I had my DNA sample held by the Family Tree DNA testing service submitted for autosomal analysis, a.k.a. Family Finder, in early 2014. Since that time I’m up to nearly 1000 matches. I’ve contacted many of the closest matches, but nothing has ever panned out until recently.
The above screen capture shows my top three matches. The most recent match is a Rusk. Rusk? …yes, I recognize that name. My father’s cousin’s maiden name was Rusk, and this shows as a relatively close relationship. Most certainly there must be a traceable connection.
I vaguely remember an “Aunt Peggy”, as my father referred to her. She was a sister of my paternal grandfather George Kenneth Moore (1906-1954). In the late 1920’s she married Charles R Rusk (1904-1983) and together had four children: Charles J, Margaret, Betty Lou, and Donna Em.
I contacted Mr. Rusk and asked if he knew of Margaret “Peggy” Bell Moore. His initial response was that he wasn’t aware of any relationship.
However after a supplying a bit more info and him conferring with a family member, it turns out that he’s a grandson of Aunt Peggy and a great-grandchild of Frank Moore (1881-1952) and Emma Charlotte Waespe (1886-1973). I too am a great-grandchild of this couple, therefore we are second cousins.
Previously, I had not had much confidence in autosomal testing as I feel things get pretty diluted and its not much good beyond finding fourth cousins at the most distant. I have primarily focused on Y-DNA testing.
I believe that I will submit a DNA sample to Ancestry.com for comparison in their database to throw the net a bit wider.