This family's Y-DNA Haplogroup is I2a2a1a (formerly I2b1a1)

This family has validated their Haplogroup by four separate lines of the family as Haplogroup I2a2a1a1a1 (formerly I2b1a1) and subclade M284-Isles/Scot with L126+, L137+, and L369+, and our terminal SNP of I-Y4751. Y-DNA Haplogroup I (the letter I, not the number 1) represents nearly one-fifth of the population of Europe. I2a2a1a1(M284/L126/L137/L369), has been found almost exclusively among the population of Great Britian, which has been taken to suggest that the clade may have a very long history in that island - approximately 8,000 years!

It is notable, however, that the distributions of Haplogroup I1 and Haplogroup I2a seem to correlate fairly well with the extent of historical influence of Germanic peoples, although the punctual presence of both haplogroups at a low frequency in the area of the historical regions of Bithynia and Galatia in Turkey rather suggests a connection with the ancient Gauls of Thrace, several tribes of which are recorded to have immigrated to those parts of Anatolia at the invitation of Nicomedes I of Bithynia.

A recent result in the M223 Y-Clan Study of Family Tree DNA (FTDNA) revealed that a few families found in England have been identified as positive for the M284+ mutation. This group was previously referred to as 'Isles I1c'. The M284 mutation is a branch of old M223+ believed to be associated with Iron Age ca. 500 BCE to 1 CE or earlier migrations to the British Isles. Accordingly this places the branch-group as being pre-Roman and members of the genetic admixture of those people identified as the 'Atlantic Celts'. It is possible that the M284+ mutation 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. Subclade M284 is believed to be indigenous to western Scotland. Recent research has indicated that this subclade is broken further and new SNPs tests were identified to break the M284-Scots from the M284-English. Those with positive results of SNP L126/L137/L369 are Scots while negative results are English. It is believed that the Scots clade (L126+/L137+/L369+) is approximately 2,800+ years old. It is also believed that our current terminal SNP of I-Y4751 originated approximately 1600-1900 years ago. The M223 Y-Clan Study currently lists the I-4751 and our markers as "Isles-Irish". It is not known as to whether it could be connected to the Celtic tribe who left Ireland and created the Kingdom of Dalriada in Scotland. 

The male family members DNA tested were descendants from four separate and verified sons of William Gowan (Gowin) born early 1700s and who was married to Anester Unknown with many males testing from seperate and verified grandsons. The DNA results from a 37-marker test confirmed with 100% confidence that they all shared a common ancestor within the last 6-9 generations and the paper trail confirmed that they were related within four generations! To date, twelve confirmed family members have tested, although only ten are listed within Family Tree DNA and within the McGowan DNA Project.