More Testing?

In an effort to find unknown cousins, I am considering using FTDNA Family Finder. This could be useful if our earliest known ancestor had brothers or uncles of which we are unaware or if he had been adopted, we might find his adoptive parents and his true bloodline as well. This is intended to help us get around our earliest known ancestor because we know his descendants very well but we don't have a clue as to the name of his father whether natural or adoptive. That name could well be some variation of one of the Maguire Clan family names or it could be our McCown surname.

I have invited those with various Maguire clan surnames who are close matches with me to also take the Family Finder test. That could possibly give us more specific detail on where our McCowns lived before moving to South Carolina. I am torn between knowing whether this is in the best interest of those that I have invited or even in my best interest because in the Family Finder test, it seems as though only surnames that have actually been in the direct bloodline will do.

You may recall that I have mentioned that some of the Irish use two surnames, one is the surname of the man's father and one he adds which includes his father's given name. For example, Edmond McOwen Magwire is clearly a Maguire but to distinguish himself from other Maguires he takes his father's given name Owen and adds the Mc prefix so that it reads Edmond McOwen Magwire or Edmond son of Owen Magwire. Shane O'Neill's son also chose this course and chose to call himself MacShane although he was born O'Neill.