Cast a Wider Net?

Since William McCown of York Co., South Carolina is shown as McCown in the
1790 census, as McCoun in the 1800 census and as McQuown in the 1810 census,
it seems as though I will either have to look for his descendants as McCown, McCoun or McQuown.

Meanwhile census reports in my own line show the name as McCown, McCowen
and McKeown.  I can either search all of the above spellings or simply look for McCown and it's spelling variants.  So far, sentiment seems to be to simply look for McCown.

A Potential Break in our Stone Wall

My brother, Dick, had a series of postings with Jackson Weller on a surname bulletin board.  Jackson

says that he is descended from William McCown of York Co., South Carolina from the 1790 US

Census and that said William was the father of our great great grandfather, Lawrence McCown.

Jackson is descended from Leander McCown who in turn was a son of Lawrence McCown along

with my great grandfather, William McCown, Eli McCown and Granville McCown.  If Jackson

has a male relative in the McCown line, I hope to persuade him to take the FTDNA Y-DNA test

because that would prove or disprove our relationship to William of York County and with Jackson.

These postings were in 2000 and 2001 so the room for uncertainty is great, but as previously noted,

hope springs eternal.

Amended Highest Match in the McGuire Surname

Tom is indeed my closest and highest match within the McGuire surname at
67 markers, but Joseph D. McGuire is my highest match within the McGuire
surname at 101/111 markers.  Not all of the McGuire, McManus, McMahon,
MacAuley surname have been tested at 111 markers, and I believe that when and if
Tom is also tested to 111 markers, that he will be about one step closer match than is
Joseph since that is how they are matched at 67 markers.  There may be more 111 marker matches for me when more of the clan have been tested to 111 markers.

Updates and In Memorium to my brother, Dick

My only brother, Dick McCown, died last Thursday morning.  Dick was the instigator of our interest
in the genealogy of our McCown line.  He did all of our documentary research and prepared our family tree including all of the branches through marriage.  In addition, he suggested that we invest in the
FTDNA test and we split the cost.  When the first 25 marker results rolled in, they were almost entirely
Irish.  That was a huge surprise because then, we had thought of ourselves as being Scots.  When the
37 marker results rolled in, it became apparent that we were not only Irish, but of the Ulster Sept of
Maguire, which is one of the few clans of the blood wherein all members from the chief to the lowliest laborer have the same blood.

My highest and closest match with the McGuire surname is Tom and Tom's deep subclade test results
have been received.  We had hoped that his deep clade P66 would be positive, but alas, it was negative.  Had it been positive, his line would probably have been closely related to ours.

There are many with Maguire blood yet to be tested and hope springs eternal and, hopefully, we look forward to that missing link.