Guest author Paul R. Spitzzeri graciously contributed his article “No Place Like Home: Some Further History of John Rowland of the Rancho La Puente, 1854-1873” originally published on 21 July 2024 at The Homestead Blog. Paul is the Museum Director of the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum. The John Rowland in this article is… Read more: Further History of John Rowland of the Rancho La Puente
Rowland Genealogy will be “closed” from June 18 to July 4, 2024, as Ron Rowland goes on the road. I will fly to Owensboro, Kentucky in a couple of days for the kickoff ceremonies and start of the 2024 Great Race. The nine days of intense competition will take me through many states and counties… Read more: Rowland On The Road 2024
Editor’s note: The article below, How a Love Triangle Brought Down the Career of Adele Rowland, was originally published on July 10, 2013, by Travalanche. The observations of actor, author, comedian, critic, director, humorist, journalist, m.c., performance artist, playwright, producer, publicist, public speaker, songwriter, and variety booker Trav S.D. How a Love Triangle Brought Down… Read more: How a Love Triangle Brought Down the Career of Adele Rowland
Editor’s Note: Guest author Nick Rowland explores the Ancient Connections feature at FamilyTreeDNA and explains how knowing history helps in understanding your DNA ethnicity results. Many of us will have taken an Autosomal DNA test to help with tracing our ancestry, these are the tests that Ancestry, MyHeritage, 23andMe, FTDNA, and some others offer. The… Read more: Using Ancient DNA Connections and History to Interpret Your Ethnicity Results
If you haven’t seen the David Rumsey Map Collection for Genealogy, the fact that you can now search for ‘Rowland’ on the maps may entice you to take a look. This historical collection contains more than 129,000 maps. All of them are online, and all are free to use by genealogists. I have long been… Read more: Rowland in the David Rumsey Map Collection
With numerous untested Rowland lines, knowing how we are or are not genealogically connected remains a mystery. Below are 40 Rowland descendant trees containing thousands of Rowland profiles documented on the WikiTree. There are many more untested lines, although we haven’t built out the paper trail yet. These untested lines far exceed the number of… Read more: Untested Rowland Genealogical Lines
The Rowland Project DNA Results page at FamilyTreeDNA rolled out DNA Group Z this past week. The members of Group Z are Rowland males who have taken a Y-DNA test but currently do not have any matches among the Rowland Project members. Until they get a match and form a new bonafide multiple-member group, these… Read more: Introducing DNA Group Z – Groups of 1
It is time to review our year-end 2023 statistics and discuss the 30 DNA kits that disappeared. Before we get into details, please remember that Rowland Genealogy consists of many moving parts, including but not limited to: 30 DNA Kits Are No Longer Visible In mid-December, FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA) updated its software regarding how information is… Read more: 2023 Statistics for Rowland Genealogy
In this issue, we look at life beyond genealogy, year-end DNA sales, a request for help, Montgomery-Fulton County New York, Rowland Pennsylvania, Thomas Fitch Rowland, and Rowland DNA Group E.
Editors’ Note: Guest author Nick Rowland contemplates the possibility that one of his ancestral relatives arrived in North America (Newfoundland) about 500 years before Columbus. By the way, Nick lives in England and is still trying to locate a North American Rowland relative who shares his Rowland Group M Y-DNA. Take a Y-DNA test to… Read more: Did My Relative Beat Columbus?
Guest author Paul R. Spitzzeri graciously contributed his article “On This Day: The Arrival of the Rowland and Workman Expedition, 5 November 1841” which was originally published seven years ago today on 05 Nov 2016 at The Homestead Blog. The reference to 175 years ago in the article is now 182 years ago. Paul is… Read more: The Arrival of the Rowland and Workman Expedition, 5 November 1841
Guest author Paul R. Spitzzeri graciously contributed his article Sharing Some History of the Rowland and Workman Expedition of 1841 at the Old Spanish Trail Association National Conference, Riverside which was originally published on 22 Oct 2023 at The Homestead Blog. Paul is the Museum Director of the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum. The… Read more: Some History of the Rowland and Workman Expedition of 1841
FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA) just released a new Big Y-DNA tool called Globetrekker, and today we take our first look. This article includes map snapshots for all Rowlnd DNA groups having at least one Big Y participant. Last year, FTDNA released the Big Y Age Estimate tool in an attempt to answer the “when” question about our… Read more: First Look At Globetrekker
Rowland Genealogy will be “closed” from June 20 to Jul 17, 2023, as Ron Rowland goes on the road. On June 21, I will be flying to St Augustine, Florida to compete in the 2023 Great Race. The green flag drops on June 24, and the checkered-flag-finish will occur nine days later on July 2… Read more: Rowland On The Road
AncestryDNA Thrulines is a great tool for finding “potential” common ancestors, but it is NOT PROOF. In Ancestry’s own words (emphasis mine): ThruLines® shows you how you may be related to your DNA matches. ThruLines are based on information from family trees; they don’t change the information in trees. If there’s inaccurate information in your tree,… Read more: AncestryDNA ThruLines Is Not Proof
