Bower/Bowers, & Variants DNA Genealogy
I would like to suggest people with brick walls consider doing the DNA test for genealogy. There are now about 30 or so Bowers and variant spellings who have done so with FTDNA. My uncle recently did the test and the results revealed I do not match any of the participants so far.
My Bowers group's migration was VA>NC>TN>MS>TX(me) and now in many other states. Another branch went VA>NC>TN>KY>IL. In NC, my group lived in Nash Co. In TN, they were in Sumner & Wilson Co. where there are several Bowers around 1800 who all may or may not be related. There are also Bowers in Davidson Co., TN as well. In MS, mine were in Yaloubusha Co. by 1837. It was later divided into Carroll, and then Grenada and now Montgomery Co. There are other Bowers there early as well. Are we related? I don't know. There are Bowers clustered in all counties and while we can usually figure out children by using census records, wills, etc., there are often those we suppose are brothers but have no way of knowing if they are truly related.
It would be wonderful to put more of our groups together. So far, there are 4 groupings of Bowers using DNA, one being the famous Giles Bowers of VA. DNA testing is rather expensive, but I think it can help us either by seeing which group we are related to or by eliminating groups so we no longer waste time researching those Bowers we don't match. If you haven't figured out a Christmas present yet for this year, DNA testing might be something to consider. I have spent a ton of money on copies and have two legal size file drawers full of genealogical papers of "possible" Bowers relatives. I was looking for a needle in a haystack trying to figure out which Bowers in VA my line belongs to and continuing to collect data on all those in certain areas with similar names. In the early 1700's, everyone seems to have the same name! Many early records in VA were also burned, so many of us may never find the correct ancestor there. We will only be able to make assumptions. With DNA, we may be able to find our group though. I can continue to research in VA and hopefully discover another record that will help. But I think it would be more helpful to all of us to know which group we belong to and then that group can put their heads together to work out that paternal line.
The Bowers DNA genealogy project really needs more participants. Thirty is not enough for a surname that is one of the largest surname groups in the U.S., if not the world. Don't forget, there are the variant spellings of Bower, Bauer, Boyer, and more. So, consider participating in the DNA project, if not for Christmas, maybe your next birthday, and let's get our Bowers sorted out!