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Grand Computers GenealogySpecial Interest Group (SIG)
1st Thursday – 3:30-5pm
Calendar – Oct 2007 – May 2008
Sourcing
Dr. Leon D. Chapman
October 4, 2007
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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, [email protected], 623-398-8900Kathy Brahms, [email protected], 623-322-5650
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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)
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Guidelines for Documentation - 1
Any statement of fact that is not common knowledge must carry its own individual statement of source
55
Guidelines for Documentation - 2
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
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Guidelines for Documentation - 3
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.
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Guidelines for Documentation - 4
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
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Guidelines for Documentation - 5
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
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Guidelines for Documentation - 6
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
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Guidelines for Documentation - 7
Explicit source notes should appear on ancestor charts and family group sheets
Document each piece of conflicting Document each piece of conflicting informationinformation
1111
Guidelines for Documentation - 8
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
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Guidelines for Documentation - 9
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
1313
Guidelines for Documentation - 10
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
1414
Guidelines for Documentation - 11
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.
1515
Guidelines for Documentation - 12
Clear citations require attention to many details
Correct bibliographic dataCorrect bibliographic dataCapitalizationCapitalizationPunctuationPunctuationPublished materialPublished material
1616
Guidelines for Documentation - 13
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
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Guidelines for Analyzing Evidence - 1
Direct evidence is easier to understand, but indirect evidence can carry equal weight
1818
Guidelines for Analyzing Evidence - 2
Reliable genealogical conclusions are based on the weight – not the quantity – of evidence found
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Guidelines for Analyzing Evidence - 3
Evidence should be drawn from a variety of independently created sources
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Guidelines for Analyzing Evidence - 4
Original source material generally is more reliable than derivative material
2121
Guidelines for Analyzing Evidence - 5
The reliability of a derivative work is influenced by the degree of processing it has undergone
2222
Guidelines for Analyzing Evidence - 6
The purpose of a record and the motivation of its creators frequently affect its truthfulness
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Guidelines for Analyzing Evidence - 7
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
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Guidelines for Analyzing Evidence - 8
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
2525
Guidelines for Analyzing Evidence - 9
Timeliness generally adds to a document’s credibility
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Guidelines for Analyzing Evidence - 10
Penmanship can establish identity, date, and authenticity
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Guidelines for Analyzing Evidence - 11
A record’s custodial history affects its trustworthiness
Forged documentsForged documentsQuestion each document we acquireQuestion each document we acquire
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Guidelines for Analyzing Evidence - 12
All known records should be used and a thorough effort made to identify unknown materials
Use all of the evidenceUse all of the evidence
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Guidelines for Analyzing Evidence - 13
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
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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.