Hello,

Large families were very common.

Birth control was not readily available prior to the 1950's, hence the large families.

Also the mortality rates for infants and children were incredibly high, due to disease, poor nutrition and other causes. Theoretically you knew if you had 10 children, at least one or more would survive and your genetic lineage would continue. Life was a challenge back in the early days!

Also, a word of caution regarding Ancestry.com's hints--just because they share a similar or same name doesn't mean they "are your relatives." Be sure that you have "proof" that these are your relatives. If that means looking for birth, marriage and death records, that is what you SHOULD do to prove your relationship to the folks that you enter into your family tree. So many family trees are out there and they are just a repository of names, with no proof or sources...so just beware. Okay off my soapbox!

Good luck on your genealogy journey.
Laurie