The purpose of this page is to provide a series of examples that illustrate a proposed approach for titling and describing sources, and to gather feedback on this approach. Once we modify and agree on the approach, this page can become a "Help" page that can be used to teach people how to title and describe sources.
Please feel free to add comments, questions, and to modify these examples! If you have the "Evidence!" book, you can compare the source page entries below with her primary citation and bibliographic entries for each example. The Source page title generally follows her bibliographic entry format.
| Type of source
| Source page title
| Source fields
| Comments
| Questions
|
| Ancestral File
| Ancestral File
|
- Title:Ancestral File
- Location
- Type: repository
- Repository title: Family History Library
| title given, no author
|
| Article (journal)
| Johnson, Louise F. Testing Popular Lore: Marmaduke Swearingen a.k.a. Chief Blue Jacket
|
- Author: Louise F. Johnson
- Title: Testing Popular Lore: Marmaduke Swearingen a.k.a. Chief Blue Jacket
- Publication info: National Genealogical Society Quarterly
- Volume number: 82
- Date: September 1994
- Places covered: TK
- Surnames covered: Swearingen
- Year range covered: TK-TK
| author and title given
|
do we want to use .'s after author initials in page titles?
separate author and title by a comma(,) instead of a period(.) in page titles, so that we use commas everywhere for consistency?
|
| Article (serialized; annotated citation)
| Dorman, John Frederick. Essex County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List
|
- Author: John Frederick Dorman
- Title: Essex County, Virginia, 1800 Tax List
- Publication info: The Virginia Genealogist, Ongoing series from
- Volume numbers: 3, etc.
- Dates: January/March 1959, etc.
- Places covered: United States, Virginia, Essex County
- Surnames covered: (probably best left blank in the case of this example)
- Year range covered: 1800-1800
| author and title given
|
| Baptismal record
| United States, Louisiana, Natchitoches, Saint Francois Church. Baptisms of Slaves, 1826-31
|
- Author: Saint Francois Church, Natchitoches, Louisiana
- Title: Baptisms of Slaves, 1826-31
- Year range covered: 1826-1831
- Places covered: Natchitoches, Louisiana, United States
| author and title not given; responsible agency and record description used
| when we use responsible agency for the author and record description for the title in the source page title, should we also use them for the Author and Title fields, or should we leave the Author and Title fields blank in this case?
|
| Bible record (with provenance)
| Bertrand, Charles. Family Bible
|
- Author: Charles Bertrand
- Title: Family Bible
- Publication info: In La Sainte Bible. New edition. Paris: Pourrat Freres, 1838
- Owner of original:Gary B Mills,
- Owner address: 1732 Ridgedale Drive; Tuscaloosa, AL 35406-1942
- Owner as of this date: 1996
- Places covered:
- Surnames covered:
- Year range covered:
| author given, no title; record description is family bible
|
| Birth registration (local level)
| United States, Illinois, Cook, Chicago, Clerk's Office, City Hall. Birth Registrations
|
- Author: Clerk's Office, City Hall, Chicago, Cook, Illinois
- Title: Birth Registrations
- Places covered: Chicago, Illinois, United States
- Year range covered:
| author and title not given; responsible agency and record description used
|
| Birth registration (local level)
| United States, Michigan, Eaton, County Clerk's Office. Birth Registers
|
- Author: County Clerk's Office, Eaton County, Michigan
- Title: Birth Registers
- Places covered: Eaton, Michigan, United States
- Year range covered:
| author and title not given; responsible agency and record description used
|
| Birth registration (state level)
| United States, North Carolina, Division of Health Services--Vital Records Branch. Birth Registrations
|
- Author: North Carolina Division of Heath Services--Vital Records Branch
- Title: Birth Registrations
- Places covered: North Carolina
- Year range covered:
| author and title not given; responsible agency and record description used
|
| Book (authored)
| Littlefield, Daniel F., Jr. Africans and Creeks from the Colonial Period to the Civil War
|
- Author: Daniel F. Littlefield Jr.