The first document featuring a Canadian Rowland family was added to our “free downloads” library. We owe a special thanks to Darrell Grant, author of “Tracing Our Rowland Ancestors, A Search Into Their Past: Canada–Wales–England.” Darrell currently lives in Okotoks, Foothills County, Alberta, Canada. It’s just a few miles south of Calgary and has been… Read more: Canadian Rowland Genealogy Added to Library
Editor’s note: Guest author Matthew G Rowland shares the story of how a McNamara family became a Rowland family. Rowland Kindness Growing up, I took my Rowland surname and what it represented for granted. That changed when my father, on his deathbed, disclosed that our original last name was not Rowland at all. He regretted… Read more: Rowland Kindness
Editor’s note: This was my first experiment with using an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to assist with content creation. Additional details about this experiment can be found at the end of this poem. Please note I categorized this as a “Guest Article” and attributed the authorship to A. I. Rowland. Legacy of the Rowlands (an… Read more: Legacy of the Rowlands (AI Poetry)
I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but all people with the Rowland surname are not related to each other. Additionally, there is no common point of our surname origin. This may seem like a bold statement, but I’m going to back it up with solid DNA evidence and a little common… Read more: Origin of the Rowland Surname
Editor’s Note: The first part of this article is a verbatim transcription (keeping the language and spelling of the time) of a story published September 8, 1901, in the “Sunday Washington Globe”, Washington, D.C. The story the newspaper printed was John C. Rowland’s letter to the editor, with the newspaper adding its own headlines.[1] The… Read more: Rowland’s Story — A Sad Case
Editors’ Note: Guest author Nick Rowland implores you not to play the genealogy name game. Instead, base your family tree on solid research, confirmed with DNA testing. I have been reading Ron Rowland’s excellent article about the Rowland Haplotree1. If you haven’t already read it, please do as it is an excellent representation of how… Read more: Don’t Play the Name Game
Another year has come and gone, which means it’s time to review the 2022 statistics. We made great progress in 2022 and have every intention of riding that momentum into 2023. As a reminder, Rowland Genealogy consists of many moving parts, including but not limited to: Rowland Project at FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA) The Rowland Project at… Read more: 2022 Statistics for Rowland Genealogy
If you’ve ever wondered how all the Rowland families are related, then perhaps the Rowland Haplotree can shed some light. Human DNA has been traced back more than 230,000 years, and if you go back that far, then everyone is related. Autosomal DNA testing (like that offered by Ancestry, MyHeritage, and others) covers both your… Read more: The Rowland Haplotree
This article was contributed by guest author Jamie (Rowland) Fish, who recently discovered a link to Oxfordshire with the help of YDNA. Jamie is the founder and administrator of the Rowland Project at FamilyTreeDNA and resides in North Carolina. The First Rowland YDNA Project Member: Oxfordshire to North Carolina The first participant of the Rowland… Read more: The First Rowland YDNA Project Member: Oxfordshire to North Carolina
Guest author Paul R. Spitzzeri graciously contributed his article All Over the Map: John Rowland’s Copy of the Rancho La Puente Partition Map of 1867-1868, which was originally published on 25 Oct 2022 at The Homestead Blog. Paul is the Museum Director of the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum. The John Rowland in this… Read more: John Rowland’s Copy of the Rancho La Puente Partition Map
In this issue, we delve into the importance of Y-DNA testing, constructing cladograms, discuss a significant Rolland line in France, and provide our usual updates on articles and publications.
Y-DNA Summer Sale The Y-DNA knowledge database is entering its exponential growth phase, and the Y-DNA summer sale can help you get onboard. Your Y-DNA test results can make an immediate contribution to and impact our understanding of Y-DNA science. Yes, you can be a citizen scientist. With a BigY-700 test, your terminal SNP will… Read more: Y-DNA Summer Sale
Rowland Family of Newport, Ohio (and retrieving lost information with the WayBack Machine) The Rowland family were among the early settlers of Newport Township, Washington County, Ohio. Arriving in 1805, just two years after Ohio became a state, John Rowland (1761-1850) and his descendants became prominent citizens of Newport Township. The image at the top… Read more: Rowland Family of Newport, Ohio
Editor’s note: Guest author Nick Rowland has graciously contributed this article to Rowland Genealogy. Nick, currently a resident of Sussex, is the leading genealogical researcher of the Rowland family of Essex, England, from which he descends. He has documented this line back to the 1500s and has used Y-DNA to confirm common ancestry back to… Read more: Rowland DNA Group M Update
In this issue, we look into the status of the 1950 U.S. census, learn about new descendants in Y-DNA Group B, and delve into three new “untested” groupings with descendant trees. We also discuss website updates, additional resources, and much more.
The aptly named “A World Apart” World War II monument in Savannah, Georgia, memorializes two Rowland men. Charles G Rowland and Albert A Rowland, unrelated but both from Chatham County Georgia, gave their lives in service to their country during World War II. The monument, designed by Eric Meyerhoff, consists of a bronze and copper… Read more: A World Apart
Charles W Rowland, an expert marksman, became famous for setting world records and making his own bullets from solid gold. Although well-known among the other rifleman of his day (and those of the present day), his fame likely peaked with the general public four years after his death. At that time, “This Curious World” published… Read more: Charles W Rowland And His Gold Bullets
On April 29, 1925, President Calvin Coolidge bestowed the prestigious Gold Lifesaving Medal on Augustus Butler Rowland at a special White House ceremony. Rowland, an Aviation Machinists Mate First Class, was stationed at the United States Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. On January 21, 1925, Rowland and three other crew members were aboard an… Read more: Augustus Butler Rowland Receives Medal From President Coolidge
Where in the world are our Rowland and Roland ancestors buried? It was a question I had, so I did a little digging to come up with an answer. The FindAGrave website is home to the largest collection of burial information that I know of, which made it a great place to look for relevant… Read more: Rowland Burials – Where In The World Are We Buried?
This issue of the newsletter includes updates on our research into: Rowland DNA Group C; Manchester to Yonkers; Dunbar Rowland;Isle of Wight, England; Frederick County, Virginia; Randolph and Macon Counties, Missouri; family reunions; a medieval soldier database; and the online availability of the Rowland Genealogy Newsletter archives.
The Murder of Andrew Rowland Andrew Rowland was bludgeoned to death in 1868 while sleeping next to his wife, a woman who openly conspired with her “secret” second husband (polyandry) in the solicitation of a hitman, poisoning attempts, and spending the insurance money. It was western Maryland’s murder trial of the century, filled with shocking… Read more: The Murder of Andrew Rowland
The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 5: The Verdict The testimony being all in, the Court stated it would allow six hours before the jury to the prosecution, and the same amount of time for the defense. It was now Wednesday afternoon of May 5, 1869. The jury, after sitting through six days of testimony,… Read more: The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 5
The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 4: Mounting A Defense On Tuesday, May 4, 1869, the State of Maryland rested its case against Mary E. Rowland and Charles Carroll for the murder of Andrew Rowland. It was now time for the Defense to present its case. Nearly every witness called by the Defense was for… Read more: The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 4
The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 3: The State Presents Its Case Testimony in the trial of Mary E. Rowland and Charles Carroll for the murder of Andrew Rowland got underway in Cumberland, Maryland on April 29, 1869. The State called more than 30 witnesses over five days of testimony. Here are the key excerpts.… Read more: The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 3
The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 2: Arrests Made, Trial Date Set A brutal murder befell Andrew Rowland in the early morning hours of Monday, October 19, 1868. Charles Gelwicks, Andrew’s father-in-law, dispatched Pryor Thompson to Hagerstown to get the Coroner. Three doctors, McKee, Tobey, and Blake arrived at about 10 am to perform the… Read more: The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 2
The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 1: The Life and Times (and Murder) of Andrew Rowland Andrew Rowland was born in 1820 at Washington County, Maryland. He was a son of John Rowland and Nancy Zimmerman. Andrew was a member of the fourth generation of the Rowland family in this county. His great-grandfather, Jacob Rowland,… Read more: The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 1
The Forgotten Relatives From the Isle of Wight, England to Hutchinson, Kansas Contributed by guest author Jean Rowland Perry Rowland (1829-1916) was my husband Clyde Rowland’s great grandfather. He came to Hutchinson, Kansas from Noble County, Ohio in 1878 with his wife, Mary Elizabeth, and their six children. Their first child, Clarissa, born in 1857,… Read more: The Forgotten Relatives
Any time a year comes to a close, it provides an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year. If you haven’t figured it out already, that is going to be a major topic of this issue. Likewise, this issue will identify some of our goals and priorities going forward.
The town of Reading, in Berks County, Pennsylvania is renowned for its hat-making businesses, and hatters from the Roland family were plentiful throughout the 1800s. Reading was founded in 1748, with William Penn’s sons Richard and Thomas helping Conrad Weiser lay out the new town. Four years later, Berks County was created, at which time… Read more: Roland Family Hatters of Reading, Pennsylvania
I visited the charming little town of Abbeville, South Carolina (USA) earlier this year. Always curious, I decided to see if any of the surrounding cemeteries were the final resting place of people named Rowland. A search of Find-A-Grave did not reveal any within the city of Abbeville, but the small town of Donalds, which… Read more: Rowland Headstones – Donalds, South Carolina
This issue covers the restructuring of the Rowland Genealogy website and provides updates on research activities including Rowland/Roland families in Berks County Pennsylvania, Hawkins County Tennessee, Rensselaer County New York, and Emanuel County Georgia. We’ll also take a quick look at Jeremiah Rowland of Arkansas and Diamond Dick Rowland of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Rowland DNA Group J Conflicts Currently, Rowland DNA Group J (Surry) has conflicts with Rowland DNA Group A (Shenandoah), Rowland DNA Group F (Botetourt), and others. WikiTree currently has some Rowland lines associated with Group J converging with ancestors in DNA Group A, while others converge with ancestors in DNA Group F. The science of… Read more: Rowland DNA Group J Conflicts
Simply stating that David M Rowland (1838-1926) and Phoebe A Vaughn (1842-1918) produced a large number of descendants is a severe understatement – the couple parented 15 children and had 84 grandchildren.
I’ve been somewhat distracted with other activities since the previous newsletter, although progress is being made on many fronts. As you will see, much of what I have to report was made possible by the efforts of Nick Rowland. I should probably rename this volume of the newsletter the Nick Rowland Edition.
Guest author and genealogist Nick Rowland took the Big-Y DNA test and learned his male line is more Viking than British. He has graciously allowed us to present his story here at Rowland Genealogy. —— The Essex Rowland Family Story from 10,000 BCE to 2020 CE This is the possible early history of our Essex,… Read more: The Essex Rowland Family Story from 10,000 BCE to 2020 CE
I’ve been busy in 2021 on the Rowland genealogy front. Today, I want to update you on: Research activities, recap of goals for 2021 and progress, “Most Wanted” update, centenarians, and free WikiTree help.
Note: This article, Who’s Your Father?, authored by Tony Proctor, was originally published on 7 December 2013 at Parallax View. Tony graciously allowed us to present it here at Rowland Genealogy. —— Who’s Your Father We all have cases where we have had difficulty identifying the father of a child. Usually, it was because no… Read more: Who’s Your Father
This year-end 2020 issue of the newsletter discusses the year-end statistics, goals for 2021, DNA Group news, and error propogation on popular tree building platforms.
The Rowland Xref Project released its 10 Most Wanted list for December 2020. It contains the 10 Rowland Y-DNA groups and Rowland Family Trees that are most in need of your help. If you have any information regarding the subject DNA or genealogies on this most wanted list, then please contact the Rowland Xref Project… Read more: 10 Most Wanted – December 2020
William H Rowland, age 22 and a civilian, was murdered in cold blood on the streets of Centralia, Missouri while trying to protect a wagon full of women. This is the story of a hero in the often-overlooked events surrounding the Centralia Massacre. Being far removed from the active military campaigns across the southern states… Read more: Murder in Centralia
In this issue: an invitation to my live virtual presentation on how this website came to be, Xref Project Groups updated, a Rebellious Rowland, and more.
If your reason for wanting to take a DNA test is to learn about your ancestral heritage, then save your money, because they are mostly useless in that regard. DNA ancestral heritage tests, often called admixture reports or ethnicity estimates, are the “wild west” of the DNA world. We are given to believe that DNA… Read more: DNA Ancestry Heritage Tests Are A Complete Farce
Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Rowland Genealogy Newsletter. I want to thank each one of you for showing support of this endeavor by visiting the website and signing up for the newsletter. The initial response has been overwhelmingly positive and extremely gratifying. However, I am just getting started, and there is much more to come.
Genealogical research can take you many places, and this time it took me into the abyss of a true-crime drama, where I learned that a fellow Rowland had married a black widow serial killer. Donald Earl Rowland survived the enemy fire of war during his stint with the U.S. Army in Vietnam. However, a few… Read more: Oops, I Married A Serial Killer
Read this DNA testing case study before throwing your money at the genealogy DNA testing companies. Maybe you’ve read some reviews or seen a list of “the top DNA tests,” but have you ever seen actual results? This article takes you through an actual DNA testing case study. It compares the detailed results from the… Read more: DNA Testing: A Case Study With Staggering Conclusions
Note: This article, A Grave Too Far, authored by Tony Proctor, was originally published on Wednesday, 8 January 2014 at Parallax View. Tony graciously allowed us to present it here at Rowland Genealogy. —— A Grave Too Far My granduncle died in an area of British India which is now within Pakistan. At the time… Read more: A Grave Too Far
Authors, historians, and videographers have found John Albert Rowland (1791-1873) to be a worthy subject, and rightly so. He was indeed an interesting, notable, and downright successful man, who for many years was known as Don Juan Rowland. From his humble beginnings in Cecil County, Maryland, to his substantial empire encompassing 76 square miles of… Read more: John Albert Rowland: Books & Videos
Rowland Genealogy today (August 1, 2020) announced the launch of its new website and the Rowland Xref Project. RowlandGenealogy.com, whose tag line is “More than just a tree” truly is more. Instead of focusing on a single ancestral line, Rowland Genealogy encompasses all aspects of the Rowland surname around the globe. Its goal is to… Read more: Launch of Rowland Genealogy and Rowland Xref Project
Guest author Paul R. Spitzzeri graciously contributed his article “No Place Like Home: Some Further History of John Rowland of the Rancho La Puente, 1854-1873” originally published on 21 July 2024 at The Homestead Blog. Paul is the Museum Director of the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum. The John Rowland in this article is… Read more: Further History of John Rowland of the Rancho La Puente
Rowland Genealogy will be “closed” from June 18 to July 4, 2024, as Ron Rowland goes on the road. I will fly to Owensboro, Kentucky in a couple of days for the kickoff ceremonies and start of the 2024 Great Race. The nine days of intense competition will take me through many states and counties… Read more: Rowland On The Road 2024
In this issue, we look into the thousands of untested people named Rowland (and variants) who do not know which DNA group they belong to.
