Gail Shaffer Blankenau – The good, the bad and the ugly, citation and evidence © Page 1
Gail S. Blankenau, Genealogist
7424 Stevens Ridge Road
Lincoln, NE 68516
402-416-0704
[email protected] www.discoverfamilyhistory.com
The Good the Bad and the Ugly
The Wild Wild West of Citation and Evidence
Copyright 2017 Introduction
The practice of good citation is not one of the more glamorous aspects of genealogical practice,
but it is a critical component of any good genealogy, whether pursued as hobby, avocation or
profession.
Definition: “ Citations are statements in which we identify our source or sources for a particular
assertion.”1
Some Genealogical Assertions you MUST cite:
Any statement of FACT: Birth, Marriage, Death, residence, etc.
Direct Quotes.
Other authors’ conclusions (it is good practice even when
paraphrasing to give credit to the person who said it).
Some reasons to practice good citation:
Credibility
Support your thesis or proof argument
Conform to professional standards.
Manuals of Style:
Genealogy is related to history. Most historians use the Chicago Manual of Style for the
humanities or Turabian, which is a simpler version of Chicago. Elizabeth Shown Mills’s book,
Evidence Explained, is based on these style manuals and is the most comprehensive work in the
genealogical community. See the Bibliography at the end of this hand-out.
Problems with citation can take many forms
1 Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence explained: citing history sources from artifacts to cyberspace. Baltimore, MD:
Genealogical Publishing Company, 2017, p. 42.
Gail Shaffer Blankenau – The good, the bad and the ugly, citation and evidence © Page 2
The Ugly
Ugly Case #1: Gustave Anjou – had a lot of citations, but some were deliberately created
to prove a more illustrious lineage.
Ugly Case #2: Saddam Hussein – paid a genealogist to prove his direct descendant from
the Prophet Muhammad.
Lesson: Not only do we as genealogists need to learn the art of good citation, but we need
to verify others’ work when using it as a basis for our own work.
The Bad
Footnotes and sources that are sloppy and/or incomplete
Lesson: A little time up front will save you a lot of time later, by writing a good (not
perfect) citation as soon as you see something you might use.
Notes that are non-existent:
Lesson: Although some genealogists did not set out to be fraudulent, the lack of sources
for their assertions lead to major errors in their work. Unsourced family trees online are
suspect for this reason.
Take care in using others’ citations
Lesson 1: In general it is not a good practice. Lesson 2: If you do use another person’s
citation, cite that person’s work and cite the work that he or she has cited. The original
source MATTERS.
Ensure that your source supports your assertion
Lesson: Always check others’ work as well as your own. Another example is a citation
for a Bible record not only supporting a birth date but a birth place that the Bible does not
mention.
The Good
We have several types of citation with which we must become proficient. We have source list
entries, also known as bibliographies, full reference notes and the subsequent reference notes.
Gail Shaffer Blankenau – The good, the bad and the ugly, citation and evidence © Page 3
Elements of a good citation
Title or creator of the source
Author(s), editors, or compilers
Publisher
What it is
Page #
Film #
Record group name and #
URL for online source
Repository (sometimes)
THERE IS NO ONE RIGHT WAY
As we discussed, you should use a manual of style. Whatever style you choose, be consistent
within that publication, database or report. If you are writing for a specific publication, study
several issues of it to see how the editors handle their citations.
Cite What you See
Some researchers are tempted to cite the book or manuscript if it has been imaged online
or on microfilm. You should always cite what you see because different versions of the
original may have been imaged. Moreover, some films accidentally left out a few pages
in the process.
Source of a source
In general, we should check the original, but many journals will accept evidence from
well-known publications, such as the Rhode Island or Massachusetts vital records (brown
books). If you use these books, and they cite the original source, INCLUDE that original
source in your citation (and you may want to discuss the original in your narrative).
Waypoints – to use or not to use, that is the question
A recent debate emerged on the Association of Professional Genealogists email list
regarding the use of waypoints. These can be very helpful with FamilySearch citations
because some of the images online are only browsable and unindexed. Elizabeth Shown
Mills weighed in with a nice melding of two methods that will ensure that if the website
goes away, we can still track down the source.
My example using her solution as my template:
Madison County Probate Court (Edwardsville, Illinois), Vol. 1, p. 66, Susannah Smith
estate (widow of James Smith); imaged in Illinois Probate Records, 1819-1988, database
with images, FamilySearch (www.familysearch.org : accessed 17 Jan 2014); Madison
County > Probate records 1821-1832, Vol 6 > Image 63.
Gail Shaffer Blankenau – The good, the bad and the ugly, citation and evidence © Page 4
Consider making your own style sheets to copy and paste from Word!
What do you want to emphasize? Many footnotes begin with the record’s creator, others begin
with the name of the ancestor(s) involved. Either one is correct, but as always, be consistent. I
have both styles in my own stylesheets, depending on the kind of piece I am writing.