- Title: Africans and Creeks from the Colonial Period to the Civil War
- Publisher: Greenwood Press
- Publication place: Westport, Connecticut
- Publication date: 1979
- Year range covered: 1700-1861
- Places covered: TK
- Surnames covered: TK
| author and title given
| do we want to use .'s after author initials and suffixes?
|
| Book (authored by an agency)
| United States, Bureau of the Census. Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790: Connecticut
|
- Author: Bureau of the Census
- Title: Heads of Families at the First Census of the United States Taken in the Year 1790: Connecticut
- Publisher: Government Printing Office
- Publication place: Washington, DC
- Publication date: 1908
- Year range covered: 1790-1790
- Places covered: Connecticut, United States
- Surnames covered:
| author and title given; note how this format is identical to the format used when the author is not given but there is a responsible agency
|
| Book (author unidentified but known)
| Guide to Genealogical Records in the National Archives
|
- Author: Meredith B. Colket Jr. and Frank E. Bridgers
- Title: Guide to Genealogical Records in the National Archives
- Publisher:National Archives and Records Service
- Publication place: Washington, DC
- Publication date: 1964
- Year range covered:
- Places covered:
- Surnames covered:
| in order to make this title the same as the one below, don't put the author in the title if it's not given even if you know it; just put it in the Author field.
|
| Book (author unknown)
| Guide to Genealogical Records in the National Archives
|
- Title: Guide to Genealogical Records in the National Archives
- Publication info: Washington: National Archives and Records Service, 1964
| title given, no author
|
| Book (compiled records)
| Wells, Carol. Natchez Postscripts, 1781-1798
|
- Author: Carol Wells, compiler
- Title: Natchez Postscripts
- Publisher: Heritage Books
- Publication place: Bowie, Maryland
- Publication date: 1992
- Year range covered: 1781-1798
- Places covered:
- Surnames covered:
| compiler used as author
|
| Book (edited)
| Peterson, John H., Jr. A Choctaw Source Book
|
- Author: John H. Peterson Jr., editor
- Title: A Choctaw Source Book
- Publisher: Garland Publishing
- Publication place: New York
- Publication date: 1985
- Places covered:
- Surnames covered:
- Year range covered:
| editor used as author
|
| Book (multi-authored)
| Szucs, Loretto Dennis, and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking. The Archives: A Guide to the National Archives Field Branches
|
- Author: Loretto Dennis Szucs and Sandra Hargreaves Luebking
- Title: The Archives: A Guide to the National Archives Field Branches
- Publisher: Ancestry Publishing
- Publication place: Salt Lake City
- Publication date: 1998
- Places covered:
- Surnames covered:
- Year range covered:
|
| Book (multi-volume)
| Anderson, Robert Charles. The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633
|
- Author: Robert Charles Anderson
- Title: The Great Migration Begins: Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, 3 volumes
- Publisher: New England Historic Genealogical Society
- Publication place: Boston
- Publication year: 1995
- Year range covered: 1620-1633
- Places covered: New England
- Surnames covered:
|
| Book (multi-volume, compendium composed of earlier journal entries)
| Bell, Landon C. Field Jefferson's Second Wife
|
- Author: Landon C. Bell
- Title: Field Jefferson's Second Wife
- Publication info: in Genealogies of Virginia Families from Tyler's Quarterly Historical and Genealogical Magazine, 4 volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1981. Originally published in Tyler's Quarterly 13 (July 1931): 15-23
|
Why distinguish this in the templates? Just put the "originally published" information in text?
|
| Book (one of a series)
| Hendrix, GeLee Corley. Research in South Carolina
|
- Author: GeLee Corley Hendrix
- Title: Research in South Carolina
- Publication info: in National Genealogical Society Research in the States Series. Arlington, Virginia: NGS, 1992
|
Again, why distinguish this in the templates? If users find it important that it's part of a series (unlikely but possible), they can mention that in the text.
|
| Book (paginated, with numbered entries)
| Hoffmann, Margaret M. Genealogical Abstracts of Wills, 1758-1824; Halifax County, North Carolina
|
- Author: Margaret M. Hoffmann, compiler
- Title: Genealogical Abstracts of Wills, 1758-1824; Halifax County, North Carolina
- Publisher: Roanoke News Company
- Publication place:Weldon, North Carolina: Roanoke News Company
- Publication year: 1970
- Year range covered: 1758-1824
- Places covered: Halifax, North Carolina, United States
- Surnames covered:
|
even though the contents of this book are records, the records were compiled into a book so use book author and title for source page title
template is the same, but it's good to handle such books this way so as to be crystal clear that you're referring to the abstracts and not to the wills themselves
|
| Book (pagination not given)
| St. James Catholic Church, Gadsden, Alabama, 1876-1976
|
- Title: St. James Catholic Church, Gadsden, Alabama, 1876-1976
- Year range: 1876-1976
- Place: Gadsden, Etowah, Alabama, United States
- Publisher: the parish
- Publication place: Gadsden, Etowarh, Alabama
- Publication date: 1976
| title given, no author
| In this example the title of the book is given but no author; however, the responsible agency is probably the St. James Catholic church. Should we use the responsible agency as the author, or should we use responsible agency as the author only for record sets and not for books?
