DFA Most Wanted is a weekly spotlight on one specific Dillman family group with no representation yet in the Dillman DNA Project — who they were, what’s still unknown, and what a single Y-DNA test could resolve. Know this family, or think you might be connected? Read on.

Family Group 20: The Litin, Ukraine Dilmans

Hiam Dilman (also recorded as Hyme or Hiram Dilman) was part of a Jewish family from the Litin area of what is now Ukraine, then part of the Russian Empire — one of the Jewish and Hebrew-origin family groups documented elsewhere in this series. The family settled first in Canada in 1904 before moving again to California, where Hiam naturalized as a citizen in 1919 and worked as a candy salesman.

What’s Unresolved

The DFA’s records note that this family is likely related to Family Group 52, David Dilman of Litin, Russia — but neither group has ever been tested, so the suspected connection has never been confirmed.

What a Test Could Answer

A Y-DNA test from a descendant of either Hiam Dilman (Group 20) or David Dilman (Group 52) could directly confirm or rule out the suspected relationship between these two Litin-origin families — a specific, answerable question a single test could settle either way.

Are You Connected?

If you’re a male-line descendant of Hiam Dilman of Litin, Canada, and California, the DFA would like to hear from you. Contact the DNA project administrator at dnaprojectadmin@dillmanfamilyassociation.org to get connected and learn about testing.

This spotlight is drawn from the Dillman Family Association’s Family Group Sheet Database and written with the assistance of Claude, an AI assistant developed by Anthropic.