In March 2004, a sample of DNA provided by Larry Joe Barlar (1935-2018) (a direct descendant of William Henry Barlow was submitted for genetic DNA testing. The objective was to establish beyond any doubt our family's true surname, and to the extent possible, our ancestor's origins. The results were returned in May 2004, and the following is what the tests revealed about our family.

Our Surname: Our surname is actually Barlow, not Barlar.

Haplogroup Test: The matches in this part of the DNA test indicate that we belong to Haplogroup 1, which means that we belong to a group whose lineages are nearly completely restricted to northwestern Europe, and would most likely have been common within Viking populations. One lineage of this group extends down into central Europe.

Recent Ethnic Origins (REO): There were exact matches (12 out of 12 markers) showing the origins of the people who are genetically closest with our DNA. The indications are that our European ancestry's migration was from Sweden - to England - to America.

Our Ethnic Origins: Our ethnic origins are European. There were no matches to indicate that Native American is part of our direct Barlow lineage, and none for African American.

Our Barlow Relatives: We have learned that we are related to Barlow families that we didn't know prior to the test, as follows:

1. Thomas Barlow of England & Isle of Wight, Virginia

At the 37-marker level, our DNA was an exact match with the Isle of Wight, Virginia Barlow lineage; which tells us that our William Henry Barlow and the Isle of Wight (IOW) lineage are of the same family. The current research on the Isle of Wight lineage has been provided by Susan Barlow Holmes and other researchers, and it begins with:

• Edward Barlow, Esq. (1560-1620) of Wilmslow, Cheshire and Southampton, England, who descended from a family seated at Barlow, Chorlton-cum-Hardy, Lancashire, from as early as the 12th century. In America, the family has been found as early as 1600 in Isle of Wight, VA records, and the lineages have been primarily traced to Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas.

2. Alfred Hirton Barlow of North Carolina

At the 37-marker level, our DNA matched the Alfred Hirton Barlow of NC lineage; a family that in the early 1800s was found in Rutherford and Gibson Counties, Tenn. By the mid-1800s, many of them had migrated to McDonald, Newton and Laclede Co., Missouri. Eventually, the family was traced to Kansas, Arkansas, New Mexico, the Oklahoma Indian Territory, Texas, and Louisiana. Research for this family begins with Alfred Hirton Barlow and his six brothers -- William Barlow, Dr. John J. Barlow, Cyrus Yancey Barlow, Michael Thomas Barlow, Kendall Barlow and Willis Sowell Barlow. The identity of their father is not yet known. Alfred, the oldest brother, is believed to have been born in Wake or Wilkes County, North Carolina. The research for this lineage has been provided by Susan Barlow Holmes and other researchers.

3. Richard of West Virginia

Matching our DNA, the Richard of West VA lineage is of the same family group as our William Henry Barlow, as well as the two above family groups. The research for the family has largely been provide by Nancy Barlow Bruns, and it begins in Virgina and West Virgina with Richard Barlow (b: circa 1755) and his wife, Barbara (Harvey) Barlow, through their son, John Barlow and his wife, Martha (Waddell) of West Virginia.

4. John Barlow of Virginia or North Carolina (1784/95 - 18__)

A DNA test was also conducted on Larry Booth Barlar -- a direct descendant of the John Barlow of Virginia or North Carolina lineage -- and it indicated that the family is closely related to our William Henry Barlow lineage.