The Dillman DNA Project Needs You: Here’s Why (and How)
199 documented family groups, but only 21 in the DNA project. Here’s why Y-DNA testing matters here, and how to help close the gap.
Category: Dillman Families
Statistical summaries, research findings, and data-driven articles about Dillman family groups documented by the Dillman Family Association.
What’s in a Name: Naming Patterns in the Dillman Family Groups
The 160 family groups in the DFA database reveal consistent naming patterns across two centuries of Dillman migration — from the dominance of Johann in German records to the predictable anglicization that turned Heinrich into Henry and Georg into George at the American border.
What the Numbers Tell Us, Part Two: 160 Groups
Sixty-six new Family Groups expand the Dillman dataset to 160 groups, revealing two distinct emigration waves with different causes, plus a stalled DNA project.
The Ships That Brought Them: Dillman Families at Sea
Every Dillman family in America arrived by water. From the Virtuous Grace in 1737 to the Lusitania in 1908, this article examines the ships and ports through which Dillman families crossed the Atlantic — Philadelphia, New Orleans, New York, and Halifax.
Faith and Migration: Religion in the Dillman Family Groups
Faith was not merely a comfort to German immigrants — for many Dillman families it was the reason they left, the network that received them, and the community that determined where they settled. This article examines the religious connections documented across the first 94 family groups.
Going Back: Return Migration in the Dillman Families
Not every immigrant who crossed the Atlantic intended to stay. Some went back within months. Some spent decades in America before returning. Some were born in the New World and chose the Old. This article examines the Dillman families who went the other way.
Soldiers: Dillman Families at War
From a Pennsylvania rifleman captured at the Battle of Long Island in 1776 to a Soviet Army prisoner who survived a Nazi prison camp, Dillman families served — and sometimes chose not to serve — in five wars across two centuries.
What They Did: Trades and Professions of Dillman Families
When Dillman families crossed the Atlantic, they brought their trades with them. This article examines the working lives documented across 94 family groups — from tailors and piano makers to stonemasons and toymakers…
What the Numbers Tell Us: A Statistical Portrait of the Dillman Surname
The Dillman Family Association’s 94 documented Family Groups reveal the first statistical portrait of the Dillman name — where it comes from, where it went, how it was spelled, and what the numbers reveal about the families who carried it…