DOCUMENTING GENEALOGICAL EVIDENCE
Wendy Spooner
American School of Genealogy
April 18, 2013
DOCUMENTING EVIDENCE
Introduction
Just because someone relates written or verbal details or stories about a person, does not mean the information is accurate. Even data found on film or in a database may not be factual. Following steps of stringing together and carefully evaluating each source of information, is vital to depicting a truthful montage of each and every ancestor’s life. According to Elizabeth Shown Mills, there are thirteen guidelines in which complete documentation is judiciously recorded. Beginning with analyzing weather a piece of information is common knowledge or not – and ending with finding the best possible source of data at all times – below is a comprehensive evaluation of the recommendations found in Mills’ book “Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian.”
Sources, Source Notes, and TrackingGuideline OneElizabeth Mills describes her first guideline for proper citing to be sound judgment when distinguishing “common knowledge” data, from information that requires documentation. It is well known that the United States entered World War II after the attack on Pearl Harbor by Japanese forces in 1941. This account does not require supporting evidence, but a statement that a certain officer was killed in the attack, does. Mills clearly explains that to give credit where credit is due, “any statement of fact that is not common knowledge must carry its own individual statement of source.”Guidelines Two and ThreeMills’ second and third guidelines are that sources have two purposes, and are tracked in two ways. The two purposes of citing are to make record of each specified location of every data piece and to make record of details affecting the evaluation or use of the information. The two ways of tracking sources are: general lists (bibliographies) and source notes keyed to particular evidences. As a condensed reference tool, a bibliography is a principal list used for immediate consultation. Its main purpose is to keep track of all evaluated resources but not to document any specific fact. See an example of the two functions of a source citation and related notes below.1. Valentine Switzer, “1810 United States Federal Census,” digital images, Ancestry.com.http://search.ancestry.com/iexec?htx=view&r=0&dbid=7613&iid=4433225_00181&fn=Valentine&ln=Swidzer&st=r&ssrc=pt_t19358066_p20380401921_kpidz0q3d20380401921z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid&pid=5598472. A note submitted by another contributor (shown as jlgregg, submitting on 3/05/2011) shows a name correction to be Valentine Switzer instead of Swidzer and also states that the original data on the record is incorrect.Guideline FourFurther source note instructions emphasizing Mills’ fourth guideline encompass two basic formats: full and short citations. Within any narrative, full details are given the first time a source is cited. Subsequent citations need only to be comprised of a shortened version, easily recognizable as corresponding to the bibliography entries, as well as to the original citation. One exception is when multiple excerpts are taken from a collection, book, or file. Here, a full citation should be fixed to each sheet of research notes and photocopy. “If source citations are to be beneficial, they must be simple-easy to grasp, easy to remember, and easy to find” states Mills. See examples of full and short citations below:Full:Beth Anne bower, “African American Probate Records,” article, New England Historic Genealogical Society, New England Ancestors (http://www.newenglandancestors.org/education/articles/research/specia_topcs//african_american/african_anmerican_probate.asp: posted 2 August 2002), para. 13.Short:Bower, “African American Probate Records,” para. 13.Source Note Formats, Narrative Test Numbering,Source Notes Keyed to Narrative Text, and Explicit Source NotesGuideline FiveAccording to Mills, narrative account source notes can be presented in four ways: footnotes, endnotes, parenthetical citations, and hypertext. The recommended formats for historical researchers and genealogist however, are footnotes and endnotes. This is due to the fact that parenthetical citation has been altogether rejected. It disrupts thought, hampers full citations, and adds limits vital to source considerations. Hypertext is not the best option either. It is a digital document tool embedded with shortcuts, which are easily lost during printing or download. An example of a footnote can be found at the bottom of this page, in the footnotes area referenced by the number 6 in the sentence above. An example of an endnote (seen directly below) is a list of footnote-type notes, but they are listed all together at the end of a writing, numbered and listed sequentially, referenced by the in-text note numbers.1. “Passenger Record,” database, statue of Liberty-Ellis Island foundation (http://www.ellisisland.org: accessed 16 April 2013), entry for William Shane, 32, arrived 10 March 1914 on the Bermudian.2. Manifest, S.S. Liguria, 16 April 1902, List J, pl 35, for Sebastiao Sammarco (age 19), digital images, Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation (http://www.ellisisland.org: accessed 16 April 2013).Guideline SixElizabeth Mills advises in her sixth guideline that “source notes keyed to narrative text should be numbered consecutively; the corresponding numbers should appear in correct sequence within the text.” The former practice of preparing a numbered bibliography, and numbering text statements to reference entries on the list, has created confusion in the past. In general, detailed descriptive writing requires that note numbers inside the text be placed at the end of a sentence, outside the concluding punctuation