Handy Style Sheets online
St. Louis Public Library
http://stlgs.org/resources/on-this-site/citations-a-guide-to-creating-proper-source-citations
Our Heritage
http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~txsaghs2/LibraryHoldings-
PDF/OurHeritage/CitationStylisticTemplateHeritage-3-5-13.pdf
Bibliography
HOW-TO GUIDES
Printed Resources (Generated using Bibme – I had to fill in the author, etc., for NEHGS, and
change the Chicago Manual of Style, and add italics to some for consistency).
Mills, Elizabeth Shown. Evidence explained: citing history sources from artifacts to cyberspace.
Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2017.
Spaltro, Kathleen. Genealogy and indexing. Medford, NJ: Information Today, 2008.
Turabian, Kate L. A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses, and Dissertations, 5th ed.
Chicago, University of Chicago Press, 1987.
Stratton, Penelope & Henry B. Hoff, NEHGS guide to genealogical writing, New England
Historic Genealogical Society, 2014.
University of Chicago Press Chicago Guide to Preparing Electronic Manuscripts: for Authors
and Publishers Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1987.
Online Advice:
Wylie, John,“How to Cite Sources, Recording Where Your (six) Find Information
http://www.genealogy.com/articles/research/19_wylie.html accessed 15 April 2017.
Library of Congress, Citing Primary Sources
http://www.loc.gov/teachers/usingprimarysources/citing.html
Gail Shaffer Blankenau – The good, the bad and the ugly, citation and evidence © Page 5
A Brief citation guide for Internet Sources in History and the Humanities – Footnote and
Endnote citations
http://www2.h-net.msu.edu/about/citation/footnote.html
Online Style manuals with examples of Turabian format
(you can use these to start creating your own style sheet):
http://library.austincc.edu/help/TURABIAN/
https://writing.wisc.edu/Handbook/PDF/chicago_turabian_uwmadison_writingcenter_june2013.
Citation Generators
Most of these are best for books and scholarly articles. Most genealogical books are searchable,
however most genealogical journals are not in their databases. They will still generate a good
citation if you plug in the information.
Citation Machine http://www.citationmachine.net/
Generates citations in MLA, APA, Chicago and Turabian- best for looking up books. This
website does not seem to cover many common genealogical sources.
BibMe http://www.bibme.org/
Generates citations in MLA, APA, Chicago and Turabian- best for looking up books.
KnightCite Calvin Coolidge College http://www.calvin.edu/library/knightcite/?
Offers formatting for MLA, APA and Chicago styles- plug in all of the information and let
KnightCite format it for you
Other Books and Articles of interest:
Grafton, Anthony, “The Footnote from De Thou to Ranke,” History and Theory, Vol. 33, Theme
Issue 33: Proof and Persuasion in History (Dec., 1994), pp. 53-76, downloaded 5 October 2016,
http://www.jstor.org/ (JSTOR is subscription only – available through institutions as well).
Rael, Patrick, Reading Writing and Researching for History, Bowoin College, 2004,
https://courses.bowdoin.edu/writing-guides/ An excellent overview of good history writing for
any history or family history writer. He also includes chapters on citation.
Searching for County Land Records in United States Joan M. Barnes
Community Engagement Librarian University of Nebraska-Lincoln
Land transferred from Individual to Individual
• property deeds held at the county courthouse (registry of deeds, recorder of deeds) • Grantee – person receiving land • Grantor – person transferring land to another
Common Terms
• Deed – document transferring ownership and title of property from one private entity to another
• Quitclaim Deed – seller relinquishes claim to property with no guarantee that the property is free of claim
• Warranty Deed – seller warrants the title is valid and not subject to any outstanding liens. The Value of Land Records
• Establish the location of ancestors • Determine approximate death date • Determine relationships with children, siblings, in-laws
Places to Search for Land Records
• Visit the County Courthouse – Recorder of Deeds, Registrar of Deeds Office
• Some counties have put their deeds online. • Search Google • http://www.cyndislist.com/land/locality/united-states/
• Microfilms available through FamilySearch.org • Order at FamilySearch.org • Microfilms sent to local Family History Center
Searching Tips
• Check both the Grantor and Grantee Indexes • County Recorders office, Family Search microfilm
• Microfilm can be ordered through Family Search.org website • Delivered to your nearest Family History Center
Challenges – state & county borders
• Historical US County Boundary Maps • http://www.randymajors.com/p/maps.html
• Atlas of Historical County Boundaries • http://publications.newberry.org/ahcbp
Explore More
• Cyndi’s List - Land • http://www.cyndislist.com/land/
• FamilySearch Wiki • https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Land_and_Property
References Blankenau, Gail. “Using Land Records in Genealogy Research” presentation, Greater Omaha Genealogical Society, Fall, 2014. Greenwood, Val. D. The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy. 1990. Chapters 16 & 17. Haddad, Diane. “Land Records Cheat Sheet.” Family Tree Magazine. May/June 2017.
