Thursday, January 3, 2013

FTDNA Reverses Itself and a New McCown?

After all of the fanfare about more new matches, I am now back to ground zero because
FTDNA has reversed out all of the new matches at 111 markers.  The good news is that
Rev. Bill McCown sent an email to me wanting to share his family history with me and mine with
his.  His ancestor was born in 1792 in Anderson (formerly Pendleton Co., South Carolina.  He is
now living near there.  My earliest known ancestor was Lawrence McCown, born ca 1790,
somewhere in South Carolina.  I don't believe that we will be able to connect our ancestors
unless he takes the FTDNA Y-DNA test.  I haven't heard back from him and the deadline for
the year end discounts was supposed to be on Dec. 31st.  I heard tonight that FTDNA extended
the grace  period for three more days, but now they are also past.

Some time ago, I also exchanged emails with still another William McCown who is descended
from a Scottish Rebel prisoner deported to Oxford, Maryland in 1748.  On the same ship was a
woman prisoner named Katherine McKown but she debarked in North Carolina.

A number of McCowns settled in South Carolina by 1790, at least one William McCown was
listed in the 1790 census of York Co., South Carolina.  Many others moved down from
Pennsylvania and Virginia and settled in Chester and Union Districts.  Two William McCowns
were shown in the 1790 US census in the Old 96th District of South Carolina.  It is conceivable
that Rev. Bill McCown's ancestor was one of those.

No comments: