* Source Types and templates in fh?

[E Wilcock]

At Mike's suggestion I am starting a new thread and reposting,

I am another one who doesnt really understand sources in fh.

I am not a professional USA genealogist and I never grappled with the Mills templates offered by some other programs.

During the period I used TMG, I made frequent use of Terry Riegels "simple source" type which was based on a book style footnote used in academic work. That is, one has title, author and usually a date field.

The Source record fields in fh are similar so suited me. Mike has explained that a source date is not part of classic GEDCOM.
But I miss that. The date is important when citing Register Index entries because one needs the year and quarter.

At some point I became aware that it might be possible to output Mills type source references using fh. I think this is done by using source sentence templates which apply only in the output of sources to reports?

But I would welcome some explanation if someone has time. Whether these exist and how one uses them?

[Valkrider]

Can I offer a slightly different perspective.

I record sources in a way that suits me, I record sufficient information that I can use to find the original source should I ever need to in the future. Hopefully this will also enable anyone else coming after me to find that original source too. Personally, I find some of the American style source citation way overkill for what I want to achieve.

If you are talking about a record from say FreeBMD. I have a source that is just called 'FreeBMD records'. When I find the reference for a certificate for say a marriage I enter a circa date of the year for the marriage and then for the location I use the Registry Office and county. Then for the source I select my 'FreeBMD records' source and in the entry date I put Q1 1914 (or whatever) and then in the Text From Source I put Vol 2D Page895 Registry Office. That's it. This is sufficient for me to either order the certificate or find the record again on FreeBMD.

I hope this helps or maybe confuses more if I have misunderstood what you are asking

[gwilym'smum]

I do much the same as Colin. I find that if all the reference for a source is the title the source list becomes unmanageable, so for Parish Registers I have A (this is my code for parish registers) c (this is my code for baptisms {christenings} then the surname, then Christian name. In this means all the parish register baptisms are together and then all the same family names are together. When I click on the fact, baptism, where within source says Staffordshire Baptisms and all the reference information. It then goes on for parish marriages and burials. Certificates are Cb (births) Cm (marriages) etc. There are categories for indexes and other items. For censuses "x41 surname census 1841, Christian name" this puts all the families for 1841 together but at the end of the list so as not to interfere with all the other sources.
I use a similar system for media images.

Hope this doesn't cause confusion too
Ann

[SunnyLady]

Elizabeth thingee is the first to say that things should be recorded in a way that you and others can find the source again if you need to. If you are not going to produce an academic/published tome, or perhaps doing it as a paid professional, then you don't need to follow her very precise method, as it's overly complicated for most people's purposes. So like Colin I do my sources in a way that is primarily meaningful to me but I also hope, if I produce a print out with sources, my method enables others to go to check (as we never quite trust other's research!!!!). I have had a go at reading (part of a course) her books which did help with understanding her original templates. There are no police to say you have to it this way or that.

[tatewise]

There are a number of points to make here.

To help understand alternative techniques, could users clarify whether they are discussing a Method 1 split Source technique or a Method 2 lumped Source technique, and also make it clear by using quotes or bold when referring to specific field names.
e.g.
Colin Valkrider is describing a Method 2 lumped Source technique for FreeBMD GRO Index records and puts the Quarter Date in the Citation Entry Date field.
Whereas, it sounds like Ann is describing a Method 1 split Source technique.

Evelyn, there is NO such FH feature as Source sentence templates that apply in any way at all.
All you can do is add labelled text to the Text From Source or Note fields to create meta-fields similar to those described in how_to:narrative_report_fact_sentence_templates#custom_fact_fields|> Custom Fact Fields but not the sentence aspects.

The only way you can record a date in a Date field associated with a Source record is either in the Citation Entry Date field or in the Date field of a Media record linked to the Source record or the Citation itself.
However, there is nothing wrong with putting a date in plain text in say the Publication Info field, or a labelled Date: in the Note field of the Source record.
Apart from the Citation Entry Date field, all the others rely on a Method 1 split Source technique.

[SunnyLady]

Each document is a source, so I don't "lump".

[ColeValleyGirl]

There is a plugin Add Source from Template that could help you structure things as you wissh -- but you have to define the templates. I know there's been discussion of it before on these forums, but can't seem to find it right now.

[jbtapscott]

With only a few exceptions, I use Method 1 for my Sources. I also take the view (as some others above) that I don't need to record every little detail of the source but more importantly, where I found (and can find again) the details. I also think that to some extent the methodology you use is determined by how you want to use the data. In my case, my website is based on a narrative format so I don't want great wodges of text in the main report as it can "hide" key information (in my opinion!)

Thus, where I have found a BMD GRO Index record in FindMyPast, the Publication Information field on the Source record holds the Year, Quarter, Registration District, Volume Number and Page Number (e.g. "GRO Data: 1934 Q3 Pancras, London 1B 53"). In cases where I only have the GRO Index as the source, this is all I record - I don't attach a copy of the FMP Transcript, although I do keep a copy of that in the Media folder of the project Where the source is, say, a Birth Certificate, then I do attach it as a Media item to the Source record.

The Source record Title and the related file name are always the same (I mostly use AS to capture data) - thus "Tapscott, John B - 1900 Birth record" (for a GRO Index reference) and "Tapscott, John B - 1900 Birth Certificate" where I have a certificate. This also ensures that finding a particular source is simple as everything sorts in a consistent manner (viz. Name and Year).

I think, as others have said in the past, consistency is the key - I took the opportunity when I moved from TMG to FH to re-record some sources where I found that over time I had changed what I was recording in TMG (as I grew more experienced and / or changed my mind!).

[tatewise]

I think the thread Helen was thinking of may be Plugin: Add Source From Template (14258).

Another technique for consistently formatting Source records and Citations is via Ancestral Sources.
It offers several templates for configuring Title, Publication Info, and Text From Source fields, etc.

[E Wilcock]

Absent from computer.
Yes that thread was what I had caught sight of and now wanted to understand please.
I will look at that thread now and see if I understand.

[E Wilcock]

No I dont think I understand - but I need to read about the plug in and this question would need to be in the plug in section.

[davidm_uk]

If you haven't already used it I would thoroughly support Mike and recommend Ancestral Sources. It can be used as it comes, and is also very customisable, but a major strength lies in the number of people in here that use it (it has a dedicated section in these forums), including the author of it, so you have lots of knowledge to call upon if you need it.