Matching difficult profiles when names are not spelled the same and dayrs atr a little off.

Question

What do you do when it comes to mergering someone, if yout not really sure their profile is a match.I came across 2 files that could possibly be merged with my family member, some  of the dates and names did not match exactly,but was pretty close.

Comments

It would be helpful if you gave links to a pair of profiles that you are wondering about. Then people could give you specific advice on how they would investigate the situation.

Answer 1

This is something that I would save for reviewing at a later date. I would never merge someone unless I was absolutely sure that it was that same person.

Answer 2

If you are not entirely sure then you need to do more research before you can propose a merge. Close dates are not enough. They may be two separate people born around the same time. Check the dates and ensure they are adequately sourced before making a decision.

Answer 3

As Ellen said, an example would help.

To add to what Lynda said, any discrepancy needs to be explained.  There is a concept called Genealogical Proof Arguments (or Statements) that Certified Genealogists need to use where you outline your argument as to why you believe something to be true and what documentation supports that argument. Not needed if the evidence is a complete match but is a useful exercise when there are disagreements in the evidence.

Names and dates that are close matches can be common. In some of my ancestors families there are cousins born very close together in time with the same names. There are also second cousins that not only have that but have parents with similar names. Doesn't help that there was a lot of cousins marrying each other.

You might go through and beef up any profiles that don't have great documentation as a first pass before trying to link everyone up.