This project is open to all men with the Murtishaw/Mottershaw/Mottershed/Mothershed/Modesitt name, of any spelling. It is believed that the American Murtishaw and Murtiashaw names were derived from Mottershaw or a similar name in England. DNA testing has shown that Murtishaw may have derived from Mottershead or Mothershead. Further, many men of different surnames who trace their ancestry to the area around and including Cheshire, Lancashire, Staffordshire, and Derbyshire share a rather unique haplotype with the Murtishaw/Mottershead/Mothershead/Modesitt testers.