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This website is for anyone interested in Howard (also spelled Haward, Hayward, Heyward, Harwood, Heard, etc) genealogical research. We have a newsletter, a library, and both DNA and mtDNA Projects.
I first became interested in genealogy when I flew to central Alberta, Canada to drive my great aunt to a family reunion on the PA/WV border. It was amazing to find the homes where our great great great grandparents were born, the log cabin that had been preserved by descendents for the family reunions, and meet all the cousins.
We did research in PA, then drove to WV and looked for a church mentioned in one of the references. I thought we found it, while my aunt was sure it was still a mystery. It was an exciting, mysterious, fun filled week.
Then we drove to KY where the most inspiring spot of the whole trip was the Mulkey Meeting House and the graveyard behind it. I took pictures of all those headstones and learned that I was related to every person buried there. This brought such a profound feeling of connectedness, something I had never felt before.
It was the memory of that feeling that was to launch me into genealogical research. Though I spent some time doing family genealogy after I returned home, it was not until both my parents suffered strokes that I became involved in Howard research, trying to find our immigrant ancestor. When I took over The Howard Historian newsletter I discovered researching all the immigrant Howards brought me that ultimate satisfaction you get from doing something you love.
Then, with the advent of DNA testing, I knew I had to bring this new tool to our researchers. It has not been the quick answer I think most of us expected. There have been disappointments, surprises, and few absolute connections to England. I believe part of the problem is the lack of records in Virginia and North Carolina due in large part to the Revolutionary and Civil wars, but we have also not seen any response from the Howards of England to DNA testing. We can never truly find our roots until these Howards get involved. It is up to all of us to try to encourage their enthusiasm for the project.
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