One more thing to keep in mind is your ancestor's manner of speech.
My paternal grandmother Inez shows up in the census records as "Arnice". My "country cousins" had and have an unusual way (or at least my citified siblings and I think so) of pronouncing "i" so that it sounds like "ar". I have also discovered a lot of derivatives of the name Ann in formal records although the family didn't know them by that name.
But my favorite is my husband's great-grandmother Rose or Rosie Pierre. I couldn't find her anywhere although I did identify other family members and some little girl named Felonise. I asked my mother-in-law and her father over and over again about Felonise but they had no clue who she could be. I finally had my answer when I found the marriage license for Manuel Metoyer and "Widow Rose" Pierre! Felonise Pierre's first husband was named Rosamond and somehow his name stuck!!!
It's a wonder that any of us have any hair left. And I thought hobbies were supposed to be a relaxing pastime.