Sandy's Sourcing Made Simple

Profile

Images

Date: [unknown] [unknown]
Location: [unknown]

Profile manager: Sandy Patak

[send private message]

This page has been accessed 338 times.

Sourcing Made Simple

This is not an official WikiTree Page OR an official WikITree Guide to Sourcing. This page is something that I pulled information from around WikiTree to put on one page (and added my own tips). Specifically created after many have asked me why I put the {{Unsourced}} tag on their Profiles. Being a Professional Genealogist for over 20 years, this is how most in the industry treat sources.

Gallery of Example WikiTree Profiles

I wanted to give those that are new to Genealogy and those that are new to WikiTree a solid footing of what is a source and expectations. I might have added the unsourced tag because the Profile is unsourced if it only has Gedcom Garbage, Only a Link to an Ancestry.com, Geni.com, etc Tree, or is completely blank. Another way a Profile is Unsourced is if you only put "Find A Grave" or "Personal Recollection" (from 1799???) or "1950 Census." NONE of this is useful to researchers and it's a discredit to all the wonderful and FREE sources that are out there. FamilySearch is your best friend for free sources! It is the #1 Free Resource for you to search and cite sources.

First, when you joined WikiTree, you agreed to provide adequate sources on every Profile you create. Don't remember? Well, it is called the Wiki Genealogist Honor Code.

Second, Genealogy without Sources is Mythology. No source = no proof. No getting around this one.

Third, you should have access to the Genealogical Standard: Elizabeth Shown Mills, Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace, Baltimore, MD: Genealogical Publishing Co.; 3rd edition (May 22, 2015). See also the author's blog by the same name: Evidence Explained. It is the standard that we all use. It also explains the Different Types of Sources

Sources Add Proof

1 The Different Types of Sources
2 Examples of Bad Sourcing on Profiles
3 Examples of Good Sourcing on Profiles
4 Sources to Just Avoid
5 Sources to Avoid as "Only"
6 Some tips
7 Links

The Different Types of Sources

Genealogical Standards definitions and syntax conventions:

A Primary Source contains data that was recorded by the person in the profile; or by someone known to or with first hand knowledge of that person, during the person's lifetime, death or within two generations thereafter.
A Secondary Source is a genealogical reference created as the result of a extensive study of available source material and it provides some evidence of the source documentation used to generate the text data.
A Tertiary Source is a genealogical data source which is a collection of genealogical information that does not cite Primary or Secondary information sources, and the data may be factual or hearsay.
Braces {Editorial Note Example} are used to insert editorial comments; that is to say, information or clarification that is not contained in the original, cited source material. For more details, here is my Sandy's Sourcing Made Simple space page.

Examples of Bad Sourcing on Profiles

Personal Opinion here but factual

Why this is considered bad sourcing: There isn't a link to the sources. The listed sources can easily be located on FamilySearch for free with a ready made citation.

Example: "West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FTKH-H6R : 11 February 2018), David B Cogar and Nancy J Gregory, 1893; citing Webster, West Virginia, United States, , county clerks, West Virginia; FHL microfilm 590,741.

Having the full Marriage Citation with a link to the actual source is much more useful than just listing "West Virginia Marriage Index, 1785-1971

Why this is considered bad sourcing: There is no real data or information or link to explore this information. The listed sources can easily be located on FamilySearch for free with a ready made citation.

Example: A quick search through Google and FamilySearch's catalog show multiple "Green Family" submissions. Not being sure which one pertains to this Profile, it would be handy to have a link directly to the exact submission.

This Profile would be considered unsourced because it does not have enough exact information to follow which sources they list.

Why this is considered bad sourcing: While having multiple sources listed, again, this is not providing a link to the free FamilySearch source or an ISBN for the family research sources. The listed sources can easily be located on FamilySearch for free with a ready made citation.

Example: The Green Family issue in the previous issue plus the listed McCaw and Weir family histories did not show up on an Ancestry search. And, the listed Census reports can easily be found and cited from FamilySearch

This Profile would be considered unsourced because it does not have enough exact information to follow which sources they list.

Why this is considered bad sourcing: Find A Grave is the only source listed AND it does not have a link. Find A Grave is tricky as a source. Some swear by it and others discount it or use it only as an extra or last resort. Either way, having the full citation, WT short cut link or full URL is extremely helpful

Example: "FindAGrave, database & images (https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/131819701/ : accessed 20 April 2022), memorial page for Eliza Brake Hinzman (24 May 1834–21 May 1884), FindAGraveMemorial ID 131819701, citing Pickerel Cemetery, Baldwin, Gilmer County, WVa, USA ; Maintained by Pod (contributor 48304931) ." (This can be found on the FindAGrave page at the bottom of each memorial. Copy & paste. Or use, WT's shortcut: {{FindAGrave|131819701}}

Having a link directly to the Find A Grave Memorial helps others view the source.

Examples of Good Sourcing on Profiles

Why this is considered a good sourced Profile: There are links to all the sources. The listed sources were easily found on FamilySearch for free with a ready made citation.

