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Joop

history tag

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Dear TMG forum members

 

In my research I have found a lot of deeds and other documents. In each of them one or more persons of interest are found (playing different roles in different documents). It seemed to me that the history tag would be a great way to store the information in TMG. I make a source for each document and supply the content of the document in the COMMENT tab (second one) and have it print as part of the footnote. I have modified (a copy of) the history tag to allow a more versatile text for each witness (including variable text from that witness' memo.

 

My question is: am I on the right track? This approach seems so neat, simple and versatile that it is almost to good to be true... :)

 

Concrete example might be a will. In my view this approach will work for a will as well, but I haven't seen people write about it, so...

 

Thanks in advance for your reply and help,

 

regards, Joop

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Hi Joop,

 

You will probably get many ideas, but you are on the right track if it works for you. :rolleyes: The most significant difference of the History tag versus other event tags is that the History tag has no Principal(s), only Witnesses that could have varied roles. How you use any tag is up to you, if it records what you want and produces what you expect. I usually reserve the History tag for recording events that do not have a singe person, or pair of people, as the focus of the event. If there is a focus person, I don't use History. For example, I would not use a History tag to document a burial, as the deceased is the focus and everyone else who attended can be connected as Witnesses with various roles, like widow.

 

There is a fine line between a source of information and an event which that source describes. For example, I would consider a will a source, but the filing or probate of the will as an event on a specific date for which the will is a source. Further, I would not use a History tag for probate of a will since the deceased is really the focus of that event. However, any non-History event tag can still have lots of roles for Witnesses.

 

As for storing the information from a source, I prefer to use TMG Exhibits. Note that you can attach Exhibits to a source itself or any event tag, and Exhibits can be text files either internally to TMG or externally, or even scanned images of the document. Then I cite that source to one or many event tags of the appropriate people. For example, I have a book of biographies of leading figures in a particular county. I make each biography a separate source and attach a full transcription of the biography to the source as an Exhibit. Then for each event it describes, such as marriages, deaths, births of children, etc. I cite that source to that event and copy only the pertinent sentence or phrase in the Citation Detail. I prefer not to have the entire contents print for every footnote for every citation.

 

To me there is an important difference between a source document and an event, and I try to use the TMG facilities appropriate for each.

 

Hope this gives you ideas,

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Hi Michael,

 

Thanks for your answer. To dig a little deeper:

- "The most significant difference...". Agreed, but are there more differences (in reporting maybe or...)?

- On the source issue. Suppose I have a photocopy of a will and also the transcript (a small text piece). I store the information as follows: photocopy as an exhibit linked to the source. Transcript as comment on the second source tab (to be printed as part of the source in the end or/and footnotes). Facts/conclusions derived from the information in the will (e.g. birth/death dates, occupations, residences etc.) in the appropriate tags for the person they belong to. Is this a (from TMG perspective) what you would advice (or support)? I know it can be stored in multiple ways, but it would be nice not to find a better way when I am at person 10,000 using a specific approach ;)

- About printing the transcribed content of a deed (etc.) as a footnote. Most of them (at least here in Holland) have great text and wording. They are a joy to read. It would be a shame not to print them somewhere and the footnote seemed a great place. Of-course there are the dull ones, but even then, the fact that it was drawn up was of importance (then). So who are we to ignore them? I am very interested in your reasoning for not always printing them.

- A TMG question: exactly where and how do I make the distinction between footnotes and end notes? Can I print some data (e.g. the ones including the comments above) as footnotes and some other data (real references) as end notes?

 

When you are on the right track but nobody else is on your track it's getting so lonely and after all, genealogy is also about communication and working together (to me). So maybe I shouls have said "consensus track"? :rolleyes:

 

Regards, Joop

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- A TMG question: exactly where and how do I make the distinction between footnotes and end notes? Can I print some data (e.g. the ones including the comments above) as footnotes and some other data (real references) as end notes?

 

Hello Joop,

 

from TMG Help

Endnotes/Footnotes

A list of memos and/or source citations that are referenced by number from one or more reports. Unlike footnotes which are output at the bottom of the relevant pages, endnotes begin on a new page at the end of the report or series of reports.

 

Whether memos and/or source citations will be printed as Endnotes or as Footnotes in a report is defined on the corresponding Tab of the Report Definition screen.

 

Regarding your second question: Yes and No. You could define that source citations will be printed as footnotes and memos as endnotes but you can not i.e. say that some memos will be printed as footnotes whereas other memos will be printed as endnotes (same applies to source citations).

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