The Harriman Family Association
FOUNDED July 18, 1987

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The Harriman Surname Y-DNA Project

Harriman family: these are the descendants of Leonard and John Harriman who came to Massachusetts around 1638 and settled in Rowley, Mass., and New Haven, Conn.

Harryman family: because the names are often confused, we also include the descendants of John Harryman of Baltimore. So wherever you read Harriman on this page, assume it also includes all its variations, including Herriman, Herreman and Harryman.

The Harriman/Herriman Surname Y-DNA project is on-line at familytreeDNA.com. Y-DNA is the genetic signature passed down unchanged from father to son - it cannot be inherited by females, as only the Y chromosome is involved. This makes it ideal for tracing the male ancestral line. For genealogical purposes only so-called "junk" DNA is used - it has no known purpose and cannot reveal anything about medical history or personal characteristics. Occasionally, mutations occur and the signature changes very slightly in one person. This means that after many generations, there will be a slight difference in the signature. Men who are closely related (within a few generations) should have identical signatures. Those who are related much further back will have signatures that differ in only one or two markers. The tests are most useful to either prove or disprove a known relationship between two men and to help determine their most recent common ancestor (MRCA). Standard tests examine 37, 111 or 700 markers. The MRCA can be determined more accurately with more markers, but the cost is greater and usually 37 is enough to place you in the family.

By joining the Harriman Surname project you should be able to determine whether you are related to one of the known lines of Harrimans and also help establish the Harriman Haplogroup - that is, the area of the world where the lines originated. To join the project, you can order the kit from FamilyTreeDNA. This link will take you to the Harriman ordering page.

  1. Order a kit from familytreedna. Use the link to receive the discount for the Harriman project. We recommend the 37 marker test. The 12 marker test is not much use unless it shows definitively that you are NOT a Harriman.
  2. When the kit arrives follow the instructions:
    1. Swab the inside of your cheek.
    2. Place the swab(s) inside the container and return to familytreedna.
    3. When you receive your kit number and password, log into familytreedna.com and click on Join A Group. Find the Harriman group and request to join.
  3. The test is done in stages and you will be notifed when each stage is completed.
  4. At any time you can e-mail me at webmaster@harriman-family.org to ask for the status, but it takes at least several weeks for the first stage.

Here are the results of Harriman/Harrymans who have been tested. In the second row DYS values colored orange are those that are less stable and known to mutate more rapidly than the others.

Here is the FamilyTreeDNA project site for the Harriman Surname Project where results and progress will be posted.

Here is a really good explanation of DNA testing and genealogical genealogy (genetealogy) stevemorse.org by Steve Morse.

Here is a more detailed description of the process.

Here is another description and definitions of terms.

Here are some FAQs about our project and Y-DNA testing in general.