Referencing

[dcmbarton]

When writing up family history, should one reference data from census' and certificates? If so, how would one write these references?

Thanks,
David

[Peter Goodey]

You should cite the source(s) for all your data.

There should be enough information for you or another researcher to check. The exact form depends on accepted standards, your taste and the capabilities of the software. Just think of the way a learned journal or serious history book does it.

If it helps as an example, this is cut and pasted from my records -

4. Parish Registers of Selston, Society of Genealogists, NT/REG/56981.

5. 1871 Census Returns, Family Records Centre: RG 10/3479 Fo 84 Pg 25.

6. Marriage Certificate, General Register Office, 1878 Dec Woolwich 1d
1483.

7. 1881 Census Returns, Family Records Centre: RG 11/0751 f 16 p 25.

That format works for me but other people would have other ideas.

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

Hi Peter,

It's a great idea of yours to list examples of what you do.
Perhaps if a few more of us list a couple of examples, it will give people a few choices, depending on which programmes we all use of course!

I use Family Tree Maker 2005, all my Census Returns for Head of Household, are typed out in the Individuals Notes Box, along with the reference of course. In the case of someone who is working away from home, as a servant etc. I still type it out in their box. This way, all the returns are together and I can also spot if I've missed one!

In the Facts section for an Individual, I created a *new fact* called GRO Index, so this is where I type out the ref for birth and death.

In the Marriage Notes Facts section, the GRO Index for the marriage, also created a *new fact* for Wedding Witnesses in there, plus whether they signed their names/made their mark, in the case of Parish Registers.

[Peter Goodey]

Does FTM not have a specific "citation" facility? I would have said that each "event" or, indeed, statement of fact (like "name"!) should have that facility.

Perhaps I'm just getting confused with different terminology.

Also precisely what information you choose to store with the citation would depend on the software and on personal choice. I could store transcriptions with the citation but I choose to store them as separate attachments to the individual record.
The Master Genealogist, that I use, allows three formats for each source - a normal citation, a short one (for repeats) and a 'bibliography' format. It also generates ibid properly. I just use the bibliography format to specify a special format which I use for web display.

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

Does FTM not have a specific "citation"facility

Yes it does have that facility Peter, but in a Genealogy Report, the citations can be inserted as either endnotes or inline notes, the latter option shows the GRO Refs straight after the birth, marriage and death dates for a couple.

In my family, the 'older' people found this very hard to read (too much information in one section), rather than just the birth and death dates of the male, followed by the marriage date to the female, then daughter of her named Parents, followed by her birth and death dates.

They preferred to read these GRO references, in the More About boxes for Individuals and the More About boxes for the Marriages. In these boxes also, there are the dates of baptism, burial, cremation, Wedding Witnesses etc.

They were very interested in where people lived in the Census returns, hence my transcriptions in the Notes boxes, as these also appear in the Gen Report. My Aunt was staggered to find one place of residence for her Grandfather, that she knew nothing about ...... she lived in the same Village all her life!

My census images are saved to my hard drive, in separate folders for families, each with sub folders for the seven census returns of 1841-1901.

[Peter Goodey]

Diane

I was getting confused. Please ignore my drivel.

[Colin Moretti]

....
My census images are saved to my hard drive, in separate folders for families, each with sub folders for the seven census returns of 1841-1901.

OK until you get two of your families appearing on the same page of the census, unless you have a copy of the image under each family.

I save the images with a folder for each census year with the file name the department, piece, folio & page reference, eg:

RG10-0616, folio 071, page 55
or
HO107-0661-9, folio 29, page 8

Use leading zeros and they will all come in the correct order, and - instead of / because the latter is a forbidden character in a file name. Note that some earlier versions of Windows and some programs don't like commas in the file name, either, and some programs do have limits on the number of characters in a file name in which case you can omit the words folio and page.

Similarly I keep images of certificates identified by the GRO reference with a separate folder for births, marriages and deaths.

Colin

[Diane Grant-Salmon]

OK until you get two of your families appearing on the same page of the census, unless you have a copy of the image under each family.Colin

I don't save two copies of the same image, instead I make a note on both my census transcriptions e.g. *Living next door to Joseph's Parents on one and *Living next door to son, Joseph on the other, plus which name and birth year the image is filed under.

I save the images with a folder for each census year with the file name the department, piece, folio & page reference, eg:

RG10-0616, folio 071, page 55
or
HO107-0661-9, folio 29, page 8

Use leading zeros and they will all come in the correct order, and - instead of / because the latter is a forbidden character in a file name. Note that some earlier versions of Windows and some programs don't like commas in the file name, either, and some programs do have limits on the number of characters in a file name in which case you can omit the words folio and page.
Colin

I agree that saving images your way, is the correct way, but personally, I find it far easier and faster to locate an image by name and birth year, rather than 'wading through' a series of numbers.

Similarly I keep images of certificates identified by the GRO reference with a separate folder for births, marriages and deaths.
Colin

I have three folders for certificate images also, again filed under name and birth year. Deaths of married women are filed under her married name, followed by her maiden name.

It's a case of each to his own, as to methods used ...... whatever makes you happy!

[Colin Moretti]

....
It's a case of each to his own, as to methods used ...... whatever makes you happy!

I couldn't agree more Diane,

Colin