Godwin DNA results uploaded to Ancestry.com

Ancestry.com allows you to manually enter your marker data to their database, even if your results are from a different testing center. I manually entered my results from my grandfather's y-chromosome 25-marker DNA test that was conducted through ftDNA.com to the Ancestry.com database. It displayed my matches with over 200 other participants, all with different surnames. I'm not really sure how that works out. I sent a message to Ancestry.com asking for clarity on how I can be connected to multiple surnames.

Some of the surnames were familiar though - BALL, HARRIS, HIGGINS, STRICKLAND, LEWIS, and WILKERSON - These are names with connections to my Godwin family in North Carolina (except Higgins which wasn't connected until the family moved to AR).

BALL - A Peggy Ball married Etheldred Godwin in NC in 1806. Etheldred Godwin (1776 NC - 1851 IN) is the supposed brother of Nathan Godwin (1774 NC -1833 IL). Nathan Godwin was probably the father of my oldest known ancestor, Elijah Godwin (1801 NC - 1884 AR).

HARRIS - Nancy Eleanor Harris married Edmond DRY. Edmond's sister Sarah DRY married my ancestor's supposed brother, Nathan Godwin, in Perry Co., IL in 1835. I believe this Nathan Godwin died young. My results compared to this Harris line signified 21/25 markers that matched up. I sent this participant an email asking for more information.

HIGGINS - One of my female Godwin cousins married a Higgins

STRICKLAND - One of the Nathan Godwins from NC married an Anna Strickland. We believe this Nathan was connected to my Nathan Godwin somehow. We are currently looking for a Godwin descendant of this line to submit DNA for comparison. The Nathan Godwin (1807) who married Lorena Hudson and settled in Lowdes Co., AL was a 100% match to my Godwins according to the ftDNA results on the 25 marker test. The Strickland participant from Ancestry.com had 15 markers compared to my results and of those 15, 14 markers matched up to mine. Ancestry.com predicted a MRCA of 27: meaning there is a 50% probability that we are related within the last 27 generations or 625 years. I sent an email to this participant asking for more information. I also requested to join the Strickland DNA project on Ancestry.com.

LEWIS - My ancestor, Elijah Godwin, married Nancy Lewis, daughter of John Lewis of Randolph Co., NC. They were married 1826 in Randolph Co., NC.

WILKERSON - We are trying to determine if my Godwin line is related to a Wilkerson Godwin of Illinois. Wilkinson Godwin was born about 1796 and died 1837 in Union Co., IL. In 1809 he married Nancy Beggs in KY, prior to moving to IL in 1810. His descendants, including Finley Thompson Godwin, settled in Hot Springs Co., AR. I sent an email to this participant asking for more information.

Also, there is a line that settled in Georgia from Barnaby Godwin who married Wilkinora Wilkerson. We are also trying to see how my Godwin family connects to Barnaby's family.

I emailed a couple of my matches (Strickland and Wilkerson) to find out more information about their lines. I would like to know where they were from and what possible connections we could have.

In my attempt to stay organized in 2009, I also created a new word document called "Ancestry DNA Results that I saved in my Godwin root folder.  I created a table of correspondence I will have with these DNA matches participants.