Editor’s note: The article below, How a Love Triangle Brought Down the Career of Adele Rowland, was originally published on July 10, 2013, by Travalanche. The observations of actor, author, comedian, critic, director, humorist, journalist, m.c., performance artist, playwright, producer, publicist, public speaker, songwriter, and variety booker Trav S.D. How a Love Triangle Brought Down… Read more: How a Love Triangle Brought Down the Career of Adele Rowland
Editor’s Note: Guest author Nick Rowland explores the Ancient Connections feature at FamilyTreeDNA and explains how knowing history helps in understanding your DNA ethnicity results. Many of us will have taken an Autosomal DNA test to help with tracing our ancestry, these are the tests that Ancestry, MyHeritage, 23andMe, FTDNA, and some others offer. The… Read more: Using Ancient DNA Connections and History to Interpret Your Ethnicity Results
If you haven’t seen the David Rumsey Map Collection for Genealogy, the fact that you can now search for ‘Rowland’ on the maps may entice you to take a look. This historical collection contains more than 129,000 maps. All of them are online, and all are free to use by genealogists. I have long been… Read more: Rowland in the David Rumsey Map Collection
With numerous untested Rowland lines, knowing how we are or are not genealogically connected remains a mystery. Below are 40 Rowland descendant trees containing thousands of Rowland profiles documented on the WikiTree. There are many more untested lines, although we haven’t built out the paper trail yet. These untested lines far exceed the number of… Read more: Untested Rowland Genealogical Lines
The Rowland Project DNA Results page at FamilyTreeDNA rolled out DNA Group Z this past week. The members of Group Z are Rowland males who have taken a Y-DNA test but currently do not have any matches among the Rowland Project members. Until they get a match and form a new bonafide multiple-member group, these… Read more: Introducing DNA Group Z – Groups of 1
It is time to review our year-end 2023 statistics and discuss the 30 DNA kits that disappeared. Before we get into details, please remember that Rowland Genealogy consists of many moving parts, including but not limited to: 30 DNA Kits Are No Longer Visible In mid-December, FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA) updated its software regarding how information is… Read more: 2023 Statistics for Rowland Genealogy
In this issue, we look at life beyond genealogy, year-end DNA sales, a request for help, Montgomery-Fulton County New York, Rowland Pennsylvania, Thomas Fitch Rowland, and Rowland DNA Group E.
Editors’ Note: Guest author Nick Rowland contemplates the possibility that one of his ancestral relatives arrived in North America (Newfoundland) about 500 years before Columbus. By the way, Nick lives in England and is still trying to locate a North American Rowland relative who shares his Rowland Group M Y-DNA. Take a Y-DNA test to… Read more: Did My Relative Beat Columbus?
Guest author Paul R. Spitzzeri graciously contributed his article “On This Day: The Arrival of the Rowland and Workman Expedition, 5 November 1841” which was originally published seven years ago today on 05 Nov 2016 at The Homestead Blog. The reference to 175 years ago in the article is now 182 years ago. Paul is… Read more: The Arrival of the Rowland and Workman Expedition, 5 November 1841
Guest author Paul R. Spitzzeri graciously contributed his article Sharing Some History of the Rowland and Workman Expedition of 1841 at the Old Spanish Trail Association National Conference, Riverside which was originally published on 22 Oct 2023 at The Homestead Blog. Paul is the Museum Director of the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum. The… Read more: Some History of the Rowland and Workman Expedition of 1841
FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA) just released a new Big Y-DNA tool called Globetrekker, and today we take our first look. This article includes map snapshots for all Rowlnd DNA groups having at least one Big Y participant. Last year, FTDNA released the Big Y Age Estimate tool in an attempt to answer the “when” question about our… Read more: First Look At Globetrekker
Rowland Genealogy will be “closed” from June 20 to Jul 17, 2023, as Ron Rowland goes on the road. On June 21, I will be flying to St Augustine, Florida to compete in the 2023 Great Race. The green flag drops on June 24, and the checkered-flag-finish will occur nine days later on July 2… Read more: Rowland On The Road
In this issue, we look into the thousands of untested people named Rowland (and variants) who do not know which DNA group they belong to.
