I contacted Bennett Greenspan, President of Family Tree DNA, about the procedures for setting up a Bowles Surname DNA Project. Here is his reply. ----- Here are the general ideas behind surname projects for you to know. Below are full details of our surname projects. Currently we have slightly over 1300 projects underway at Family Tree DNA -- about 85% of all projects to date world wide. We receive over 100,000 visitors a month to our web site, which means and increased chance for individuals to become aware of the existence of a project with your Surname and variants, and join it. We have no project set up fee, we offer free analysis of the results and provide comparative tools for calculating genetic distance. Family Tree DNA is backed by the Molecular Lab for Science and Evolution at the University of Arizona, one of the 5 leading Y-Chromosome universities in the world. We are the only Genetic Genealogy company supported by one of these major Y chromosome labs. We also provide one free Phylogenetic Tree of your family (a graphic pictorial of how members of the group fit together). We suggest that you ask us to produce the tree after most of the results are back.as they make a great keepsake for group members. We also preserve the DNA for 25 years because we know this technology is at its infancy and if you don't preserve the DNA you can't refine a sample when someone passes on...and frankly our clients are typically not spring chickens. We also provide, exclusively, a prediction of the Haplogroup of each person...which locates them on the 'phylogenic' tree of Homo Sapiens...If you ever see The Journey of Man by Spencer Wells -- he's tracing man's deeper ancestral world wide migrations through the 'phylogenic' tree. It's something that you will become familiar with because it's incorporated into our system. After you have had a chance to digest the info, drop me a line to discuss your project and I'll set you up. It's important to have some phone contact with us because there are always aspects of the project that seem to work best when explained on the phone...especially if it's some basic genetic and anthropological theory, but more mundane items like a web page to promote your project, or recruitment strategies and important when you are building a project. When you are ready to talk about your project just email me with a phone # & time to contact you and I'll arrange this!. Starting a Surname Project Below are some tips and techniques for the Group Administrator to start a surname project, as well as the pricing available for Surname Projects. 1. Establish the Project objectives The Y chromosome is passed from father to son unchanged, except for a mutation about every 500 generations. Testing the Y chromosome will provide you with a genetic finger print consisting of 12,25 or 37 numbers. By comparing this finger print to others with your surname, you can determine if they are related. The objectives of Surname Projects vary. Here are a few: Identify others who are related Prove or disprove theories regarding ancestors Solve brick walls in your research Determine a location for further research Validate existing research Often a Surname Project has multiple objectives, and the objectives may even change over the life of the project. Most Surname Projects start with the objective to identify others who are related, and through out the project the other objectives are achieved simply as a result of the project. 2. Select 12, 25 or 37 markers Molecular Biologists and population geneticists at the University of Arizona have developed our panels of markers focusing on what we, genealogists, need to obtain out of the test. It is not just throwing any quantity of markers into a panel. Each marker is chosen for its volatility or stability (mutation rate) along with Anthropological information that can be obtained from the markers. That is why our 37-marker test is the highest resolution test available; we are not dealing strictly with quantity, rather with quality. The next step for your Surname Project is to decide whether you test 12, 25 or 37 markers. Family Tree DNA recommends establishing the Project with the 12-marker Y chromosome test. 12 markers are sufficient to determine whether or not two people are genetically related. In addition, the 12-marker Project price of $99 is more affordable for participants, enabling you to recruit more participants. The value of the 25 or 37 marker test occurs when two participants are related based on the 12-marker test. When participants match with the 12-marker test, the test can be upgraded to 25 markers for an additional fee of $90 and then to 37 for $59. The objective of the upgrade to the 25 or 37 marker test is to further reduce the time frame of the common ancestor between the matching participants. The common ancestor also referred to as the Most Recent Common Ancestor, or MRCA. Typically, participants are very interested in upgrading their 12 marker test to 25 markers when a match occurs. Two individuals are considered related for the 12 marker test if they match 12/12, 11/12, and sometimes with 10/12. In the first two situations, an upgrade to the 25 marker test is recommended. 