Example: "West Virginia Marriages, 1780-1970," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:FRDV-345 : 11 February 2018), Jacob Brake and Rachal Jackson, 10 Sep 1815; citing Harrison Co, West Virginia, v 2 p 27, county clerks, West Virginia; FHL microfilm 847,273.

Note that the Find A Grave source came directly from their memorial page and the Marriage source came from FamilySearch - both free to access, cite & view.

Why this is considered a good sourced Profile: There are links to all the sources along with accompaning information to understand the life of the person profiled.. This, obviously, is an abundance of sources and some directly linked to the profiled person but still worthy.

Example: Using extra source information that is not a Primary Source adds to the richness and history of the profiled person. {{Wikidata|Q11806|enwiki}} - Father Andrew White on Wikipedia. (Keep in mind that Wikipedia can be edited, use the sources listed at the bottom of the Wikipedia page)

Since this profile is of someone that lived in the mid 1500's, sources can be a challenge to find. Adding other types of sourced information, in this case, a link to a painting of the profiled person, helps complete the biography.

The "See Also" section is great for the extra source information about the timeperiod or life of the profiled person.

Sources to Just Avoid

These sources are not accurate and some are even fraudulent. Be wary of these and instead use actual sources such as Birth/Death Certificates and Census Records that show actual relationships.

Yates' US and International Marriages Index. See this discussion for why.
Millennium File: "created by the Institute of Family Research to track the records of its clients and the results of its professional research. It contains more than 880,000 linked family records, with lineages from throughout the world, including colonial America, the British Isles, Switzerland, and Germany. Many of these lineages extend back to nobility and renowned historical figures. In fact, one of the things the Millennium File focuses on is linking to European nobility and royalty."
Edmund West Family Data collections, per their own description, "should be used to find primary sources."
Pedigree Resource Files on familysearch.org
Public or any other family trees from Ancestry.com
Geni.com - World Family Tree - RootsWeb / If the tree cites reliable proofs, find the proofs and cite them instead.
A personal family tree.
A discussion in a genealogy forum. If the discussion cites reliable proofs, find the proofs and cite them.
UNSOURCED user-contributed family trees

Questionable Sources

Sources to Avoid as "Only"

In a nutshell, all of these types of sources are pulling their information from the true source. Instead of using these, often user error, sources, go directly to the actual source and cite that. If you use one of these sources, add another source as well.

Most Projects on Ancestry follow these sources to avoid. This happens to be from the Southern Colonies Project.

Find-a-Grave is a user-contributed site, and as such is generally excluded from the list of reliable sources. Please do not make changes to a profile's vitals, including identification of relations, based solely on information transcribed on a Find-a-Grave profile. The exception is that if the Find-a-Grave profile contains a photo of a contemporaneous gravestone (i.e., a gravestone created and placed at the time of the person's death) and includes information about the person's death, you can cite the Find-a-Grave profile for the death information, and for other information that appears on the gravestone. Please understand, though, that even gravestones may contain erroneous information.
Links to sources on paid subscription sites such as Ancestry, FindMyPast, and MyHeritage as well as Geni.com can be frustrating for WikiTree members and visitors without access to these sites. We recommend searching for a freely available copy of the source document on sites such as FamilySearch, Google Books, USGenWeb, Archive.org, or HathiTrust. As a rule, I stay away from Ancestry and MyHeritage as sources because I want everyone to have free use and view. There are ways to create a free view and the easiest way to document an Ancestry.com source is to use the Ancstry Citation Builder App
Lineage Society Applications. Lineage societies such as Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), Society for Colonials Wars, and others, vary with regard to the proofs that they require for membership. And some, like DAR, have changed their rules over time. Therefore, such applications should be used more as finding aids than actual sources. When looking at a lineage society application, please check what sources they cite, and then seek to find those actual sources.
Published Family Genealogies from the 1800's and 1900's - Look at the Fraudulent link below.
Books with family trees/family histories that do not cite reliable sources. These books are secondary sources and should be seen as a starting point. Further research is needed to confirm those relationships. I use one for my family line: The Linger Family History but I always add actual Primary sources as well.

Some tips

To learn how to properly source on WikiTree, check out the Source-A-Thon help page. It was created by WikiTree's Mindy and has step-by-step instructions with pictures.
Please do not add Ancestry.com or Geni.com sources if at all possible. Instead use the actual source document citation (usually found on FamilySearch.org for free).
Please do not upload a document from Ancestry.com, Find A Grave, Geni.com since they all consider it to be copyright infringement.
95% of the time, Ancestry.com sources can be found on Family Search for free. If you do not have a FamilySearch account, sign up here. It is free and very trusted. FamilySearch is a goldmine for sources and they provide the correct citation to copy.
Try to add at least one source that is not Find A Grave. The Cemeterist Project has monthly challenges for adding sources to Profiles that only have a Find A Grave source. #So, if you only add a Find A Grave source during Source-A-Thon, guess what.... you made additional work for the Cemeterist Project. Find A Grave is a valuable source and especially more powerful when added with another source such as death record, census, etc.
Avoid derivative sources.
Want more understanding of "Uncertain Sources", check out this help page that explains derivative sources. And, for a little more explanation of derivative sources from the Southern Colonies Project (of which MANY WikiTree Virginia Profiles are included).