Martin Marshall's ancestral quest led him to discover that his father was not the one listed on his birth certificate, and ended with new family connections. Molecular genealogy made it possible, and is now helping Martin locate other living relatives.

The Challenge
Martin Marshall was anticipating the day he would become a grandfather, yet was not exactly sure who his own grandfather was. His father was not the one listed on his birth certificate, and his mother had misled him about his paternal lineage. Martin decided it was time to learn more about his ancestors.

The SMGF Solution
Martin signed up for a DNA test through a commercial testing company and later received his Y-Chromosome DNA results, but there were no matches in the company database for his genetic profile.

Martin then entered his DNA results into the Sorenson Database search engine and found a close Y-DNA match with three participants of the surname Sizemore.

This potential connection gave Martin a new starting point for his genealogy research, and Martin started researching the Sizemore surname and contacting people who were researching the family.

The Outcome
After years of research and further DNA testing by other members of the Sizemore family, Martin is now confident that he descends from Sizemores living in his mother's home town of St. Louis, MO.

Martin was surprised and overjoyed to discover the connection. He relates, "Using DNA as a tool, I am in the process of unlocking the secrets of my paternal ancestry and I'm discovering related secrets that even my mother did not know."