Duplicate Sir and First name with differing info in other fields

Lorrie Ruth Maughan Riches

I have a question about duplicate names. Helps on the subject needs clarifying for me. I have seen incidences like this: 3 different entries for James Whiting but the information attached ie...street, voting district and occupation are different for each one. These other fields are not to be indexed. Should I treat these names as exact duplicates or index each one separately?

Lorrie Ruth Maughan Riches

I’d like to understand why. I think I do. But are we sure they are the same person? Or does it matter?

barbaragailsmith1

If other information on the document is different for each James Whiting, then they're not the same people. But we only have to index that name one time if all the INDEXED fields are the same because only those indexed fields will be used in a search on Family Search. So as far as the occupation and the other things that are different, those things are irrelevant when it comes to a search for James Whiting. It's not necessary for James Whiting to be listed in Family Search for that document multiple times because that name being listed once will send the researcher to that particular document and the researcher can see which James Whiting is the one he's looking for.

erutherford

If the entries are exact duplicates, only index the first James Whiting.

Lorrie Ruth Maughan Riches

Thank you!