To our Austin Cousins, >From Helen and Vernon, We need some help in order to help find a match for the Austin DNA Project. We are hoping that some other male descendants will help out. We are talking about descendants of John Calhoun Austin b 1831 East TN, lived in Morgan Co, AL from 1855-1878, in Winston Co, AL in 1880-1884, in Bankhead National Forest, Lawrence Co, AL until a short time before his death in 1907. His wives were 1) Mrs. Elizabeth Edwards Swan 2) Miss Mary Easter Edwards (both dau of Isaac Edwards and grand daughters of George Lott of Fairfield Co, SC; 3) Mrs. Margaret Juliana Henderson Simmons. John was rumored to have a Cherokee mother? This is the problem. Vernon paid for the DNA test for 67 markers, but so far, not one of the other Austin of the ones tested have matched. If one of you other Austins of our line could mail in a test, it would be appreciated. We would help with the expense. We really want to find your ancestors. We also want to know if YOUR dna is the same as ours or if it has some mutations. Especially since John was over 60 years old when he fathered his last two sons. go to this website for instructions: FamilyTreeDNA.com or to AFAOA.com for DNA project you can see the results of our test there. ----------------------- We have sent this message to three of the ROWAN family members who are a perfect match for our 37 markers in the DNA test! You will see our dillema. If it is true that there was a great grandmother who was a Cherokee, then her lover was the Austin DNA for the Y markers. The woman might have had the name of AUSTIN and gave it to her child. However, the DNA lab people say it would be as many as 20 generations ago before we would have a match for the Rowan, so we are talking about back in Great Britain, perhaps in Ireland or Scotland. The Haplotype and group are (M269) R1b1b2. Look at the website for explanations. Lets have a reunion, or get together to discuss this, if you wish. ==================================================== >From Helen and Vernon Austin To W. E. Rowan Re: your DNA 37 marker match of our John C. Austin b 1831 TN d 1907 Lawrence Co, AL I am writing because I saw that Vernon’s DNA is a perfect 37 marker match to 3 Rowans but NOT to any Austins. We have been a member of the Austin Family Genealogical Assoc. and the DNA project for quite a few years and have worked very hard trying to find some parents for our third generation ancestor, John Calhoun Austin. We know that he was born in East TN in 1831, very early for that state. We know from the census that his parents were said to be both born in South Carolina. We know from our haplotype that we are most likely, of Scot-Irish or Scot descent. We know that our DNA does not make an exact match for any of the AUSTIN families but it does have an exact 37 marker match for YOU and Jason Lee Rowand, and Mr. Thomas Ray Rowan IV. WE know that the deviation has to before John, unless he was adopted or an illegitimate son or (possible) the son of a Cherokee Woman (perhaps named Austin) who consorted in VA, TN or SC with a Rowan. Rumors have circulated about the last possibility. According to the FamilyTreeDNA matching system, we have a 97% likely match of a ancestor to a ROWAN 20 generations ago. So, what were your Rowans doing 30 generations ago. Do you have any idea where they lived before VA, or can you name a county where they first lived in America.?? Were they part of a sept or clan that included Austins? It is the only thing I can think of that would give us a clue to follow. A place name in Great Britain that is in your tradition would be helpful? Hoping you can give us a clue, Helen and Vernon Email to AustinART@bellsouth.net