Rowan

  • 61 members

About us

8/2/2005 - No news to report at this time since we don't have any results yet. If we get some test kits in right away we can start expecting results in approximately 8 - 10 weeks after the first tests kits are submitted. Stay tuned. There's a lot more to come. Look for a Rowan Family Association website coming soon.

8/7/2005 - I have received a lot of emails from people on both sides of the Atlantic interested in the project. Some just want more info and some want to know how to participate. This thing is off and running folks. Let your Rowan cousins know about it. I am setting up a general fund that will be used to help defray the costs of the testing when there is a need. If you want to contribute to the fund, please do so through the link on the left.

8/14/2005 - I have heard from a lot of Rowans interested in the project. I have made contact with descendants of (1) Rowans of Henry Co GA, (2) 1836 AL Twins, Elijah and Elisha, (3) Hugh Rowan of Ireland through William Winston Rowan of GA, (4) Scotsman Jim Rowan of VA and his son William Berry Rowan of NC, (5) Henry Rowan 1719 - 1807, Adams Co PA and several others. I've even heard from some of our overseas cousins. We already have tests in the works for a few people. Please spread the word about the project.

8/21/2005 - Well, we're really not on a roll yet, but things are starting to happen. We currently have DNA submitters from the following families: (1) Jim Rowan/ William Berry Rowan, (2) Robert Rowan (1760) of SC and Henry Co GA, (3) Elisha Rowan (1836) of AL and (4) Samuel Rowan (1805) of SC, NC and MS. Still looking for some participation from other Rowan families in the U.S. and Canada. I'm still corresponding, mostly by email, with several other families. I hope we will see an increase in activity soon. There is a General Fund that has been set up to help with the costs of tests where there is a need. Get info on the General Fund by clicking the link to the left. If you wish to donate, please do so through the same link. If you donate and wish to have the donation targeted to a specific participant, please let me know. If you would rather purchase a test kit for someone else, you may do so through the Join Link on the left.

8/29/2006 - No new members yet. Several kits have been received at Family Tree and are either at or on their way to the lab. Just a few more weeks until we start getting some results. We only have 4 families represented at this time. I am still working on getting more families involved. I have a commitment from the Elijah leg of the 1836 AL Twins. One participant for sure and possibly as many as four. Keep spreading the word on the forums and mailing lists. Please donate to the General Fund if you can. Every little bit helps.

9/26/2005 - Two new members have joined the project. A test kit has been sent to a descendant of 1836 AL twin Elijah Rowan. Also we have a participant who is a descendant of the Abraham Rowand family of PA and NJ. I am appealing in this update for contributions to the General Fund. The project is growing slowly but it is growing. We should start receiving some test results soon. The first week in October is the projected time frame for the first sets of results. Stay tuned.

10/6/2005 - Results are coming in on the first test kits. The target date to have the results for 4 participants is 10/15/2005. Two new descendants of the 1836 AL twin, Elijah Rowan, have been located and attempts to contact them are being made. The inquiries about the project have slowed down considerably. I will repost the project information on the various forums and mailing lists this week to see if I can generate more interest and activity. Please contribute to the General Fund if you can. The fund is used exclusively to offset the costs of testing when needed. Many thanks to those who have already contributed. I'm biting my nails waiting on the first results. Stay tuned and stay in touch.

10/21/2005 - Okay, folks, some results are starting to come in and were finding some surprises. We are also finding some unexpected family connections (or at least close associations). Interpreting some of the results can be pretty tricky but with FTDNA's help we'll get them worked out. We also have a new member representing the Rowans of Al starting with Hugh Rowan who arrived in the U.S. in the late 1700's from Ireland via England. Hugh and his brother Archibald also have a prominent place in TN history. I have sent out invitations to our cousins in Canada, the U.K. and Australia with the help of Merv Rowan of Canada. Stay tuned. More to come. And please, talk amongst yourselves.

12/7/2005 - It's been a while since the last update so I thought I'd better get some info out ther. The connections we expected to find between people we think are descendants of the 1836 AL twins, Elijah and Elisha Rowan aren't showing up (at least not yet). The genetic distance separations we are finding are based on mutations in "fast moving" markers so the basic connections are there but there are some slight differences based on recent changes in the DNA of the test subjects. These slight differneces in the "fast moving" markers can be overcome with a solid "paper trail" that shows the family connection. I'm not quite ready to start looking for the cabbage leaf I was found under. Keep the faith, people. If we keep rattling those old bones, the family connections will shake out. I have been contacted by some members of families with "variant" spellings of the Rowan surname, e.g., Ruane, Rohan, Roughan. We should start seeing some new members from these families soon. Feel free to contact me if I can help with your research.