Are you keeping track of the people who "weren't" the right ones and WHY they weren't the correct ones? Often a person will run into the "same wrong" people over and over. Tracking them in at least outline form and having that information handy may keep you from researching the same people over and over only to learn you already eliminated them a long time ago.
And if it ever turns out that they are distantly related, you've already got some of the work done.
