Sorry in advance for the length. I'm working in a region with a relatively stable population (good) but very spotty records (bad). This results in a game I like to call "Pick the Right John" (or Charles or George).

***PART 1 - Picking the right "John"***

For example, right now I have a George and William, who are very likely brothers (sons of John, another story). They live on the same small island and both have sons named John. In 1859, one of the sons marries Martha. Which one?

So, tips and tricks:

(a) Age. John, son of George, is 30 years old. John, son of William, is 22 years old. Neither is an unusual age (for the time and region) for a first marriage. The age is not noted in the marriage record.

(b) Witnesses. Unfortunately, in this case, the witnesses to the marriage give no clues. Neither George nor William are witnesses.

(c) Other records. There are no other records of the "other" John getting married, having children, or dying. During this time period, the families' baptisms and marriages are fairly well recorded, but deaths are not. (This may be because they could wait for a convenient time to have a child baptised or a couple married, which involved travelling to another island, but burials can't wait for clergy.)

(d) Naming patterns. As a last chance, I looked at how John and Martha named their children. Unfortunately, no George or William.

Right now, I'm leaning toward John, of George, being the groom. The lack of witnesses from the groom's family would tend to indicate an older son. But, then again, maybe John, of William, was named after John, of George, died? *bangs head against desk*

QUESTION 1: Any suggestion for this case, or more generally, how to make the best choice between two possibilities?

***PART 2 - Documenting a "tentative" choice***

So, I select a "John" (or Charles or George) as a best candidate - with a lot of inconclusive evidence to back up the choice.

QUESTION 2 - Any tips on how to document (a) the tentative choice and (b) the alternate choice?