To merge or not to merge - can a more experienced genealogist help?

Question

I have found a possible match for my ggg-grandfather: Ward-10241

But there are some noticable differences in the earlier census records of Ward-10306

Things in favor of a match:
1. Ward-10306 lives in Jackson Ohio in 1850, but no records in that county afterward

2. Ward-10241 lives in Pike, Ohio (near Jackson) in 1860, but has no record in that county before that.

3. Ward-10306 father is listed as John from Pennsylvania and Ward-10241 father is Jonathan from Pennsylvania

Things against a match:
1. Ward-10306 mother is Sarah and Ward-10241 mother is Sally, but those names were interchangeable in this family.

2. A 2-year age difference based on the censuses.

3. Ward-10306 census says born in Pennsylvania, but Ward-10241 says born in Ohio

Comments

Is there an active profile manager for the other profile?  If so, engage them through one or all of the communication tools WikiTree provides. They may have other inforrmation that would confirm the merge or wave off a bad match. They also might be a cousin who would be a valuable collaborator beyond the specific merge - don't merge question.

If there is no active profile manager, you need to make your best judgement, which may include further research and looking at additional generations.

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While i realise names and such a little age gap are not important I personally would go with Ellen Curnes reply.

Answer 1

As you mention in your description of your dilemma, while the two profiles have similarities suggesting they may be for the same person, there are also some discrepancies suggesting they may be two different people with similar names. Since, it's fairly common to find people with similar names and backgrounds in nearby localities, it seems that further investigation is needed before you should merge.

As Ellen Curnes suggested, you should try contacting the profile manager, if one exists. You can also look more at relatives of each of the individuals in the two profiles. You've noted the similarities and differences in names of each man's son and wife, but what about birth dates and places? Are there other distinguishing features or relatives? Who are the relatives attached to each of the related profiles? For example, do John and Jonathan have children, and do those children match?

Personally, I don't think it's wise to merge two profiles unless you are certain that they are the same person. That can create a lot of confusion, which will take a lot of work to correct. Of course, if you are certain, then merging means more connections, which is a wonderful thing.

Answer 2

Sallie is short for Sarah, a 2 year age difference on a census is nothing, and Ohio is next to Pennsylvania and maybe they were confused as to where they were born (that often varies).  If these things are what is holding the merge back, I would merge.

Comments

Part of Penna was once Coonnecticut, part of Ohio was once part of Connecticut, but I don't think Ohio and Penna were ever confused.

Answer 3

It looks to me like they are the same person. If I read the records correctly Sarah is his mother & Sally is his wife. Both profiles lived in Scioto County, Ohio. I think in the 1850 census stating he was born in PA was a mistake. His father, with the same first name, was born in PA.