OK, this one's driving me a little batty. In Gallia County Ohio in 1848, a Laura Koontz was born to Samuel Koontz and Catharine Donnally and appears in the 1850 census. In 1870 (still in Gallia), a Laura Koontz (b 1848) married a Harrison Wood, and in 1871 (still in Gallia), they had a daughter Catharine Wood. In 1880, Harry Wood, his wife Laura (b 1848), daughter Katie (b 1871), and two more children appear in the Gallia County census. Seems cut-and-dry, right? Here's the problem: in 3 of those four records above, Laura has a different middle initial. In 1850, she is Laura A. Koontz. In 1871, she is Laura C. Koontz. And by 1880, she is Laura J. Koontz.
If you click through to her profile (linked to this question), you'll see that this isn't just a question of FamilySearch poorly transcribing sloppy handwriting in records: it's definitely an A, a C, and a J. So what do I do? Ignore the middle initial? Look for three unique Laura Koontzes in the same county, with the same birth year, two of whom are married to Harry/Harrison Wood?
Any advice welcome. Makes me wish for the old days, when an unsourced family tree was a perfectly satisfying answer to my lineage. :)