Below is a link to a map I have created that highlands roughly the areas in the southwest of Scotland, where the Milligans and Griersons are located in relation to a number of other surnames that have pre-1600 origins and appear to be predominantly M222. _R-M222 Map SW Scotland_ (http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~alanmilliken/Research/DNAStudies/r-m222-map.jpg) I think there is also another surname that should be linked to Milligan and Grierson, namely, Wilson. There was once, a small landed family called the Wilsons of Croglin who were well established in the Tynron area of Nithsdale, but like the Milligans, the chief family emigrated to the north of Ireland. As far as I know, none of the Wilsons on the DNA Project have successfully established a link to this family. Perhaps someone on the list might know differently. Another interesting cluster covers the McGhee, McKees, McHargs in Kirkcudbrightshire, followed by the McCords in Wigtownshire and the Cowans in Ayrshrie. Sandy has pointed out the potential DNA tie between McCord and Cowan, and on this he might well be right. There appears to have been a recent posting of a quite number of McDowell DNA results on Ysearch. I went through them and found the majority appear to be M222. On the map I have the McDowells represented at Garthland, the seat of the chiefs of this Name. However, I am more than aware there are other locations. This cluster of MacDowell results raises some interesting questions. For example, it has been asserted the MacDowells descend from the lords of Galloway, a claim based mainly on tradition and the MacDowell coat of arms. The best convincing argument that I have read identifies Mactheuel (Gaelic th = d), who witnessed a charter of Uchred son of Fergus in 1161, as the eponymous ancestor of the MacDowells. Mactheuel, meaning son of 'Theuel' or 'Deuel', was a contemporary of Uchtred son of Fergus. The point is, 'Theuel' or 'Deuel' was more than likely a contemporary of Fergus or from an even earlier generation, than a 'descendants of'. Some have suggested Fergus was descended from 'Douel', a claim based on the supposition the MacDowell coat of arms is indicative of the ancestry of Fergus!! It assumes coats of arms existed in Galloway before the arrival of the Normans? MacTheuel was one of six witnesses to Uchtred's charter, by which, he granted the church of Colmonell in the parish of Urr and the chapel of St Constantine to Holyrood Abbey in Edinburgh. The others were, Mac Mares, judice, Gillecatfar Uchtred's foster-brother, Gillecrist mac Gillewinin and Danile filio Erlenuine. MacTheuel appears in the list immediately after Gillecrist. Uchred's charter places MacTheuel aka MacDeuel east of the river Cree in Kirkcudbrightshire rather than Wigtownshire. If the MacDowell ancestry was once located in Kirkcudbrightshire and MacTheuel or MacDeuel was their common ancestor, the MacDowell surname would add to an even larger cluster of M222s older than the Amuligane-Grierson cluster in Tynron and take the recorded history back well beyond 1160. Overall, in southern Scotland, it would appear the number of surnames with a high concentration of M222 prior to 1600 are located southwest of the Ayr-Dumfries axis. Alan In a message dated 26/06/2011 04:44:14 GMT Standard Time, Lochlan@aol.com writes: We just had another Milligan join the project at 111 markers. His closest two matches at 111 markers are two other Milligans (Kits 12068, 135550). Genetic distance is reported at 16 and 17. His most distant match at that level is a Burns (Kit 135550) at 40 GD. I haven't examined these Milligan samples but I assume they are related. After that I don't know. The next closest matches are: Coyne (18) Qujinn (18) Then Megonnigil (19) McKenzie (19) Leonard (20) Mc Gonigle (20) Grierson (21) John R1b1c7 Research and Links: http://clanmaclochlainn.com/R1b1c7/ ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to DNA-R1B1C7-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message