AncestryDNA Thrulines is a great tool for finding “potential” common ancestors, but it is NOT PROOF. In Ancestry’s own words (emphasis mine): ThruLines® shows you how you may be related to your DNA matches. ThruLines are based on information from family trees; they don’t change the information in trees. If there’s inaccurate information in your tree,… Read more: AncestryDNA ThruLines Is Not Proof
The first document featuring a Canadian Rowland family was added to our “free downloads” library. We owe a special thanks to Darrell Grant, author of “Tracing Our Rowland Ancestors, A Search Into Their Past: Canada–Wales–England.” Darrell currently lives in Okotoks, Foothills County, Alberta, Canada. It’s just a few miles south of Calgary and has been… Read more: Canadian Rowland Genealogy Added to Library
Editor’s note: Guest author Matthew G Rowland shares the story of how a McNamara family became a Rowland family. Rowland Kindness Growing up, I took my Rowland surname and what it represented for granted. That changed when my father, on his deathbed, disclosed that our original last name was not Rowland at all. He regretted… Read more: Rowland Kindness
Editor’s note: This was my first experiment with using an artificial intelligence (AI) tool to assist with content creation. Additional details about this experiment can be found at the end of this poem. Please note I categorized this as a “Guest Article” and attributed the authorship to A. I. Rowland. Legacy of the Rowlands (an… Read more: Legacy of the Rowlands (AI Poetry)
I hate to be the one to burst your bubble, but all people with the Rowland surname are not related to each other. Additionally, there is no common point of our surname origin. This may seem like a bold statement, but I’m going to back it up with solid DNA evidence and a little common… Read more: Origin of the Rowland Surname
Editor’s Note: The first part of this article is a verbatim transcription (keeping the language and spelling of the time) of a story published September 8, 1901, in the “Sunday Washington Globe”, Washington, D.C. The story the newspaper printed was John C. Rowland’s letter to the editor, with the newspaper adding its own headlines.[1] The… Read more: Rowland’s Story — A Sad Case
Editors’ Note: Guest author Nick Rowland implores you not to play the genealogy name game. Instead, base your family tree on solid research, confirmed with DNA testing. I have been reading Ron Rowland’s excellent article about the Rowland Haplotree1. If you haven’t already read it, please do as it is an excellent representation of how… Read more: Don’t Play the Name Game
Another year has come and gone, which means it’s time to review the 2022 statistics. We made great progress in 2022 and have every intention of riding that momentum into 2023. As a reminder, Rowland Genealogy consists of many moving parts, including but not limited to: Rowland Project at FamilyTreeDNA (FTDNA) The Rowland Project at… Read more: 2022 Statistics for Rowland Genealogy
In this issue, we discuss the recent expansion of Rowland DNA groups. There are now 15 groups and 99 Y-DNA kits within those groups.
If you’ve ever wondered how all the Rowland families are related, then perhaps the Rowland Haplotree can shed some light. Human DNA has been traced back more than 230,000 years, and if you go back that far, then everyone is related. Autosomal DNA testing (like that offered by Ancestry, MyHeritage, and others) covers both your… Read more: The Rowland Haplotree
YDNA cladograms for 11 distinct genetic groups with the Rowland surname, constructed from FamilyTreeDNA YDNA data.
This article was contributed by guest author Jamie (Rowland) Fish, who recently discovered a link to Oxfordshire with the help of YDNA. Jamie is the founder and administrator of the Rowland Project at FamilyTreeDNA and resides in North Carolina. The First Rowland YDNA Project Member: Oxfordshire to North Carolina The first participant of the Rowland… Read more: The First Rowland YDNA Project Member: Oxfordshire to North Carolina
Guest author Paul R. Spitzzeri graciously contributed his article All Over the Map: John Rowland’s Copy of the Rancho La Puente Partition Map of 1867-1868, which was originally published on 25 Oct 2022 at The Homestead Blog. Paul is the Museum Director of the Workman and Temple Family Homestead Museum. The John Rowland in this… Read more: John Rowland’s Copy of the Rancho La Puente Partition Map
In this issue, we delve into the importance of Y-DNA testing, constructing cladograms, discuss a significant Rolland line in France, and provide our usual updates on articles and publications.
Y-DNA Summer Sale The Y-DNA knowledge database is entering its exponential growth phase, and the Y-DNA summer sale can help you get onboard. Your Y-DNA test results can make an immediate contribution to and impact our understanding of Y-DNA science. Yes, you can be a citizen scientist. With a BigY-700 test, your terminal SNP will… Read more: Y-DNA Summer Sale
Rowland Family of Newport, Ohio (and retrieving lost information with the WayBack Machine) The Rowland family were among the early settlers of Newport Township, Washington County, Ohio. Arriving in 1805, just two years after Ohio became a state, John Rowland (1761-1850) and his descendants became prominent citizens of Newport Township. The image at the top… Read more: Rowland Family of Newport, Ohio
Editor’s note: Guest author Nick Rowland has graciously contributed this article to Rowland Genealogy. Nick, currently a resident of Sussex, is the leading genealogical researcher of the Rowland family of Essex, England, from which he descends. He has documented this line back to the 1500s and has used Y-DNA to confirm common ancestry back to… Read more: Rowland DNA Group M Update
In this issue, we look into the status of the 1950 U.S. census, learn about new descendants in Y-DNA Group B, and delve into three new “untested” groupings with descendant trees. We also discuss website updates, additional resources, and much more.
