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Differentiation of ancestors with the same name

Differentiation of ancestors with the same name

Posted: 20 May 2015 6:56PM GMT
Classification: Query
I have contacted the Ancestry help desk with this question and they recognize it as an issue that has been brought up numerous times and hopefully will be addressed in some update. My hope is someone has come up with a "stop gap" solution that I may use rather than reinventing the wheel.

Question: I have multiple ancestors who it seems were a bit unimaginative in naming their children or wanted to reflect a relationship with their predecessors. Example: Lawrence has a son he names Josiah; Josiah has a son he names Josiah, but he also has a brother who names one of his sons Josiah. Two generations later the pattern is repeated (verified by dates of birth etc.) How can I annotate the various Josiahs so that I may make quicker more accurate determinations regarding their parentage and attributable information?

My current method is to assign the two in my Direct Line a (1) or (2) in the Suffix box. A son of Josiah (1) would be Josiah (1a), a grandson would be Josiah (1b) etc. The Josiah who is the son of another direct line ancestor would be simply Josiah (a). While this helps a bit, it is still cumbersome and can lead to inaccuracies. Any Ideas??

Re: Differentiation of ancestors with the same name

Posted: 20 May 2015 7:57PM GMT
Classification: Query
Edited: 20 May 2015 8:00PM GMT
>>I have multiple ancestors who it seems were a bit unimaginative in naming their children or wanted to reflect a relationship with their predecessors.<<

Do you think your ancestors were unique? The practice of naming patterns and namesakes still exists in all cultures and origins.

Designate your direct line by CAPPING the surname. There are other's who have their own method, using symbols, etc. There are similar threads (not a unique subject) about this on another board, where this thread will be, no doubt, moved to.
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