Don't make the inputter juggle imponderables. Rule of thumb: impute an author whenever possible.
Surely no need for a separate template for unpaginated books?!
|
| Book (privately printed)
| Brayton, John A. The Five Thomas Harrises of Isle of Wight County, Virginia
|
- Author: John A. Brayton
- Title: The Five Thomas Harrises of Isle of Wight County, Virginia
- Publisher: privately printed
- Publication place: Winston-Salem, North Carolina
- Publication date: 1995
- Places covered: Wight, Virginia, United States
- Surnames covered: Harris
- Year range covered:
|
How many books that are "privately printed" actually say so? How does one distinguish a "real" publisher, who may be quite obscure, from a private printing? Use the same template as for any book, and if no publisher is named, don't fill out that box. If one is named, use that. If it says "privately printed," use that.
|
| Bounty-Land File (federal, unfilmed)
| United States, National Archives. Records of the Veterans Administration, Record Group 15. Case Files of Bounty-Land Applications Based on Service between 1812 and 1855. Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1960.
|
- Author: National Archives
- Title: Records of the Veterans Administration, Record Group 15. Case Files of Bounty-Land Applications Based on Service between 1812 and 1855. Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1960
- Year range covered: 1800-1960
- Places covered:
|
| I'm not sure how to title and describe National Archives material. The National Archives certainly isn't the author here. Would it be considered the "responsible agency", in which case we should list it as the author, or should we say there is no author? Regarding the title, National Archives manuscripts have a "record-group title/number", a "series title", a "file name/number" and a "specific document name/number". Do all of those constitute the title, as shown?
|
| CD-ROM (produced from original records)
| United States, General Land Office. Automated Records Project; Pre-1908 Homestead & Cash Entry Patents: Arkansas
|
- Author: General Land Office
- Title: Automated Records Project; Pre-1908 Homestead & Cash Entry Patents: Arkansas
- Type: CD-ROM.
- Publisher: Bureau of Land Management, Eastern States
- Publication Place: Springfield, Virginia
- Publication Date: 1994
- Year range covered: - 1908
- Places covered: Arkansas, United States
- Surnames covered:
| even though this CD contains original records, it is a separate published work so use its author and title
|
| CD-ROM (produced from prior publication)
| FamilyFinder database, Family Tree Maker
|
- Title: FamilyFinder database, Family Tree Maker
- Publication info: CD-ROM. Fremont, California: Banner Blue Software, 1994
|
| not sure about this--is Banner Blue the author or the publisher or both?
not sure about this at all. Is it possible to specify what the underlying records or publications are? Or are they just gathered up without attribution? If so, why should this be treated any differently from Ancestral File or IGI?
|
| Cemetery marker (published)
| Herzfeld, Elizabeth Doherty. Old Cemetery Burials of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
|
- Author: Elizabeth Doherty Herzfeld
- Title: Old Cemetery Burials of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin
- Publisher: Heritage Books
- Publication Place: Bowie, Maryland
- Publication Date: 1995
- Places covered: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
- Year range covered:
- Surnames covered:
|
Another distinction without a difference? This is just an authored book, right?
|
| Cemetery marker (rural, small)
| United States, Illinois, Lawrence, Brian Cemetery. Tombstone data
|
- Author: Brian Cemetery, Lawrence, Illinois
- Title: Tombstone data
- Place: Lawrence, Illinois, United States
| use responsible agency and record description for title and author in the page title
| should the responsible agency and record description be listed in the Author and Title fields?
