I am sure you have experienced this, and I need help in how to proceed to sort out the truth. I am finding with my Boyce line that when I get back to 4th and 5th G grandfather. I find a number of different first names for the man, but often the same woman as wife, and the same children. Same dates of birth and death in many cases. There sometimes are different places involved. And a couple of lines show completely different father and mother, but the same children as shown in the other lines. We are talking of the time period of the late 1700's and early 1800's. So census records don't help a lot, I have not been able to find information on land ownership on line for the states and counties involved. I need ideas of how to separate the wheat from the chaff as it were. I am not finding wills. Of course I am doing all this all online. Suggestions appreciated.