Thanks for taking the time to write a thoughtful response.

As you say, we are really enjoying reading the various documents that we do see posted here. The Chesebrough family has a rich history in Connecticut (and ironically I wound up working at Chesebrough Ponds in the 1980s) so there is a lot of great stuff to be seen here, including excerpts from diaries etc.

For the uninitiated, it seems reasonable to trace back using the other trees, at least when the dates make sense. I see that I need to look more closely.

My original question seemed innocent enough: How do I easily locate a particular person within the larger tree, without trial and error?

I see that my reference to "documents" sent everyone into a tailspin.

Thanks again and I fully appreciate that people have spent a lot of time and effort researching their families. Good luck to everyone.