"Cemetery marker (rural, small)" tells me nothing, except perhaps what someone from Chicago calls "rural, small" will be quite different from what someone from Lawrenceville does. The relevant question is who the author or transcriber is: the cemetery itself (or cemetery association), or an independent transcriber? Or is it a different type, such as a handwritten unpublished manuscript cemetery listing?
|
| Census, United States, Illinois, Fulton County, 1880
|
- Author: Bureau of the Census, United States
- Title: U.S. Census, Illinois, Fulton County, 1880
- Publication info: Washington, National Archives
- Year range covered: 1880-1880
- Places covered: United States, Illinois, Fulton County
- Locations: [should include references to microfilms, ancestry.com, heritagequest.com -- these are alternative locations for the same images]
| "Evidence!" doesn't include "Bureau of the Census" in the author of the bibliographic entry (unlike Birth Registrations for example). It includes just the place.
| should we have one source for the microfilm copy of the 1840 US census, or separate sources for each state and county? Having separate sources would allow us to list a small set of microfilm numbers in the publication info, but would this be worth it?
|
| Census (online)
| United States, Bureau of the Census. U.S. Census, 1840. Ancestry.com
|
- Author: Bureau of the Census, United States
- Title: U.S. Census, 1840
- Publication info: Ancestry.com
- Year range: 1840-1840
- Place: United States
| we include Ancestry.com in the title to differentiate Ancestry's transcription of the census from others (Heritage Quest's for example)
| does this make sense?
No. Ancestry has images, not transcriptions.
|
| Census (state)
| United States, Kansas, Bureau of the Census. 1895 state census, population schedule.
|
- Author: Bureau of the Census, United States
- Title: Kansas state census, 1895
- Year range covered: 1895-1895
- Places covered: Kansas, United States
|
| again, should we include Bureau of the Census in the title to be consistent with other "responsible agency" titles?
|
| Church minute
| United States, Alabama, Madison, Flint River Baptist Association. Minutes, 1814-21
|
- Author: Flint River Baptist Association, Madison County, Alabama
- Title: Minutes, 1814-21
- Year range covered: 1814-1821
- Places covered: Madison, Alabama, United States
- Surnames covered:
| author and title not given; use responsible agency and record description
|
| City (or county) directory
| Cohen's New Orleans Directory, Including Jefferson City, Carrollton, Gretna, Algiers, and McDonough, for 1854; . . . Portraits of the Citizens of New Orleans, with Their Biographies; Also, A Tableau of the Yellow Fever (Deaths) of 1853
|
- Title: Cohen's New Orleans Directory, Including Jefferson City, Carrollton, Gretna, Algiers, and McDonough, for 1854; . . . Portraits of the Citizens of New Orleans, with Their Biographies; Also, A Tableau of the Yellow Fever (Deaths) of 1853
- Publication info: New Orleans: The Picayune, 1854
- Year range covered: 1853-1854
- Places covered: Louisiana, United States
| title given, no author
|
| Electronic Database (family file)
| Gowen Research Foundation. Website, www.llano.net/gowan
|
- Author: Gowen Research Foundation
- Title: Website, www.llano.net/gowan
- Location
- Places covered:
- Surnames covered:
- Year range covered:
| This website contains material created by the Gowen Research Foundation, so they are listed as the author; websites don't have specific titles like books do
| For website titles we can use
- the title of the website homepage, which is often empty and can change frequently
- the URL of the website (in this case www.llano.net/gowen), which can also change frequently
- a "record description", something generic like "Website" or perhaps better "Family Tree", possibly followed by the URL or perhaps better just the domain name (or the URL of the site "homepage").
Which should we use for the title?
Also, should we ask people to find the website author and use their name as the author? And if they can't find the name of the author on the website then just have them list the source as Website, followed by the name of the website?
What is the distinction between "electronic web site" and "electronic database (family file)"? Can't these be exactly the same template? In both cases, "Website, [home page URL]" seems the most intuitive. There are going to be a lot of these.
|
| Electronic Web Site
| United States, Texas, Archives Division, State Library. Confederate Pension Records, Index, tsl.state.tx.us
|
- Author: Archives Division, Texas State Library
- Title: Confederate Pension Records, Index
- Location
|
| This website lists transcriptions of original records. So should the source page title and description be based upon the author and title of the record set, with the website should be listed as the "transcriber"?
If it's an index, the indexer is the author. If it's images of transcriptions, the transcriber is the author.
|
If you can think of with other examples that should be included because they cover situations that haven't been covered above, please add them!