The aptly named “A World Apart” World War II monument in Savannah, Georgia, memorializes two Rowland men. Charles G Rowland and Albert A Rowland, unrelated but both from Chatham County Georgia, gave their lives in service to their country during World War II. The monument, designed by Eric Meyerhoff, consists of a bronze and copper… Read more: A World Apart
Charles W Rowland, an expert marksman, became famous for setting world records and making his own bullets from solid gold. Although well-known among the other rifleman of his day (and those of the present day), his fame likely peaked with the general public four years after his death. At that time, “This Curious World” published… Read more: Charles W Rowland And His Gold Bullets
On April 29, 1925, President Calvin Coolidge bestowed the prestigious Gold Lifesaving Medal on Augustus Butler Rowland at a special White House ceremony. Rowland, an Aviation Machinists Mate First Class, was stationed at the United States Naval Air Station in Pensacola, Florida. On January 21, 1925, Rowland and three other crew members were aboard an… Read more: Augustus Butler Rowland Receives Medal From President Coolidge
Where in the world are our Rowland and Roland ancestors buried? It was a question I had, so I did a little digging to come up with an answer. The FindAGrave website is home to the largest collection of burial information that I know of, which made it a great place to look for relevant… Read more: Rowland Burials – Where In The World Are We Buried?
This issue of the newsletter includes updates on our research into: Rowland DNA Group C; Manchester to Yonkers; Dunbar Rowland;Isle of Wight, England; Frederick County, Virginia; Randolph and Macon Counties, Missouri; family reunions; a medieval soldier database; and the online availability of the Rowland Genealogy Newsletter archives.
The Murder of Andrew Rowland Andrew Rowland was bludgeoned to death in 1868 while sleeping next to his wife, a woman who openly conspired with her “secret” second husband (polyandry) in the solicitation of a hitman, poisoning attempts, and spending the insurance money. It was western Maryland’s murder trial of the century, filled with shocking… Read more: The Murder of Andrew Rowland
The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 5: The Verdict The testimony being all in, the Court stated it would allow six hours before the jury to the prosecution, and the same amount of time for the defense. It was now Wednesday afternoon of May 5, 1869. The jury, after sitting through six days of testimony,… Read more: The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 5
The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 4: Mounting A Defense On Tuesday, May 4, 1869, the State of Maryland rested its case against Mary E. Rowland and Charles Carroll for the murder of Andrew Rowland. It was now time for the Defense to present its case. Nearly every witness called by the Defense was for… Read more: The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 4
The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 3: The State Presents Its Case Testimony in the trial of Mary E. Rowland and Charles Carroll for the murder of Andrew Rowland got underway in Cumberland, Maryland on April 29, 1869. The State called more than 30 witnesses over five days of testimony. Here are the key excerpts.… Read more: The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 3
The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 2: Arrests Made, Trial Date Set A brutal murder befell Andrew Rowland in the early morning hours of Monday, October 19, 1868. Charles Gelwicks, Andrew’s father-in-law, dispatched Pryor Thompson to Hagerstown to get the Coroner. Three doctors, McKee, Tobey, and Blake arrived at about 10 am to perform the… Read more: The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 2
The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 1: The Life and Times (and Murder) of Andrew Rowland Andrew Rowland was born in 1820 at Washington County, Maryland. He was a son of John Rowland and Nancy Zimmerman. Andrew was a member of the fourth generation of the Rowland family in this county. His great-grandfather, Jacob Rowland,… Read more: The Murder of Andrew Rowland Part 1
The genealogy and serjeanty of Roland the Farter, a 12th century medieval flatulist who performed a jump, whistle and a fart for the king.
The Forgotten Relatives From the Isle of Wight, England to Hutchinson, Kansas Contributed by guest author Jean Rowland Perry Rowland (1829-1916) was my husband Clyde Rowland’s great grandfather. He came to Hutchinson, Kansas from Noble County, Ohio in 1878 with his wife, Mary Elizabeth, and their six children. Their first child, Clarissa, born in 1857,… Read more: The Forgotten Relatives
Any time a year comes to a close, it provides an opportunity to reflect on the accomplishments of the past year. If you haven’t figured it out already, that is going to be a major topic of this issue. Likewise, this issue will identify some of our goals and priorities going forward.
The town of Reading, in Berks County, Pennsylvania is renowned for its hat-making businesses, and hatters from the Roland family were plentiful throughout the 1800s. Reading was founded in 1748, with William Penn’s sons Richard and Thomas helping Conrad Weiser lay out the new town. Four years later, Berks County was created, at which time… Read more: Roland Family Hatters of Reading, Pennsylvania
I visited the charming little town of Abbeville, South Carolina (USA) earlier this year. Always curious, I decided to see if any of the surrounding cemeteries were the final resting place of people named Rowland. A search of Find-A-Grave did not reveal any within the city of Abbeville, but the small town of Donalds, which… Read more: Rowland Headstones – Donalds, South Carolina
This issue covers the restructuring of the Rowland Genealogy website and provides updates on research activities including Rowland/Roland families in Berks County Pennsylvania, Hawkins County Tennessee, Rensselaer County New York, and Emanuel County Georgia. We’ll also take a quick look at Jeremiah Rowland of Arkansas and Diamond Dick Rowland of Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Rowland DNA Group J Conflicts Currently, Rowland DNA Group J (Surry) has conflicts with Rowland DNA Group A (Shenandoah), Rowland DNA Group F (Botetourt), and others. WikiTree currently has some Rowland lines associated with Group J converging with ancestors in DNA Group A, while others converge with ancestors in DNA Group F. The science of… Read more: Rowland DNA Group J Conflicts
Simply stating that David M Rowland (1838-1926) and Phoebe A Vaughn (1842-1918) produced a large number of descendants is a severe understatement – the couple parented 15 children and had 84 grandchildren.
