I recieved this letter a few weeks ago and have been trying to open my mind to answering it...but it has been awhile since I worked in my own genealogy...thus I have forgotten some of the important things...not to mention...this DNA stuff is above my small intelligence! I am really interested and find that as fall is arriving..I want to really throw myself back into genealogy...but am so far behind at this point..don't even know where to start. First...I believe I had written to you all some time ago about the Sorenson Molecular Database...and I have submitted my own DNA for the same... For those of you who have done the DNA test for our own project...I would suggest that you compare your numbers to those on the database... http://smgf.org:8081/pubgen/site0.jsp The following letter refers to those numbers and if any of you could contact Mr. Eckersly and help him...and perhaps share with the rest of us your findings...I would surely be interested to hear also. I have added notes in ( )'s to Mr. Eckersley's letters. At 04:46 AM 8/27/2004, you wrote: >Dear Susan, > >(Greetings Barlow cousins!!) > >Firstly forgive me writing to you even though I am not a Barlow. My name >is John Eckersley with paternal roots to Prestwich (north Manchester, >England). I am writing to you because I match 5 particpants in your >survey exactly. On your webpage they are kits: > > (I have added the names and contacts here for those > interested in further contact...Susan) >Kit marker match >21897 12 / 12 ( Bryan Barlow of Bunches of Barlows / contact >Roe Barlow Roebarlo@tampabay.rr.com ) >19678 25 / 25 ( Alex M. Barlow of Ireland and the >UK / alexbarlow@rookham.fsnet.co.uk ) >8703 25 / 25 ( John Barlow of John of Fairfield >Ct / jfbarlow2@attbi.com ) >11895 25 / 25 ( Bert Barlow of William and Edith Mathoda >Barlow / Possibly Ireland and then of Georgia / bbsvend@aol.com ) >8780 25 / 25 (Wendell Barlow of John and Lydia / NC and >MIssissippi / Contact >myself / sbarlowholmes@classicnet.net and Lora Beth >Wright / lorabethw@juno.com ) (Note: Wendell and Bert Barlow have a two marker difference on marker 464c....their's being a 17 and the rest being a 15. .... Bryan Barlow has upgraded to the 25 marker test but results are not in as yet. Susan ) > >It is for this reason I believe I am probably descended from the >Barlows. Although my surname is Eckersley there appears to have been a >surname change in 1816 from Crompton to Eckersley. This is why I had my >FT DNA test carried out under the Compton surname project: On the website >below my result is no.4 kit 22784. > ><http://www.familytreedna.com/public/compton/>http://www.familytreedna.com/public/compton/ > > >I would be keen for any of the above Barlows to contact me to discuss >links and share information. Family Tree DNA say that if there is a match >of 23/25 or more then it is 99.9% certain that you share a common >ancestor. Also given the origin of all three surnames (Barlow, Crompton & >Eckersley) I believe it is certain a relationship exists: > >The surname Crompton originated in Crompton Fold (and then High Crompton) >two villages just to the north east of Oldham. An important branch of the >family lived at Breightmet on SE edge of Bolton. Eckersley originates >from the lost place name "Eckersley Fold" just south of Bolton between >Tyldesley and Leigh. All these places are aprrox 10 miles or less from my >father's house at Prestwich! I believe this ties my family in with the >Lancashire Barlows who lived at Bolton (Edmund Barlow) before emmigrating >to the USA where he died 16th Dec 1697 Charlestown, Middlesex, >Massachusets. The Soreson database shows this Barlow's earliest ancestor >as being "? Barlow" b1486 Little Boulton, Lancaster, England ( I have a >feeling the Lancaster referred to is probably the county as it was called >then rather than the town of that name). Edmund's descendants in America >are shown as: > >James Barlow: b1668 Hartford, Hartford, Conneticut >James Barlow b27th Jan 1688 Suffield, Hartford, Conneticut >Nathan Barlow b26th Mar 1726 Granville, Hampden, Massachusets >Israel Barlow b13th Sep >1806 "" d 1st Nov >1883 Bountiful, Davis, Utah. >Family (Living) > > >I have made contact with an Alex Barlow which FT DNA informed me I have a >24/25 match. However, I can only see 4 x 25/25 matches and not one 24/25 >on your webpage. Anyway, Alex kindly told me "Two of these would be >Wendall Joe and Bert Barlow families that you have the 25/25 >matches. These families both live in USA.". >Are these two descended from James Barlow b1725 (Ireland) and William >Barlow b1778 (Ireland)? Alex mentioned that his Barlows lived around the >Galway/Roscommon border in Ireland. ( To my knowledge..no relationships outside the US have ever been proven, only suspected ) > >The only other Barlow I know anything of with whom I have a 23/25 match is >George W Barlow b1832 Cairo, New York, USA which I found on Sorenson. The >problem with Sorenson being that it doesn't tell you the values of markers >you mismatch. So even if the person hasn't entered a marker value and you >search against that marker it will show up as a mismatch. > >The only people I have any matches with at above 22 markers are the >Barlows, the Lowes and also the Dilks. I believe that the Lowes are >probably a branch of the Barlow family since at the time of Edmunde >Barlow's emigration to the US his name is recorded as BARLOWE. Whether >this split happened before or after moving to the US I cannot say. > >As you can see I am trying to unravel which Barlow family is >which. Therefore any help you or your members are able or willing to give >would be very gratefully received, > >Also: >Does anyone know anything of the origin of the childhood truce word of >"Barlow" or "Barley" which is used in Lancashire, Cheshire and parts (of >West?) Yorkshire? I have a feeling it may tie in with the meaning of the >Lancashire Barlows coat of arms. It seems that these signify a truce or a >treaty (or marriage) between two warring familes; > >The double headed eagle means / wings spread: "The cojoining of two >forces" / "Protection" >The black backgroud means: "Constancy or grief" >Silver or white (eagle) means: "Peace and sincerity" > >I know that my father used this term as a child and that a colleague at >work (from Lancashire) also remembers using it to signify a break in a >chase type game where one party would call "Barlows" to indicate they >wanted a breather before the game continued. It feels like something that >would have emerged at the end of the War of the Roses or the English Civil >War or a similar turbulent time a bit like the "Ring of Roses" nursery rhyme. > >Anyway, thanks once again for your help. > >Yours sincerely and relatedly! > >John Eckersley. > > >