We've all had to deal with a common name weaving through our family's history. When the name pops up in our searches – how do we know that we are on the trail of the "right" John Smith. I've seen it recorded that there are over 30,000 John Smiths in the 1900 US census. With that many Smiths in the records, research can become a nightmare if you don't have a few tricks to narrow the field.
Everyone that has been doing family tree research has developed their own methods to keep on track. But sometimes it is a good idea to take a few minutes and review these methods to see if we can improve them – and ultimately make our research easier. Here are three steps that I follow with any of the common names that I a researching:
- Learn as much as you can about your ancestor:
- Naturally, the more you know about them the better – when and where can help narrow your field of possibilities. Limiting your research to a specific time and place means that research that is outside of those parameters is likely not the same ancestor.
- Anchor your ancestor to someone with an uncommon name:
- This may not be as easy as it sounds since there may be lots of John Smiths that married Jane Clarks. However, if you find that your John Smith married a Clara Sterling, then anytime that you find a Clara or a family name of Sterling, there is a good chance that you are on the right trail.
- Take the time to record a Timeline (or Chronology) of Your Ancestor:
- Include all the details that you can in this timeline – record places, events, organizations that they were affiliated with, and even census records on the timeline. This will help show you where they were at any given time. If you find a record that has them in a different place than what you have on your timeline (assuming that you have been careful in documenting the timeline) will mean that the new record does not likely apply to your ancestor.
I've made this process sound very simple…but it's not. With the same given names showing up over and over in your research it can be very confusing. Following the steps above will help you to narrow the research and give you a better chance of matching people, events and dates. With practice and patience these tips can make the difference between finding your ancestor's history and following the wrong person to another state or country. Try the list out for yourself and be sure to let us know if you have another tip that we can share with our readers.
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