Family Historian User Group

I have been researching my family tree for a number of years, consequently, my mode of recording data has evolved over time and herein lies my conundrum. Whiling away the time while stuck indoors, I have been tidying and re-organizing my FH database. Over time I have attached media files to specific facts, to fact citations, and to sources.

I would like to standardize by having all media specific to a fact for a person (eg. BDM's) be attached directly to the fact and have media specific to a fact for a group of people (eg. a census) be attached to the overall source record. I see this as the first step in being able to effectively query the FH database for individuals who have primary source data, eg actual birth certificates, copies of actual marriage register entries etc.

The keyword plugin has assisted me with setting applicable keywords to each media item. I have been looking for a plugin that may assist me with the bulk un-link of media from citations or sources and re-link directly to the specific fact concerned.

Am I asking too much of FH to fix my tangles and should I just pay the penance for my dis-organization and fix the links manually. As you can imagine, there are quite a few.

Others thoughts and suggestions most welcome.

You have asked the same question on the FH Email list.
The answers there say that attaching document images to facts is an unusual strategy.
Usually, they are attached to a Source record Media tab (Method 1), or to the Citations (Method 2).

See glossary:sources|> Source Records that explains the reasoning behind those strategies.
In short, it is because most documents yield multiple facts, so which fact should have the image attached?

You have recognised that with regard to Census returns that yield multiple facts for a group of people.
But seem to have overlooked that the same applies to BMD Certificates that also apply to a group of people.

Many users decide to review their Project and rationalise the data structure.
In doing that Ancestral Sources is very popular in establishing a consistent strategy and sticking to it.
See ancestralsources:index|> Ancestral Sources.

There are no Plugins to move images from Sources/Citations to Facts because as explained above it is an unusual strategy.

Thanks Mike.

I guess I have always had issues with sourcing. Don't know exactly why and just talking to others, it seems a common issue. (not specific to FH, but in general)
I have a lot of documents just attached to a fact, a lot attached to citations and a lot attached to sources. The mess generated trying to learn how to source correctly. I am trying to clean it up, to have the data consistent. That's why I was asking about a plugin to move the MM from one object to another.
My research is not going to be published so I don't need to get to academic standard citations. Generally my source info is the document that is the image.
Looks like I need to persist in understanding sourcing correctly. Thanks for the links into the kb.

Thanks
Malcolm.

Malcolm, in the glossary:sources|> Source Records advice there are links to how_to:recording_details_from_a_birth_certificate|> Recording from a Birth Certificate and how_to:recording_census_records|> Recording from a Census Record. See also how_to:index#recording_facts_and_sources|> Recording Facts and Sources.

The underlying concept is that most source documents provide evidence for more than one fact.
So the source document details are captured in a Source record with a Media tab image &/or Text From Source transcript.
Each separate fact derived from that source needs a Citation linking the fact to the Source record.
In this context, a fact can be a Birth, Marriage, Death, Census, Occupation, Residence, Name of a person, and much more.

We are not talking about academic standard citations but simply the ability to answer the question "Where did I find this nugget of information?"

Maybe I'm going to have a major re-think about how I manage all of this too.

I have always added the media to the fact (for the 20 years I've been using genealogy programs that could do it), and it was the move from TMG to FH which has started me thinking about looking at it differently (due to the whole Census difference from TMG, which I still haven't resolved in my file yet either).

My reasoning was, my Birth, my Birth Certificate, so that's where the Certificate belongs, as the focus is 'me'. The Source can still be attached to any other Facts as required, but I don't see any reason for the Certificate to also be showing with those other Facts.

A shared event, like a Census is different, at least to me, as it is the same Fact with numerous people.

I already have 320 Source Records, and want to tidy that up and get it as less, if I go the other way and add the media then each media item will have a Source (except for personal photos I guess)...that will mean I would have thousands, as only one of my Sources (a Birth Index) has 1,400 citations alone. I have always assumed this meant I was a 'Lumper'.

So, should I keep that Source, but where I have an individual Birth Certificate, create a separate Source for that Fact? (There is no way I'd be purchasing the 1,400 Certificates as these are for side branches not my direct line).

Interestingly, having to write this out is helping me clarify how I am going forward. I guess there are 'many ways to solve a problem' and you just have to find the way which suits you.

Chris

I would create a source for each birth/marriage/death certificate, census household record, baptism, burial. This is the 'splitter' method or what I call 'method 1' in Ancestral Sources. You will potentially end up with thousands of sources but that's not something to be concerned about. Lumpers still have just as much (and possibly more) data in their file but it's hidden away (or less accessible) within citations.

Each of those sources will link to multiple facts - e.g a birth certificate links to a birth fact for the child, occupation facts for the parents, residence facts for the child and parents, etc. I link an image of the certificate or census record to that source.

But if all I have is an index entry then I act as a 'lumper' and just link the birth/marriage/death to a single source. Generally each index entry is just linked to one fact (e.g. the birth fact) and so it isn't worth the effort for me to create a source for each index entry and I won't be linking an image of the index.

I think this is quite a common approach for Family Historian users.

Nick

Thanks Nick! That makes sense, and is certainly the new direction I was heading towards.

I guess this is why, up until now, I have not been able to get my head around 'Ancestral Sources' at all! I 'did' try when I first came to FH, but it just did my head in as it was such a different approach to how I had worked in TMG.

OK, so I am going to set a goal to try it out properly on the sample database, and see how I go.

Cheers
Chris

A point worth considering is that it is not you who is a 'splitter' or a 'lumper'.
It is the characteristics of the source document that decides whether to 'split' or to 'lump'.

Usually, if the source document provides evidence for multiple facts and thus multiple Citations then it should be 'split' so that the Media image and transcript is held once in the Source record rather than repeated in each Citation. This is the case for BMD Certificates, Census returns, birth & burial Parish Register entries.

If the source document only provides evidence for one fact then it should be 'lumped' with the details in the one Citation.
BMD Index entries fit this scenario.

You say Census is different, as it is the same Fact with numerous people. But there are other facts such as Birth and Occupation derived from the Census.

Thanks Mike! I see your point.

I would also like to give you a big shout-out! You are soooo patient with all of us...explaining the same things over and over as new members join, and pointing people to previous posts and discussions of topics (I personally always 'try' to search for a topic before I ask a question, but it's not always easy to find). So THANKS! <clap-clap-clap>

Cheers
Chris

PS...you see...I am being gently guided in the 'right' direction!

Ditto Mike.

Thanks for being patient. You've given me quite a bit to think about.

Cheers ...........