mark. Genealogists however, are more precise in two situations. The first one occurs when information from more than one source is placed within a sentence, and then the first reference number should be placed at the point where the information from that source ends. The second situation occurs when a personal interpretation or observation is added to a note, then the reference note should be placed where the source information ends and the personal observation begins. Furthermore, a source number should never be placed directly after a given name because this is the place reserved for the genealogist to place the generation number. See the examples below covering the guidelines of the above paragraph, with corresponding footnotes.James1 (the number 1 here is to show he is the first generation of record for the family) Ferguson Wilson, the earliest-known progenitor of our family, was born about 1861 in Scotland and at the time of the U.S. 1900 Census was married to Martha A Ferguson. The birth year assumption is made because the 1900 Census record shows his age to be 38. A discrepancy in the middle initial is shown in the 1910 U.S. Census as James W. Wilson, and his occupation at this time shows he was a merchant.Guideline SevenMoving on to Elizabeth Mills’ seventh guideline to genealogical citation, she states that “explicit source notes should also appear on ancestor charts and family group sheets.” When depending on a computer program for compiling, the genealogist should choose a program carefully focusing on documentation capability. See example of group sheet below with note reference numbers highlighted in yellow.Citation Positioning as Well as Ethical IssuesGuideline EightAs stated by Elizabeth Mills, a full citation should be attached to the front side of each photocopied document, such as the family Bible photocopy below, as well as on every page of a research report. The front side of a copy is vitally important. If anyone were to copy a copy and the citation was written on the back, they may forget to photocopy the back, and consequently the citation would be lost. Utilizing available margin space (such as the dark area around the Bible in the below image) on the front side of the document, is the optimum citation placement for photocopies.Guideline NineMills’ ninth guideline describes the reasons one should not cite sources that one does not use. Borrowing notes from other writers is unethical and risky. To avoid these pitfalls, Mills advises to fully identify the source a writer cites and to verify that the writer has cited the information accurately. Additionally, one should search to see if there is more data to be found. See example with endnote example below.…”and claimed it to be the first use of ‘family history’ as a concept distinct from ‘mere pedigree work and genalogy’.”2626. Cecil Humphrey-Smith, ‘Editorial’, Family History 25/202 (2010), 49. In a similar article, Humphrey-Smith claimed the 1957 lecture ‘created family history as a distinct subject which brought the individuals in the family tree “to life” in their historical context’: ‘Editorial’, Family History 23/190 (2007).Guideline TenGuideline number ten by Mills, involves fair use and the possible legal and ethical complications when copying from another work. A full citation may not be sufficient. When copying more than three words the words should be treated as a quote. Furthermore, when utilizing more than three paragraphs (or when quoting from a manuscript owned by an institution or individual) from another source, permission from the author should be sought, if approved, the citation should acknowledge the permission. See citation example below:Family Group Sheet contributed by Jane Tunesi , American School of Genealogy (adapted by Wendy Spooner, 15 April 2013).Guideline ElevenIn guideline eleven, Mills expounds on some of the difficulties of electronic materials and microforms. Standardized citing may seem impossible to achieve when using these types of sources, hence these materials need additional citation management. For example, an electronic database for state marriages may seem easy to cite until one asks questions such as: what were each of the sources the information was gathered from? Were they reliable sources? Extraction methods are another element of microform and electronic materials to examine.One source more reliable than many would be a “state society using carefully selected volunteers in each county to extract every marriage record known to be extant for their respective regions.” Citing microforms from the National Archives or The Family History Library in Salt Lake City, unearths varied issues - one being that individuals often include multiple materials in one citation. This mishap occurs often with Family History Library (FHL) materials since this repository possesses a wealth of microfilm and fiche. Mills advises to cite either the films or originals, depending upon which was consulted, and the citations should show exactly what material was accessed. This practice allows others to check for errors by referring to original sources.Format as shown in Mills’ Evidence! for citing microforms below:[Specific document name]; [file name/number or page/line number, if relevant]; [series title, if relevant]; [microfilm title, in italics; publication number] (Washington: National Archives), [roll or fiche number], [frame number].Full citation example:Council of War, Proceedings re Penobscot Expedition, July 6 – August 14, 1779; Vol. 2, p. 132 of item 65, Massachusetts; Papers of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789 State Papers, 1775-91; Records of the Continental and confederation Congresses and the Constitutional Convention, Record group 360; National Archives Microfilm Publication M247, roll 79.
