The Rowland Haplotree

If you’ve ever wondered how all the Rowland families are related, then perhaps the Rowland Haplotree can shed some light. Human DNA has been traced back more than 230,000 years, and if you go back that far, then everyone is related. Autosomal DNA testing (like that offered by Ancestry, MyHeritage, and others) covers both your paternal and maternal genetic relatives, although results are typically limited to about six generations. On the other hand, Y-DNA testing can reach back thousands of generations, although it is limited to your direct paternal line.

FamilyTreeDNA assigns a haplogroup to every Y-DNA test taker. These haplogroups are then mapped onto the Y-DNA haplotree. Results for people taking the Big Y-700 test are further refined with a more specific haplogroup and mapped onto the Big Y Block Tree. Finding your way around the Big Y Block Tree can be daunting as it contains millions of nodes. Therefore, you are likely to find the Rowland Haplotree much easier to navigate.

Construction of the Rowland Haplotree uses the Y-DNA test results from the FamilyTreeDNA Rowland Project. The project identifies test takers with genetic similarities and assigns them into groups. Currently, there are 15 groups, labeled ‘A’ through ‘O’ with anywhere from two to twenty-one group members. Additionally, there are about 60 members that have not been assigned to a group as they do not have any close genetic matches.

Rowland Haplotree Version 1.0

Rowland Haplotree was constructed from data as of November 25, 2022. It contains 14 of the 15 DNA groups with Group K being omitted (because it is a grouping of Rowland males with a common maternal ancestor). Much like traditional family trees, the Rowland haplotree utilizes a hierarchical format with the eldest member at the top. The various DNA groups can be seen at the bottom of the chart in black circles. Blocks on the chart are SNP mutations, also known as haplogroups. They contain the commonly used name of the SNP and the estimated year the SNP was formed.

Every haplogroup identified among the Rowland Project members is shaded in blue. The ones near the bottom of the chart are often unique to a single DNA Group, while those higher up the chart (further back in time) are shared across multiple Rowland DNA Groups. Branching nodes that are not one of the blue-shaded Rowland haplogroups are shaded in green. The two or more blocks appearing immediately below a branching node are often referred to as line-defining mutations. If they are not one of the Rowland blue-shaded haplogroups, then they are shaded in yellow.

The far right of the chart contains an era timeline for reference. The common ancestor (SNP) of all DNA-grouped Rowland lines is GHIJK-F1329, who is believed to have lived about 45,600 BCE in the Paleolithic Era (aka the Old Stone Age). This is the common ancestor that connects Rowland DNA Group J to all the other Rowland groups.

Analysis and Observations

• DNA Groups N and E are the most closely related with a common ancestor (SNP) living in the Bronze Era about the year 1870 BCE. DNA Groups B and O are the second most closely related with a common node about 2310 BCE. DNA Groups M and H connect in the Neolithic Era about 3410 BCE. DNA Groups C and I come together at the I-M170 SNP about the year 25,200 BCE. Group J connects with the others at GHIJK-F1329 about 45,600 BCE.
• R-M269 is the most common haplogroup among project members, which claims eight (A, B, D, E, F, G, N, and O) of the Rowland DNA groups among its descendants.
• The value of Big Y testing is clearly visible. All member haplogroups (shaded in blue) formed during the Iron, Medieval, and Modern Ages are Big Y testers. Groups M and N have multiple Big Y testers, which helps bring their haplogroups into the Modern Era. At the far left, DNA Groups G and F have no Big Y testers, so their haplogroups cannot be isolated any closer than R-M269 of 4350 BCE (nearly 6400 years ago).
• DNA Group J is the most unique and most isolated from the others. Additionally, it is our largest group with 21 test kits. One member has upgraded to Big Y-700, but the group’s uniqueness makes it a line without any branches at this time.
• Group K and the 60+ Ungrouped kits were excluded since they have not been genetically matched with any other Rowland Project members.
• To see how members within a DNA group are possibly related, please see Rowland YDNA Cladograms.

The Future

The Rowland Haplotree will change and evolve as more and more Y-DNA testing is performed. The current sample size is extremely small, and as I’ve said before, Big Y testing and analysis is the leading edge of genetic genealogy. The members of the Rowland Project benefit whenever new kits are added to one of the Rowland DNA groups or a kit is upgraded to Big Y-700.

Additionally, we tend to benefit even when non-Rowlands are tested. The Rowland surname, and all others, did not come into widespread use until late in the Medieval period. The vast majority of the nodes on this chart are not specific to our surname. Meanwhile, each new Y-DNA sample helps researchers add branches and refine date estimates on the global DNA haplotree. All data then goes toward improving our understanding of physical locations and migration paths.

The tree is healthy and growing.

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Sources:

• SNP Tracker at Tracking Back (by Scaled Innovation), a website for genetic genealogy tools, experimentation, and discussion.
• YFull, a Y-chromosome sequence interpretation service
• Rowland Project DNA Results at FamilyTreeDNA
• Y-DNA testing services at FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA)