Surnames in this Project: The Bowers DNA Project is open to any male with any of the listed surnames and to any male with a variant surname.  Participants are sought from all parts of the USA, Canada, Europe, Latin America, Oceania and anywhere else the surname may be found.

Testing Limited to Male Descendants of the Paternal Line:  This does not mean that a patriarch's female descendants, or male descendants of a female descendant, are second class descendants.  It's just that Y-DNA, which is what is being tested, is passed only from father to son down the paternal line, thereby excluding these other descendants.  Females can order an mtDNA test for themselves, but this test only identifies the ancient female clan of her direct maternal line, and accordingly has no relevance to this surname DNA project.  Female descendants and male descendants of a female descendant can nonetheless participate in this project by finding a male relative with the surname who is willing to be tested on behalf of their lines.  Such participation is strongly encouraged and is probably essential to obtaining the critical mass of participants necessary to have meaningful results.

Available Tests:

·         12 markers: Recommended only if you are trying to disprove a possible common ancestor or are primarily interested in your ancient ancestry (haplogroup).

·         25 markers: Sufficient to confirm solid paper trails, but 37 markers is preferred in order to assist others in the project who do not have solid paper trails.

·         37 markers: Recommended for those with unproven paper trails and for those trying to break through the proverbial brick wall.

·         67 markers: Recommended for those for whom the 37 marker test is recommended, if you can afford it.  It improves upon the 37 marker test by providing more insight as to whether an unknown common ancestor is in the relatively near or more distant past.  It is also more helpful in identifying specific branches of a lineage.

Cost of Tests:

·         12 marker test is $99.

·         25 marker test is $124

·         37 marker test is $149

·         67 marker test is $248

·         Add $4 for s&h ($6 international)

·         Upgrades from one test level to the next test level are available, although the total cost is somewhat more that way.  You can upgrade in steps or all at once.

Specifics of the Test: The test will be conducted by Family Tree DNA, of Houston, Texas, the world's leading testing company for Surname DNA Projects.  The test is a simple cheek swab.  The kit will arrive and leave your house by mail.  You simply rub the inside of your cheek a number of times with a special scraper, put the kit back into the envelope, and put it in the mail.

Click here to go to the FTDNA site to place an order for a DNA test.