Genealogy Helps and Lookups: AF-1237: Same Name Ancestors, Part 2: Use Witnesses and Bondsmen

Same name problems rarely get solved because you find one perfect record that settles everything. More often, the break comes when you stop staring at your ancestor’s name and start paying attention to the names surrounding it.

That’s because a name like John Smith or William Jones can appear dozens of times in the same county. In that situation, the main name in a record is almost useless by itself. The separating clues are usually the witnesses, the bondsmen, the sureties, the neighbors, the appraisers, the administrators, and the other people who keep showing up with one candidate and not the other.

This method is one of the most practical tools you can learn. It works if you are brand new and only have a handful of records. It also works if you have years of experience and you’re digging into deeper court and probate material. The process stays the same. You collect the surrounding names, you track them in a structured way, and you let repetition build proof...

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