Many Townsends were long thought to be related by those tracing their ancestry, but DNA testing, particularly YDNA, has shown that there are many different families in the United States. Prior to the Revolutionary War, there were about 15 distinct Townsend families spread across the colonies. Testing by Townsends in America and around the world will help identify their families and trace their origins, especially in England where most are believed to have originated. FamilyFinder helps find cousins back several generations and also identify family groups. mtDNA traces the maternal lineage back in time.