Over the past several weeks, we have undertaken a thorough review and update of the Dillman Family Association website. Our goal was to ensure that every page is accurate, up to date, and easy to use for both long-time members and new visitors discovering us for the first time. Here is a summary of what was improved in the website update.

Site-Wide Improvements

• The browser tab title for the home page has been corrected to read Home | Dillman Family Association — eliminating the duplicate site name that was previously displaying.
• All black hyperlinks across the site have been updated to blue, making links clearly visible and consistent throughout.
• Dozens of links that used the older insecure http:// protocol have been updated to https:// across multiple pages.
• Old broken links have been corrected to current URLs.
• The navigation menu is now correctly assigned and displays properly on all pages.

Home Page

• Added a welcome introduction explaining what the DFA is and providing quick links to Register, the DNA Project, and the Book.
• Added visual section separators between all major sections for easier reading.
• Labeled the 2024 content as a Conference Recap to distinguish it from the upcoming 2026 conference.
• Fixed present-tense language in the 2024 recap that incorrectly described past events as upcoming.
• Added a highlighted callout box for the July 7, 2026 hotel reservation deadline and non-refundable deposit information.
• Removed several empty headings, blank paragraphs, and stray block comment markup that were affecting the page layout.
• The YouTube conference introduction video now loads without requiring cookie consent.

Join Us Page

• Updated the membership period to 2026–2028.
• Replaced the dense membership description paragraphs with a visual benefits layout highlighting the DNA project, newsletter, conferences, and stable dues.
• Added a 2026 Conference joining incentive callout — members who register for the August conference before July 17 receive their 2026–2028 membership as part of the $50 registration fee.
• The membership form link now points to a new fillable PDF membership form that has been added to the site.

Registration Page

• Added a clear introduction explaining the registration form — it is the online equivalent of the fillable PDF membership form.
• Membership dues of $25.00 per two-year period and payment instructions are now clearly stated above the form.

DNA Project Pages

• Dillman DNA Project: Removed a broken link to the iGENEA website; updated the FamilyTreeDNA language statement. Updated the Genographic Project reference to note the project concluded in 2019.
• DNA Participants: Table column headers corrected (removing the spaced-out formatting). All PDF links updated to https. Jump navigation table of contents added. Membership link updated.
• Family Group Sheets: Added live search box, zebra striping, and sticky column headers to the 167-entry table. Fixed typos in Boston, Lancaster, and Rhineland-Pfalz entries. Added cross-link to the DNA Participants page.
• DNA Information Links: Updated broken FamilyTreeDNA contribution link. Removed links to discontinued FamilyTreeDNA Audio/Video and Forums pages. All http links updated to https.
• Order A DNA Kit: Updated outdated kit description (no longer references “three tiny bottles” and “cheek scrapers”). Softened specific turnaround time claim. All links updated to blue and https.
• DNA Project Donors: Updated the broken FamilyTreeDNA contribution link.

Library Page

• Updated the audio recordings description to note these are accessible to members at each biennial conference.
• Added information about how members can access the library collection and donate materials at each conference.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Fixed four broken links: the FamilyTreeDNA privacy policy, the DNA reference links page, the contribution link, and the contact instruction.
• The “email link in the menu to the left” instruction has been replaced with the actual email address webmaster@dillmanfamilyassociation.org.
• Fixed a missing space in the surname list (“Delman, Tilman”).
• Removed the broken FamilyTreeDNA video link.

Dillman Family Reunions Page

• Removed stale 2024 agenda content that had been incorrectly carried forward to the 2026 conference description.
• Corrected the 2024 conference photo caption from “Harrisburg PA” to Louisville, KY.
• Updated DNA participant numbers: now correctly reflects 167 distinct family groups.
• Fixed several punctuation and capitalization issues.

Officers and Committees Page

• Updated the term heading to 2026–2028.
• Fixed the broken President email link (missing ? before subject).
• Updated the historic officers PDF link to https.

Other Pages

• The Dillman Surname: Fixed broken coat of arms image links; updated the DNA family count to 167; removed empty spacer headings.
• Dillman Family Reunions: Fixed the conference photo caption city.
• Helpful Tips and Hints: Replaced the outdated flour-on-tombstones tip with the currently accepted best practice of raking light photography.
• Discovering Dillman Families: Fixed broken content around the book cover image; corrected the lulu.com purchase link text; added spacing so the Chapter Outline appears below the book cover.
• Genealogical Will: Fixed an image that was incorrectly placed inside a heading tag, restoring the correct text flow.
• DFA Newsletters: Updated all older newsletter PDF links to https; corrected the newsletter index link text; added an explanation for the Vol 12 No. 1 issue not being available in digital format.
• Dillman Photographs: Updated the archivist contact email to editor@dillmanfamilyassociation.org.
• Military Links: Removed confirmed dead links (Geocities, dead campaign links); fixed the Revolutionary War internal link; updated contact instructions to use webmaster@dillmanfamilyassociation.org; improved section spacing.
• Revolutionary War: Fixed a double-http typo in a link; updated the Army campaigns link to the current URL.
• Forums: Fixed a broken membership link; added a link to the full forums index.

We hope these improvements make the DFA website a better resource for everyone researching their Dillman heritage. If you notice anything that still needs attention, please contact us at webmaster@dillmanfamilyassociation.org.

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Note: This post was researched and written with the assistance of artificial intelligence (AI). All content has been reviewed for accuracy as of May 2026. All errors are the responsibility of the author.