Grand Computers Genealogy Special Interest Group (SIG) · 1 Grand Computers Genealogy Special Interest Group (SIG) 1st Thursday – 3:30-5pm zCalendar – Oct 2007 – May 2008 zSourcing

Grand Computers GenealogySpecial Interest Group (SIG)

1st Thursday – 3:30-5pm

Calendar – Oct 2007 – May 2008

Sourcing

Dr. Leon D. Chapman

October 4, 2007

Grand Computers GenealogySpecial Interest Group (SIG)

“Genealogy Charts – Legacy 7” – Dr. Leon D. Chapman3:30-5 pmThuMay 1, 2008

“Genealogy Resources on the Internet” -Dr. Leon D. Chapman3:30-5 pmThuApr 3, 2008

“Census Data” - Dr. Leon D. Chapman3:30-5 pmThuMar 6, 2008

“Publishing a Book” (Joint Meeting with Compose Yourself / Genealogy SIGs) –Judy Jones/Dr. Leon Chapman

3:30-5 pmThuFeb 7, 2008

“GEDCOM Files / Create, Export, Import”- Dr. Leon D. Chapman3:30-5 pmThuJan 3, 2008

“Legacy 7 new features."- Geoff Rasmussen3:30-5 pmThuDec. 6, 2007

“Bring your problems Workshop – Will use Ancestry.com to find missing family information” – Dr. Leon D. Chapman

3:30-5 pmThuNov. 1, 2007

“Sourcing”- Dr. Leon D. Chapman3:30-5 pmThuOct. 4, 2007

MEETINGSTIMEDAYDATE

Contacts: Dr. Leon D. Chapman, chapy@cox.net, 623-398-8900Kathy Brahms, Brahms1@cox.net, 623-322-5650

Ancestors1

Where did they come from?Who produced them?

These are the same questions that genealogist ask of our information

Where did it come from?Where did it come from?Who produced it?Who produced it?

1 Elizabeth Shown Mills, “Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian,”Genealogical Publishing Company, Baltimore, MD 1997. (Presentation based on this information)

Guidelines for Documentation - 1

Any statement of fact that is not common knowledge must carry its own individual statement of source

Source Notes have two purposes:To record the specific location of each To record the specific location of each piece of datapiece of dataTo record details that affect the use or To record details that affect the use or evaluation of that dataevaluation of that data

Sources are tracked in two basic ways:Generic lists (Bibliographies)Generic lists (Bibliographies)

Provides reader with convenient summary of relevant resources

Source notes keyed to specific factsSource notes keyed to specific factsWith complete & specific reference data

Basic source citation:Mary Doe, “Vital Records: Freetown Deaths,”Ipswich Genealogist 1 (Summer 1974): 12.

Source Notes have two basic formats:Full citationsFull citations

Use the 1st time a source is cited

Short citationsShort citationsAn easily recognized form of detailed

Source notes for narrative accountsFootnotesFootnotes

Appears at foot of each page

EndnotesEndnotesAppears at end of section of text

Parenthetical citationsParenthetical citationsNormally not used in genealogy

HypertextHypertextElectronic option – a “mechanical” shortcut / Link

Source notes keyed to narrative text:Should be number consecutivelyShould be number consecutivelyCorresponding numbers should appear Corresponding numbers should appear in correct sequence within the textin correct sequence within the text

Explicit source notes should appear on ancestor charts and family group sheets

Document each piece of conflicting Document each piece of conflicting informationinformation

Full citations should be:affixed to the front side of every affixed to the front side of every photocopied document andphotocopied document andshould appear on every page of a should appear on every page of a research reportresearch report

We should not cite sources we have not used

It is both risky and unethical to It is both risky and unethical to ““Borrow Borrow NotesNotes”” from other writersfrom other writers

Record the detail as it appears in the Record the detail as it appears in the published sourcepublished source

Identify that source fullyThen note that the writer cites his/her sources

Even a full citation of source may not be sufficient, legally or ethically, when copying from another source

When using three words to 3 lines, use it as a When using three words to 3 lines, use it as a quotationquotation

Must give credit to source / author (otherwise, it is plagiarism)

When using more than 3 paragraphs, obtain When using more than 3 paragraphs, obtain permission from author & publisherpermission from author & publisher

Same applies to Manuscript material owned by individual, agency or institution

Microforms and electronic materials need extra treatment

Must cite electronic source as well as Must cite electronic source as well as the original source if possible.the original source if possible.

Clear citations require attention to many details

Correct bibliographic dataCorrect bibliographic dataCapitalizationCapitalizationPunctuationPunctuationPublished materialPublished material

Citing a source is not an end to itselfOur real goal is to have the best possible Our real goal is to have the best possible source to citesource to cite

Guidelines for Analyzing Evidence - 1

Direct evidence is easier to understand, but indirect evidence can carry equal weight

Reliable genealogical conclusions are based on the weight – not the quantity – of evidence found

Evidence should be drawn from a variety of independently created sources

Original source material generally is more reliable than derivative material

The reliability of a derivative work is influenced by the degree of processing it has undergone

The purpose of a record and the motivation of its creators frequently affect its truthfulness

The most reliable informants have firsthand knowledge of the events to which they testify

Spouse of the deceased is a reliable Spouse of the deceased is a reliable informant, but not for the birthinformant, but not for the birth

The veracity and skill of a record’s creator will have shaped its content

Published records Published records –– clerks make errors clerks make errors tootooGenealogistGenealogist’’s records s records –– skill level & skill level & reputationreputation

Timeliness generally adds to a document’s credibility

Penmanship can establish identity, date, and authenticity

A record’s custodial history affects its trustworthiness

Forged documentsForged documentsQuestion each document we acquireQuestion each document we acquire

All known records should be used and a thorough effort made to identify unknown materials

Use all of the evidenceUse all of the evidence

The case is never closed on a genealogical conclusion

Appraise credibility of each detail in Appraise credibility of each detail in each document on a facteach document on a fact--byby--fact basisfact basis

Census Citation

Ancestry – Source for Entry““1880 United States Census1880 United States Census””, Database. , Database. Ancestry.comAncestry.com. . http://www.ancestry.comhttp://www.ancestry.com: 2007.: 2007.

Ancestry Model – Full Reference Note““1880 United States Federal Census.1880 United States Federal Census.”” database, database, Ancestry.comAncestry.com. (. (http://http://www.ancestry.comwww.ancestry.com: accessed 22 : accessed 22 January 2007), entry for Leung Tung Wong, [b.] January 2007), entry for Leung Tung Wong, [b.] 1861/1862, Holyoke, Hampden County, Massachusetts.1861/1862, Holyoke, Hampden County, Massachusetts.

Ancestry Model – Short Reference Note““1880 U.S. Federal Census.1880 U.S. Federal Census.”” Ancestry.com database entryAncestry.com database entryLeung Tung Wong, [b.] 1861/1862, Holyoke, Hampden Co., Leung Tung Wong, [b.] 1861/1862, Holyoke, Hampden Co., MA.MA.

Grand Computers Genealogy Special Interest Group (SIG) · 1 Grand Computers Genealogy Special Interest Group (SIG) 1st Thursday – 3:30-5pm zCalendar – Oct 2007 – May 2008 zSourcing

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