I’ve been somewhat distracted with other activities since the previous newsletter, although progress is being made on many fronts. As you will see, much of what I have to report was made possible by the efforts of Nick Rowland. I should probably rename this volume of the newsletter the Nick Rowland Edition.
Guest author and genealogist Nick Rowland took the Big-Y DNA test and learned his male line is more Viking than British. He has graciously allowed us to present his story here at Rowland Genealogy. —— The Essex Rowland Family Story from 10,000 BCE to 2020 CE This is the possible early history of our Essex,… Read more: The Essex Rowland Family Story from 10,000 BCE to 2020 CE
I’ve been busy in 2021 on the Rowland genealogy front. Today, I want to update you on: Research activities, recap of goals for 2021 and progress, “Most Wanted” update, centenarians, and free WikiTree help.
Note: This article, Who’s Your Father?, authored by Tony Proctor, was originally published on 7 December 2013 at Parallax View. Tony graciously allowed us to present it here at Rowland Genealogy. —— Who’s Your Father We all have cases where we have had difficulty identifying the father of a child. Usually, it was because no… Read more: Who’s Your Father
This year-end 2020 issue of the newsletter discusses the year-end statistics, goals for 2021, DNA Group news, and error propogation on popular tree building platforms.
The Rowland Xref Project released its 10 Most Wanted list for December 2020. It contains the 10 Rowland Y-DNA groups and Rowland Family Trees that are most in need of your help. If you have any information regarding the subject DNA or genealogies on this most wanted list, then please contact the Rowland Xref Project… Read more: 10 Most Wanted – December 2020
William H Rowland, age 22 and a civilian, was murdered in cold blood on the streets of Centralia, Missouri while trying to protect a wagon full of women. This is the story of a hero in the often-overlooked events surrounding the Centralia Massacre. Being far removed from the active military campaigns across the southern states… Read more: Murder in Centralia
In this issue: an invitation to my live virtual presentation on how this website came to be, Xref Project Groups updated, a Rebellious Rowland, and more.
If your reason for wanting to take a DNA test is to learn about your ancestral heritage, then save your money, because they are mostly useless in that regard. DNA ancestral heritage tests, often called admixture reports or ethnicity estimates, are the “wild west” of the DNA world. We are given to believe that DNA… Read more: DNA Ancestry Heritage Tests Are A Complete Farce
Welcome to the inaugural edition of the Rowland Genealogy Newsletter. I want to thank each one of you for showing support of this endeavor by visiting the website and signing up for the newsletter. The initial response has been overwhelmingly positive and extremely gratifying. However, I am just getting started, and there is much more to come.
Genealogical research can take you many places, and this time it took me into the abyss of a true-crime drama, where I learned that a fellow Rowland had married a black widow serial killer. Donald Earl Rowland survived the enemy fire of war during his stint with the U.S. Army in Vietnam. However, a few… Read more: Oops, I Married A Serial Killer
Read this DNA testing case study before throwing your money at the genealogy DNA testing companies. Maybe you’ve read some reviews or seen a list of “the top DNA tests,” but have you ever seen actual results? This article takes you through an actual DNA testing case study. It compares the detailed results from the… Read more: DNA Testing: A Case Study With Staggering Conclusions
Note: This article, A Grave Too Far, authored by Tony Proctor, was originally published on Wednesday, 8 January 2014 at Parallax View. Tony graciously allowed us to present it here at Rowland Genealogy. —— A Grave Too Far My granduncle died in an area of British India which is now within Pakistan. At the time… Read more: A Grave Too Far
Authors, historians, and videographers have found John Albert Rowland (1791-1873) to be a worthy subject, and rightly so. He was indeed an interesting, notable, and downright successful man, who for many years was known as Don Juan Rowland. From his humble beginnings in Cecil County, Maryland, to his substantial empire encompassing 76 square miles of… Read more: John Albert Rowland: Books & Videos
Rowland Genealogy today (August 1, 2020) announced the launch of its new website and the Rowland Xref Project. RowlandGenealogy.com, whose tag line is “More than just a tree” truly is more. Instead of focusing on a single ancestral line, Rowland Genealogy encompasses all aspects of the Rowland surname around the globe. Its goal is to… Read more: Launch of Rowland Genealogy and Rowland Xref Project