What was your first clue you have a problem?

I've been busy researching the Bisbee line as I think I'll enter it in the state fair.  Maybe.  It's turned out to be more incomplete than I thought.  As I was busily entering and documenting I realized I had two Mary Hall's.  They were two generations apart.  That is not impossible, but not likely.  Then I realized that Abner had two biological mothers.  That's not possible. 

I finally created a spreadsheet to document the family and where the information was coming from.  I looked for primary sources.  I was relieved whenI found a primary source which told me which of the biological mothers was really his biological mother. 

Now to figure out why so many histories and trees listed the other mother and hopefully, figure out why the problem seemed to be about missing generations or people.  It was difficult wrapping my mind around the problem even with the spreadsheet.

Finally, I found a documented family tree.  A researcher in the area where the family lived found where one of the first histories written on the family tree confused one of the John Bisbees.  The misinformation was copied and presented in lots of other family trees.

The information given on the tree satisfies me as being correct.  It fits the research I have done.  All of the trees with the incorrect information has no primary sources to back up their research.

I had to manipulate my data in order to get all of the family members in the wrong generation to the correct generation.  (As I detached them I added 'detached' as their first name so I could easily find them in a search.  Then when they were merged within the proper generation I discarded the 'detached' name.)  I have to admit it caused me great concern to do that much manipulation.  But, it was manipulate it or delete it and reenter it which meant revisiting all of my sources to redocument.  Even though I had several people in the wrong generation, I had other information about the people that was correct and I didn't want to redo that piece.  I believe I have it correct now.  

Whew!