Always look at the names of other individuals who are travelling with your ancestor and listed on a passenger manifest–especially if they are from the same village. I had often wondered who the 12-year old (was that traveled with my uncle John Adam Trautvetter. Turns out that John Valentine Senf was the son of John Adam’s sister.
Those travelling companions might be more connected than you think. 
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How interesting.! I am sorting family stuff out so I can work on individual families easier.
That way I can see has traveled with my families. I have someone who is either a friend or ended up being married into the family.
Yes. I discovered a sister because she listed her brother as her contact person in the USA.
I couldn’t find my husband’s Great Grandfather Adolph Scholz for the longest time on any manifest. I had found some, however couldn’t verify it was him. The birth years were slightly off and it didn’t always say Austria. Scholz being a very common name I had to be careful. His then future wife, Rosina Muecke, had come on a different ship. Rosina had written down her life story which I kept reading over and over again. It was full of information. She talked about Adolph borrowing money from a fellow named Hermann Klinke to pay for the trip. Turns out Hermann Klinke and Adolph travelled together. That’s how I was able to finally prove that it was the right Adolph Scholz. Whatever happened to Hermann Klinke I don’t know. May be he returned to Austria.