Welcome to the Heffernan DNA Project.  The purpose of this project is to use the new tools of genetic genealogy and DNA testing to enhance and augment traditional genealogical research into Heffernan family lineages from the U.S., Ireland, U.K., Canada, Australia, and anywhere else in the world Heffernan families are found.  The project encompasses all variations of the Heffernan surname such as Hefferman, Heffernon, Heffron, Hefferon, Hefferan, Heveran, Heffren, Heffern, O'Heffernan, O'Heffron, etc.  DNA testing can be an invaluable key in helping us unlock the secrets of our genealogical past and solving the puzzles of our Heffernan origins.  The new field of genetic genealogy gives genealogists a definitive new way of investigating family history and establishing connections to known Heffernan lineages of the world.  Each member of the project will gain insights into their own origins and how they fit into the worldwide Heffernan family while at the same time contributing invaluable data to the Heffernan DNA knowledge base for use by researchers of both today and the future.

You can learn about genetic genealogy and DNA testing on the Basics of DNA page which includes links to several other resources on the internet.  Due to its inheritance characteristics, DNA testing for surname-based DNA projects targets the male Y chromosome, therefore only Heffernan males can be tested for the Heffernan DNA Project.  However, anyone (male or female) who has Heffernan ancestry, but is not a Heffernan male themselves, can get involved in the project by finding Heffernan males in their immediate or extended family to do the testing.  There is nothing to fear from doing the testing.  It is a quick, easy, and painless process that does NOT involve having blood drawn or visiting a medical lab.  You receive a test kit in the mail, do a simple swab on the inside or your cheek, and mail it back to the testing company—view a test kit here.  Since the testing occurs in the inactive part of our DNA, no information regarding any medical or genetic conditions is revealed by the testing—see the What DNA Testing is Not section on the Basics of DNA page.  So, I would like to invite all Heffernan males to join the project and sign up for testing.  And, I would like to encourage everyone with an interest in Heffernan genealogy to seek out Heffernan males in their family—brother, father, grandfather, uncle, cousin, 2nd cousin, etc.—to participate in the project and do the testing.  The benefits of getting tested to both the participant and the Heffernan research community far outweigh the relatively modest cost of the testing itself.  On the Join the Project page you can find details on project participant requirements, privacy issues, and procedures for joining the project and ordering a test.  Test results are posted to the Project Results page and information on the various Heffernan lineages represented in the project can be found on the Ancestral Lines page.

My name is Michael L. Hébert and I am the project administrator for the Heffernan DNA Project.  My biological paternal grandfather was a Heffernan and I have long had an interest in Heffernan genealogy.  In addition to the Heffernan DNA Project, I administer the Woodruff and McManigal DNA Projects and maintain USGenWeb sites for Cumberland County, Illinois and Hamilton County, Illinois.  Regarding the Heffernan DNA Project, it is a non-commercial, non-profit undertaking and I receive no compensation for, and have no financial interest in, any testing done through any testing company.  As always, feel free to contact me at any time with any questions, problems, or comments regarding the Heffernan DNA Project, Heffernan genealogy, or this web site.