3. Jump start your project The easiest way to jump start your Surname Project, and to get others interested in participating, is to find the first two participants. Participants must be direct male descendents, since the Y chromosome is passed from father to son. If you are a direct male descendent, you are 50% of the way to jump starting your Surname Project. You'll need to find just one other participant. Most likely you have had contact with others with your Surname during the course of your family history research. One course of action is to select a few of those contacts and write them a letter or email about your project, and ask them to participate as the genetic representative for their line or family. When you get a second participant from this group - you have achieved your jump start for your Surname Project, and you are ready to sign up more participants. If you were unable to get a second participant, expand your contacts until you do. 4. Recruiting Participants Now that you have jump started your project, recruiting participants becomes easier. You might want to revise your letter/email to include information that testing has begun with genetic representatives from two families/lines, to determine if they are related. Including a brief family history of these two families/lines often stimulates interest. Develop a list of potential participants to whom you will send an email/letter. Start with those who you have had contact with in the past regarding your family history research. Don't eliminate the females - they may have a brother or father whom they could ask to participate. Asking for help finding a genetic representative for their family is one approach that often works well. You can find additional potential participants from searching the net, and also online telephone books. 5. Getting the Word out If your surname has an association, be sure to notify the association regarding the project. Send them a brief explanation of the project that they could post on a web site or put in a newsletter. Refer them to your Family Tree DNA project website. Post news about your project to any appropriate mailing lists and other posting sites. 6. Stake a Claim with a web site A web site is extremely helpful for a successful Surname Project, and may help potential participants find your project. There are many sites where you can create a web site for free, and many have tools which make it quick and easy to create a web site. Family Tree DNA has created a cookie cutter web site that we host for free. The site gives you an internet address for your project and will help instill confidence in your DNA project. It takes about 10 minutes to create and you need to absolutely nothing about web site to create your won surname Project website. If you create your own web site start with a simple site, telling people about the project. Once you start getting results back for the participants, you can easily add a chart and other information to the site. 7. Extra, Extra - read all about it Once you start getting results back for participants, you now have Genetic Genealogy News for your web site, your project participants, and others interested in your Surname family history. You might consider creating a short Newsletter about the project and the results to date, and mail this to your list of potential participants and any one with interest in your family history. Be sure to include a paragraph with a request for participants. ------ As a registered Surname Project at Family Tree DNA, your project will receive Project Pricing and a set of tools for the Group Administrator. Plus automatic matching notifications, and a Phylogenetic tree. The Surname Project Pricing is: The Surname Project pricing is: 12 marker Y-DNA* test $99 + postage 12 to 25 Marker Upgrade $90 12 to 37 Marker Upgrade $149 25 marker Y-DNA* test $169 + postage 37 marker Y-DNA* test $229 + postage 25 to 37 Marker Upgrade $59 *Archival storage of your DNA for 25 years in included with all of our tests. The Group Administrator tools include access to the Surname Project at the Family Tree DNA web site, where you can easily order kits, track participants, and down load results. Credit cards are accepted with our Verisign secure on-line order system. Thank you for your interest in Family Tree DNA. If we can provide any additional information or answer any questions, please contact us. Best Regards, Bennett Greenspan President Family Tree DNA http://www.FamilyTreeDNA.com ---------- So there you have it. The ball in now in our court. To begin a project, we have to have at least two individual males who are eligible to test for the Bowles surname, and who are prepared to purchase the test. The only thing I would point out about the pricing is that you save $20 by having the 25 marker test done first, rather than doing the 12 marker and then later upgrading to 25. If you do decide to upgrade, you do not need to be re-tested. They just take your sample and test it further. The test is painless, you swab the inside of your cheek with two different swabs and mail them in to be tested. They provide everything you need in the kit. So I have two questions: 1. Who wants to be tested? 2. Do you want me to serve as group administrator to get this set up? Let me hear from you. Charlie

Charlie, I'll be tested. Thanks for volunteering to be the administrator. Jim ----- Original Message ----- From: "Charles Hartley" <hartley@iglou.com> To: <BOWLES-L@rootsweb.com> Sent: Friday, December 10, 2004 9:55 PM Subject: DNA Testing - Important Message > So I have two questions: > > 1. Who wants to be tested? > 2. Do you want me to serve as group administrator to get this set up? > > Let me hear from you. > > Charlie

I'm looking for Lyle Bowles of Atwood KS. Is there any chance he is on the list, or does anyone know him? Charlie