Author: Tod Marshall
Published: todmar.net/ancestry - July 16, 2026
For decades, the origins of the four Marshall brothers who migrated from North/South Carolina to Ohio and Tennessee in the early 1800s remained hidden behind brick walls. By utilizing a multi-kit, multi-generational genetic approach (testing the author, his father, his paternal aunt, and his cousin), I have reconstructed the biological architecture of this family.
Using yDNA (confirming a deep Snipes paternal origin) and atDNA phasing, we have proven the existence of four full brothers, isolated their maternal mother to the Skeen/Lamar family of Rowan County, NC, and identified a half-sibling branch (Arnold) and a distinct mid-19th-century crossover branch (Bennett).
Through deep-mapping across multiple descendants, we have verified four distinct brothers born between roughly 1787 and 1800:
John Cornelius "Neil" Marshall (c. 1787–c. 1860)
William John Marshall (1799–1837)
Thomas Marshall (b. early 1800s)
Obediah Thomas Marshall (1799–1878)
The Skeen/Lamar Mother: All four brothers share robust autosomal DNA matching back to the descendants of Matthew Skeen II and Rutha Lamar of Rowan County, NC. This establishes that the first wife of the Marshall father was a Skeen.
The "Arnold" half-sibling branch: A distinct genetic cluster ("Arnold") matches descendants of all four brothers but shares zero Skeen/Lamar DNA. This biologically proves that the Marshall father had a second wife, from whom the Arnold branch descends.
The "Bennett" Crossover: A newly discovered cluster descending from John Clinton Bennett (1827-1885) and Mary Elizabeth Waples (1832–1912) with over 20 autosomal DNA matches splits out both Bennett and Marshall (Thomas & Obediah) DNA. This indicates a mid-19th-century marriage connected the Marshall/Skeen lines to the Midwestern Bennett/Waples network in Ohio/Illinois.
The following chart outlines how the ancestral lines converge, how the half-sibling "Arnold" branch connects, and where the "Bennett" segment introduced itself.
One of the most compelling aspects of this case study is how the DNA of John Neil and William John has been inherited across three generations in our family. While my Dad and Aunt Janet are confirmed 100% full siblings (sharing 2,628 cM), their match profiles show a classic "yin and yang" of genetic inheritance:
The Father's Kit: Inherits the specific chromosome segments that trigger matches with the Thomas & Obediah Marshall and Bennett clusters.
The Aunt's (Janet) Kit: Completely missed that specific segment, but uniquely inherited a different chromosome carrying a "clean" Skeen/Lamar ancestral line. She matches Skeen/Lamar cousins who share no Marshall DNA.
John Neil and William John Marshall are the only two brothers where both siblings (Dad & Janet) share autosomal DNA. However, the segment is shedding unevenly:
Janet holds unique John Neil matches (including a 29 cM match with mystery cousin Kristen Abney, who tracks perfectly to John Neil's daughter Nancy Marshall and Dale Abney).
Jay (Janet's Son) has unique matches from this line that neither sibling shows.
Tod (Author) has preserved small, unique William John fragments that do not appear in the other three kits.
This demonstrates that our grandfather carried a massive, highly stable genetic block from the early 1800s Marshall brothers. It has systematically fractured down the generations, leaving a trail of breadcrumbs that only a multi-kit study could reconstruct.
By utilizing yDNA to pierce the deep paternal line (Snipes) and autosomal triangulation to isolate the maternal line (Skeen/Lamar), we have solved a multi-decade brick wall. The "Arnold" cluster remains the key to understanding our paternal grandfather's second family, while the "Wells/Worthington/Bennett" cluster provides the geographic bridge where our Southern Marshalls shook hands with the Midwest.
Research continues to determine the first names and birth/death dates of the paternal and maternal Marshall (Skeen) to the 4 siblings.
Research continues to determine the name of the paternal Marshall's 2nd wife and how they connect to the Bennett cluster.
Research continues into the unidentified father of Providence Shimer (b. 1802 OH), who is believed to be the link that carried this Marshall/Skeen segment into the Wells family.
