Marshall

The focal ancestor for this wiki's Marshall line is Richard F. Marshall, born in 1798. A number of family trees show New Jersey as Richard's birthplace. An explanation of why we consider this uncertain is provided in the biographical page for Richard F. Marshall. Richard's ancestry is unknown.

Until surname spelling became standardized, the spellings Marshall and Marshal were often used interchangeably, sometimes within the same document. Sound-alike spellings, such as Marshel, also occur, especially in older documents.

The name Marshall is fairly common, so documents for people with this surname need to be interpreted carefully. Just because a record fits the name and general facts of time and place for an ancestor does not mean it is a document for that ancestor.

The parents and origins of Richard F. Marshall are unknown. Genealogical DNA analysis suggests that Richard Marshall had ancestors in England and/or Scotland, though this is a very preliminary conclusion that may be changed or refined as more people provide data through DNA testing.