I've touched on this topic in a couple other threads, so I hope this isn't overkill. I just wanted to reset (so to speak) and approach the subject without another question being involved.

My interest in researching my family's roots began when I discovered my paternal grandmother was adopted as an infant and never learned who her birth parents were. My father and his seven siblings have no interest in learning more either. I want to know. It bothers me that 25% of my family tree is unknown.

A few years ago, I hired a professional genealogist in Ohio to undertake the task of unsealing my late grandmother's birth and adoption records. When I received the documents, the names provided by the mother did not completely match any individual I've found in Ancestry's records. The father has precious little information available, so it appears the mother did not know anything about background besides his name and age, neither of which are guaranteed true. Her information provided is more specific, but still not totally trustworthy.

I have narrowed the parents down to two people as reflected in my tree, but it remains educated speculation at best. Has anyone else dealt with a similar situation using AncestryDNA, and what was your strategy? I'm really feeling at a loss as to how to approach this in a responsible and productive manner.

Any advice anyone can offer is much appreciated.

Thanks,
Russell