Did You List Your Sources

Sharing our Links to the Past
by Wally and Frances Gray

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FAMILY HISTORY TIDBITS
By Wally Gray

Did You List Your Sources?

I have made it a cardinal rule to always name my sources whenever I enter new information into my genealogy computerized program.

Why?

Why do I insist on citing sources?

1. When I go back to the names or families I have entered (perhaps months later) I will know where I got the information.

2. More importantly it will let family members or others know where I got the data.

3. It is just plain good research practice!

Methods

There are many correct methods to cite sources. I refer you to “Cite Your Genealogy Sources” on-line (See below under References.)

PAF 5.2 and other computerized programs offer an excellent way to cite sources. These programs allow you to list the full source just once. Then when repeating that source (such as a book, letter, interview, etc.) you don’t need to repeat all the publishing details such as author, publisher, etc. That information will be in your Source List.

A section called Notes in PAF is also a place to list sources, but is not as good as using the Source section. The Notes section is best used for explaining questionable information, giving details on the person, etc. In the Source section, there is a place to make comments if you don’t want to place that information in Notes.

To learn how to use either the Notes or Sources features in PAF, see the References below.

Quality of Sources

Some sources are better than others. I have decided that U.S. census records are excellent sources, especially when you are able to view the original record (which you can, using ancestry.com or microfilms.} Ancestry.com is an easier way to view an original census or other record. (Have a staff member at your Family History Center show you how to do this.)

Books are good sources, but they are not as good as the original sources such as a church record, birth certificate, etc. Books are what we call secondary sources--sources that have been copied or created at a later time period. Primary sources are created at or near the event and are superior but not always available.

Of course, a source, primary or secondary, is better than no source at all!

In my PAF program I have several family records that I have obtained from a book. I list the book and the page number where the information is found. The author of the book used original data but he did not name where he got the information. I have found his information reliable, however, so I am pleased to use his book as an accurate source. I often verify it from other sources. I list as many sources as I can find.

My Older Sources

When I first started my research I placed my sources in the Notes section. When PAF came out with the Sources section I started using that instead. Now I am going back over my older records and entering “See Notes” in the Source section so no one in the future will miss the sources I had listed.

Sources Found in Your Home

Sources may be more available than you think. Look in your own home for birth, marriage and death certificates; family Bibles, funeral programs, obituaries, wedding announcements, and photos or photo albums.

Future: More Accurate Sources!

In the future when all those precious records in the Granite Vaults are scanned, indexed, and placed on-line, we—or our heirs—will be able to verify our efforts by gazing at original and primary documents more easily than we do now through film rentals.

They will find sources they may not be able to find now, to document, substantiate or correct our work. Many more accurate sources will be available then!

Avoid Frustration: Document by Citing Sources!

Nothing is more frustrating than looking up a name and finding no source has been listed. List your sources. Your family and others will appreciate it!

References:

An on-line Guide to citing sources: http://genealogy.about.com/od/citing/a/sources.htm. Other genealogy articles are available on that site.

Help on Notes and Sources. Go to Help in PAF 5.2. Go to Lessons and select the lesson on “Notes and Sources.”