Gowin DNA, Scotland and Robert Burns

Source

The oldest record of the Ballyhooly Gowens is the gravestone of Mich' Gowin. There is some interesting DNA evidence that connects at least one example of this surname with Scotland.

The following quote is from Genealogy.com.

"I am a descendant of Joseph Gowin b. 1758, d. 8-28-1822 who married Judith Pollard and whose parents are William and Anester. Joseph is my 4th Great Grandfather.

Through the services offered by FamilyTreeDNA, I have confirmed that my Y-Chromosome DNA (Y-DNA) Haplotype subclade is 'Isles/Scotland' and is indigenous to Scotland (specifically southwest Scotland) and has been there thousands of years (source: ISOGG). Y-DNA is passed from father to son along an all-male line. According to research, this Y-DNA branch-group is believed to be pre-Roman and members of the genetic admixture of those people identified as the 'Atlantic Celts'. It is possible that they arose in old Gaul {Spain/France} and represents the migration of Celts from that location. This fits the historical migration of Celtic tribes who are believed to have settled in Britain within this period and the movement of people at an earlier date after the last great ice melt (28,000 years ago).

This recent Y-DNA information, along with written records that connect me to Joseph within the GRF, provides 100% certainty that our progenitors are from Scotland. This information also matches a hand-written letter between two cousins (Joseph's granddaughters) written in 1923 that state this family was from Scotland (specifically naming Glasgow) and they believed his daughter Nancy was born there, although we have records that would indicate otherwise."

Further detail is given elsewhere:

"William Gowin who was born about 1733 in place unknown and who was first recorded in that portion of Lunenburg County, Virginia that later became Bedford County, Virginia."

"According to Dr. Bowes [the DNA researcher] our GOWAN ancestor was [living] near the township of Ballantrae, Ayr, Scotland. He stated that the name was likely “Gowan” with an “a” at the time. The surnames that live within Ayrshire and Wigtownshire near Ballantrae not only match with us on Y-DNA, they match many that lived near our last known ancestor, William Gowin, who lived in Bedford County, Virginia."

 "Near Ballantrae are place names of Gowan’s burn (small river) and Knockgowan (Gowan’s hill)."

"Ballantrae is south of Glasgow by 65 miles. Interestingly, nearby is Maybole (about 24 miles) where William Burness was living when he met and married Agnes Broun (Brown?) before he moved to Alloway where their son, Robert Burns, the Scottish poet, was born. This is interesting because our William Gowin's sons married “Burns” women who were believed to be related to Robert Burns. The matching of the Burns family location and our GOWAN origin seems to point to some credence."
"Although the origin of our GOWAN family may be near Ballantrae, that period of time was 1100 years ago and it is more likely that our family moved closer to Glasgow or even south to Wigtownshire, due to the clearances of farmers which forced many to migrate quickly and all but disappear from this area by the mid-1800s. The towns of Irvine, Ayr, Cummock, Kilmarnock, Maybole, Prestwick, and many others have not only our own surname, but also those we share through DNA and written genealogy."

The same writer notes:

"I have been told by my 86 year old Gowin aunt that our Gowin family is "Black Irish", as that is what she was told by her grandmother. This term is a little confusing to some, but it was used to explain the olive skin color coupled with blue eyes. Our Y-DNA proves we have been on the British Isles for more than 5,000 years, and contrary to the prevailing perception of Irish and Scottish, red hair is not dominant. In fact, today you'll likely find more dark hair and hazel or blue eyes than you will red.

Source

The photo on this site is of the port of Glasgow Scotland. That is because it was passed down from generations, and also mentioned in a early 20th century letter between great-grandaughters of the progenitor, that our Gowin family came to the colonies by way of Glasgow. We haven't been able to confirm this, although Y-DNA is helping us and may allow us to get there faster than paper trails. The tobacco trade in the Tidewater Region of Virginia (where our ancestor was found) was selling tobacco to Glasgow and this may explain why we find William Gowin there."

The McGowan DNA Project at Family Tree DNA attempts to identify the common origins of McGowan, Gowan, Smith or a variant of one of these surnames in Scotland, Northern Ireland, and Ireland.