Ancestry hints can be helpful, but they can also point to records that belong to someone else entirely. In this post, I break down how one widely accepted hint looked like a match for my relative but unraveled under scrutiny. Learn how to avoid common family tree mistakes.

When an Ancestry hint mentioned my happily-married great-grandfather in a 1920 divorce case, I knew something was off. Clicking deeper, I discovered names I didn't recognize, roles that didn't make sense, and questions piling up faster than answers. Turns out, hidden beneath that innocent little leaf was a family secret waiting patiently for a hundred years to be uncovered.