History & Genealogy

The Clan Henderson Society provides comprehensive genealogy support to help members and researchers trace their Henderson heritage. Our dedicated team of volunteers can assist with genealogical research, identifying families, tracing migrations, connecting to families who did not emigrate, finding DNA matches, and help with trees or DNA testing.

DNA testing has revolutionised genealogical research. There are three main types of DNA tests relevant to family history:

1. Y-DNA (Male Line)
Follows inherited DNA from your father, his father, and so on. Valuable for genealogy — can identify the family group of your male line. We recommend starting with at least the Y-37 test. Check with our DNA coordinator for your specific situation.

2. Mitochondrial DNA (Female Line)
Follows inherited DNA from your mother, her mother, and so on. Useful for studying ancient migration of maternal ancestors.

3. Autosomal DNA (All Ancestors)
A mix of DNA inherited from both parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc. The most common testing offered. Provides information on your countries of origin and connects you to genetic "cousins" from all sides of your family.

The Henderson Surname Project is hosted at Family Tree DNA. This is the primary DNA testing platform for Henderson research, where you can test Y-DNA, mitochondrial DNA, or autosomal DNA and connect with other Henderson researchers. Join the Henderson Surname Project to participate in extended research and analysis.

Ancestry — Autosomal DNA tests with links to cousin trees and geographic origins.
Scotland's People — UK government site with searchable databases of marriages, births, deaths, burials, wills, and other records.
Geni — Collaborative family tree platform.
MyHeritage — DNA testing and family tree building.

All DNA test types may be subject to periodic sales — watch for announcements from our DNA team.

Our volunteer genealogy team is here to help:

• Greg Lamberson — VP Genealogy/DNA
• Ron Henderson — Genealogy/DNA Communications
• David Henderson — Family Tree DNA Henderson Surname Project Coordinator
• Jim Henderson — Geni Specialist
• Charm Russell — Tree Building Specialist (Ancestry, Scotland's People)