By Samantha Simon
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A Canadian man was surprised to find that his roots were in Antigua and Barbuda, after taking a DNA test through ancestry.com.
Anthony Marshall set out to find his biological family, having been put up for adoption as a baby in Toronto.
In an interview on Observer Radio’s Voice of the People show, he explained that after beginning the search for his biological father, he took a DNA test which connected him to family members who pointed him in the direction of Antigua.
The search continued with a visit to the island, where he met the owner of the restaurant Salt Plage, who sent him down a rabbit hole of connections.
That path, however, eventually led to him finding his roots in Crabbe Hill, Bolans and Jennings, where he met over 15 relatives in recent days who regaled him with stories about his biological father, his family, and who he was, all of which he said “thrilled” him.
“So I am thrilled, and I’m happy to report that it is confirmed that Kelly Williams is my biological father. Kelly has brothers. They are Gladstone Williams, Sherwin Williams, Edgar Williams. Kelly has a sister, Mary Langevin. Her name is Rosita. Kelly has another sister named Jackie, I believe Aunt Pauline. I’ve met my Uncle Pascal. I’ve met my Aunt Audrey. I’ve spoken with Kelly’s mother’s sister, Zelena Lloyd. I’ve met another cousin, Lolita Henry, who I want to say has been monumental in helping me get things going. George Williams, I’ve met. He was in town here from Ohio,” Marshall said.
His reunion with his paternal family was a moment of joy, especially after previous attempts to reconnect with his mother when he first began his search resulted in rejection, though Marshall shared that he had moved on and closed that door in 2007.
When asked how he felt after finding his family, Marshall expressed that it hasn’t fully sunk in yet.
“I’ve just been exposed to a whole part of my family that I wasn’t aware of, and didn’t know. And now they’re all coming [forward], and it’s amazing. It has been an emotional rollercoaster. I can tell you that,” he said.
“When I was in the registry’s office, and they brought out a book from 1920 to 1930, I believe that is when that book was (from), and they opened the book, and they had the names that were given to me by Cleo Henry, her father and grandfather the night before…I guess you could say of emotions that that started, making this entire process real.”
Through this, Marshall was able to acquire the birth certificate of his father and find the names of his paternal grandparents.
“Kelly Williams is my biological father and his parents were Vincent Ralph Zephany Williams and Francis Simon. And then when they were married, his spouse became Francis Simon Williams,” he explained.
In an even greater moment of surprise, Marshall was able to meet another member of his extended family amongst Observer reporters just moments after he entered the studio.
Marshall expressed his desire to continue the search for his family, and said he looks forward to returning to the island to continue his search, after his 10-day trip which ended yesterday.
Marshall thanked the Observer team, including Managing Director Algernon Watts, Managing Editor Gemma Handy, Voice of the People hosts Franz deFreitas and Paul Quinn, and reporter Samantha Simon, for affording him the opportunity to publicise his quest on the company’s various media outlets.
He said he is also extremely grateful to all his brothers and sisters in Antigua who called and shared information pertaining to the search for his roots.