RELIGIOUS RECORDS - FINDING A LIFETIME OF CLUES IN THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY
Presented by Marcia Stewart
June 11, 2017
START WITH WHAT YOU KNOW
At least names, locations, time periods
WHERE TO FIND MORE CLUES
Newspapers, obituaries, funeral cards County and local histories City directories, telephone directories Personal papers, certificates Cemeteries, tombstones, denominational symbols Censuses showing ethnic or religious communities and migration patterns
FINDING RECORDS Local churches, district church offices or archives State or local archives MyHeritage – through Nebraska Library Commission or Lincoln City Libraries FamilySearch.com Ancestry.com FindMyPast.com Google books, Internet Archive (https://archive.org/) and WorldCat.org DustyDocs.com WorldCat.org
BASIC TYPES OF CHRISTIAN RECORDS
Christenings/Baptisms Marriages/Banns Burials Confirmations/First Communion Sacramental registers Church School lists and church censuses Cemetery office/Sexton files Church/Vestry minutes, financial records, Quaker meeting records Admissions and removals, certificates of removal Membership rolls Denominational newspapers/newsletters
HISTORICAL LOCATIONS (GENERALLY SPEAKING)
New England – Congregational Southern States - Baptist, Protestant Episcopal, Anglican Maryland – Catholic, later Presbyterian, Anabaptist, and Quaker Pennsylvania - Lutheran, Quaker, Mennonite, Amish New York - Dutch Reformed, Catholic Upper Midwest – Lutheran, Catholic Northern Europe – Belgium, Norway, Denmark, Poland, Finland, Sweden, northern
Germany, northern Switzerland - Lutheran Southern Europe – France, Portugal, southern Germany, Spain, Italy, southern
Switzerland - Catholic Eastern Europe – Belarus, Moldova, Czech Republic, Poland, Estonia, Russia, Hungary,
Slovakia, Latvia, Ukraine, Lithuania, Yugoslavia - Eastern Orthodox or Catholic
FOR MORE INFORMATION
Bochar, Jack, George Rokos, and Louise Rokos. Locations of Chicago Roman Catholic Churches, 1850-1990.
2nd ed. Sugar Grove, IL: Czech & Slovak American Genealogy Society of Illinois, 1998. Print.
"Religion & Churches » General Resources." Cyndi's List. Web. 1 May 2017.
<http://www.cyndislist.com/religion/general/>.
Eichholz, Alice. Red Book: American State, County & Town Sources. 3rd ed. Provo, UT: Ancestry, 2004.
Print.
"United States Church Records." United States Church Records Genealogy - FamilySearch Wiki. Web. 1
Apr. 2017. <https://familysearch.org/wiki/en/United_States_Church_Records>.
Greenwood, Val D. The Researcher's Guide to American Genealogy. 3rd ed. Baltimore, MD: Genealogical,
2013. Print.
Hinshaw, William Wade. William Wade Hinshaw's Index to Unpublished Quaker Records. Swarthmore,
Pennsylvania: Friends Historical Library, Swarthmore College. Print.
Humling, Virginia. U.S. Catholic Sources: A Diocesan Research Guide. Salt Lake City: Ancestry, 1995. Print.
Humphrey, John T., comp. Pennsylvania Births, Philadelphia County, 1644-1765, 1766-1780. Washington:
Humphrey Publications, 1994. Print. (Series of Pennsylvania German church records)
Kirkham, E. Kay. A Survey of American Church Records. 1st ed. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Co. ,
1959. Print.
Szucs, Loretto Dennis. The Source: A Guidebook to American Genealogy. Provo, UT: Ancestry, 2006. Print.
RELIGIOUS RECORDS - FINDING A LIFETIME OF CLUES IN THE RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY – Marcia Stewart Page 2
Finding More with Newspapers Presented by Tom McFarland
Tell the story, fill in vital events, and you may get some surprises!
WorldCat – world’s largest library catalog
Microfilm, original copies, original digital copies, OCR scanned issues,
card indexes, book indexes
Major Free Sites
• Elephind - More than United States, strong on Australia
• Library of Congress - Chronicling America – 1789-1924
• Google News Archive - https://news.google.com/newspapers/
• Old Fulton NY Post Cards – 40 million pages from U.S and Canada,
with emphasis on New York
• Trove - over 195 million articles from Australia
State Newspaper Projects
• E.g. - Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection
Local Genealogical and Historical Societies, Libraries
• E.g. - Lincoln-Lancaster Genealogical Society
Newspaper Offices
Some major for pay sites
• NewsBank
• GenealogyBank.com
• Ancestry.com
• Lexis-Nexis
• Newspapers.com