what do you do when you find multiple ID for the same person?
I think my ancestors descended from Alexander Freeman who died about 1765 in Lousia VA but I see more than five Alexander Freemans with the same birth and death dates. Which one do I pick? mmx5-zjc, M9hh-gg7, mm76-skg, m9xz-8h3, msp8-498 and I can keep going.
Best Answers
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If your research shows that they're all the same person, then you merge them, and "which one" becomes a moot point.
If you're not sure they're the same person, then you leave them separate, and choose the one that you're most certain of being the right guy.
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I have a bit of a different take on it. A bunch of those Alexander Freemans may really be different people with different dates, but users have altered their files so much that they all look alike. I would go by the family groupings that you have well documented, then look at the Alexander Freeman that is their father, go to the "Latest Changes" (on the right of the screen, scroll down a little bit) and then scroll to the bottom of that to see how that particular Alexander Freeman was created. I don't know how to explain the process of determining if he has been altered through merges and edits though, but if you are interested in this approach perhaps a helper at your local Family Search Center could help walk you through it.
eta: But key here is that you work from the present day backwards in time. Research the siblings and get to really understand the family and their associated families… then work back each generation doing the same thing. That is how you find the correct Alexander Freeman.
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