FindAGrave template versus FamilySearch FindAGrave citation format

Question

In the past I've often pasted the FamilySearch citation for findagrave.com records in sources. Nowadays I tend to use the {{FindAGrave|nnnnnn}} template. I've seen others replace the familysearch citations with this template and I've gone back and replaced a couple myself. But a big merit of the FamilySearch citation format is that it captures the essential data from the record, leaving a citation and the essential information from the record even if the primary electronic source (findagrave) were to go down. Whereas the template simply links to the FindAGrave resource, adding nothing if that website were down. I suppose the downside of the familysearch citation is that it takes two clicks to get to the original record.

Anyone have any thoughts or is there an official stance/policy as to the preferred means of citing to FindAGrave?

I do understand the important point that FindAGrave's metadata itself is a secondary, user-submitted resource and that primary sources should certainly in general be preferred, but given that it does general contain photographs of memorials and often references to primary sources its utility as a reference is obvious.

Comments

I like the FHC info also and agree with your comments, although I have not found an "easy" way to convert the FAG to FHC without doing a complete search under the FHC site.

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I put each like this: (this is in an edit screen, on public display it's more compact)

As listed in the [https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QVLL-37MX Find A Grave Index],<ref>"Find A Grave Index," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/QVLL-37MX : accessed 01 Dec 2014), James D. Peeler, 1928; Burial, Bucksnort, Hickman, Tennessee, United States of America, Dunaway Cemetery; citing record ID 98799843.</ref> James D. Peeler is buried at Dunaway Cemetery in Bucksnort, Hickman County, Tennessee.<ref>[http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=98799843 Find A Grave website]</ref>

I'll add that I'm not a fan of the template because the memorial number displays which I find strange.  Wikitree links don't display Wikitree-IDs so why is Find A Grave treated differently.  Hovering over the link displays the memorial number!

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The Family Search citation has a link to Family Search where you would need to click on the additional link to go to FindA Grave....whereas the template links directly to the Find a Grave profile. Yes in my view having the additional information for the citation is better and more correctly reflects both source and facts. However I have found that the FamilySearch FaG entry to be different to that on FaG due to subsequent edits to the FaG profile meaning what is copied into WikiTree does not match the original source. There appears to be a lag in FamilySearch updating the information so it is always a good idea to go through to the actual FaG profile to check. Fo instance I corrected a death year from 1965 to 1865 on FaG but FamilySearch still displays it as 1965. That citation I then found was on a WikiTree profile. Thankfully the data for the death year was correct so no further change needed there.  The error that was corrected at FaG seems to have originated from a yranscription error of the Cemetery record.

Answer 1

Have you considered leaving the family search citation and just adding the FAG template? I agree about the value of the added info and often find myself adding it anyway, even from the FAG citation and template.

Comments

This is what I do these days. The consensus here seems to be that the FamilySearch citation is valuable.

There still doesn't seem to be much uniformity in actual use though.

Answer 2

My feeling is we should just leave the familysearch citation alone and forget the template. As you pointed out all the information is there if the link to FAG ever breaks and the template adds complexity to an already complex site, WikiTree. Using the familysearch citation is also the way they would prefer us to cite that source and shows where the information was actually found.

Comments

Note that sometimes the data in the FamilySearch FindAGrave entry is wrong. I've run into a few cases where the FamilySearch record for a FindAGrave entry had one death date, but when I clicked through to the FaG record, it showed a different one. I'm no longer using the information from FS unless I've clicked through to verify it on FaG, and at that point I might as well not use the FaG citation rather than the FS.

I suspect what happens is the FaG entry is updated, and there's a lag between that and when FS reindexes.

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Sharon, I have found that more often it is FAG that is wrong but the big push for the template is to allow the bot to fix changes in the FAG addresses. I would prefer not using FAG at all but I still say being a good neighbor to familysearch is the best course of action in this case and we should leave their citation as they publish it. For our purposes familysearch is a better site than FAG

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The other issue with the template is they don't have one for BillionGraves. Sometimes FindAGrave doesn't have my pics but BillionGraves does.

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I much prefer the FamilySearch format, as it is considerably more informative than a Memorial number. That being said, I'm a big fan of "more is better", so when I'm trying to be thorough on a profile, I generally line it up like this:

* Family Search Citation

** Find A Grave Citation

Then I'll put a blank line between it and other citations so that it stands out that the two are together. I've not broken down to using the Template yet, as this means having to glean out the Memorial number, drag that back to WikiTree, and add a Template citation that I'm not familiar with at this time, but again - I'm not opposed to it. - Oh, and if I do find a discrepancy, I'll note that in another ** line below the citations, or call it out in the biography.

Answer 3

The main point we should understand regarding the Findagrave template is that it is not a complete citation when used by itself. It is simply a replacement (or backup) for the link to the memorial and should be fleshed out with other elements of a proper citation (who, what, when, where).

As with Sandy's tip, I add the Findagrave template at the end of the FamilySearch citation, since it doesn't include a direct link to the memorial. That gives me a proper citation with a direct link.

 

Answer 4

The best way to copy-paste a citation to a FindAGrave memorial, IMHO, is to use the FindAGrave citation that can be found at the bottom of the memorial page (click on "Source citation" to open it up, it's under the Created By and Maintained By credits)

It looks like this:

Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 24 January 2018), memorial page for Errol Thomas (1876–1887), Find A Grave Memorial no. 99574375, citing Fairview Cemetery, Munntown, Washington County, Pennsylvania, USA ; Maintained by RobMinteer57 (contributor 47389024) .

That citation captures the name and vital dates on the memorial, appropriately credits the FindAGrave member maintaining it, and specifically identifies the cemetery the memorial is associated with.  

Now I can't leave well enough alone and I usually edit that citation to trim the duplicative advertising for FindAGrave, and/or credit the photographer if they did a good job capturing the headstone text.  And I virtually always replace the "Find A Grave Memorial no. #####" text with the {{FindAGrave|#####}} template so the next person to visit the ancestor's WT profile is only one click away from the memorial source.  

But for WT volunteers the best reason to use the pre-formatted FindAGrave citation is that it tells the next contributor to the profile that you actually looked at the source you're citing, not just copy-pasted info from a secondary index that may or may not match the information visible on the headstone.  

Answer 5

I use the Family Search citation and replace the last part with the template so that I have both a complete citation and a direct link to the memorial. For example:  

"Find A Grave Index," database, <i>FamilySearch</i> (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QV2G-YKMJ : 13 December 2015), John H. Sleeper, ; Burial, Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri, United States of America, Floral Hills Cemetery; citing record ID 77351431, {{FindAGrave|77351431}}.