We've all had to deal with a common name weaving through our family's history. When the name pops up in our searches – how do we know that we are on the trail of the "right" John Smith. I've seen it recorded that there are over 30,000 John Smiths in the 1900 US census. With that many Smiths in the records, research can become a nightmare if you don't have a few tricks to narrow the field.
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