Fleshing out Hidden Ancestors

I hope this post finds everyone well and having had a great weekend. I spent my weekend doing some heavy research into my husbands line using his DNA results. Right when I happened to stumble upon this huge connection Family Tree DNA has been bitten by some sort of bug. My husband along with a few more folks has had all of his matches just up and disappear. I checked my own account and all my matches are still there. So I am sure it is some sort of bug with the software. I have submitted a support ticket and I hope it gets fixed soon. It has hampered my research efforts a little bit but I have been using the tools over at Gedmatch and also comparing using Genome Mate and 23andMe.
This past week I discovered that my husband shares a huge chunk of DNA on Chromosome 2 with several people. Some segments are overlapping. One of his DNA Cousins was generous enough to send me some screen shots and information she had compiled to start me off on the search. Below is just one of the screen shots where you can see how he matches.

Ive blacked out the names and photos for privacy reasons. As you can see there are several overlapping matches within the same segments on this particular Chromosome. If you have followed my blog for any length of time you will know that my husband has what I like to call a Non Paternal Event, some would term it an Undocumented Adoption.  I have been absolutely frustrated for some time and felt like I was butting my head against a brick wall. When that happens to me I tend to put a project away and take a good much needed break, then come back to it when my mind is clear and I can refocus my energies. That is just what I did. My blog has been inactive for a bit due to some things going on in my personal life and because I just needed a break.

From what I believe the DNA is telling me it appears as though my husband's Paternal Grandfather was either born Illegitimate or Adopted. This particular set of matches is very significant to me uncovering who his Great Grandfather was because it ties directly into the Birth Family`s tree! This has been one of the biggest brick walls I have had for some time. I only have one chance to get this right. This is my Children and my Grandchildren`s heritage. I want them to know the good, the bad and the ugly. They have a right to know from whom they descend and that is the main motivating factor that keeps me plugging on day after day.

I will be working on this all week in my spare time and will be updating my blog as I uncover more of the mystery.

Some of the surnames that are turning up thus far are: Poteet, Standifer, Taylor and Jones as well as Brown. Locations turning up are Overton County, Tennessee and Virginia. The Birth Family has roots in Overton County, Tennessee. I know the answer to finding his Great Grandfather is lying right within his DNA results and I just have to follow the trail and connect the dots. I am by no means an Expert Genetic Genealogist, I am just learning as I go. The whole purpose of this blog is to share what I learn as I go along. Ive made mistakes along the route but life is all about learning from ones mistakes and keeping on keeping on. Stay tuned for more updates as I flesh out Great Grandfather Fancher. Until next time.....