Only 76 of the DFA’s 200 documented Dillman family groups name an actual town or village for their earliest known ancestor — the rest stop at a state or a country. Among those 76, six trace to two neighboring villages on the Volga, ten more to a German duchy that hasn’t existed since 1866, and Baden’s nine groups spread across seven different towns, with just one name repeating.
A Romanian hatmaker bound for family in Buffalo. No DNA test yet to connect this line to others. Could you be connected?
FamilyTreeDNA’s first Y-DNA test cost about $99 in the early 2000s. Today MyHeritage sells a far more capable whole-genome test for less than that. The full quarter-century history reveals a loss-leader story that’s more interesting, and more company-specific, than it first appears.
A free way to get more out of a DNA test you already took — more ancestry calculators, real Y-DNA and mtDNA haplogroups, and a chromosome-by-chromosome view most sites don’t offer.
A candy salesman from Ukraine, likely related to another documented family — a specific hypothesis one DNA test could settle.
A bill sitting in the House Energy and Commerce Committee would bar DNA testing companies from selling or disclosing customer genetic data to China — the third time Rep. Tim Burchett has introduced it since 2021. It’s narrower than its name suggests, and understanding exactly what it does and doesn’t cover matters for anyone who has tested with AncestryDNA, FamilyTreeDNA, or 23andMe.
The Genealogical Proof Standard calls for ‘reasonably exhaustive’ research — not every record, but every type a careful researcher should check.
More than thirty new articles are scheduled on the DFA blog between now and early January, covering Dillman family history, DNA, research methods, software and news. Here is the currently scheduled calendar.
Of the 199 Dillman family groups now documented, 140 trace their origins to Germany — still concentrated in Hesse, the Rhineland, and Baden. New York remains the gateway and the Midwest the primary destination, with one real correction: the 1930–1945 immigration gap wasn’t actually empty.
The DFA has new officers for 2026–2028, a fillable membership form, and contact addresses that follow the office instead of the person. Here is what changed on the website this month.
© Dillman Family Association 2026. Powered by WordPress
