[Nell]

Oh how I feel your frustration. Once you get back to about 1790ish every piddling village has a handful of John & Anns, or William & Marys or Thomas & Susans or Joseph & Janes that are not quite the right fit. I've got zillions of examples. I know they are all related somehow, but how is the tricky bit.

But even more recently, my gt gt grandfather William Williams managed to provide 5 different birth years and 5 different (but equally plausible) birth places on 5 censuses. He's the only chap I have on so many. Worse still, the blighter refuses to die or be buried and so does his wife Susan!