father-to-son links. Several of these genealogical connections remain probable rather than conclusively proved.
The current tests establish that Thomas carried all five R-FTE45147 mutations. They do not yet determine whether John Howlen carried none, some, or all five mutations.
A Big Y-700 test from a documented paternal descendant of one of John Howlen’s other sons could help determine when R-FTE45147 developed.
English and International Testers Needed
The project welcomes direct paternal descendants of documented Howland, Howlen, Howlyn, Howlin, Howling, and related surname families.
English testers are especially needed from families historically associated with:
- Kent, including Brabourne, Brook, Wye, Charing, and nearby parishes
- Fenstanton and other parts of Huntingdonshire
- Cambridgeshire and Ely
- Monks Horton
- Essex
- London
- Other English communities with established Howland families
A tester does not need to match the Fenstanton family to make an important contribution.
A nonmatching result can identify an independent paternal origin, establish a new genetic branch, and prevent unrelated surname families from being incorrectly combined.
Mitochondrial DNA Update
Four mitochondrial DNA tests representing maternal-line descendants through three daughters of Elizabeth Tilley place her maternal line in haplogroup H1a1+16209.
A matching full mitochondrial DNA result may support a proposed unbroken maternal descent from Elizabeth Tilley. Because this haplogroup is much older than Elizabeth, documentary evidence is also required.
A nonmatching full mitochondrial DNA result can disprove a proposed unbroken maternal-line descent.
Testing Priorities
The project is especially interested in:
- Additional Big Y-700 testers from the Arthur Howland line
- Independent descendants of Mayflower passenger John Howland’s sons John, Jabez, Joseph, and Isaac
- Additional descendants of Henry Howland, Jr., through different branches of Samuel and Zoeth
- Direct paternal descendants of John Howlen of Brabourne through his sons William, John, or Richard
- Direct paternal descendants of documented English Howland and related surname families
- Maternal-line descendants of Elizabeth Tilley and other early Howland wives
Prospective testers should contact the project administrators through FamilyTreeDNA before ordering or upgrading a test. Project funding may sometimes be available when a proposed test could answer an important research question.