The Haviland Y-DNA Surname Project Findings

Introduction - Enrollment - Project Results - Findings - Subjects - DNA Genealogy Tutorial - DNA Glossary - Explanation of Markers - Explanation of Y-DNA Testing

Updated November, 2008.

We are looking primarily for males with at least 40 of 43 matching markers on the Y chromosome. Exact matches of 43/43 markers means there are no mutations in the descent of those DNA markers compared. An exact match is expected more often between closely related cousins. More distantly related cousins should have 42/43 and 41/43 matching markers. Very distant cousins may have even fewer matches.

According to the accepted math, we expect 1 mutation every 500 "transmission events" - or in other words, the chances of a mutation are about .2% per generation. Since this is a 43-marker test, which is a very accurate DNA study, the math works like this: 500 / 43 markers = ~ 11.6. That means we could see an average of 1 mutation every 11 or 12 generations.

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Please click on the above tree to study our findings so far.

Subjects A-1 and A-2, whose most recent common ancestor (MRCA) is William Haviland (Immigrant), match 41 of 43 markers. They differ by DYS 461+1 and DYS 464a. A-1 is 11 generations from William; A-2 is 9 generations from William. We know that all the other participants match for DYS 464a, which isolates A-1's branch as being different in that allele. This means probably there was 1 mutation A-1's line at DYS 464a. Similarly, all other participants except A-2 match for DYS 461+1, which isolates A-2's branch as being different in that allele. This means probably there was 1 mutation in A-2's line at DYS 461+1, somewhere between William's son Jacob Haviland and the DNA subject.

Subjects A-3, A-4, A-7, A-8 and A-9 have 43 identical markers (a 100% match for this test). We do not have the genealogy for A-7 or A-4. Subject A-4's surname is spelled Heavirland. Since his 43 markers match the others, we assume he also descends from William Haviland, but we do not know which son. We do not know if William Haviland's son Jacob had the DYS 461+1 mutation, or his son, etc, so it's still possible for Subjects A-7 and/or A-4 to descend from Jacob, but it could be Benjamin or any of the other sons. We need more William descendants and Benjamin descendants and Jacob descendants to participate. Each DNA participant in this study gives us a clearer view of where mutations occurred and in what generation.

Subjects A-1, A-2, A-3, A-4, A-7, A-8, A-9 and A-10 all match in DYS 449, isolating subjects A-5 (from the same local Guernsey de Havilland lineage from which actress Olivia de Havilland and airplane inventor Geoffrey de Havilland descend) and A-6 (who descends through the same branch as John Haviland the Philadelphia architect). Subjects A-5 and A-6 have a DYS 449 of 29 repeats, whereas all the other participants had a DYS 449 of 28. We know that the MRCA between Subject A-6 and Subjects A-1 through A-4 is Christopher Havilland, Mayer of Poole.

We also know that A-2, who descended from William's son Jacob has DYS 449 of 28, and A-1, A-3, A-4, A-7, A-8, A-9 and A-10 all who descended from William's son Benjamin (husband of Abigail Mott), also have DYS 449 of 28 repeats. The means two of William's children had DYS 449 of 28 repeats, whereas William's ancestor Christopher had DYS 449 of 29 repeats.

The conclusion is that we know the DYS 449 mutation happened with either James Havilland (Christopher's son) or William Haviland the immigrant. (It is not known for sure how William descends from Christopher, or whether this was the same Christopher who was Mayor of Poole briefly in 1569. There may be a missing generation, or it may be through a son other than James. The proof has been lost in ages past. But we do know there was a mutation of one allele somewhere in that descent, such that William had DYS 449 = 28 repeats instead of 29.)

Subject A-6 has a mutation in his own branch: GATA H4.1 has 21 repeats instead of 22. We know this mutation is in his branch because all the other participants, including the more distantly related de Havilland participant, all have a matching GATA H4.1 of 22 repeats.

Many more descendants with traced genealogies will need to participate in this study to clarify this picture.

For those subjects who are linked genealogically, below is a consanguinity chart to show their apparent relationships. Matching colors have 100% equal markers in this study. We know that A-3 and A-8 are Sixth Cousins matching all 43 out of 43 markers, and that A-5 and A-8 are Twelvth Cousins Thrice Removed matching 42 out of 43 markers. These facts show that even distant cousins genealogically are very closely related in the DNA with very little mutation in the Haviland family.