Clear and Best Possible Source CitingGuideline TwelveElizabeth Mills explains in her twelfth fundamental of that “clear citations require consideration of many details. Correct bibliographic data, the use of Ibid (which is Latin shorthand for “in the same source as above” ) capitalization (book titles should be italicized and all words capitalized) , punctuation, and defining published material, are all vital components to clearly citing sources. A clear rule to follow when attempting to define published material is that published material is photocopied, converted to microform, placed on electronic disks, or online for rapid dissemination. Unpublished data may be present in these same forms but for preservation or very limited sharing reasons such as data found in a family genealogical newsletter like the one seen below.Guideline ThirteenLast but not least, Mills advises not to just cite something, but to cite the soundest and highest quality evidence available. A random piece of Googled information that is not verifiable, is no match for a reliable piece of genealogical evidence such as the one found below:James Ferguson Wilson, no. 497-14-0553, Social Security death Index, FamilySearch (Salt Lake City: Family History Library, 1998). The SSDI component of FamilySearch is drawn from the Social Security Death Benefits Index of the U.S. Social Security Administration.
Photo of my great aunt and uncle, properly cited below.ConclusionEffective research that produces accurate information with minimal wasted time and money, depends greatly on complete investigation of evidence. Weighing and evaluating each data source for value and reliability, will ensure supportable citations for the generations to come. When the thirteen guidelines found in Elizabeth Shown Mills’ book: “Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian” are applied in a methodical system of research, the amateur or professional genealogist will be well on his or her way to thoroughly and properly documenting ancestral materials.Works Cited1900 U.S. census ,Salt Lake County, Utah, population schedule, Ward 2, Enumeration District 273, sheet number 1 (penned), dwelling 2, family 2, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://search.ancestry.com/iexec?htx=View&r=an&dbid=7602&iid=004115259_00563&fn=James&ln=Wilson&st=r&ssrc=&pid=61721868 : accessed 17 April 2013); from National Archives Record Administration.1910 U.S. census ,Salt Lake County, Utah, population schedule, Ward 2, Enumeration District 122, sheet number 2 (penned), dwelling 33, family 34, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://search.ancestry.com/iexec?htx=View&r=an&dbid=7884&iid=4454822_00928&fn=James+W&ln=Wilson&st=r&ssrc=&pid=28825683 : accessed 17 April 2013); from National Archives Record AdministrationNational Archives and Records Administration 1810 United States Federal Census Record for Valentine Swidzer, Ancestry.com, http://search.ancestry.com/iexec?htx=view&r=0&dbid=7613&iid=4433225_00181&fn=Valentine&ln=Swidzer&st=r&ssrc=pt_t19358066_p20380401921_kpidz0q3d20380401921z0q26pgz0q3d32768z0q26pgplz0q3dpid&pid=559847 (accessed Apr 15, 2013)."Citation Graphics." Better GedCom Wiki. http://bettergedcom.wikispaces.com/Citation+Graphics (accessed Apr 18, 2013).Mills, Elizabeth S. Evidence! Citation & Analysis for the Family Historian. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1997.Seaver, Randy "Genea-Musings.". http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/02/trying-to-be-evidenced-based-researcher.html (accessed Apr 17, 2014)."Susannah Neff Peirce Boothe." Neff Family. http://johnnefffamily.blogspot.com/ (accessed Apr 18, 2013).
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Gordon Corrigan Hamilton & Jessie Lloyd (2nd marriage) Copy of photograph taken 7 September 1932. He died 11 Oct 1976 She died 24 June 1977. Gifted to Wilson family by Adam Condie (cousin) in 1980s.
