Searching for an ancestor with a common surname is a problem most of us will encounter at one time or another through the course of our research. The problem is inherent in that common surnames are just that--common. When I first started researching, I tended to focus on the easier families with surnames that were a little more unusual. With these cases, an ancestor is typically easier to identify, even when you're searching in a large city.

However, when confronted with hundreds of entries sharing your ancestral surname, and possibly dozens sharing the same given name as well, it's just too tempting to keep the files for that branch of the family in the “I'll get to that family later” pile.

In my family tree, I have an abundance of common surnames. Many of you will recall my tales of searching for Kellys in New York City, and I have quite a few other common surnames like Miller, Nelson, Tobin, McLoughlin, etc. Even my maiden name of Szucs, while not so common here in the United States, is a very common Hungarian name. On one Hungarian website, it was ranked 16 of the top 250 surnames (www.bogardi.com/gen/index.shtml). And of course, leave it to me to marry a Smith! (What can I say, I love a challenge.)

It's the whole “Where do I start?” syndrome that gets you. You have all these possible matches for your ancestor. How do you decide which John Smith to research first? While psychic powers might seem to be requisite with this type of research, they are not necessary. (I seldom need to call on my powers for family history. I use them mostly to find my keys, the remote control, etc.)

To find a starting place as you search for your ancestors, you just need to look for some clues--a common thread that could indicate a link.

Naming Patterns
If your ancestors were kind to you, they may have given one or more of their children a less-common given name. If so, this can...

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